二氧化硫对拟南芥植株干旱生理的调节作用

以模式植物拟南芥为材料,研究SO_2预暴露对植株干旱生理的影响,实验共设对照组、30 mg·m~(-3)SO_2熏气组、干旱组、30 mg·m~(-3)SO_2熏气+干旱组。检测发现:随干旱时间的延长,干旱组拟南芥植株萎蔫程度加剧,叶片相对含水量减少,SO_2+干旱组萎蔫程度低于干旱组,叶片相对含水量较干旱组升高4%~10%(P0.05);干旱组叶片中过氧化氢(H2O2)和丙二醛(MDA)含量显著升高,SO_2+干旱组H_2O_2和MDA含量分别比干旱组降低10%~19%和15%~18%(P0.05);干旱组脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量升高,SO_2+干旱组脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量比干旱组提高15%~30%和6%~31%(P0.05)。基因转录检测发现:拟南芥DREB2A、DREB2B、CBF4及RD29A对干旱应答,SO_2预暴露使干旱响应基因DREB2A、DREB2B及RD29A的相对表达量高于干旱组,其中RD29A上调幅度最高达16%。结果表明:SO_2预暴露能缓解干旱引起的氧化损伤,促进体内渗透调节物质的积累,诱导干旱响应基因上调表达,从而增强植株的干旱适应性。     

沙冬青AmNAC3转录因子基因在抗旱性和抗寒性中的功能鉴定

为了研究强抗逆植物沙冬青Am NAC3转录因子基因在抗旱性和抗寒性中的功能,首先利用半定量RT-PCR方法对该基因进行了表达分析。结果表明,在室内培养的沙冬青幼苗中,Am NAC3有一定量的基础表达,在干旱胁迫下其转录水平明显上调,而在低温胁迫下其表达上调较弱。然后利用5'RACE技术获得该基因的5'端序列及全长cDNA序列,并利用RT-PCR方法克隆到其全长编码区(846bp)。将编码区片段构建到植物表达载体上,利用农杆菌介导法获得转基因拟南芥。进一步分析表明,转基因拟南芥对于干旱和低温胁迫的抗性表型与野生型无明显差异,但其离体叶片的失水率和气孔开度均大于野生型。此外,转基因幼苗中气孔开闭相关基因ABI1和ABI2的表达量降低。这些结果表明,Am NAC3可能主要在响应干旱胁迫和调节气孔开闭及叶片保水性中发挥功能,而在抵抗低温胁迫中无明显作用。     

拟南芥热激转录因子耐高温功能分析

从拟南芥基因组中克隆了热激转录因子(At Hsf A6a),构建了过量表达(over-expression,OE)和反义(anti-sense,AS)植物表达载体并转化拟南芥,获得了拟南芥纯合转基因株系。对其进行耐高温处理,结果显示:43℃处理2 h,过量表达转基因植株存活率(86%)远高于野生型(59%);而反义转基因植株存活率则只有43%,显著低于野生型。43℃处理0.5 h,过量表达转基因植株的离子渗漏水平显著低于野生型,而反义转基因植株则大幅度升高。基因表达分析证明,AtHsfA6a的表达受热胁迫诱导,并且Hsp70是受AtHsfA6a调控的下游靶基因。上述结果表明,拟南芥AtHsfA6a可能通过调节Hsp70表达,提高植物耐受高温胁迫的能力。     

苹果DREB转录因子家族全基因组鉴定与分析

DREB转录因子属于AP2/ERF转录因子家族,能够与DRE/CRT顺式作用元件特异性结合,调控与逆境应答基因的表达,因而在植物应对低温、干旱、高盐等逆境胁迫中发挥重要作用。该研究利用苹果全基因组数据,通过生物信息学手段鉴定苹果DREB转录因子家族成员,并分析DREB转录因子家族保守域特点与功能及表达情况。结果表明:从苹果全基因组中共鉴定出60个DREB转录因子家族成员,与拟南芥和水稻相比基本一致,通过引入拟南芥DREB基因进行系统发生分析,进一步可以将其细分为6个亚组;结构域和保守元件分析表明,DREB基因家族含有一个AP2保守结构域;染色体定位表明,苹果DREB基因分布于11条染色体上,部分基因存在串联复制现象;基因结构分析显示,该亚家族基因不含内含子。利用同源拟南芥RNA-Seq数据分析结果表明,DREB转录因子家族对低温、ABA调节等非生物胁迫具有调控作用,同时在DREB亚家族中每个亚组响应不同的非生物胁迫;通过分析DREB基因在不同组织中的表达情况,结果显示DREB基因在植物根部中的表达量最强,其次是叶。     

