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In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, we investigated the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of a young patient infected by avian influenza A (H5N6) virus in Anhui Province, East China, and analyzed genomic features of the pathogen in 2020. Through the cross‐sectional investigation of external environment monitoring (December 29–31, 2020), 1909 samples were collected from Fuyang City. It was found that the positive rate of H5N6 was higher than other areas obviously in Tianma poultry market, where the case appeared. In addition, dual coinfections were detected with a 0.057% polymerase chain reaction positive rate the surveillance years. The virus was the clade 2.3.4.4, which was most likely formed by genetic reassortment between H5N6 and H9N2 viruses. This study found that the evolution rates of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the virus were higher than those of common seasonal influenza viruses. The virus was still highly pathogenic to poultry and had a preference for avian receptor binding., Highlights Various avian influenza virus (AIV) subtypes naturally have caused zoonotic infections, but the subtypes H5N1 and H7N9 have caused a prominent impact.At present, the outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID‐19]) has caused a worldwide pandemic.To our knowledge, this is the youngest child infected with H5N6 subtype avian influenza in Anhui Province.Herein, we analyzed the epidemiology of the case and the characteristics of the pathogen genome, to find out the possible evolution of the virus.

Accurate communication at the stigma surface is required to promote plants' own pollen and reject foreign pollen. Liu et al. have now discovered an autocrine signaling pathway at the surface of arabidopsis stigmatic papillae, accumulating ROS. Downregulation of ROS production via an antagonistic peptide from the pollen coat promotes pollen hydration and germination.

Shifts in the duration and intensity of ambient temperature impair plant development and reproduction, particularly male gametogenesis. Stress exposure causes meiotic defects or premature spore abortion in male reproductive organs, leading to male sterility. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying stress and male sterility. To elucidate these mechanisms, we imposed a moderate transient heat stress on maize (Zea mays) plants at the tetrad stage of pollen development. After completion of pollen development at optimal conditions, stress responses were assessed in mature pollen. Transient heat stress resulted in reduced starch content, decreased enzymatic activity, and reduced pollen germination, resulting in sterility. A transcriptomic comparison pointed toward misregulation of starch, lipid, and energy biosynthesis-related genes. Metabolomic studies showed an increase of Suc and its monosaccharide components, as well as a reduction in pyruvate. Lipidomic analysis showed increased levels of unsaturated fatty acids and decreased levels of saturated fatty acids. In contrast, the majority of genes involved in developmental processes such as those required for auxin and unfolded protein responses, signaling, and cell wall biosynthesis remained unaltered. It is noteworthy that changes in the regulation of transcriptional and metabolic pathway genes, as well as heat stress proteins, remained altered even though pollen could recover during further development at optimal conditions. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that a short moderate heat stress during the highly susceptible tetrad stage strongly affects basic metabolic pathways and thus generates germination-defective pollen, ultimately leading to severe yield losses in maize.

The simultaneous anammox and denitrification (SAD) process is an emerging treatment for wastewaters containing nitrogen pollution and organics. However, there is little research on the effect of organic matter types on the SAD process. In this study, two reactors, one with glucose (R1) and the other with acetate (R2), were used to investigate the effects of different carbon sources and C/N ratios on the SAD process. The nitrogen removal performance, functional gene abundance, biomass activity and microbial community structures of the two reactors were analyzed and compared. Results showed that a desirable nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) was obtained at the C/N ratio of 1.2 in R1, whereas a similar NRE could be achieved at a C/N ratio of 0.8 in R2, which was more susceptible to a high C/N ratio. Moreover, at high C/N ratios, the microbial species diversity of R1 was higher than that of R2. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that anammox bacteria predominated at low COD, but denitrifying bacteria grew rapidly at high C/N ratio. Removal of NO3−-N in the glucose-driven reactor appeared to be more depended on other heterotrophic bacteria other than denitrification bacteria. In general, the glucose-driven reactor was more stable and resistant to high C/N ratios during the SAD process than the acetate-driven one. Results of this study provide information for practical treatment of wastewater with high nitrogen contents.

