There are two 5 '-flanking regions of bkt encoding beta-carotene ketolase in Haematococcus pluvialis

The unicellular green alga Haematococcus pluvialis accumulates a commercially valuable astaxanthin, with levels reaching up to 4% dry weight under environmental stress. In recent years, much effort has been devoted to understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating astaxanthin biosynthetic pathways. Beta-carotene ketolase (bkt), with control being exhibited at the transcription level, plays an important role in astaxanthin biosynthesis by H. pluvialis. Here we demonstrate the presence of two separate 5'-flanking regions [1.5 kilobase (kb) and 2 kb] of bkt (bkt1 and bkt2) that possess regulatory elements similar to those of known stress-responsive genes in plants. Results of 5'-deletion constructs and transient beta-galactosidase expression assays demonstrate that there may be positive regulatory elements governing expression in the shorter promoter at -1060/-900 from the 1.5 kb 5' region, and in the longer promoter at -1838/-1219 and at -1046/ -734 from the 2 kb 5' region relative to each homologous ATG start codon. Furthermore, our present studies reveal that the first intron (+371/+497) downstream from the 1.5 kb 5' untranslated region of bkt1 may function as a negative regulatory element to regulate its own promoter.

贵州碳酸盐岩风化壳形成地球化学过程、对比及年代学研究Geochemical Processes, Comparison and Dating for the Weathering Crusts in Karst Regions of Guizhou Province

