Overwintering strategy of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys: adjustments in activity scheduling and foraging patterns.

Temperate forests are characterized by pronounced climatic and phenological seasonality. Primates inhabiting such environments experience prolonged resource scarcity and low ambient temperatures in winter and are expected to adjust time allocation and foraging behavior so as to maintain their energy balance. We analyzed the activity scheduling of a group of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) based on data collected over 20 months in the high-altitude (>3000 m) Samage Forest, Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve, PRC.

Functions of rice NAC transcriptional factors, ONAC122 and ONAC131, in defense responses against Magnaporthe grisea.

NAC (NAM/ATAF/CUC) transcription factors have important functions in regulating plant growth, development, and abiotic and biotic stress responses. Here, we characterized two rice pathogen-responsive NAC transcription factors, ONAC122 and ONAC131. We determined that these proteins localized to the nucleus when expressed ectopically and had transcriptional activation activities.

Cloning and characterization of two rice long-chain base kinase genes and their function in disease resistance and cell death.

Sphingolipid metabolites such as long-chain base 1-phosphates (LCBPs) have been shown to play an important role in plants; however, little is known about their function in plant disease resistance and programmed cell death (PCD). In the present study, we cloned and identified two rice long-chain base kinase (LCBK) genes (OsLCBK1 and OsLCBK2), which are involved in biosynthesis of LCBPs, and performed functional analysis in transgenic tobacco. Expression of OsLCBK1 and OsLCBK2 was induced in rice seedlings after treatments with defense signaling molecules and after infection by Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of blast disease.

Allografts of the acellular sciatic nerve and brain-derived neurotrophic factor repair spinal cord injury in adult rats.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether an innovative growth factor-laden scaffold composed of acellular sciatic nerve (ASN) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could promote axonal regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI).

Methods: Following complete transection at the thoracic level (T9), we immediately transplanted the grafts between the stumps of the severed spinal cords. We evaluated the functional recovery of the hindlimbs of the operated rats using the BBB locomotor rating scale system every week.

[Functions of NAC transcription factors in biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants].

NAC transcription factors belong to a unique class of transcription factors in plants. The common characteristics of the NAC proteins are the presence of a conserved NAC domain, comprising of about 150 amino acids in N-terminals and a highly variable transcriptional regulation region in C-terminals. Extensive studies have revealed that NAC transcription factors not only play important roles in plant growth and development, but also have functions in regulation of responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.

Manipulating expression of tonoplast transporters.

Plant vacuoles have multifaceted roles including turgor maintenance, cytosolic pH and ionic homeostasis, plant protection against environmental stress, detoxification, pigmentation, and cellular signaling. These roles are achieved through the coordinated activities of many proteins in the tonoplast (vacuolar membrane), of which the proton pumps and ion transporters have been modified for improved abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic plants. Here we describe a method to manipulate vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase in turfgrass and evaluate the impact of the modified tonoplast on the phenotype, biochemistry, and physiology of the transgenics.

Overexpression of rice sphingosine-1-phoshpate lyase gene OsSPL1 in transgenic tobacco reduces salt and oxidative stress tolerance.

Sphingolipids, including sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), have been shown to function as signaling mediators to regulate diverse aspects of plant growth, development, and stress response. In this study, we performed functional analysis of a rice (Oryza sativa) S1P lyase gene OsSPL1 in transgenic tobacco plants and explored its possible involvement in abiotic stress response. Overexpression of OsSPL1 in transgenic tobacco resulted in enhanced sensitivity to exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), and decreased tolerance to salt and oxidative stress, when compared with the wild type.

Early non-response in patients with severe depression: escitalopram up-titration versus switch to duloxetine.

Background: Comparative evidence for second-step treatment strategies in severe depression is scarce. Up-titrating a well tolerated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) versus switching to a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) after initial SSRI non-response are possible treatment options. It is often unclear whether relevant tolerability and efficacy differences exist between SSRI up-titration versus switch to an SNRI.

Maternal responses to dead infants in Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China.

How a nonhuman primate mother responds to her dead infant is an indication of maternal behavior and perspectives on death. Here we describe three cases of a mother's response toward her dead infant in Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) at Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China. The mother, whose infant died at 1 month of age, showed strong maternal affection to the corpse and carried it for 4 days.

Evidence of allomaternal nursing across one-male units in the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus Bieti).

Background: Allomaternal nursing, common in several species of social mammals, also has been reported in nonhuman primates. However, the function of this behavior in enhancing infant survivorship remains poorly understood.

Methodology And Principal Findings: The study was conducted on a free-ranging group of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Baimaxueshan Natural Reserve.

Expression of a novel antimicrobial peptide Penaeidin4-1 in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) enhances plant fungal disease resistance.

Background: Turfgrass species are agriculturally and economically important perennial crops. Turfgrass species are highly susceptible to a wide range of fungal pathogens. Dollar spot and brown patch, two important diseases caused by fungal pathogens Sclerotinia homoecarpa and Rhizoctonia solani, respectively, are among the most severe turfgrass diseases.

An AT-hook gene is required for palea formation and floral organ number control in rice.

Grasses have highly specialized flowers and their outer floral organ identity remains unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized rice mutants that specifically disrupted the development of palea, one of the outer whorl floral organs. The depressed palea1 (dp1) mutants show a primary defect in the main structure of palea, implying that palea is a fusion between the main structure and marginal tissues on both sides.

Female resistance to invading males increases infanticide in langurs.

Background: Infanticide by adult male occurs in many mammalian species under natural conditions, and it is often assumed to be a goal-directed action and explained predominately by sexual selection. Motivation of this behavior in mammals is limitedly involved.