Ammonia is widely distributed in sulfate-reducing bioreactor dealing with sulfate wastewater, which shows potential effect on the metabolic pathway of sulfate and ammonia. This study investigates the sulfate-reducing efficiency and microbial community composition in the sulfate-reducing EGSB reactor with the increasing ammonia loading. Results indicated that, compared with low ammonia loading (166–666 mg/L), the sulfate and organic matter removal efficiencies were improved gradually with the appropriate ammonia loading (1000–2000 mg/L), which increased from 63.58 ± 3.81 to 71.08 ± 1.36% and from 66.24 ± 1.32 to 81.88 ± 1.83%, respectively. Meanwhile, with the appropriate ratio of ammonia and sulfate (1.5–3.0) and hydraulic retention time (21 h), the sulfate-reducing anaerobic ammonia oxidation (SRAO) process was occurred efficiently, inducing the accumulation of S0 (270 mg/L) and the simultaneous ammonia removal (70.83%) in EGSB reactor. Moreover, the key sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) (Desulfovibrio) and denitrification bacteria (Pseudomonas and Alcaligenes) were responsible for the sulfate and nitrogen removal in these phases, which accounted for 3.66–5.54 and 3.85–9.13%, respectively. However, as the ammonia loading higher than 3000 mg/L (phases 9 and 10), the sulfate-reducing efficiency was decreased to only 28.3 ± 1.26% with the ammonia removal rate of 18.4 ± 3.37% in the EGSB reactor. Meanwhile, the predominant SRB in phases 9 and 10 were Desulfomicrobium (1.22–1.99%) and Desulfocurvus (4.0–5.46%), and the denitrification bacteria accounted for only 0.88% (phase 10), indicating the low nitrogen removal rate.

In angiosperms, two sperm cells are transported and delivered by the pollen tube to the ovule to achieve double fertilization. Extensive communication takes place between the pollen tube and the female tissues until the sperm cell cargo is ultimately released. During this process, a pollen tube surface-located receptor complex composed of ANXUR1/2 (ANX1/2) and Buddha's Paper Seal 1/2 (BUPS1/2) was reported to control the maintenance of pollen tube integrity by perceiving the autocrine peptide ligands rapid alkalinization factor 4 and 19 (RALF4/19). It was further hypothesized that pollen-tube rupture to release sperm is caused by the paracrine RALF34 peptide from the ovule interfering with this signaling pathway. In this study, we identified two Arabidopsis pollen-tube-expressed glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins (GPI-APs), LORELEI-like-GPI-anchored protein 2 (LLG2) and LLG3, as co-receptors in the BUPS-ANX receptor complex. llg2 llg3 double mutants exhibit severe fertility defects. Mutant pollen tubes rupture early during the pollination process. Furthermore, LLG2 and LLG3 interact with ectodomains of both BUPSs and ANXURs, and this interaction is remarkably enhanced by the presence of RALF4/19 peptides. We further demonstrate that the N terminus (including a YISY motif) of the RALF4 peptide ligand interacts strongly with BUPS-ANX receptors but weakly with LLGs and is essential for its biological function, and its C-terminal region is sufficient for LLG binding. In conclusion, we propose that LLG2/3 serve as co-receptors during BUPS/ANX-RALF signaling and thereby further establish the importance of GPI-APs as key regulators in plant reproduction processes.

Since the first description of double fertilization 120 years ago, the processes of pollen tube growth and guidance, sperm cell release inside the receptive synergid cell, as well as fusion of two sperm cells to the female gametes (egg and central cell) have been well documented in many flowering plants. Especially microscopic techniques, including live cell imaging, were used to visualize these processes. Molecular as well as genetic methods were applied to identify key players involved. However, compared to the first 11 decades since its discovery, the past decade has seen a tremendous advancement in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating angiosperm fertilization. Whole signaling networks were elucidated including secreted ligands, corresponding receptors, intracellular interaction partners, and further downstream signaling events involved in the cross-talk between pollen tubes and their cargo with female reproductive cells. Biochemical and structural biological approaches are now increasingly contributing to our understanding of the different signaling processes required to distinguish between compatible and incompatible interaction partners. Here, we review the current knowledge about signaling mechanisms during above processes with a focus on the model plants Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays (maize). The analogy that many of the identified "reproductive signaling mechanisms" also act partly or fully in defense responses and/or cell death is also discussed.