由于缺乏相应的沉积地层，贵州新生代地质、环境演化恢复一直是学术界的难点问题。夷平面研究的兴起，为陆地地壳抬升、地貌演变等反演提供了理论基础，而风化壳正是夷平面研究的重要替代对象，尤其是对各类沉积地层不发育的地区。因而，贵州高原各级台地上发育有较为广泛的红色风化壳自然地、就成了主要研究载体。然而一与其它岩类不同，碳酸盐岩风化成土作用过程研究并没有得到同等重视，其研究范围和程度均很不充分。显然，要想利用碳酸盐岩风化壳进行夷平面等地质、地貌意义研究，就必需详细了解贵州或中国南方碳酸盐岩风化成土的基本过程。也只有如此，才能明确各种对比指标的使用条件和范围，才能明确各种测年结果的具体意义，才能真正地通过贵州碳酸盐岩风化壳获取全省地质、环境演化信息。本论文通过对贵州省岩溶台地碳酸盐岩石灰土、红色风化壳剖面形成地球化学过程的剖析，开展石灰土与红色风化壳之间的关联和差异性综合对比、红色风化壳之间发育程度的比较，以及风化壳剖面尝试性的侧年等方面研究，取得了以下儿点认识：1、石灰土形成地球化学过程及对比通过矿物组成、粒度分布特征、地球化学方法判别，确定了本文所选石灰土剖面物质来源于下伏碳酸盐岩中的酸不溶物，是碳酸盐岩风化后酸不溶物原地残余堆积的结果。石灰土形成的地球化学过程都遵循碳酸盐岩风化成土之两阶段模式：母岩－酸不溶物，大量可溶性物质Ca、Mg、Mn、P、Na淋失，而Si、K·Fe、Al、Ti则相对富集。该过程的矿物组成变化表现为，伴随碳酸盐矿物（方解石、白云石等）的溶解、迁移，硅酸盐相矿物（长石、2:1型粘土矿物等）残余、累积。酸不溶物，土层或土层的演化，K、Si（长石、伊利石）不断淋失，而Al（伊利石、高岭石、三水铝石）、Fe（针铁矿、赤铁矿等）逐渐富集，体现出脱硅、富铝（铁）过程。我们强调碳酸盐岩风化成土分为两个阶段，但也认识到风化作用是综合的、复杂的：在碳酸盐矿物大量淋失过程中，同时也进行着酸不溶物的风化。石灰土分为原生和次生两种成因类型。原生石灰土的风化程度总体较低，剖面中还残留一定量的CaCO3，剖面从下到上矿物组成、地球化学各种指标具有逐渐演化的过渡特征。原生石灰上土层演化过程显示出正风化序列，从下到上风化程度逐渐增大、可溶性物质逐渐减少、稳定和相对稳定组分（Al、Fe．、REE）含量不断增大。另外，主量元素的质量迁移系数在剖面中的变化与风化程度呈明显的相关性。而次生石灰土不但具有很高的风化程度，而且剖面无过渡特征，显示可能是由遭受强烈风化作用的物质直接转变形成的。剖面中也含有一定量后期加入的碳酸盐，但与高CIA值特征不相匹配；SiO2、Al2O3、Fe2O3组分具有不同的变化特征，与）成化程度无明显关联；REE在剖面岩一上界面出现富集层。2、碳酸盐岩红色风化壳形成地球化学过程及其与石灰土的对比红色风化壳形成的地球化学过程也遵循碳酸盐岩风化成土之两阶段模式：母岩一酸不溶物，大量可溶性物质Ca、Mg、Mn、P、Na淋失，而Si、K、Fe、Al、Ti则相对富集。该过程的矿物组成变化表现为，伴随碳酸盐矿物（方解石、白云石等）的溶解、迁移，硅酸盆相矿物（长石、2:1型粘土矿物等）残余、累积。酸不济物一土层或上层的演化，K、Si（长石、伊利石）不断淋失，而Al（伊利石、高岭石、三水铝石）、Fe（针铁矿、赤铁矿等）逐渐富集，体现出脱硅、富铝（铁）过程。石灰土与红色风化壳之间既存在共性，又有一定的差异性。红色风化壳与原生石灰土一样都具有过渡特征，但后者仅在剖面下部出现一定的过渡层位；原生石灰士的城化程度远低于红色风化壳，仅与后者底部土层相当；原生石灰土不具有红色风化壳之岩-土REE（超常）富集层。总体上，原生石灰土可以作为红色风化壳的前身。次生石灰土与红色风化壳在矿物组成、风化程度等各种地球化学指标等都十分接近（略低），显示与红色风化壳之间存在某种关联：由红色风化壳物质直接转变，或由酸不溶物已强烈风化的（白云岩）岩粉、碎裂岩风化形成。3、碳酸盐岩风化成土母岩差异性碳酸盐岩风化成土存在母岩差异性，石灰土母岩差异性较为明显，而红色风化壳的母岩差异性较弱，体现出红色风化壳的均一化特征。石灰土母岩差异性体现为：母岩为灰岩的石灰土剖面主量元素含量变化特征较为一致，而白云岩则具有不同的变化；灰岩石灰土Fe3＋、Al具有不同的富集、亏损特征，且具有富集层的补偿亏损层，而白云岩石灰上两组分都呈现无补偿层位的相同富集态势；灰岩石灰土剖面出现负Eu异常和具以Gd为中心的倒“V”型MREE稀土富集特征（母岩标准化），而白云岩石灰土无明显Eu异常和具L既E或HREE稀士．富集特征；灰岩和白云岩石灰土的微量元素富集、亏损特征也有所不同，前者从上到下逐渐富集，而后者无明显变化趋势。红色风化壳形成的基本过程、主量元素地球化学行为无明显的母岩相关性，没有如石灰土剖面灰岩和白云岩之间存在的差异性，显示出红土化作用的均一化过程；微量元素中受重矿物影响的元素与母岩类型有一定的关联，但大多数元素的亏损、富集等与具体剖面的微环境关系密切。4、碳酸盐岩红色风化壳发育程度的对比及意义多利指标对比显示所选红色风化壳的风化程度有一定的强弱差别：平坝剖面＞湖潮剖面＞天龙剖面、大兴剖面＞花溪剖面、新蒲剖面，但这种差异性不足以否定各剖面隶属于贵州山盆期广泛夷平面的基本推测。各剖面之间的微弱差异是红色风化壳形成时纬度分带和垂向分带的体现。低纬度的平坝、湖潮、天龙剖面经历的风化作用强于高纬度的新蒲、大兴剖面；高海拔的新蒲剖面风化程度低于海拔低的大兴剖面。5、红色风化壳次生石英裂变径迹测年红色风化壳次生石英裂变径迹方法测年尝试，得到一定的结果和认识：晶形相对较好的石英，是次生的，与母岩中碎屑及成岩阶段没有关联；各剖面上部与中、下部次生石英的诱发裂变径迹的密度有着明显的区别，可能暗示它们的形成环境不同；名一剖面石英的形成或退火年龄分布较为分散，1.2-25.2Ma，同一剖面的石英年龄也不均一，变化较大；从下到上，年龄值呈现出逐渐减小的规律性，与风化作用的正常序列相反。如果能确切其成因，次生石英裂变径迹年代学研究将是确定风化壳形成时代及揭示主要风化作用信，却钩有利武器。

Functional parcellation of attentional control regions of the brain.

Recently, a number of investigators have examined the neural loci of psychological processes enabling the control of visual spatial attention using cued-attention paradigms in combination with event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. Findings from these studies have provided strong evidence for the involvement of a fronto-parietal network in attentional control. In the present study, we build upon this previous work to further investigate these attentional control systems. In particular, we employed additional controls for nonattentional sensory and interpretative aspects of cue processing to determine whether distinct regions in the fronto-parietal network are involved in different aspects of cue processing, such as cue-symbol interpretation and attentional orienting. In addition, we used shorter cue-target intervals that were closer to those used in the behavioral and event-related potential cueing literatures. Twenty participants performed a cued spatial attention task while brain activity was recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found functional specialization for different aspects of cue processing in the lateral and medial subregions of the frontal and parietal cortex. In particular, the medial subregions were more specific to the orienting of visual spatial attention, while the lateral subregions were associated with more general aspects of cue processing, such as cue-symbol interpretation. Additional cue-related effects included differential activations in midline frontal regions and pretarget enhancements in the thalamus and early visual cortical areas.

