拟南芥SHI基因在烟草中的表达和矮化、延迟开花的烟草植株的获得

利用聚合酶链式反应(PCR)从拟南芥基因组DNA中克隆了拟南芥SHOTINTERNODS(SHI)基因,并进行了序列测定.以载体pBI121为基本骨架构建了SHI的植物表达载体,并导入根癌农杆菌EHA105.通过农杆菌介导的叶盘法将拟南芥SHI基因转入烟草.PCR和RT-PCR检测证明,拟南芥SHI基因已整合到烟草基因组中并得以表达,获得了矮化、延迟开花的烟草植株.图5参12     

龙眼DlAGO1基因启动子的克隆与表达

为了解启动子在龙眼AGO1基因（DlAGO1）表达调控中的作用,根据龙眼基因组数据,以龙眼胚性愈伤组织的DNA为模板克隆DlAGO1基因的启动子序列,利用Methprimer、BPDG和PlantCARE在线软件对该序列进行生物信息学分析,将该启动子序列定向替换pCAMBIA1300载体的CaMV35S启动子,构建DlAGO1基因启动子与GUS基因的融合表达载体,瞬时转化本氏烟烟草叶片,进行GUS组织化学染色分析,并用不同浓度的赤霉素（GA3）、茉莉酸甲酯（MeJA）、水杨酸（SA）和脱落酸（ABA）喷洒烟草叶片,用实时荧光定量仪（real-time quantitative PCR,RT-qPCR）分析不同浓度激素处理下GUS基因的相对表达情况.结果显示：分离克隆得到1 437 bp的DlAGO1基因启动子序列,该序列含有2个CpG岛分布区,2段核心启动子区域,还含有多种顺式元件,包括大量的TATA-box和CAAT-box核心元件以及GA3、MeJA、ABA、光、逆境、胚乳表达等响应元件;转基因烟草叶片被中度染色,ABA处理能够诱导DlAGO1启动子的活性.综上所述,龙眼DlAGO...     

绿萍LmPDS基因RNAi载体的构建及遗传转化

PDS基因编码控制类胡萝卜素生物合成过程中的关键酶,其被沉默或抑制性表达会使叶片组织出现斑驳、黄化、白化的现象.构建绿萍(Lemna minor)LmPDS基因RNAi载体及完成遗传转化研究,对于实现RNAi技术在绿萍中的应用具有重要意义.选取595 bp LmPDS基因片段为干涉片段,利用中间载体pUCCRNAi将克隆的LmPDS干涉片段正反向插入植物表达载体pCAMBIA2300-35S-OCST中.将成功构建的RNAi载体通过农杆菌介导法转入绿萍愈伤,经愈伤抗性筛选、植株再生、植株扩培、标记基因NPTII检测等过程,获得植株70株,其中4株为转基因阳性植株.再经荧光定量PCR分析、番茄红素含量检测、表型观察转基因植株.结果显示,转基因阳性植株LmPDS相对表达量明显下降,为对照的28.8%-40.5%,其番茄红素含量也明显下降,且叶片出现了明显的白化表型.本研究成功构建绿萍LmPDS基因RNAi载体,实现了RNAi在绿萍中的应用,结果可为进一步的绿萍基因功能研究提供材料和方法.(图11表1参30)     

中国水仙DFR基因启动子的克隆及功能

为了解中国水仙花青素合成途径关键基因DFR(NtDFR)的表达调控以及中国水仙不能合成花青素的分子机制,采用染色体步移法从中国水仙中克隆NtDFR基因起始密码子上游962 bp的启动子序列.生物信息学分析结果表明启动子序列除包含TATA-box、CAAT-box等基本启动子元件外,还包含光调控元件、植物激素响应元件、胁迫响应元件等多个顺式作用元件.此外,该启动子序列还含有MYB转录因子结合位点.为验证启动子的表达特性,将NtDFR启动子取代植物表达载体pBI121上35S启动子,构建pBI121-pNtDFR::GUS载体,利用农杆菌转化烟草叶片瞬时表达,通过GUS组织染色法确定了克隆的启动子的活性.将中国水仙R2R3-MYB转录因子NtMYB2、NtMYB5分别和pBI121-p NtDFR::GUS共同注射烟草,定量PCR和GUS组织化学染色结果表明NtMYB2和NtMYB5都使NtDFR启动子诱导的烟草叶片GUS颜色变浅以及GUS基因表达量下降,表明NtMYB2和NtMYB5是NtDFR的抑制因子.本研究结果有助于了解中国水仙花青素合成途径的分子调控机制.(图5参34)     

干扰烟草GA 20-氧化酶siRNA植物表达载体的构建及矮化烟草的产生

根据烟草(Nicotiana tabacum)GA 20-氧化酶基因序列,设计2对分别含有特定酶切位点的特异引物,以烟草基因组DNA为模板,扩增目的基因(约250 bp)片段.将正、反向目的片段分别插入中间载体的内含子两侧.再经BamH I和Sac I双酶切回收约700 bp的目的片段,插入到双元载体质粒p2355中,成功构建了含GA 20-氧化酶基因片段的反向重复序列植物表达载体p23700,其转录产物能形成发夹RNA(hpRNA),产生小分子干扰RNA,干扰目的基因的表达.将p23700质粒导入根癌农杆菌EHA105中并转化烟草叶片细胞,经选择分化培养,获得表型矮化的转基因烟草.图4参14     

