Interspecific reproductive barriers in the tomato clade

2011 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Interspecific Reproductive Barriers (IRBs) preserve species identity by preventing interspecific hybridization, an essential facet of the biological species concept. Wild tomato species (Solanum sect. lycopersicum) are useful for studying interspecific reproductive barriers. Within the tomato clade there are 13 closely related species possessing diverse mating systems and complex IRBs. IRBs can be divided into two types: those occurring before mating (premating barriers) and those operating after mating (postmating barriers). Premating barriers include a variety of floral morphological characters correlated with a diversity of mating systems. Postmating barriers can be subdivided into prezygotic, those acting after mating but before fertilization, and postzygotic, those acting after fertilization. In the tomato clade, regulation of pollen tube growth in pistils constitutes postmating prezygotic barriers that are known to be important for preventing hybridization. Unilateral incongruity/incompatibility (UI), which prevents hybridization in one direction of an interspecific cross by inhibiting pollen tube growth in the pistil, is common in the tomato clade. Postzygotic barriers are also important as genetic isolating mechanisms resulting in failure of fruit or viable seed production in cases where prezygotic barriers are absent. In this study, I first examined the hypothesis of positive correlation between pollen grain size and style length among nine species in the tomato clade, because differences between species in pollen size and style length have been proposed to be a potentially important isolating mechanism between species, since larger pollen grains (containing more stored nutrients) may be needed to traverse longer styles. However, I found no correlation between pollen grain size and style length in the tomato clade, and therefore did not find this to be a likely isolating mechanism among the species in this study. Second, I examined UI barriers between species of domesticated tomato (self-compatible, SC) and three wild red-fruited SC species as pollen donors onto pistils of eight green-fruited species. Pistils of (self-incompatible) SI green-fruited species rejected pollen from all SC red-fruited species. However, pollen rejection and/or pollen tube growth of the three wild SC red-fruited species varied in pistils of green fruited SC species and SC populations of SI species. Finally, three types of IRBs including stigma exsertion, UI, and postzygotic barriers were investigated in 10 sympatric pairs of wild species. In these sympatric pairs, prezygotic and postzygotic barriers were found to prevent interspecific hybridization. This research will help elucidate the nature of reproductive barriers in wild populations. Studies of IRBs in tomato, a major food crop, also have potential for understanding reproductive barriers as they pertain to agronomic improvement

The Chevrel phase In4.07Mo15S11.87Se7.13 with mixed chalcogenide occupancy

The single-crystal of the title compound, indium pentadecamolybdenum nonadeca(sulfide/selenide), was obtained by solid state reaction with an S/Se mixture. It adopts the structure type of In3Mo15Se19 and In3.7Mo15S19, which are non-substituted Chevrel phases in the space group P63/m. The Mo, one S/Se and two In sites have point symmetry m.. and two S/Se and one In atoms are in 3.. sites. This compound contains isolated Mo6 and Mo9 clusters. The shapes of clusters are octa­hedral and confacial biocta­hedral, respectively, face-capped by chalcogen atoms over each triangle face. The Mo—X bonds (X = S, Se) play an important role for the constitution of the framework. The Mo—X distances of 2.479 (2)–2.6687 (9) Å are within the ranges of average values of Mo—S and Mo—Se distances. The In atoms located on sites with m.. symmetry are partially occupied

Dietary taurine intake, nutrients intake, dietary habits and life stress by depression in Korean female college students: a case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary taurine intake, nutrients intake, dietary habits and life stress by depression in Korean female college students.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, research data were collected in March 2009 and 65 patients with depression and 65 controls without depression participated. The CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression) scale was used for depression measure and controls were matched for age. A 3-day recall method was used for dietary assessment (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Average height, weight and body mass index (BMI) were 161.3±0.5cm, 55.3±1.0kg and 21.2±0.4kg/m² for depression patients and those of control group were 161.4±0.7cm, 53.1±0.8kg and 20.3±0.2kg/m², respectively. Average dietary taurine intakes of depression patients and control group were 89.1 and 88.0 mg/day, respectively. There was no significant difference in dietary taurine intake between depression patients and control group. The average intakes of vitamin A (p<0.05), β-carotene (p<0.01), vitamin C (p<0.05), folic acid (p<0.05) and fiber (p<0.05) of depression patients were significantly lower compared to control group. The average total dietary habit score of depression patients (47.2) was significantly lower than that of control group (51.3) (p<0.01). The average dietary habit scores of “eating meals at regular times” (p<0.05), “eating adequate amount of meals” (p<0.05), “having meals with diverse foods” (p<0.05), “avoiding eating spicy foods” (p<0.01) and “eating protein foods such as meat, fish, eggs, beans more than 2 times a day” (p<0.05) were significantly lower in depression patients compare to control group. The average scores of total life stress (p<0.001) and all stress categories of depression patients were significantly higher than those of control group except faculty problem score.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results show that depression patients have poor dietary habits and unbalanced nutrition status. Also depression patients have higher life stress score.</p> <p>Therefore, continuous nutrition education and counselling for good dietary habits and balanced nutrition status are needed to prevent depression in Korean college students.</p