日本结缕草‘胶东青’DREB2.2基因克隆及表达模式研究

DREB(dehydration responsive element binding protein)是植物中普遍存在的一类重要转录因子,参与植物逆境响应和生长发育过程。以日本结缕草‘胶东青’为材料,克隆获得了DREB2.2基因的编码区序列,分析了该基因的生物信息学特征,通过半定量PCR技术检测其逆境表达模式。测序结果表明,‘胶东青’DREB2.2基因存在长、短两个转录本。长转录本DREB2.2-L编码区长1 067 bp,多含一个长50 bp的序列,阅读框提前终止,仅推测编码65个氨基酸。短转录本DREB2.2-S编码区长1 017 bp,推测编码338个氨基酸,蛋白质分子量37.3 KD,等电点p I为4.86,含有一个保守的AP2结构域和核定位序列,属于DREB亚家族A-2组成员。半定量PCR结果显示,DREB2.2-S和DREB2.2-L在正常生长条件下有表达,低温胁迫时表达量上调,胁迫2 h时最高,干旱胁迫2 h和24 h时轻度上调表达,高盐胁迫下表达量无显著变化。在相同条件下,DREB2.2-L的表达量均略高于DREB2.2-S。     

拟南芥非生物胁迫应答基因表达的调节子研究概况

分子生物学研究表明,植物中由诸如干旱、高盐和低温等环境胁迫因子诱导的几个基因具有多种功能。大多数干旱应答基因是由植物激素脱落酸（ABA）诱导的,但也有少数基因例外。对模式植物拟南芥基因表达中的干旱应答基因的分析表明,至少存在4个独立调节系统（调节子）。对典型胁迫诱导表达的一些基因中启动子的顺势作用元件和影响这些基因表达的转录子也已进行了分析。已经分离出与脱水效应元件/C重复序列（DRE/CRT）顺势作用元件结合的转录因子,并命名为DRE结合蛋白1/C重复序列结合因子（DREB1/CBF）和DRE结合蛋白2（DREB2）。在转基因拟南芥植株中,DREB1/CBF过量表达可增加其抗寒、抗旱和抗盐碱的能力。DREB1/CBF基因已成功地在许多不同作物中得到应用,从而提高作物对非生物胁迫的耐受性。与胁迫反应相关的其他转录因子的研究也正在取得进展。     

DREB转录因子与植物非生物胁迫抗性研究进展

干旱、高盐、低温等非生物逆境胁迫严重影响植物的生长发育和作物产量。转录因子在调节植物生长发育以及对外界环境胁迫的响应方面起着重要作用。DREB类转录因子即干旱应答元件结合蛋白是AP2/EREBP转录因子家族的一个亚家族,拥有保守的AP2结构域,能够与DRE/CRT顺式作用元件特异结合,在非生物逆境胁迫条件下调节一系列下游胁迫诱导逆境应答基因的表达,从而提高植物耐逆性。就DREB转录因子的结构特点、表达调控以及提高转基因植株胁迫耐受性的最新研究成果进行了评述。     

日本结缕草转录因子基因ZjDREB1.4的功能特征分析

DREB1(dehydration-responsive element binding protein1)是植物中广泛存在的转录因子,在应答非生物胁迫中起重要作用。该研究根据转录组测序数据,从暖季型植物日本结缕草‘Meyer’(Zoysia japonica Steud.)中克隆得到1个DREB1类转录因子基因,命名为ZjDREB1.4。结果表明:(1)该基因推测编码226个氨基酸,含有一个AP2结构域,其上下游具有DREB1组的典型特征序列。(2)半定量RT-PCR检测显示,在日本结缕草叶组织中,ZjDREB1.4基因在4℃低温、高盐和干旱胁迫下均上调表达,其中受低温诱导上调最显著。(3)亚细胞定位分析显示,ZjDREB1.4-GFP融合蛋白主要定位在细胞核中。(4)酵母单杂交结果显示,ZjDREB1.4蛋白具有强的转录激活功能,但与以ACCGAC为核心序列的DRE元件结合功能较弱。(5)与野生型拟南芥相比,超表达ZjDREB1.4的拟南芥植株的营养生长无明显改变,仅抽薹时间推迟3～8 d,但是对高温和冷冻低温胁迫的耐受能力明显增强。ZjDREB1.4基因具有抗逆功能,对植株生长发育的负效应又小,其在植物育种中的应用潜力值得进一步探究。     

