The chlorophyll a antenna of photosystems I and II were each isolated after detergent treatment by gel electrophoresis or sucrose gradient centrifugation from a b-less mutant of barley grown in daylight and from wildtype barley developed in intermittent light. We identified each fraction by both its electrophoretic position and PS I activity (P700 content) in the case of the mutant, and by both PS I and PS II activity (DCIP reduction from DPC) in the light-limited plants. The proportion of Chl a in each photosystem was estimated from the amount in each gel or sucrose gradient band, and from addition of the areas under the absorption spectra (650-710 nm) of each fraction to match the spectrum of the solubilized thylakoids. The latter method was possible because the spectrum (77 K) of each fraction was unique; in the mutant about 70% of chlorophyll is associated with PS I and 30% with PS II. In the light-limited plants, the reverse is true with nearly 70% associated with PS II. RESOL analyses of both absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of all isolated fractions indicated an abnormal arrangement of antenna chlorophyll molecules in the light-limited, developing membranes even though their reaction centers are fully functional.

We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of 15 high-redshift quasars (z > 3.6) discovered from similar to 140 deg(2) of five-color (u', g', r', i', and z') imaging data taken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) during its commissioning phase. The quasars are selected by their distinctive colors in SDSS multicolor space. Four of the quasars have redshifts higher than 4.6 (z = 4.63, 4.75, 4.90, and 5.00, the latter being the highest redshift quasar yet known). In addition, two previously known z > 4 objects were recovered from the data. The quasars all have i* < 20 and have luminosities comparable to that of 3C 273. The spectra of the quasars have similar features (strong, broad emission lines and substantial absorption blueward of the Ly alpha emission line) seen in previously known high-redshift quasars. Although the photometric accuracy and image quality fail to meet the final survey requirements, our success rate for identifying high-redshift quasars (17 quasars from 27 candidates) is much higher than that of previous multicolor surveys. However, the numbers of high-redshift quasars found is in close accord with the number density inferred from previous surveys.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) will provide the data to support detailed investigations of the distribution of luminous and nonluminous matter in the universe: a photometrically and astrometrically calibrated digital imaging survey of pi sr above about Galactic latitude 30 degrees in five broad optical bands to a depth of g' similar to 23 mag, and a spectroscopic survey of the approximately 10(6) brightest galaxies and 10(5) brightest quasars found in the photometric object catalog produced by the imaging survey. This paper summarizes the observational parameters and data products of the SDSS and serves as an introduction to extensive technical on-line documentation.

Disease resistance is associated with a plant defense response that involves an integrated set of signal transduction pathways. Changes in the expression patterns of 2.375 selected genes were examined simultaneously by cDNA microarray analysis in Arabidopsis thaliana after inoculation with an incompatible fungal pathogen Alternaria brassicicola or treatment with the defense-related signaling molecules salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MJ), or ethylene, Substantial changes (up- and down-regulation) in the steady-state abundance of 705 mRNAs were observed in response to one or more of the treatments, including known and putative defense-related genes and 106 genes with no previously described function or homology, In leaf tissue inoculated with A. brassicicola, the abundance of 168 mRNAs was increased more than 2.5-fold, whereas that of 39 mRNAs was reduced. Similarly, the abundance of 192, 221, and 55 mRNAs was highly (>2.5-fold) increased after treatment with SA, MJ, and ethylene, respectively. Data analysis revealed a surprising level of coordinated defense responses, including 169 mRNAs regulated by multiple treatments/defense pathways. The largest number of genes coinduced (one of four induced genes) and corepressed was found after treatments with SA and MJ. In addition, 50% of the genes induced by ethylene treatment were also induced by MJ treatment. These results indicated the existence of a substantial network of regulatory interactions and coordination occurring during plant defense among the different defense signaling pathways, notably between the salicylate and jasmonate pathways that were previously thought to act in an antagonistic fashion.

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is an imaging and spectroscopic survey that will eventually cover approximately one-quarter of the celestial sphere and collect spectra of 10 6 galaxies, 100,000 quasars, 30,000 stars, and 30,000 serendipity targets. In 2001 June, the SDSS released to the general astronomical community its early data release, roughly 462 deg(2) of imaging data including almost 14 million detected objects and 54,008 follow-up spectra. The imaging data were collected in drift-scan mode in five bandpasses (u, g, r, i, and z); our 95% completeness limits for stars are 22.0, 22.2, 22.2, 21.3, and 20.5, respectively. The photometric calibration is reproducible to 5%, 3%, 3%, 3%, and 5%, respectively. The spectra are flux- and wavelength-calibrated, with 4096 pixels from 3800 to 9200 Angstrom at R approximate to 1800. We present the means by which these data are distributed to the astronomical community, descriptions of the hardware used to obtain the data, the software used for processing the data, the measured quantities for each observed object, and an overview of the properties of this data set.

Pathogen challenge can trigger an integrated set of signal transduction pathways, which ultimately leads to a state of "high alert," otherwise known as systemic or induced resistance in tissue remote to the initial infection. Although large-scale gene expression during systemic acquired resistance, which is induced by salicylic acid or necrotizing pathogens has been previously reported using a bacterial pathogen, the nature of systemic defense responses triggered by an incompatible necrotrophic fungal pathogen is not known. We examined transcriptional changes that occur during systemic defense responses in Arabidopsis plants inoculated with the incompatible fungal pathogen Alternaria brassicicola. Substantial changes (2.00-fold and statistically significant) were demonstrated in distal tissue of inoculated plants for 35 genes (25 up-regulated and 10 down-regulated), and expression of a selected subset of systemically expressed genes was confirmed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Genes with altered expression in distal tissue included those with putative functions in cellular housekeeping, indicating that plants modify these vital processes to facilitate a coordinated response to pathogen attack. Transcriptional up-regulation of genes encoding enzymes functioning in the beta-oxidation pathway of fatty acids was particularly interesting. Transcriptional up-regulation was also observed for genes involved in cell wall synthesis and modification and genes putatively involved in signal transduction. The results of this study, therefore, confirm the notion that distal tissue of a pathogen-challenged plant has a heightened preparedness for subsequent pathogen attacks.