Antiobesity and hypolipidemic effects of lotus leaf hot water extract with taurine supplementation in rats fed a high fat diet

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lotus (<it>Nelumbo nucifera</it>) leaf has been used to treat obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiobesity and hypolipidemic effects of lotus leaf hot water extract with taurine supplementation in high fat diet-induced obese rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups with 8 rats in each group for a period of 6 weeks (normal diet, N group; high fat diet, HF group; high fat diet + lotus leaf hot water extract, HFL group; high fat diet + lotus leaf hot water extract + taurine, HFLT group). Lotus leaf hot water extract was orally administrated to HFL and HFLT groups and the same amount of distilled water was orally administered (400 mg/kg/day) to N and HF groups. Taurine was supplemented by dissolving in feed water (3% w/v).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The body weight gain and relative weights of epididymal and retroperitoneal adipose tissues were significantly lower in N, HFL and HFLT groups compared to HF group. HFL and HFLT groups showed lower concentrations of total cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in serum. HFLT group showed higher the ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol compared to HFL group. HFLT group showed better blood lipid profiles compared to HFL group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Lotus leaf hot water extract with taurine supplementation showed antiobesity and hypolipidemic effects in high fat diet-induced obese rats, which was more effective than lotus leaf hot water extract alone.</p

4-Hydroxy­phenyl 4-fluoro­benzoate

In the title compound, C13H9FO3, the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 59.86 (4)°. In the crystal, inter­molecular O—H⋯H hydrogen bonds lead to molecular chains propagating in [010]

Bioactive Cembranoids from the Soft Coral Genus Sinularia sp. in Borneo

Soft corals are known to be prolific producers of a wide spectrum of biologically active cembranoids. One new cembranoid, sinularolide F (2), along with three known compounds, cembranolide(1),(E,E,E)-6,10,14-trimethyl-3-methylene-cis-3α,4,5,8,9,12,13,15α-octahydrocyclo tetradeca [β]furan-2(3H)-one (3), and denticulatolide (4), were isolated from the Bornean soft coral Sinularia sp. Compounds 2 and 4 showed potential anti-inflammatory activities against lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 with IC50 values less than 6.25 µg/mL and anticancer activity against HL60 cell lines. The compounds’ mechanisms of action were investigated via the Western blot evaluation of their protein markers. These activities could be attributed to the presence of tertiary methyl at C-8 and the compounds’ 3D configurations

Antioxidant and hepatic protective effects of lotus root hot water extract with taurine supplementation in rats fed a high fat diet

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Nelumbo nucifera</it>, known as sacred lotus, is a well-known medicinal plant and this lotus root is commonly used as food compared to different parts of this plant. This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and hepatic protective effects of lotus root hot water extract with taurine supplementation in high fat diet-induced obese rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (4-week-old) were randomly divided into four groups (n=8) for 6 weeks (normal diet, N group; high fat diet, HF group; high fat diet + lotus root hot water extract, HFR group; high fat diet + lotus root hot water extract + taurine, HFRT group). Lotus root hot water extract was orally administrated (400mg/kg/day) to HFR and HFRT groups and the same amount of distilled water was orally administered to N and HF groups. Taurine was supplemented by dissolving in feed water (3% w/v).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The activities of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase in serum were lower in HFR and HFRT groups compared to HF group. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance contents in all groups fed a high fat diet were higher compared to N group. The activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes were higher in HFR and HFRT groups compared to HF group.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that lotus root hot water extract with taurine supplementation shows antioxidant and hepatic protective effects in high fat diet-induced obese rats.</p