Flowering time (FTi) control is well examined in the long-day plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), and increasing knowledge is available for the short-day plant rice (Oryza sativa). In contrast, little is known in the day-neutral and agronomically important crop plant maize (Zea mays). To learn more about FTi and to identify novel regulators in this species, we first compared the time points of floral transition of almost 30 maize inbred lines and show that tropical lines exhibit a delay in flowering transition of more than 3 weeks under long-day conditions compared with European flint lines adapted to temperate climate zones. We further analyzed the leaf transcriptomes of four lines that exhibit strong differences in flowering transition to identify new key players of the flowering control network in maize. We found strong differences among regulated genes between these lines and thus assume that the regulation of FTi is very complex in maize. Especially genes encoding MADS box transcriptional regulators are up-regulated in leaves during the meristem transition. ZmMADS1 was selected for functional studies. We demonstrate that it represents a functional ortholog of the central FTi integrator SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 (SOC1) of Arabidopsis. RNA interference-mediated down-regulation of ZmMADS1 resulted in a delay of FTi in maize, while strong overexpression caused an early-flowering phenotype, indicating its role as a flowering activator. Taken together, we report that ZmMADS1 represents a positive FTi regulator that shares an evolutionarily conserved function with SOC1 and may now serve as an ideal stating point to study the integration and variation of FTi pathways also in maize.

CEP cell death markers. Programmed cell death (PCD) is essential for proper plant growth and development. Plant-specific papain-type KDEL-tailed cysteine endopeptidases (KDEL-CysEPs or CEPs) have been shown to be involved in PCD during vegetative development as executors for the last step in the process. The Arabidopsis genome encodes three KDEL-CysEPs: AtCEP1, AtCEP2 and AtCEP3. With the help of fluorescent fusion reporter lines, we report here a detailed expression analysis of KDEL-CysEP (pro)proteins during reproductive processes, including flower organ and germline development, fertilization and seed development. AtCEP1 is highly expressed in different reproductive tissues including nucellus cells of mature ovule and the connecting edge of anther and filament. After fertilization, AtCEP1 marks integument cell layers of the seeds coat as well as suspensor and columella cells of the developing embryo. Promoter activity of AtCEP2 is detected in the style of immature and mature pistils, in other floral organs including anther, sepal and petal. AtCEP2 mainly localizes to parenchyma cells next to xylem vessels. Although there is no experimental evidence to demonstrate that KDEL-CysEPs are involved in PCD during fertilization, the expression pattern of AtCEPs, which were previously shown to represent cell death markers during vegetative development, opens up new avenues to investigate PCD in plant reproduction.

A Gram-staining-negative bacterial strain (termed CZ-AZ5(T)) was isolated from a biological filter in a marine recirculating aquaculture system in Tianjin, China. Its taxonomic status was determined using a polyphasic approach. CZ-AZ5(T) cells were non-spore-forming, non-motile rods, 0.6-0.7 mm wide and 3.0-3.7 mm long. CZ-AZ5(T) was strictly heterotrophic, aerobic, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Growth occurred in the temperature range 20-40 degrees C (optimal: 30 degrees C), pH range 6.0-8.5 (optimal: pH 7.5) and salinity range 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimal: 1 %). In phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, CZ-AZ5(T) was assigned to the family Saprospiraceae (phylum Bacteroidetes) and was clustered with the genera Saprospira and Aureispira within this family. It showed highest sequence similarity to 'Candidatus Haliscomenobacter calcifugiens' (86.2 %), followed by Saprospira grandis ATCC 23119(T) (85.7 %) and Lewinella persica T-3T (85.6 %). DNA G + C content was 40.1 mol%, the major menaquinone was MK-7, and the major cellular fatty acids (>10 %) were C-16 : 1 omega 7c and iso-C-15 : 0. Our phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic observations, taken together, led us to conclude that strain CZ-AZ5(T) represents a novel species and genus of the family Saprospiraceae, for which the name Membranicola marinus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CZ-AZ5(T) (=CGMCC 1.13179(T)=JCM 18886(T)).

