2,577 research outputs found
The kiwifruit (Actinidia sp.) vine root system: Responses to vine manipulations
No full textThe root system is a significant component of whole-plant biomass in kiwifruit vines and is likely to be a considerable carbohydrate sink. Seasonal trends in root growth were investigated to infer seasonal fluctuations in root carbohydrate demand. Root growth peaked in summer and autumn. Observations indicate that peak root demand for carbohydrates occurs when fruit demands are also high. This infers competition between fruit and root growth, disagreeing with observations in other species. Carbohydrate partitioning between fruit and roots was studied in small kiwifruit plants using the tracer 14C. Simultaneous tracer import was observed into fruit and roots. When half the root system was cut off, root system import was reduced. The fruit imported a larger proportion of the available tracer, whilst there was no change in import into the remaining root half. Simultaneous carbohydrate import into fruit and roots demonstrated competition between these sinks. However, increased carbohydrate import into fruit suggests that the fruit has higher priority. The findings of this research suggest that the root system is a more competitive sink in kiwifruit vines than in some other fruit crops.
Trunk girdling and root pruning are used to improve kiwifruit vine productivity. The effects of these practices on vine physiology, and root growth and function were investigated. Girdling reduced photosynthesis, with reductions attributed to stomatal limitation and feedback inhibition. Repeat annual girdling reduced root biomass by approximately 59%. Root growth rates were not affected, however, girdled vines produced less root tips. This suggests that new root production is more of a carbon expense than root extension. Root pruning reduced whole-vine hydraulic conductance. As treatment severity increased, reduced photosynthesis was evident, attributed to reduced sink demand. Roots in other species have demonstrated rapid changes in hydraulic conductance in response to environmental stresses. Hydraulic conductance in intact roots of kiwifruit vines did not respond when 80% of root biomass was removed. However, sap flow increased to a rate approximately 50% higher than pre-treatment. Kiwifruit roots exhibited hydraulic redundancy, which may be a stress tolerance mechanism
Probing nod factor perception in legumes by fluorescence microspectroscopy
No full textPlants of the family of legumes are capable of forming a symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria. These Gram-negative bacteria invade the root system of a host legume and fix nitrogen in a specialized organ, the so-called root nodule. In exchange for sugars, the bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia which can be used by the plant. This remarkable alliance allows the plant to grow independently from nitrogen sources provided by the soil. Examples of leguminous plants are clover, pea, and soybean.The symbiosis is initiated by a molecular dialogue. The plant produces flavonoid compounds which are recognized by the bacterial NodD protein. The signaling pathway which is activated leads to the synthesis and secretion of lipo-chitooligosaccharides which are also called Nod factors. The production of Nod factors by the Rhizobium bacteria is an essential step for accomplishing symbiosis and also determines host specificity. The general structure of Nod factors comprises a chitin backbone of three to five b-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine units. A fatty acid of 16-20 carbon atoms is N-linked to the terminal non-reducing sugar residue. The exact molecular structure can comprise different acyl chains and a variety of decorations on the chitin backbone depending on the Rhizobium species.After successful recognition of the bacteria by the legume, a remarkable morphogenic process takes place, which is known as root hair curling. The root hair curls around the Rhizobium colony by which the bacteria are entrapped within the so-called shepherd's crook. Subsequently, the rhizobia enter the root hair through an infection thread, starting from the center of the curl. Via the infection thread several cell layers are crossed after which the bacteria are released in nodule primordium cells, where they differentiate into bacteroids that fix nitrogen.Nod factors in the absence of bacteria, either purified from Rhizobium cultures or chemically synthesized can elicit a wide variety of responses on a compatible legume host. When Nod factors are applied to roots, the earliest visible response takes place in root hairs. Root hairs are single tip-growing cells that develop from the epidermis of a root and grow perpendicular from the longitudinal axis of the root. Generally, root hairs that are terminating growth are susceptible to Nod factors and respond by swelling of the tip of the root hairs, followed by the re-initiation of tip growth in a random direction. This typical Nod factor response is referred to as root hair deformation and can be observed with a microscope 2-3 hours after addition of Nod factors.The perception of Nod factors by the plant, and the downstream signaling cascades that are activated are major research topics in the Rhizobium-legume interaction. The low concentration (down to 10-12 M) at which Nod factors can still induce root hair deformation and the dependence of the bioactivity on specific decorations of the Nod factor suggest that these molecules are perceived by receptors at the root hair. However, to date no such receptors are characterized. Moreover, it is far from clear where Nod factor recognition by root hairs takes place. Therefore an approach was taken in which fluorescent Nod factor derivatives are synthesized, allowing to probe the ligand binding sites on legume root hairs.The research described in this thesis focuses on the quantification, characterization and perception by legumes of Nod factors. In order to detect Nod factors at physiologically relevant concentrations sensitive techniques are required. A number of fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy based techniques can be used to study fluorescent derivatives of signaling molecules. In chapter 1, the use of fluorescence microspectroscopic techniques available in the laboratory are discussed. Examples how these techniques can be used for the study of root hairs and other living cells are described.In