An Ipomoea batatas Iron-Sulfur Cluster Scaffold Protein Gene,IbNFU1, Is Involved in Salt Tolerance

Iron-sulfur cluster biosynthesis involving the nitrogen fixation (Nif) proteins has been proposed as a general mechanism acting in various organisms. NifU-like protein may play an important role in protecting plants against abiotic and biotic stresses. An iron-sulfur cluster scaffold protein gene, IbNFU1, was isolated from a salt-tolerant sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) line LM79 in our previous study, but its role in sweetpotato stress tolerance was not investigated. In the present study, the IbNFU1 gene was introduced into a salt-sensitive sweetpotato cv. Lizixiang to characterize its function in salt tolerance. The IbNFU1-overexpressing sweetpotato plants exhibited significantly higher salt tolerance compared with the wild-type. Proline and reduced ascorbate content were significantly increased, whereas malonaldehyde (MDA) content was significantly decreased in the transgenic plants. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and photosynthesis were significantly enhanced in the transgenic plants. H₂O₂ was also found to be significantly less accumulated in the transgenic plants than in the wild-type. Overexpression of IbNFU1 up-regulated pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) and pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (P5CR) genes under salt stress. The systemic up-regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging genes was found in the transgenic plants under salt stress. These findings suggest that IbNFU1gene is involved in sweetpotato salt tolerance and enhances salt tolerance of the transgenic sweetpotato plants by regulating osmotic balance, protecting membrane integrity and photosynthesis and activating ROS scavenging system.     

Carotenoids gene markers for sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam): applications in genetic mapping,diversity evaluation and cross-species transference

Carotenoids play essential biological roles in plants, and genes involved in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway are evolutionarily conserved. Orange sweetpotato is an important source of β-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. In spite of this, only a few research studies have focussed on the molecular aspects of carotenoid genes regarding their specific sequence and structure. In this study, we used published carotenoid gene sequences from Ipomoea and other species for “exon-primed intron-crossing” approaches. Fifteen pairs of primers representing six carotenoid genes were designed for different introns, eleven of which amplified scorable and reproducible alleles. The sequence of PCR products showed high homology to the original ones. Moreover, the structure and sequence of the introns and exons from five carotenoid structural genes were partially defined. Intron length polymorphism and intron single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in amplified sequences. Marker dosages and allelic segregations were analysed in a mapping population. The developed markers were evaluated in a set of Ipomoeas batatas accessions so as to analyse genetic diversity and conservation applicability. Using CG strategy combined with EPIC-PCR technique, we developed carotenoid gene markers in sweetpotato. We reported the first set of polymorphic Candidate Gene markers for I. batatas, and demonstrated transferability in seven wild Ipomoea species. We described the sequence and structure of carotenoid genes and introduced new information about genomic constitution and allele dosage.     

Production of secondary metabolites from cell and organ cultures: strategies and approaches for biomass improvement and metabolite accumulation

Pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase (P5CR) lies at the converging point of the glutamate and ornithine pathways and is the last and critical enzyme in proline biosynthesis. In the present study, a P5CR gene, named IbP5CR, was isolated from salt-tolerant sweetpotato line ND98. Expression of IbP5CR was up-regulated in sweetpotato under salt stress. The IbP5CR-overexpressing sweetpotato (cv. Kokei No. 14) plants exhibited significantly higher salt tolerance compared with the wild-type. Proline content and superoxide dismutase and photosynthetic activities were significantly increased, whereas malonaldehyde content was significantly decreased in the transgenic plants. H₂O₂ was also found to be significantly less accumulated in the transgenic plants than in the wild-type. Overexpression of IbP5CR up-regulated pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase gene and down-regulated proline dehydrogenase and P5C dehydrogenase genes under salt stress. The systemic up-regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging genes was found in the transgenic plants under salt stress. These findings suggest that overexpression of IbP5CR increases proline accumulation, which enhances salt tolerance of the transgenic sweetpotato plants by regulating osmotic balance, protecting membrane integrity and photosynthesis and activating ROS scavenging system. This study indicates that IbP5CR gene has the potential to be used for improving salt tolerance of plants.     

Linkage Disequilibrium in Salt Tolerant Genotypes of Rice (Oryza sativa L)

Genome wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) was investigated in a set of 32 genotypes representing salt tolerant improved varieties and landraces and six salt sensitive genotypes of rice with 64 microsatellite markers to identify the genomic regions that are associated with salt tolerance in rice. Out of 64 markers analyzed, 36% SSR pairs exhibited significant LD at 0.05. A few regions were identified as targets of selection in 10 chromosomes with high r ² values. The model-based groups from Bayesian clustering analysis are largely consistent with known pedigrees of the lines. The increased percentage of association of SSR loci in the improved varieties indicated the role of selection in linkage disequilibrium especially for salt tolerance. LD was extended as far as 100 cM in the present study. Most of the markers (43.8%) with significant LD values were observed in the genomic regions of reported QTL for salt tolerance in rice.     