Maize is the most important agricultural crop used for food, feed, and biofuel as well as a raw material for industrial products such as packaging material. To increase yield and to overcome hybridization barriers, studies of maize gamete development, the pollen tube journey, and fertilization mechanisms were initiated more than a century ago. In this review, we summarize and discuss our current understanding of the regulatory components for germline development including sporogenesis and gametogenesis, the progamic phase of pollen germination and pollen tube growth and guidance, as well as fertilization mechanisms consisting of pollen tube arrival and reception, sperm cell release, fusion with the female gametes, and egg cell activation. Mechanisms of asexual seed development are not considered here. While only a few molecular players involved in these processes have been described to date and the underlying mechanisms are far from being understood, maize now represents a spearhead of reproductive research for all grass species. Recent development of essentially improved transformation and gene-editing systems may boost research in this area in the near future.

A Gram-positive, strictly aerobic and heterotrophic, non-spore-forming actinobacterium (strain B2T) isolated from a recirculating aquaculture system was studied for its taxonomic position. Strain B2T formed a rudimentary substrate-mycelium that fragmented into short rod-shaped to coccoid cells (0.5 µm×0.5–2.2 µm or 0.5–1.0 µm in diameter). Colonies were yellow, smooth, circular and 1.5–2.0 mm in diameter after incubation on TSA for 3 days at 30 °C. Strain B2T grew at 20–40 °C (optimal, 30 °C) and pH 5.5–9.5 (optimal, 6.5–7.0) and in the presence of 0–9 % (w/v) NaCl (optimal, 1 %). The predominant menaquinone of strain B2T was MK-8(H4). The cell-wall peptidoglycan of strain B2T contained the amino acids ornithine, glutamic acid, alanine, glycine and aspartic acid. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and summed feature 9. Its DNA G+C content was 68.3 mol% (T m). Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain B2T was related phylogenetically to members of the genus Ornithinimicrobium with highest similarity (96.6 %) to Ornithinimicrobium kibberense DSM 17687T, followed by Ornithinimicrobium humiphilum DSM 12362T (96.3 %), Ornithinimicrobium pekingense LW6T (96.2 %) and Ornithinimicrobium murale 01-Gi-040T (94.8 %). On basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data, it was concluded that strain B2T represents a novel species of the genus Ornithinimicrobium , for which the name Ornithinimicrobium tianjinense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is B2T ( = CGMCC 1.12160T = JCM 18464T).

Polarized growth of pollen tubes is a critical step for successful reproduction in angiosperms and is controlled by ROP GTPases. Spatiotemporal activation of ROP (Rho GTPases of plants) necessitates a complex and sophisticated regulatory system, in which guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RopGEFs) are key components. It was previously shown that a leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase, Arabidopsis pollen receptor kinase 2 (AtPRK2), interacted with RopGEF12 for its membrane recruitment. However, the mechanisms underlying AtPRK2-mediated ROP activation in vivo are yet to be defined. It is reported here that over-expression of AtPRK2 induced tube bulging that was accompanied by the ectopic localization of ROP-GTP and the ectopic distribution of actin microfilaments. Tube depolarization was also induced by a potentially kinase-dead mutant, AtPRK2K366R, suggesting that the over-expression effect of AtPRK2 did not require its kinase activity. By contrast, deletions of non-catalytic domains in AtPRK2, i.e. the juxtamembrane (JM) and carboxy-terminal (CT) domains, abolished its ability to affect tube polarization. Notably, AtPRK2K366R retained the ability to interact with RopGEF12, whereas AtPRK2 truncations of these non-catalytic domains did not. Lastly, it has been shown that the JM and CT domains of AtPRK2 were not only critical for its interaction with RopGEF12 but also critical for its distribution at the plasma membrane. These results thus provide further insight into pollen receptor kinase-mediated ROP activation during pollen tube growth.

The success of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) greatly depends on the structure, dynamics and activities of microbial community. Heterotrophic bacteria as the major members play various roles. The heterotrophic bacterial community structure in threestaged biofilters was studied using four different media. 228 isolates belonging to 77species were obtained and affiliated toGammaproteobacteria,Alphaproteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Firmicutes,ActinobacteriaandBetaproteobacteria.Gammaproteobacteriawas the predominant group. The concurrence was found between potential pathogens (VibrioandShewanella) and probiotics (BacillusandPseudomonas). On the basis of community diversity index, we could infer that differences existed between stages, and the diversity index increased along the biofilters. A comprehensive understanding of microbial community in RAS will be in favor of utilization of microbial resources and optimizing the culture systems' operation.