chapter 2, two methods to quantify purified Nod factors are described. An enzymatic step which is crucial for the first method was analyzed in detail. The second method was optimized and validated using fluorescent and radiolabeled Nod factor derivatives. The chapter describes in detail how the two optimized methods can be used for quantifying Nod factors as well as potential pitfalls.In chapter 3, the spectral properties of three novel fluorescent Nod factor derivatives are described. It is checked whether these fluorescent Nod factors can still elicit root hair deformation on Vicia sativa roots. The properties of the amphiphilic signaling molecules were characterized in vitro in the absence and presence of micelles and model membrane systems using fluorescence spectroscopy. Time-correlated single photon counting fluorescence spectroscopy was used to measure rotational mobility of the fluorophore. These experiments are complemented with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to examine diffusional mobility of the Nod factors. A lipid transfer assay was used to measure the rate of intermembrane transfer and intramembrane flip-flop of Nod factors.In chapter 4, a detailed study is reported describing the sites at which the fluorescent Nod factors accumulate. Fluorescence microscopy is used to examine the location of fluorescent Nod factors on root hairs during the initial perception and during root hair deformation. Subsequently, the diffusional mobility of the fluorescent Nod factors is measured in vivo using fluorescence correlation microscopy (FCM), allowing quantification of molecular mobility and concentration of fluorescent Nod factors in living root hairs at a molecular level. This study is continued in chapter 5 in which also novel sulfated fluorescent Nod factors are used and characterized, enabling a direct comparison between sulfated and non-sulfated Nod factors on a host and non-host legume. Also, the origin of the molecular mobility of the Nod factors is studied in more detail.In chapter 6 a novel approach towards manipulating phospholipid second messengers in single cells with spatiotemporal control is presented. The synthesis of a fluorescent and caged derivative, NPE-phosphatidic acid, which releases phosphatidic acid upon exposure to UV is described. The release of phosphatidic acid from the caged compound is studied in vitro and in vivo. The use of photoreleasable phosphatidic acid for studying phospholipid signaling in vivo is evaluated.Chapter 7 summarizes the conclusions that can be drawn from the results described in this thesis. The implications for Nod factor secretion by the bacterium and subsequent perception by legume root hairs are discussed. Based on the results presented in this thesis, it is tempting to speculate that spatial restriction of signaling molecules in plants is achieved by immobilization in the cell wall. Subseqent perception of Nod factor takes place either in the plasma membrane or within the cell wall as is illustrated by two proposed modes of perception. The results of this thesis are discussed with respect to these two models.</p
Cw ion lasers pumped by electron beams
No full textWe have obtained cw laser radiation from singly ionized Hg, I, Cd, Se, and As by exciting He metal-vapor mixtures with a dc electron beam. The beam is generated by glow discharge electron guns located apart from the active medium. This is the first time that cw ion laser action has been obtained using electron beam excitation
CW laser action in atomic fluorine
No full textWe have obtained CW laser action on four transitions in the doublet system of atomic fluorine for the first time. All previously reported laser action was on a pulsed basis only. CW laser radiation was obtained when F2 or AgF was used as a fluorine donor in an electron beam pumped helium plasma. A multiline output power of 200 mW was obtained
CW silver ion laser with electron beam excitation
No full textA CW laser power of 140 mW was obtained in the 840.39 nm transition of Ag II by electron beam excitation. This electron beam excited metal vapor ion laser is capable of operating using metals with high vaporization temperatures and is of interest for generation of CW coherent radiation in the 220-260 nm spectral region
1-W cw Zn ion laser
No full textWe have obtained 1.2W of cw laser power on the 4911.6- and 4924.0-Å transitions of Zn II by exciting a He-Zn gas mixture with a dc glow discharge electron beam. In addition, 0.25-W output power has been obtained on the 6149.9-Å line of Hg+ using the same excitation scheme. The combination of electron beam ionization of rare gas atoms and subsequent charge transfer excitation to metal ion levels is shown to have the potential of significantly increasing the efficiency of ion lasers. cw multiwatt visible and ultraviolet ion lasers operating at efficiencies > 10-3 appear feasible using this excitation scheme
Stabilization as a CW approximation
No full textAbstractThis paper describes a peculiar property of the category of S-modules constructed by the author, Kriz, Mandell, and May: the full subcategory of suspension spectra (all of which are S-modules) forms a precise copy of the category of topological spaces. Consequently, the “classical” homotopy category of S-modules with morphisms the actual homotopy classes of maps contains a copy of unstable homotopy theory. Stabilization and stable homotopy are induced by CW approximation as S-modules. One consequence is that CW complexes whose suspension spectra are CW S-modules must be contractible
Cw iodine ion laser excited by an electron beam
No full textCW laser oscillation has been obtained on the 5760.7 and6127.5 Å transitions of singly ionized iodine in an He-I2 plasma excited by a dc electron beam
A closed manifold is a fat CW complex
No full textIn this paper, we introduce a notion of a fat CW complex to show that a
closed manifold is a regular CW complex, while it is not always the case if we
discuss about a smooth CW structure, introduced by the first author, instead of
a fat CW structure. We also verify that de Rham theorem holds for a fat CW
complex and that a regular CW complex is reflexive in the sense of Y.~Karshon,
J.~Watts and P.~I-Zemmour. Further, any topological CW complex is topologically
homotopy equivalent to a fat CW complex. It implies that there are lots of
non-manifold examples supporting de Rham theorem.Comment: 17 page
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