Acetylation is a ubiquitous modification on cell wall polymers, which alters physicochemical properties of cell wall and plays a structural role in plant growth and stress defenses. Recent studies indicate that at least three groups of proteins are involved in the polymer O-acetylation. Research group led by Prof. ZHOU Yihua from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of Chinese Academy of Sciences recently isolated and characterized two trichome birefringence-like (tbl) mutants in rice, which are affected in xylan O-acetylation.
Variation in fruit production can influence the interactions between plants and fruit predators and therefore affect population dynamics of both. To understand this system, researchers from Kunming Institute of Botany of Chinese Academy of Sciences modeled how variation in acorn production by Quercus schottkyana, a dominant oak in Asian evergreen broad-leaved forests, led to a cascade of interactions involving acorn number and size, weevil infestations and germinability.
Recently, Prof. ZHANG Tao and Dr. QIAO Botao from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences synthesized a novel ZnO nanowire supporting Rh single-atom catalyst. The Rh1/ZnOnw single-atom catalyst can be used for hydroformylation of olefins with remarkable activity under mild reaction conditions.
Chinese scientists have succeeded in breeding the first transgenic tree shrew, by using spermatogonial stem cells. The findings were published in scientific journal Cell Research earlier this month, said LI Chaohui at Kunming Institute of Zoology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, on Wednesday.
Scientists have uncovered a strange discovery about a species of dinosaurs that is related to both the T. rex and modern birds. Apparently, this creature had a full set of teeth but was replaced with a beak as it grew up. The findings were published in the Current Biology journal. It was noted that this could help scientists understand the evolution of bird beaks.
Dr. WANG Bo and his colleague of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) conducted a study to investigate how variation in seed mass and number among tree individuals affects the behavior of animal dispersers and in turn the component of tree fitness involving dispersal of seeds away from the mother tree. The study was conducted in a pine forest in the Hengduanshan Mountains in Shangri-La County, Yunnan Province.
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