In plant cells, secretory and endocytic routes intersect at the trans-Golgi network (TGN)/early endosome (EE), where cargos are further sorted correctly and in a timely manner. Cargo sorting is essential for plant survival and therefore necessitates complex molecular machinery. Adaptor proteins (APs) play key roles in this process by recruiting coat proteins and selecting cargos for different vesicle carriers. The µ1 subunit of AP-1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) was recently identified at the TGN/EE and shown to be essential for cytokinesis. However, little was known about other cellular activities affected by mutations in AP-1 or the developmental consequences of such mutations. We report here that HAPLESS13 (HAP13), the Arabidopsis µ1 adaptin, is essential for protein sorting at the TGN/EE. Functional loss of HAP13 displayed pleiotropic developmental defects, some of which were suggestive of disrupted auxin signaling. Consistent with this, the asymmetric localization of PIN-FORMED2 (PIN2), an auxin transporter, was compromised in the mutant. In addition, cell morphogenesis was disrupted. We further demonstrate that HAP13 is critical for brefeldin A-sensitive but wortmannin-insensitive post-Golgi trafficking. Our results show that HAP13 is a key link in the sophisticated trafficking network in plant cells.

The purpose of this study was to separate lumbrokinase in Pheretima praepinguis and examine its enzymatic properties. With P. praepinguis as material, lumbrokinase was separated with the salting out method. Lumbrokinase activity was measured with casein medium plate method. Effect of pH and temperature on lumbrokinase activity was studied. Results of lumbrokinase separated from P. praepinguis was relatively high. Lumbrokinase activity in neutral or slightly alkaline environment was higher. Lumbrokinase had tolerance ability to high temperature, with highly enzymatic activity under 60°C and wide range of temperature adaptation.

Summary Autophagy is a pathway in eukaryotes by which nutrient remobilization occurs through bulk protein and organelle turnover. Autophagy not only aides cells in coping with harsh environments but also plays a key role in many physiological processes that include pollen germination and tube growth. Most autophagic components are conserved among eukaryotes, but phylum-specific molecular components also exist. We show here that Arabidopsis thaliana PTEN, a protein and lipid dual phosphatase homologous to animal PTENs (phosphatase and tensin homologs deleted on chromosome 10), regulates autophagy in pollen tubes by disrupting the dynamics of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P). The pollen-specific PTEN bound PI3P in vitro and was localized at PI3P-positive vesicles. Overexpression of PTEN caused accumulation of autophagic bodies and resulted in gametophytic male sterility. Such an overexpression effect was dependent upon its lipid phosphatase activity and was inhibited by exogenous PI3P or by expression of a class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) that produced PI3P. Overexpression of PTEN disrupted the dynamics of autophagosomes and a subpopulation of endosomes, as shown by altered localization patterns of respective fluorescent markers. Treatment with wortmannin, an inhibitor of class III PI3K, mimicked the effects by PTEN overexpression, which implied a critical role for PI3P dynamics in these processes. Despite sharing evolutionarily conserved catalytic domains, plant PTENs contain regulatory sequences that are distinct from those of animal PTENs, which might underlie their differing membrane association and thereby function. Our results show that PTEN regulates autophagy through phylum-specific molecular mechanisms.

