Summary Autophagy is a stress response protecting cells from unfavorable conditions, such as nutrient starvation. The class III phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, Vps34, forms multiple complexes and regulates both intracellular vesicle trafficking and autophagy induction. Here, we show that AMPK plays a key role in regulating different Vps34 complexes. AMPK inhibits the non-autophagy Vps34 complex by phosphorylating T163/S165 in Vps34, therefore suppresses overall PI(3)P production and protects cells from starvation. In parallel, AMPK activates the pro-autophagy Vps34 complex by phosphorylating S91/S94 in Beclin1 to induce autophagy. Atg14L, an autophagy essential gene present only in pro-autophagy Vps 34 complex, inhibits Vps34 phosphorylation but increases Beclin1 phosphorylation by AMPK. As such, Atg14L dictates the differential regulation (either inhibition or activation) of different Vps34 complexes in response to glucose starvation. Our study reveals an intricate molecular regulation of Vps34 complexes by AMPK in nutrient stress response and autophagy.

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We describe the construction of a reference genetic linkage map for the Brassica A genome, which will form the backbone for anchoring sequence contigs for the Multinational Brassica rapa Genome Sequencing Project. Seventy-eight doubled haploid lines derived from anther culture of the F(1) of a cross between two diverse Chinese cabbage (B. rapa ssp. pekinensis) inbred lines, 'Chiifu-401-42' (C) and 'Kenshin-402-43' (K) were used to construct the map. The map comprises a total of 556 markers, including 278 AFLP, 235 SSR, 25 RAPD and 18 ESTP, STS and CAPS markers. Ten linkage groups were identified and designated as R1-R10 through alignment and orientation using SSR markers in common with existing B. napus reference linkage maps. The total length of the linkage map was 1,182 cM with an average interval of 2.83 cM between adjacent loci. The length of linkage groups ranged from 81 to 161 cM for R04 and R06, respectively. The use of 235 SSR markers allowed us to align the A-genome chromosomes of B. napus with those of B. rapa ssp. pekinensis. The development of this map is vital to the integration of genome sequence and genetic information and will enable the international research community to share resources and data for the improvement of B. rapa and other cultivated Brassica species.

Long-term imbalance in light absorption and electron transport by photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII) in chloroplasts brings about changes in the composition, structure, and function of thylakoid membranes. The response entails adjustment in the photosystem ratio, which is optimized to help the plant retain a high quantum efficiency of photosynthesis (W.S. Chow, A. Melis, J.M. Anderson [1990] Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 87: [7502][7503][7504][7505][7506]. The dynamics of photosystem ratio adjustment were investigated upon the transfer of pea (Pisum sativum) plants from a predominantly PSI-light to a predominantly PSII-light environment and vice versa. The concentration of functional components (primary electron accepting plastoquinone of PSll [QA], P700) and that of constituent proteins were monitored during acclimation by A difference spectrophotometry and immunoblot analysis, respectively. Fully reversible changes in photosystem ratio occurred with a half-time of about 20 h. They involved closely coordinated changes in the concentration of the QA, reaction center protein D1, D2, and the 9-kD apoprotein of the cytochrome b,,, for PSII. Similarly, closely coordinated changes in the relative concentration of P700 and reaction center proteins of PSI were observed. The leve1 of chlorophyll b and that of the light-harvesting complex II changed in accordance with the concentration of PSll in the acclimating thylakoids. Overall, adjustments in the photosystem ratio in response to PSI-or PSII-light conditions appeared to be a well-coordinated reaction in the chloroplast. The response was absent in the chlorophyll b-less chlorina f2 mutant of barley (Hordeum vulgare) and in a phycobilisomeless mutant of Agmenellum quadruplicatum, suggesting that photosystem accessory pigments act as the lightquality perception molecules and that PSI and PSll themselves play a role in the signal transduction pathway.Under limiting intensity of illumination, the efficiency of photosynthesis depends on the coordinated interaction of two photosystems in the electron-transport chain. PSII is involved in the oxidation of water and reduction of plastoquinone, whereas PSI enables electron transport from plastohydroquinone and from the Cyt b-f complex to Fd. The quantum yield of photosynthesis in many plant species from diverse light habitats is about 0.106 & 0.001 mo1 of O2 evolved mol-' of photons absorbed (Ley and Mauzerall, 1982; Bjorkman and Demmig, 1987; Evans, 1987). This value is very close to a theoretical upper limit of 0.125 mo1 of O2 evolved mol-' of photons absorbed, translating in a quantum efficiency of about 85%, independent of the light climate in ' This work was supported by a grant from the National Science * Corresponding author; fax 1-510-642-4995.Founda tion. which plants grow. This is a remarkable feature of the photosynthetic apparatus, given the contrasting light qualities that prevail in different plant ecosystems (Bjorkman and Ludlow, 1972; Kirk, 1983;Terashima and Saeki, 1983) and the fact that substantially d...

Global longitudinal LA epsilon/SR parameters determined by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography are feasible and reproducible indices for the evaluation of LA function.

PurposeAlthough anaphylaxis is recognized as an important, life-threatening condition, data are limited regarding its triggers in different age groups. We aimed to identify anaphylaxis triggers by age in Korean children.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of medical records for children diagnosed with anaphylaxis between 2009 and 2013 in 23 secondary or tertiary hospitals in South Korea.ResultsA total of 991 cases (mean age=5.89±5.24) were reported, with 63.9% involving patients younger than 6 years of age and 66% involving male children. Food was the most common anaphylaxis trigger (74.7%), followed by drugs and radiocontrast media (10.7%), idiopathic factors (9.2%), and exercise (3.6%). The most common food allergen was milk (28.4%), followed by egg white (13.6%), walnut (8.0%), wheat (7.2%), buckwheat (6.5%), and peanut (6.2%). Milk and seafood were the most common anaphylaxis triggers in young and older children, respectively. Drug-triggered anaphylaxis was observed more frequently with increasing age, with antibiotics (34.9%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (17.9%) being the most common causes.ConclusionsThe most common anaphylaxis trigger in Korean children was food. Data on these triggers show that their relative frequency may vary by age.

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