Leaf transcriptome analysis of a subtropical evergreen broadleaf plant, wild oil-tea camellia (Camellia oleifera), revealing candidate genes for cold acclimation

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) positions in genes of Camellia oleifera. Genotypes of samples from Jinggang (JG01-04) and Lu (LS01-04) mountains are shown. (XLSX 8324 kb

Light Availability and Patterns of Allocation to Reproductive and Vegetative Biomass in the Sexes of the Dioecious Macrophyte Vallisneria spinulosa

Environmental changes, e.g., eutrophication, in aquatic ecosystems can greatly alter light available to submerged macrophytes. In dioecious plants, given potential for sex-specific differences in resource requirements (i.e., high-carbon for seeds vs. high-nitrogen for pollen), females and males are expected to divergently adjust allocations toward resource acquisition structures when resources are limited during growth. Here, Vallisneria spinulosa was used as a representative dioecious submerged macrophyte to detect sex-specific responses to light limitation and assess whether sexual dimorphism varied with resource availability. Plants were grown under varying levels of light availability in nine outdoor mesocosms for 14 weeks. Late in the reproductive season, allocations to vegetative and reproductive traits for both sexes were determined and relative allocation to reproduction vs. vegetative growth was analyzed. Female and male reproductive plants differed in adjustments of resource allocation in response to light availability. Under low light, females showed a smaller reduction in allocation of resources to vegetative tissues and greater leaf area than males, suggesting female plasticity to increase carbon capture. Under low light, males showed a smaller reduction in reproductive allocation than females (flowers and inflorescences in males vs. fruits in females), suggesting that carbon limitation has greater impacts on sexual reproduction by females than males. Our study provides evidence of differences in reproductive costs and currencies for female vs. male reproduction in aquatic macrophytes, as V. spinulosa responded plastically to reduced light, with sexually dimorphic allocation strategies. Sex-related resource currencies are potentially important drivers for sex-specific variations in allocation patterns, with females safeguarding their vegetative carbon-rich biomass to satisfy future fruit and seed production

Establishment and characterization of three new human breast cancer cell lines derived from Chinese breast cancer tissues

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breast cancer is a major malignancy affecting females worldwide. It is the most common cause of death from cancer in women. Cell lines are widely used in laboratory research and particularly as <it>in vitro </it>models in cancer research. But we found that the routinely used breast cancer cell lines were mostly derived from Caucasians or African-Americans. There were few standard models to study the pathogenic mechanism at molecular level and cell signaling pathway of breast cancer for Asian patients. It is quite necessary to establish new breast cancer cell lines from xanthoderm to study the pathogenic mechanism and therapeutic methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three new breast cancer cell lines, designated BC-019, BC-020 and BC-021, were successfully established and characterized from breast invasive ductal carcinoma tissues of three Chinese female patients. These new cell lines growing as adherent monolayer with characteristic epithelial morphology could be maintained continuously <it>in vitro</it>, and they were ER-, PR- and C-erbB-2-positive. Their chromosomes showed high hyperdiploidy and complex rearrangements, and they displayed aggressive tumorigencity in tumorigenesis test.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The three newly established breast cancer cell lines from Chinese patients were tested for a number of, and the results indicate that the cell lines were in good quality and could be served as new cell models in breast cancer study.</p

RECENT CASE NOTES

<p><i>Notes</i>: H-sites and L-sites refer to high-tide-zone sites and low-tide-zone sites, respectively.</p><p>Results of <i>t</i>-test for effects of different stands on aboveground net primary production (ANPP), soil pH, total carbon (TC), organic and inorganic carbon (SOC and SIC, 0–100 cm), and SMBC.</p

Understanding Plant-Microbe Interactions for Phytoremediation of Petroleum-Polluted Soil