Arabidopsis thaliana phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (AtVPS34) functions in the development and germination of pollen by catalyzing the biosynthesis of phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI3P). In yeast, Vps15p is required for the membrane targeting and activity of Vps34. The expression of Arabidopsis thaliana VPS15 (AtVPS15), an ortholog of yeast Vps15, is mainly detected in pollen grains and pollen tubes. To determine its role in pollen development and pollen tube growth, we attempted to isolate the T-DNA insertion mutants of AtVPS15; however, homozygous lines of atvps15 were not obtained from the progeny of atvps15/+ heterozygotes. Genetic analysis revealed that the abnormal segregation is due to the failure of transmission of the atvps15 allele through pollen. Most pollen grains from the atvps15/+ genotype are viable, with normal exine structure and nuclei, but some mature pollen grains are characterized with unusual large vacuoles that are not observed in pollen grains from the wild AtVPS15 genotype. The germination ratio of pollen from the atvps15/+ genotype is about half when compared to that from the wild AtVPS15 genotype. When supplied with PI3P, in vitro pollen germination of the atvps15/+ genotype is greatly improved. Presumably, AtVPS15 functions in pollen development and germination by regulating PI3P biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11103-011-9806-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A Gram-staining-negative, heterotrophic, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated S1T, was isolated from the Cynoglossus semilaevis culture pond in a recirculating mariculture system in Tianjin, China. The taxonomy of strain S1T was studied by using a polyphasic approach. Cells of strain S1T were non-spore-forming, curved rods, 0.4–0.6 µm wide and 1.2–2.0 µm long, and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. The strain was positive for oxidase and catalase activities. Strain S1T was able to grow at 4–30 °C (optimum, 25 °C), at pH 5.5–10.0 (optimum, pH 6.5–7.5) and in the presence of 1–5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2 %). Strain S1T contained Q-8 as the sole respiratory quinone and C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c and C16 : 0 as the predominant cellular fatty acids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 40.1 mol% (T m). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences placed strain S1T in the genus Colwellia , and it formed a distinct lineage in the phylogenetic tree together with Colwellia meonggei MA1-3T, Colwellia aestuarii SMK-10T, Colwellia polaris 537T and Colwellia chukchiensis BCw111T, with 97.7, 96.1, 95.9 and 95.0 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to these strains, respectively. DNA–DNA relatedness of strain S1T to Colwellia meonggei MA1-3T was 23.5±3.6 %. On the basis of the phylogenetic and phenotypic evidence, strain S1T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Colwellia , for which the name Colwellia aquaemaris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S1T ( = CGMCC 1.12165T = JCM 18479T).

A Gram-negative bacterium, strain CZ-AM5T, was isolated from an aerated biological filter in a marine recirculating aquaculture system in Tianjin, China. Its taxonomic position was investigated by using a polyphasic approach. Cells of strain CZ-AM5T were non-spore-forming rods, 0.5–0.8 µm wide and 1.2–2.0 µm long, and motile by means of one or two polar or lateral flagella. Strain CZ-AM5T was strictly aerobic, heterotrophic, oxidase-negative and catalase-positive. Growth occurred at 15–40 °C (optimum, 30–35 °C), at pH 6.5–10.5 (optimum, pH 7.0–7.5) and in the presence of 0–12.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 4.0 %). The predominant fatty acid was C18 : 1ω7c (80.3 %). Ubiquinone 10 (Q-10) was the sole respiratory quinone. The polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol, an unknown aminolipid, an unknown phospholipid and three unknown lipids. The DNA G+C content was 60.4 mol%. Strain CZ-AM5T showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (96.5 %) to Phaeobacter caeruleus LMG 24369T; it exhibited 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 95.0–96.5, 95.2–96.3, 96.2, 94.6–95.7 and 94.8–95.8 % to members of the genera Phaeobacter , Ruegeria , Citreimonas , Leisingera and Donghicola , respectively. However, phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CZ-AM5T did not join any of the above genera, but formed a distinct lineage in the trees. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strain CZ-AM5T is considered to represent a novel genus and species of the family Rhodobacteraceae , for which the name Cribrihabitans marinus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Cribrihabitans marinus is CZ-AM5T ( = CGMCC 1.13219T = JCM 19401T).

A Gram-staining-negative bacterium, strain TS-T4T, was isolated from Tuosu Lake, a saline lake (salinity 5.4 %, w/w) in Qaidam basin, Qinghai, China. Its taxonomic position was determined by using a polyphasic approach. Cells of strain TS-T4Twere non-spore-forming rods, 0.4–0.8 µm wide and 1.7–2.3 µm long, and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. Strain TS-T4Twas strictly heterotrophic, aerobic and catalase- and oxidase-positive. Growth was observed in the presence of 0–7.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3.0–4.0 %) and at 4–40 °C (optimum, 30–35 °C) and pH 7.0–10.5 (optimum, pH 8.5–9.0). Strain TS-T4Tcontained Q-8 as the sole respiratory quinone and phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipids, as for other members of the genusRheinheimera. The predominant fatty acids (>10 %) were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7cand/or C16 : 1ω6c), C16 : 0, C17 : 1ω8cand C18 : 1ω7c. The DNA G+C content was 50.2 mol% (Tm). Phylogenetic trees based on sequences of the 16S rRNA gene and a conserved portion of the gyrase B gene (gyrB) showed that strain TS-T4Twas associated with the genusRheinheimera; the strain showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity toRheinheimera longhuensisLH2-2T(97.1 %) and then toRheinheimera pacificaKMM 1406T(97.0 %). DNA–DNA relatedness of strain TS-T4TwithR. longhuensisLH2-2TandR. pacificaNBRC 103167 was 53±2.5 and 48±2 %, respectively. Based on the data presented, it is concluded that TS-T4Trepresents a novel species of the genusRheinheimera, for which the nameRheinheimera tuosuensissp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TS-T4T( = CGMCC 1.12461T = JCM 19264T).