水稻幼穗分化特异性启动子pRFL的克隆和特征分析

组织特异性启动子能够驱动基因在特定的时期和部位表达,克服组成型启动子启动的外源基因在受体植物中非特异、持续、高效表达所造成的浪费,是基因工程技术最重要元件之一.本研究利用PCR技术从水稻基因组中克隆了幼穗分化特异表达基因RFL翻译起始位点上游2 001 bp的启动子序列,命名为pRFL.生物信息分析显示,该片段含有36个转录起始核心启动子元件TATA-box和多个启动子增强子区顺式作用元件CAAT-box,以及多个光反应调控元件和植物激素响应元件等.将其与GUS基因构建成植物表达载体,导入水稻"日本晴",组织化学染色法检测显示,转基因水稻植株叶片、茎均无GUS显色,花序及发育中的小花有较强表达;荧光定量PCR测定幼穗GUS基因转录活性,显示pRFL驱动的GUS基因表达量比actin启动子驱动的GUS基因表达量高2.9倍.上述结果初步证明了pRFL为幼穗分化特异性启动子.     

盐生杜氏藻3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶不同结构域蛋白的表达纯化及其抗体的制备与分析

盐生杜氏藻(Dunaliella salina)是迄今为止世界上发现的最耐盐的真核光合生物,而甘油是盐藻用于调节细胞内外渗透压变化的关键调渗物质.3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶(GPDH)是盐生杜氏藻甘油合成途径中的关键酶.与已经报道的其它物种的GPDH基因不同,盐生杜氏藻3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶(Ds.GPDH)基因具有两个独立的功能结构域,即丝氨酸磷酸化酶结构域(SGPP domain)和3-磷酸甘油脱氢酶结构域(GPD domain).本实验在已克隆的Ds.GPDH2基因的基础上,以含GPDH2全基因序列的T质粒载体(pMD18-T-GPDH2)为模板,PCR扩增分别得到两个单结构域片段(SGPP与GPD),以及双结构域片段(GPDH),构建了pET32a-SGPP、pET32a-GPD和pET32a-GPDH三种原核表达载体,并在大肠杆菌中成功表达.纯化蛋白制备抗原,制备出3个多克隆抗体.Western Blot和交叉反应分析显示通过重组蛋白制备的多克隆抗体具有很高的特异性.图7参16     

盐生杜氏藻烯醇酶基因启动子的克隆分析及胁迫转录应答

为了解盐生杜氏藻(Dunaliella salina)烯醇酶(Enolase)在渗透耐受中的具体功能,利用基因组步行方法和巢式PCR,从D.salina中克隆了烯醇酶基因DsENO 5’上游约2 000 bp的调控序列,并对其进行序列分析.分析表明,它包含多个与转录调控有关的保守序列(如CAAT-box,TATA-box),富含光﹑干旱及其它胁迫应答元件.利用实时荧光定量PCR的方法,研究了高渗﹑高温以及低温外界胁迫条件下DsENO的转录情况,发现其受高渗强烈抑制,高温显著诱导而低温微弱诱导.     

盐藻LHCB3蛋白的表达纯化及抗体制备

为了解盐生杜氏藻(Dunaliella salina)主要光捕获蛋白LHCB蛋白的功能,将已获得的盐藻Lhcb3基因构建到原核表达载体pET32a-DsLhcb3,通过优化表达条件,建立了高效的重组系统.pET32a-DsLhcb3在大肠杆菌中的优化表达条件为1 mmol/L IPTG在37℃下诱导4 h.采用镍离子亲合层析纯化获得LHCB3蛋白,并以此为抗原制备了多克隆抗体,经琼脂糖扩散检测效价,在1:16处有明显沉淀.提取盐藻总蛋白,经过制备的LHCB3抗体杂交,在29 000处获得两条明显的杂交条带,为进一步研究盐藻LHCⅡ蛋白表达机理奠定了基础.     

番茄SlNAC1基因启动子的盐应答功能分析

番茄NAC转录因子编码基因SlNAC1受假单胞菌、盐、干旱和低温等多种生物和非生物胁迫诱导表达,但其转录调控机制仍不清楚.为研究SlNAC1的盐应答转录调控机制,分离SlNAC1基因的启动子并分析其盐应答功能.构建4个5′-缺失的SlNAC1启动子(起始密码子上游2 039 bp、1 508 bp、1 373 bp和777 bp)驱动的GUS基因表达载体,并利用农杆菌介导法分别转化烟草(Nicotiana benthamiana),随后对转基因植株进行NaCl处理和GUS染色分析.结果显示,未经NaCl处理的转基因植株均不被明显染色,而NaCl处理后,除777 bp启动子转基因植株外,2 039 bp、1 508 bp和1373 bp启动子转基因植株都被明显染色.这说明SlNAC1启动子中盐应答元件位于-1 373 bp和-777 bp之间.结合该区间有4个盐应答元件——GT1GMSCAM4元件(核心序列为GAAAAA)的预测分析结果,推断这4个GT1GMSCAM4元件中的一个或者多个协同负责SlNAC1基因的盐应答转录调控.这4个GT1GMSCAM4元件将用于筛选SlNAC1盐应答的转录调控因子.(图4表1参28)     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.