333 research outputs found
An Importin Ī± Homolog, MOS6, Plays an Important Role in Plant Innate Immunity
SummaryPlant disease resistance is the consequence of an innate defense mechanism mediated by Resistance (R) genes [1]. The conserved structure of one class of R protein is reminiscent of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and Nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (NOD) proteinsāimmune-response perception modules in animal cells [2ā4]. The Arabidopsis snc1 (suppressor of npr1-1, constitutive, 1) mutant contains a mutation in a TIR-NBS-LRR-type of R gene that renders resistance responses constitutively active without interaction with pathogens [5]. Few components of the downstream signaling network activated by snc1 are known. To search for regulators of R-gene-mediated resistance, we screened for genetic suppressors of snc1. Three alleles of the mutant mos6 (modifier of snc1, 6) partially suppressed constitutive-resistance responses and immunity to virulent pathogens in snc1. Furthermore, the mos6-1 single mutant exhibited enhanced disease susceptibility to a virulent oomycete pathogen. MOS6, identified by positional cloning, encodes importin Ī±3, one of eight Ī± importins in Arabidopsis [6]. Ī± importins mediate the import of specific proteins across the nuclear envelope. We previously reported that MOS3, a protein homologous to human nucleoporin 96, is required for constitutive resistance in snc1 [7]. Our data highlight an essential role for nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking, especially protein import, in plant innate immunity
Deleteagene: A Fast Neutron Deletion Mutagenesis-Based Gene Knockout System for Plants
Deleteageneā¢ (Delete-a-gene) is a deletion-based gene knockout system for plants. To
obtain deletion mutants for a specific gene, random deletion libraries created by fast
neutron mutagenesis are screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers
flanking the target gene. By adjusting the PCR extension time to preferentially amplify the
deletion alleles, deletion mutants can be identified in pools of DNA samples with each
sample representing more than a thousand mutant lines. In Arabidopsis, knockout plants
for greater than 80% of targeted genes have been obtained from a population of 51 840
lines. A large number of deletion mutants have been identified and multiple deletion alleles
are often recovered for targeted loci. In Arabidopsis, the method is very useful for
targeting small genes and can be used to find deletion mutants mutating two or three
tandem homologous genes. In addition, the method is demonstrated to be effective in rice
as a deletion mutant for a rice gene was obtained with a similar approach. Because fast
neutron mutagenesis is applicable to all plant genetic systems, Deleteageneā¢ has the potential to enable reverse genetics for a wide range of plant species
Role of the conserved aspartate and phenylalanine residues in prokaryotic and mitochondrial elongation factor Ts in guanine nucleotide exchange
AbstractThe guanine nucleotide exchange reaction catalyzed by elongation factor Ts is proposed to arise from the intrusion of the side chains of D80 and F81 near the Mg2+ binding site in EF-Tu. D80A and F81A mutants of E. coli EF-Ts were 2ā3-fold less active in promoting GDP exchange with E. coli EF-Tu while the D80AF81A mutant was nearly 10-fold less active. The D84 and F85 mutants of EF-Tsmt were 5ā10-fold less active in stimulating the activity of EF-Tumt. The double mutation completely abolished the activity of EF-Tsmt
An empirical study on university students' continuous utilization of fitness apps in China
University students in China faced great health challenges. Fitness apps based on smartphones have the potential to provide an innovative approach to the university students to increase physical activities and conduct health management. This study examined how confirmed usefulness and confirmed ease of use of fitness Apps affect the attitudes, intention of recommendation, and continuous use of fitness apps among Chinese university students. The study took a quantitative approach, using online questionnaire to collect data from 552 university students who had experiences using fitness Apps. All data analyses were conducted in R. Pearsonās correlation and multiple linear regression were used to examine associations.Results. Both confirmed usefulness and confirmed ease of use were positively associated with attitude towards fitness Apps and intention of recommending fitness apps to others. However, only confirmed usefulness was positively related to frequency of using fitness apps. Confirmed ease of use was not significantly related to frequency of using fitness apps. We recommend future app-based health interventions targeting on university students to pay more attention to the functionality of the apps and integrate professional instructions into the program designs to help users achieve their goal more effectively.Peer Reviewe
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Analysis on the Symbolic Effect of Calligraphy Landscape of Tourism Scenic Spots: The Case of China
Calligraphy landscape is a kind of special cultural landscape and symbols with Chinese characteristics, and has become an important type of tourism landscape in scenic spots. This paper takes calligraphy landscape of two famous tourism scenic spots in Guilin city of China as a study case, measures its symbolic effect with 5-point Likert scale. The result shows that calligraphy landscape receives high cognition and appreciation interest from tourists. Calligraphy landscape has certain symbolic effect on tourists in the dimensions of calligraphy appreciation, cultural symbol and landscape metaphor. Significant differences of symbolic effect of calligraphy landscape exist in the dimension of calligraphy appreciation, but not in the dimensions of cultural symbol and landscape metaphor. Symbolic effect research of calligraphy landscape provides theoretical guidance to revealing the relationship among peopleās sense of place, environmental behavior and calligraphy landscape. The study has practical reference significance for designing calligraphy landscape and creating cultural atmosphere in tourism scenic spot
ITO-Free Transparent Organic Solar Cell with Distributed Bragg Reflector for Solar Harvesting Windows
We demonstrated an indium tin oxide (ITO)-free, highly transparent organic solar cell with the potential to be integrated into window panes for energy harvesting purposes. A transparent, conductive ZnO/Ag/ZnO multilayer electrode and a Ag:Ca thin film electrode were used in this transparent device as the bottom and top electrode, respectively. To further improve the transmittance of the solar cell, the thickness of the top ZnO layer was investigated both experimentally and with simulations. An average visible transmittance of \u3e60% was reached, with a maximum transmittance of 73% at 556 nm. Both top and bottom illumination of the solar cell generated comparable power conversion efficiencies, which indicates the wide application of this solar cell structure. In addition, we fabricated distributed Bragg reflector mirrors with sputtered SiO2 and TiO2, which efficiently increased the power conversion efficiency over 20% for the solar cells on glass and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates
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