Plant-microbe interactions are considered to be important processes determining the efficiency of phytoremediation of petroleum pollution, however relatively little is known about how these interactions are influenced by petroleum pollution. In this experimental study using a microcosm approach, we examined how plant ecophysiological traits, soil nutrients and microbial activities were influenced by petroleum pollution in Phragmites australis, a phytoremediating species. Generally, petroleum pollution reduced plant performance, especially at early stages of plant growth. Petroleum had negative effects on the net accumulation of inorganic nitrogen from its organic forms (net nitrogen mineralization (NNM)) most likely by decreasing the inorganic nitrogen available to the plants in petroleum-polluted soils. However, abundant dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was found in petroleum-polluted soil. In order to overcome initial deficiency of inorganic nitrogen, plants by dint of high colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi might absorb some DON for their growth in petroleum-polluted soils. In addition, through using a real-time polymerase chain reaction method, we quantified hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial traits based on their catabolic genes (i.e. alkB (alkane monooxygenase), nah (naphthalene dioxygenase) and tol (xylene monooxygenase) genes). This enumeration of target genes suggests that different hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria experienced different dynamic changes during phytoremediation and a greater abundance of alkB was detected during vegetative growth stages. Because phytoremediation of different components of petroleum is performed by different hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, plants’ ability of phytoremediating different components might therefore vary during the plant life cycle. Phytoremediation might be most effective during the vegetative growth stages as greater abundances of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria containing alkB and tol genes were observed at these stages. The information provided by this study enhances our understanding of the effects of petroleum pollution on plant-microbe interactions and the roles of these interactions in the phytoremediation of petroleum-polluted soil

Patterns of diversity, altitudinal range and body size among freshwater fishes in the Yangtze River basin,

ABSTRACT Aim To document patterns in diversity, altitudinal range and body size of freshwater fishes along an elevational gradient in the Yangtze River basin. Location The Yangtze River basin, China. Methods We used published data to compile the distribution, altitudinal range and body size of freshwater fishes. Correlation, regression, clustering and graphical analyses were used to explore patterns in diversity, altitudinal range and body size of freshwater fishes in 100-m elevation zones from 0 to 5200 m. Results Species richness patterns across the elevational gradient for total, nonendemic and endemic fishes were different. The ratio of endemics to total richness peaked at mid elevation. Land area on a 500-m interval scale explained a significant amount of the variation in species richness. Species density displayed two peaks at mid-elevation zones. The cluster analysis revealed five distinct assemblages across the elevation gradient. The relationship between elevational range size and the midpoint of the elevational range revealed a triangular distribution. The frequency distribution of log maximum standard length data displayed an atypical right-skewed pattern. Intermediate body sizes occurred across the greatest range of elevation while small and large body sizes possessed only small elevational amplitudes. The sizeelevation relationship between the two major families revealed a very strong pattern of body size constraint among the Cobitidae with no corresponding elevational constraint and a lot of body size and elevational diversification among the Cyprinidae. Main conclusion The data failed to support either Rapoport&apos;s rule or Bergmann&apos;s rule

Integrating landscape system and meta-ecosystem frameworks to advance the understanding of ecosystem function in heterogeneous landscapes: An analysis on the carbon fluxes in the Northern Highlands Lake District (NHLD) of Wisconsin and Michigan.

The successful integration of ecosystem ecology with landscape ecology would be conducive to understanding how landscapes function. There have been several attempts at this, with two main approaches: (1) an ecosystem-based approach, such as the meta-ecosystem framework and (2) a landscape-based approach, such as the landscape system framework. These two frameworks are currently disconnected. To integrate these two frameworks, we introduce a protocol, and then demonstrate application of the protocol using a case study. The protocol includes four steps: 1) delineating landscape systems; 2) classifying landscape systems; 3) adjusting landscape systems to meta-ecosystems and 4) integrating landscape system and meta-ecosystem frameworks through meta-ecosystems. The case study is the analyzing of the carbon fluxes in the Northern Highlands Lake District (NHLD) of Wisconsin and Michigan using this protocol. The application of this protocol revealed that one could follow this protocol to construct a meta-ecosystem and analyze it using the integrative framework of landscape system and meta-ecosystem frameworks. That is, one could (1) appropriately describe and analyze the spatial heterogeneity of the meta-ecosystem; (2) understand the emergent properties arising from spatial coupling of local ecosystems in the meta-ecosystem. In conclusion, this protocol is a useful approach for integrating the meta-ecosystem framework and the landscape system framework, which advances the describing and analyzing of the spatial heterogeneity and ecosystem function of interconnected ecosystems

Schematic representation of three types of (three-dimensional) landscape systems represented by a two-dimensional diagram.

<p>Schematic representation of three types of (three-dimensional) landscape systems represented by a two-dimensional diagram.</p