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These data suggest that a single dose of 15 microg of hemagglutinin antigen without alum adjuvant induces a typically protective immune response in the majority of subjects between 12 and 60 years of age. Lesser immune responses were seen after a single dose of vaccine in younger and older subjects. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00975572).

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Rubisco activase (RCA) catalyzes the activation of Rubisco in vivo and plays a crucial role in photosynthesis. However, until now, little was known about the molecular genetics of RCA in soybean (Glycine max), one of the most important legume crops. Here, we cloned and characterized two genes encoding the longer a-isoform and the shorter b-isoform of soybean RCA (GmRCAa and GmRCAb, respectively). The two corresponding cDNAs are divergent in both the translated and 3# untranslated regions. Analysis of genomic DNA sequences suggested that the corresponding mRNAs are transcripts of two different genes and not the products of a single alternatively splicing pre-mRNA. Two additional possible a-form RCA-encoding genes, GmRCA03 and GmRCA14, and one additional b-form RCA-encoding gene, GmRCA11, were also isolated. To examine the function and modulation of RCA genes in soybean, we determined the expression levels of GmRCAa and GmRCAb, Rubisco initial activity, photosynthetic rate, and seed yield in 184 soybean recombinant inbred lines. Correlation of gene expression levels with three other traits indicates that RCA genes could play an important role in regulating soybean photosynthetic capacity and seed yield. Expression quantitative trait loci mapping revealed four trans-expression quantitative trait loci for GmRCAa and GmRCAb. These results could provide a new approach for the modulation of RCA genes to improve photosynthetic rate and plant growth in soybean and other plants.

Tetraploid black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is adaptable to salt stress. Here, we compared morphological, physiological, ultrastructural, and proteomic traits of leaves in tetraploid black locust and its diploid relatives under salt stress. The results showed that diploid (2×) plants suffered from greater negative effects than those of tetraploid (4×) plants. After salt treatment, plant growth was inhibited, photosynthesis was reduced, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde content, and relative electrolyte leakage increased, and defense-related enzyme activities decreased in 2× compared to those in 4×. In addition, salt stress resulted in distorted chloroplasts, swollen thylakoid membranes, accumulation of plastoglobules, and increased starch grains in 2× compared to those in 4×. However, 4× developed diverse responses under salt stress. A comparative proteomic analysis revealed that 41 and 37 proteins were differentially expressed in 2× and 4×, respectively. These proteins were mainly involved in photosynthesis, stress and defense, energy, metabolism, transcription/translation, and transportation. Distinct patterns of protein changes between 2× and 4× were analyzed. Collectively, our results suggest that the plants showed significantly different responses to salt stress based on ploidy level of the plant. The 4× possessed a better salt protection mechanism than that of 2×, suggesting salt tolerance in the polyploid plant.