Osmotic stress response in <Emphasis Type="Italic">C</Emphasis>. <Emphasis Type="Italic">glutamicum</Emphasis>: impact of channel- and transporter-mediated potassium accumulation

Potassium accumulation is an essential aspect of bacterial response to diverse stress situations; consequently its uptake plays a pivotal role. Here, we show that the Gram-positive soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum which is employed for the large-scale industrial production of amino acids requires potassium under conditions of ionic and non-ionic osmotic stress. Besides the accumulation of high concentrations of potassium contributing significantly to the osmotic potential of the cytoplasm, we demonstrate that glutamate is not the counter ion for potassium under these conditions. Interestingly, potassium is required for the activation of osmotic stress-dependent expression of the genes betP and proP. The Kup-type potassium transport system which is present in C. glutamicum in addition to the potassium channel CglK does not contribute to potassium uptake at conditions of hyperosmotic stress. Furthermore, we established a secondary carrier of the KtrAB type from C. jeikeium in C. glutamicum thus providing an experimental comparison of channel- and carrier-mediated potassium uptake under osmotic stress. While at low potassium availability, the presence of the KtrAB transporter improves both potassium accumulation and growth of C. glutamicum upon osmotic stress, at proper potassium supply, the channel CglK is sufficient.     

基于比较转录组学分析NaCl胁迫影响德尔卑沙门氏菌的耐渗机制

【目的】研究高渗胁迫条件下德尔卑沙门氏菌(Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Derby, S. Derby)的转录组调控机制,分析差异表达基因(differentially expressed genes, DEGs)表达水平,探究在高渗胁迫影响下德尔卑沙门氏菌耐渗反应的相关代谢通路。【方法】通过高渗胁迫诱导德尔卑沙门氏菌的耐渗性,提取菌株的总RNA,去除rRNA,构建cDNA文库。利用转录组测序技术及生物学信息技术分析相关DEGs,并通过实时荧光定量PCR (real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, qRT-PCR)进行验证。【结果】胁迫组德尔卑沙门氏菌通过转录组测序结果发现有3 950个DEGs,其中具有显著上调的基因21个,显著下调基因38个。涉及到细胞膜蛋白、氨基酸的代谢等相关基因上调,协助德尔卑沙门氏菌在高渗环境中存活。与此同时,胁迫组德尔卑沙门氏菌的糖转运系统(sugar transport system, PTS)、糖酵解过程以及抗氧化性相关基因表达显著下调,这是由于高渗环境菌体需要在体内储存大量糖类等物质,从而降低了糖原的消耗,进而导致细胞外膜的脂多糖合成受到抑制,降低了高渗胁迫下德尔卑沙门氏菌细胞膜表面的O抗原的合成。【结论】高渗环境诱导后显著提高了德尔卑沙门氏菌的耐渗性,其中Na⁺/H⁺逆向转运蛋以及谷氨酸的代谢通路发挥着重要的作用,为进一步了解以及更好地控制其在食品中的污染提供了理论依据。     

青花菜谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶基因克隆及其表达分析

为探讨青花菜在模拟酸雨胁迫下谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶的表达变化,克隆了青花菜谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶基因(glutathione-S-transferase,GST)的cDNA序列全长,并进行了生物信息学和表达分析。结果表明:青花菜GST基因cDNA全长为915bp,开放阅读框为642bp,编码213个氨基酸,推测分子式为C1091H1719N289O306S5,分子量为23 940.7,没有跨膜螺旋区域和信号肽。系统进化树分析表明,该青花菜基因GST与芥菜的GST聚类关系最近。实时荧光定量PCR结果显示,在模拟酸雨胁迫下,GST基因的表达量在胁迫初期显著增大,随时间延长开始下降,表明其参与了青花菜抗酸雨的应答反应。     

Genome-Wide Characterization,Evolution, and Expression Analysis of the Ascorbate Peroxidase and Glutathione Peroxidase Gene Families in Response to Cold and Osmotic Stress in Ammopiptanthus nanus

Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) are two families of essential peroxidases that maintain redox balance in cells by catalyzing the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Ammopiptanthus nanus is a rare broad-leaved evergreen shrub that lives in the temperate desert areas of Central Asia and exhibits strong resistance to low temperature and water stress. GPX and APX family members might contribute to the stress response of A. nanus by participating in reactive oxygen species scavenging. In the present study, APX and GPX family members in A. nanus were identified and their structure, evolution, and expression patterns under stress conditions were investigated. A total of 8 GPX genes, 6 APX genes, and 1 APX-like gene were identified in A. nanus, and these genes were unevenly distributed on 7 chromosomes. These APXs and GPXs showed conservation in amino acid sequence, three-dimensional structure, and intron–exon structure. The GPX gene family in A. nanus expanded in gene number, and the expansions were mainly driven by segmental duplication caused by large-scale duplication events in the evolution of Tribe Sophoreae and might play important roles in the freezing and drought tolerance in A. nanus. Expression profiling based on RNA-seq datasets and qRT-PCR analysis showed that most of the APX and GPX members were differentially expressed under osmotic and cold stress, which is in line with the high copies of stress and hormone response-related cis-acting elements predicted from the promoters of the APX and GPX family genes. The study provided new insight into the evolution of APX and GPX family and promoted the understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the stress tolerance of A. nanus.