A Gram-staining-negative, heterotrophic, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated AE6T, was isolated from a grouper (Epinephelus malabaricas) culture tank in a recirculating mariculture system located in Tianjin, China. Strain AE6T was able to grow at 15–40 °C (optimum, 30–35 °C), at pH 5.5–10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0–7.5) and in the presence of 0.5–7 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2–3 %). It contained Q-8 as the predominant respiratory quinone, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) as the major polar lipids and C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c (40.4 %), C18 : 1ω7c (15.5 %) and C16 : 0 (13.5 %) as the predominant cellular fatty acids. The genomic DNA G+C content was 47.1 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain AE6T belonged to the genus Photobacterium (94.2–96.8 % of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the genus and exhibited the highest sequence similarity to Photobacterium aphoticum CECT 7614T (96.8 %). Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) using four loci (gyrB, rpoA, pyrH and recA) also revealed that strain AE6T was phylogenetically related to the genus Photobacterium . Based on the phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic evidence, strain AE6T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Photobacterium , for which the name Photobacterium aquae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is AE6T ( = CGMCC 1.12159T = JCM 18480T).

Protein S-acylation, commonly known as palmitoylation, is a reversible posttranslational modification that catalyzes the addition of a saturated lipid group, often palmitate, to the sulfhydryl group of a Cys. Palmitoylation regulates enzyme activity, protein stability, subcellular localization, and intracellular sorting. Many plant proteins are palmitoylated. However, little is known about protein S-acyl transferases (PATs), which catalyze palmitoylation. Here, we report that the tonoplast-localized PAT10 is critical for development and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. PAT10 loss of function resulted in pleiotropic growth defects, including smaller leaves, dwarfism, and sterility. In addition, pat10 mutants are hypersensitive to salt stresses. We further show that PAT10 regulates the tonoplast localization of several calcineurin B–like proteins (CBLs), including CBL2, CBL3, and CBL6, whose membrane association also depends on palmitoylation. Introducing a C192S mutation within the highly conserved catalytic motif of PAT10 failed to complement pat10 mutants, indicating that PAT10 functions through protein palmitoylation. We propose that PAT10-mediated palmitoylation is critical for vacuolar function by regulating membrane association or the activities of tonoplast proteins.

Successful reproduction of flowering plants requires constant communication between female tissues and growing pollen tubes. Female cells secrete molecules and peptides as nutrients or guidance cues for fast and directional tube growth, which is executed by dynamic changes of intracellular activities within pollen tubes. Compared with the extensive interest in female cues and intracellular activities of pollen tubes, how female cues are sensed and interpreted intracellularly in pollen is poorly understood. We show here that COBL10, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein, is one component of this pollen tube internal machinery. Mutations in COBL10 caused gametophytic male sterility due to reduced pollen tube growth and compromised directional sensing in the female transmitting tract. Deposition of the apical pectin cap and cellulose microfibrils was disrupted in cobl10 pollen tubes. Pollen tube localization of COBL10 at the apical plasma membrane is critical for its function and relies on proper GPI processing and its C-terminal hydrophobic residues. GPI-anchored proteins are widespread cell sensors in mammals, especially during egg-sperm communication. Our results that COBL10 is critical for directional growth of pollen tubes suggest that they play critical roles in cell-cell communications in plants.

A collection of clinical data is reported on nonagenarians in comparison to an 'average' population of younger age. The results of these clinical data indicated that a vital physiological basis for long life span probably existed. The basis include a better micro-blood-flow state, a better cardiac, immune (nature killer cell activity), adrenocortical, hepatic and renal function, and a higher level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. It is suggested that the method, including Chinese traditional medicine, to improve the micro-blood-flow, nature killer cell activity, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and vital organ function may be beneficial for life preservation and aging retarding.