Regions of the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor involved in coupling to phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and enhanced sensitivity of biological function.

Regions of the hamster alpha 1-adrenergic receptor (alpha 1 AR) that are important in GTP-binding protein (G protein)-mediated activation of phospholipase C were determined by studying the biological functions of mutant receptors constructed by recombinant DNA techniques. A chimeric receptor consisting of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor (beta 2AR) into which the putative third cytoplasmic loop of the alpha 1AR had been placed activated phosphatidylinositol metabolism as effectively as the native alpha 1AR, as did a truncated alpha 1AR lacking the last 47 residues in its cytoplasmic tail. Substitutions of beta 2AR amino acid sequence in the intermediate portions of the third cytoplasmic loop of the alpha 1AR or at the N-terminal portion of the cytoplasmic tail caused marked decreases in receptor coupling to phospholipase C. Conservative substitutions of two residues in the C terminus of the third cytoplasmic loop (Ala293----Leu, Lys290----His) increased the potency of agonists for stimulating phosphatidylinositol metabolism by up to 2 orders of magnitude. These data indicate (i) that the regions of the alpha 1AR that determine coupling to phosphatidylinositol metabolism are similar to those previously shown to be involved in coupling of beta 2AR to adenylate cyclase stimulation and (ii) that point mutations of a G-protein-coupled receptor can cause remarkable increases in sensitivity of biological response.

The Tamaricetea arceuthoidis: a new class for the continental riparian thickets of the Middle East, Central Asia and the subarid regions of the Lower Volga valley

The new class, the Tamaricetea arceuthoidis, is described covering riparian and intermittent shrubby vegetation of the Irano-Turanian Region in the southwestern and Central Asia and the Lower Volga valley. The dominating species are species of the genus Tamarix that refer high water table in arid and semi-arid habitats with high to moderate salinity. This new class is an ecological analogon of the Nerio-Tamaricetea occurring in the Mediterranean Basin.

Molecular Distributions in the Inner Regions of Protostellar Disks

The distributions of molecules in the inner regions of a protostellar disk are presented. These were calculated using an uncoupled chemical/dynamical model, with a numerical integration of the vertical disk structure. A comparison between models with and without the effects of X-ray ionisation is made, and molecules are identified which are good tracers of the ionisation level in this part of the disk, notably CN and C_2H. In the region considered in this paper (r

Mice lacking alpha-tocopherol transfer protein gene have severe alpha-tocopherol deficiency in multiple regions of the central nervous system

Ataxia with vitamin E deficiency is caused by mutations in a-tocopherol transfer protein (a-TTP) gene and it can be experimentally generated in mice by a-TTP gene inactivation (a-TTP-KO). This study compared a-tocopherol (a-T) concentrations of five brain regions and of four peripheral organs from 5 months old, male and female, wild-type (WT) and a-TTP-KO mice. All brain regions of female WT mice contained significantly higher a-T than those from WT males. a-T concentration in the cerebellum was significantly lower than that in other brain regions of WT mice. These sex and regional differences in brain a-T concentrations do not appear to be determined by a-TTP expression which was undetectable in all brain regions. All the brain regions of a-TTP-KO mice were severely depleted in a-T. The concentration of another endogenous antioxidant, total glutathione, was unaffected by gender but was decreased slightly but significantly in most brain regions of a-TTP-KO mice. The results show that both gender and the hepatic a-TTP, but not brain a-TTP gene expression are important in determining a-T concentrations within the brain. Interestingly, functional abnormality (ataxia) develops only very late in a-TTP-KO mice in spite of the severe a-tocopherol deficiency in the brain starting at an early age.

Effects of Accretion Flow on the Chemical Structure in the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks

Aims. We study the dependence of the profiles of molecular abundances and line emission on the accretion flow in the hot (100 K) inner region of protoplanetary disks.
Methods. The gas-phase reactions initiated by evaporation of the ice mantle on dust grains are calculated along the accretion flow. We focus on methanol, a molecule that is formed predominantly by the evaporation of warm ice mantles, to demonstrate how its abundance profile and line emission depend on the accretion flow.
Results. Our results indicate that some evaporated molecules retain high abundances only when the accretion velocity is sufficiently high, and that methanol could be useful as a diagnostic of the accretion flow by means of ALMA observations at the disk radius of 10 AU.