     

Characterization and expression analysis of two cotton genes encoding putative UDP-Glycosyltransferases

UDP-Glycosyltransferases (UGT) are a large family of enzymes, which catalyze the transfer of a sugar from an activated sugar donor to an acceptor molecule. Both in plants and in mammals, they are important in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. In this study, two genes (designated GhUGT1 and GhUGT2, respectively) encoding putative UGT were isolated from the cotton fiber cDNA library. The deduced proteins contain the signature sequences of plant UGTs in the C-terminal region. The GhUGT1 gene encodes a polypeptide of 457 amino acids, and displays homology at amino acid levels with the known glycosyltransferase genes. Sequence analysis revealed that the GhUGT2 merely encodes a small protein, as there is a nucleotide substitution that results in formation of a stop codon in its open reading frame. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of GhUGT1 is higher in the fast growth tissues, such as in fibers and roots. GhUGT2 has also higher expression in roots, but with lower expression levels in fibers and other tissues. The results also showed that the expression of GhUGT1 is higher than GhUGT2. Further study showed that GhUGT1 and GhUGT2 expressions are regulated under osmotic stress, suggesting they may be involved in plants responding to osmotic stress. Published in Russian in Molekulyarnaya Biologiya, 2008, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 50–58. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Salicylic acid differently impacts ethylene and polyamine synthesis in the glycophyte Solanum lycopersicum and the wild‐related halophyte Solanum chilense exposed to mild salt stress

This study aimed to determine the effects of exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) on the toxic effects of salt in relation to ethylene and polyamine synthesis, and to correlate these traits with the expression of genes involved in ethylene and polyamine metabolism in two tomato species differing in their sensitivity to salt stress, Solanum lycopersicum cv Ailsa Craig and its wild salt‐resistant relative Solanum chilense. In S. chilense, treatment with 125 mM NaCl improved plant growth, increased production of ethylene, endogenous salicylic acid and spermine. The production was related to a modification of expression of genes involved in ethylene and polyamine metabolism. In contrast, salinity decreased plant growth in S. lycopersicum without affecting endogenous ethylene, salicylic or polyamine concentrations. Exogenous application of salicylic acid at 0.01 mM enhanced shoot growth in both species and affected ethylene and polyamine production in S. chilense. Concomitant application of NaCl and salicylic acid improved osmotic adjustment, thus suggesting that salt and SA may act in synergy on osmolyte synthesis. However, the beneficial impact of exogenous application of salicylic acid was mitigated by salt stress since NaCl impaired endogenous SA accumulation in the shoot and salicylic acid did not improve plant growth in salt‐treated plants. Our results thus revealed that both species respond differently to salinity and that salicylic acid, ethylene and polyamine metabolisms are involved in salt resistance in S. chilense.     

Characterization of the gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mre11</Emphasis> and evidence of silencing after polyploidization in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum</Emphasis>

The MRE11 protein is a component of the highly conserved MRN complex, along with RAD50 and NBS1. This complex is crucial in the repair of breaks in double stranded DNA, and is involved in many other cell processes. The present paper reports the molecular characterization of Mre11 gene in all three genomes of wheat, making use of the diploid species Triticum monococcum (genome A) and Aegilops Tauschii (genome D), the tetraploid T. turgidum (genomes A and B), and the hexaploid T. aestivum (genomes A, B and D). The genomic sequences characterized ranged from 4,662 to 4,766 bp in length; the cDNA corresponding to the processed mRNA was 2,440–2,510 bp long. In all cases, Mre11 coded for a highly conserved protein of 699 amino acids with a structure involving 22 exons. Mre11 expression was determined by real-time PCR in all the species analysed. The tetraploid species showed an expression similar to that of the diploid Ae. tauschii and lower than that of T. monococcum. Stronger expression was detected in the hexaploid T. aestivum. The SSCP technique was modified by introducing fluorescent labelling to the procedure in order to analyse the expression of the different Mre11 genes (i.e., those belonging to the different genomes) in the polyploid species. In both polyploids, the Mre11 gene belonging to the B genome was the least expressed. This probably reflects a first step in the process of silencing duplicate genes after polyploidization.