Methodology And Principal Findings: We used long-term reproductive records and direct observation in captivity and in the field of two snub-nosed langur species on the basis of individual identification to investigate how infanticide happened and to be avoided in nonhuman primates.

Arabidopsis poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase 1 is required for drought, osmotic and oxidative stress responses.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a post-translational protein modification that plays important roles in many cellular processes in mammalian systems. Emerging evidence indicates that poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is also involved in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In the present study, we used genetic mutant parg1-3 and transgenic PARG1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants to examine the role of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase1 (PARG1) in abiotic stress resistance.

Range expansion as a response to increasing group size in the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) is characterized by a larger home range and group size than other colobine species. We investigated variations in home range size of a free-ranging group of R. bieti from 1998 to 2007 in the Baimaxueshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan, China.

Niche partitioning between sympatric rhesus macaques and Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys at Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve, China.

Here we provide a preliminary assessment of dietary and habitat requirements of two sympatric primate taxa, a "simple-stomached" and "complex-stomached" species (Rhinopithecus bieti Colobinae vs. Macaca mulatta Cercopithecinae), as a basis for illuminating how the two coexist. Of ca.

Arabidopsis DAL1 and DAL2, two RING finger proteins homologous to Drosophila DIAP1, are involved in regulation of programmed cell death.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a precise, genetically controlled cellular process with important roles in plant growth, development, and response to biotic and abiotic stress. However, the genetic mechanisms that control PCD in plants are unclear. Two Arabidopsis genes, DAL1 and DAL2 (for Drosophila DIAP1 like 1 and 2), encoding RING finger proteins with homology to DIAP1 were identified, and a series of experiments were performed to elucidate their roles in the regulation of PCD and disease resistance.

Nocturnal sleeping habits of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey in Xiangguqing, China.

Weather, predation, and social organization are hypothesized to influence sleeping habits of nonhuman primates at night. To investigate how the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) prepares for and behaves during cold nights in their harsh alpine forest habitat (above 3,000 m), we studied the sleeping habits of the 171 one-male units (OMU) in one group for 12 months at Xiangguqing in the Baimaxueshan Nature Reserve, China. It took 20.

Fallback foods of temperate-living primates: a case study on snub-nosed monkeys.

Only a few primate species thrive in temperate regions characterized by relatively low temperature, low rainfall, low species diversity, high elevation, and especially an extended season of food scarcity during which they suffer from dietary stress. We present data of a case study of dietary strategies and fallback foods in snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti) in the Samage Forest, Northwest Yunnan, PRC. The snub-nosed monkeys adjusted intake of plant food items corresponding with changes in the phenology of deciduous trees in the forest and specifically showed a strong preference for young leaves in spring.

Dietary Profile of Rhinopithecus bieti and Its Socioecological Implications.

To enhance our understanding of dietary adaptations and socioecological correlates in colobines, we conducted a 20-mo study of a wild group of Rhinopithecus bieti (Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys) in the montane Samage Forest. This forest supports a patchwork of evergreen broadleaved, evergreen coniferous, and mixed deciduous broadleaved/coniferous forest assemblages with a total of 80 tree species in 23 families. The most common plant families by basal area are the predominantly evergreen Pinaceae and Fagaceae, comprising 69% of the total tree biomass.

Escitalopram versus SNRI antidepressants in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder: integrative analysis of four double-blind, randomized clinical trials.

Introduction: Recent data suggest that escitalopram may be more effective in severe depression than other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Methods: Individual patient data from four randomized, double-blind comparative trials of escitalopram versus a serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) (two trials with duloxetine and two with venlafaxine extended release) in outpatients (18-85 years of age) with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder were pooled. The primary efficacy parameter in all four trials was mean change in the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score.

A transcriptomic analysis of superhybrid rice LYP9 and its parents.

By using a whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray, designed based on known and predicted indica rice genes, we investigated transcriptome profiles in developing leaves and panicles of superhybrid rice LYP9 and its parental cultivars 93-11 and PA64s. We detected 22,266 expressed genes out of 36,926 total genes set collectively from 7 tissues, including leaves at seedling and tillering stages, flag leaves at booting, heading, flowering, and filling stages, and panicles at filling stage. Clustering results showed that the F1 hybrid's expression profiles resembled those of its parental lines more than that which lies between the 2 parental lines.

Molecular characterization of rice OsBIANK1, encoding a plasma membrane-anchored ankyrin repeat protein, and its inducible expression in defense responses.

A rice gene, OsBIANK1, encoding a protein containing a typical ankyrin repeat domain, was cloned and identified. The OsBIANK1 protein, consisting of 329 amino acids, contains a conserved ankyrin repeat domain with two ankyrin repeats organized in tandem and was showed to be localized on cytoplasmic membrane during transient expression in onion epidermal cells. Expression of OsBIANK1 was induced by treatment with benzothiadiazole (BTH), a chemical inducer capable of inducing disease resistance response in rice.

Searching for bidirectional promoters in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Background: A "bidirectional gene pair" is defined as two adjacent genes which are located on opposite strands of DNA with transcription start sites (TSSs) not more than 1000 base pairs apart and the intergenic region between two TSSs is commonly designated as a putative "bidirectional promoter". Individual examples of bidirectional gene pairs have been reported for years, as well as a few genome-wide analyses have been studied in mammalian and human genomes. However, no genome-wide analysis of bidirectional genes for plants has been done.

Isolation and functional analysis of LiYAB1, a YABBY family gene, from lily (Lilium longiflorum).

YABBY family proteins are plant-specific transcriptional factors. YABBY genes can be divided into three subfamilies. Within the CRC/DL subfamily, the Arabidopsis CRC (CRABS CLAW) and the rice DL (DROOPING LEAF) have functionally diverged in the control of leaf development.