A Novel α/β-Hydrolase Gene IbMas Enhances Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Sweetpotato

Salt stress is one of the major environmental stresses in agriculture worldwide and affects crop productivity and quality. The development of crops with elevated levels of salt tolerance is therefore highly desirable. In the present study, a novel maspardin gene, named IbMas, was isolated from salt-tolerant sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) line ND98. IbMas contains maspardin domain and belongs to α/β-hydrolase superfamily. Expression of IbMas was up-regulated in sweetpotato under salt stress and ABA treatment. The IbMas-overexpressing sweetpotato (cv. Shangshu 19) plants exhibited significantly higher salt tolerance compared with the wild-type. Proline content was significantly increased, whereas malonaldehyde content was significantly decreased in the transgenic plants. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and photosynthesis were significantly enhanced in the transgenic plants. H₂O₂ was also found to be significantly less accumulated in the transgenic plants than in the wild-type. Overexpression of IbMas up-regulated the salt stress responsive genes, including pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase, pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase, SOD, psbA and phosphoribulokinase genes, under salt stress. These findings suggest that overexpression of IbMas enhances salt tolerance of the transgenic sweetpotato plants by regulating osmotic balance, protecting membrane integrity and photosynthesis and increasing reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity.     

Performance of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) Biotype B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on Weeds

Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biotype B (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is regarded as a pest with a large number of hosts, including crops and weeds. The performance of this whitefly on seven weeds was evaluated in order to identify the most suitable host. The following weeds that are very common in intense agricultural areas in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were selected for this study: spurge (Euphorbia heterophylla), beggarticks (Bidens pilosa), red tasselflower (Emilia sonchifolia), small-flower galinsoga (Galinsoga parviflora), pigweed (Amaranthus viridis), black nightshade (Solanum americanum), and morning glory (Ipomoea sp.). In free-choice tests, adult preference and oviposition were greatest on spurge. In contrast, morning glory was the least attractive and least oviposited plant. In assays carried out for egg–adult development, egg viability was greater than 87% over all weeds, whereas nymph viability ranged from 74 to 97%. The developmental period from egg to adult ranged from 26.7 to 49.1 days among the hosts under study. The lowest nymph density rate was observed for beggarticks and morning glory. Cluster analysis resulted in a single group formed by spurge, indicating its superiority as a host for B. tabaci biotype B. Even though the parameters evaluated indicate that spurge is the most suitable host among the weeds, all the others allow the reproduction of B. tabaci biotype B. For this reason, they should be observed during cropping and the intercrop period in areas infested by this whitefly.     

NaCl胁迫下哈茨木霉ACCC32524的转录组和代谢组分析

【目的】通过分析NaCl胁迫下哈茨木霉(Trichoderma harzianum)ACCC32524转录组和代谢组数据,研究差异表达基因及次级代谢产物的变化情况,初步探索响应NaCl胁迫的分子机制。【方法】利用Illumina HiSeq XTen高通量测序平台完成0、0.4、0.6 mol/L NaCl浓度胁迫培养下哈茨木霉ACCC32524的转录组测序,GC-TOF-MS技术完成对0mol/L和0.6mol/LNaCl胁迫培养下的差异次级代谢产物检测,利用相关软件及数据库对差异表达基因(DEGs)和次级代谢产物的注释、筛选和分类,并进行RT-qPCR验证。【结果】本研究分别得到0.4 mol/L和0.6 mol/L NaCl胁迫下417和733条差异表达基因;GO富集分析显示,分别有318和582条差异表达基因注释到生物学过程、分子功能和细胞组分3个一级分类和40个二级分类;COG分类结果表明分别有232和414条转录本为20个类别,涉及差异表达基因最多的分别为氨基酸的转运和代谢、一般功能预测、碳水化合物的转运和代谢;KEGG代谢途径分析结果表明,分别有75和96条基因归到25个代谢通路中(P≤0.05),其中涉及差异基因最多的是氨基酸的生物合成和2-氧代羧酸代谢通路。从转录组数据中共筛选出与渗透调节、离子转运、活性氧清除等22个耐盐相关基因。0 mol/L和0.6 mol/L NaCl胁迫下的代谢组数据中共筛选出101个差异次级代谢产物,包括8种积累量上调和93种下调物质,其中36个得到定性,分属于糖类、有机酸和氨基酸等9个分类中。RT-qPCR验证挑选的差异表达基因的表达量变化,均与RNA-seq分析结果一致。【结论】NaCl胁迫下引起哈茨木霉ACCC32524基因及次级代谢产物发生明显变化,细胞代谢途径发生明显偏移,这些进程共同作用减少NaCl对细胞的毒害作用,为木霉菌的耐盐机理研究提供重要信息。