转香蕉MaASR1基因的拟南芥株系在干旱胁迫条件下的表达谱分析

干旱是最重要的环境胁迫,香蕉MaASR1基因在植物响应逆境胁迫时发挥着重要作用,为了深入研究MaASR1基因的过表达使拟南芥抗旱的分子机制,利用全基因组表达芯片来广谱的筛选MaASR1基因转入后自然条件下及干旱处理条件下差异基因的表达情况。对基因芯片的结果进行了详细的生物信息学分析及相关基因的RT-PCR验证,结果表明MaASR1基因异源表达的拟南芥株系在自然生长条件下共有747个差异基因,其中上调基因559个,下调基因188个;在干旱胁迫条件下共得到653个差异基因,其中上调基因256个,下调基因397个;MaASR1基因的转入可以通过影响激素、光合作用、锌指蛋白及不依赖ABA途径的DREB2A等相关基因的表达来提高拟南芥的抗旱性。为解析MaASR1基因作为转录因子提高植物抗旱能力的分子机制奠定基础。     

DREB2s转录因子基因的表达调控机制研究进展

DREB2s是植物特有的转录因子,隶属于AP2/EREBP转录因子家族,对干旱、高盐或低温、高温等非生物胁迫应答基因的表达有重要的调控作用。不同植物来源的DREB2在基因结构上有细微差异,对非生物胁迫的响应亦有不同表现。本文阐述了DREB2s的蛋白质结构特征及其对多种非生物胁迫的应答反应,并深入分析了DREB2s转录水平和转录后加工水平的表达调控分子机制的最新研究进展,为理解DREB2s基因功能、分子调控机制及作物抗逆基因工程提供理论依据。     

AtCPK23 functions in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> responses to drought and salt stresses

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are unique serine/threonine kinases in plants and there are 34 CDPKs in Arabidopsis genome alone. Although several CDPKs have been demonstrated to be critical calcium signaling mediators for plant responses to various environmental stresses, the biological functions of most CDPKs in stress signaling remain unclear. In this study, we provide the evidences to demonstrate that AtCPK23 plays important role in Arabidopsis responses to drought and salt stresses. The cpk23 mutant, a T-DNA insertion mutant for AtCPK23 gene, showed greatly enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses, while the AtCPK23 overexpression lines became more sensitive to drought and salt stresses and the complementary line of the cpk23 mutant displayed similar phenotype as wild-type plants. The results of stomatal aperture measurement showed that the disruption of AtCPK23 expression reduced stomatal apertures, while overexpression of AtCPK23 increased stomatal apertures. The alteration of stomatal apertures by changes in AtCPK23 expression may account, at least in partial, for the modified Arabidopsis response to drought stress. In consistent with the enhanced salt-tolerance by disruption of AtCPK23 expression, K⁺ content in the cpk23 mutant was not reduced under high NaCl stress compared with wild-type plants, which indicates that the AtCPK23 may also regulate plant K⁺-uptake. The possible mechanisms by which AtCPK23 mediates drought and salt stresses signaling are discussed.     

Stomatal and photosynthetic responses ofCichorium intybus leaves to sulfur dioxide treatment at different stages of plant development

Fifty-day-oldCichorium intybus Linn, plants were exposed to 1 ppm sulfur dioxide gas, 2 h per day for 7 consecutive days. Their leaves as well as those from the control plants were sampled at pre-flowering, flowering, and post-flowering stages to study their morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses to SO₂ stress. The number, dimensions, area, and biomass of leaves were less in the treated plants. Length and width of stomatal apertures on both epidermises were greater for leaves exposed to SO₂. The Stomata were longer on the adaxial epidermis, but shorter on the abaxial epidermis, except at the pre-flowering stage. Stomatal widths varied widely. Compared with the controls, the abaxial epidermis on treated leaves showed consistently lower stomatal densities as well as stomatal indices. This was also true for the adaxial epidermis during the post-flowering stage. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were reduced in the SO₂-exposed plants, but intercellular CO₂ concentrations increased at the pre-flowering stage and, subsequently, declined. Chlorophyll a, carotenoid, and total chlorophyll contents increased at the pre-flowering stage, and then decreased. The level of chlorophyllb was reduced throughout plant development compared with the untreated controls.     

OsASR5 enhances drought tolerance through a stomatal closure pathway associated with ABA and H2O2 signalling in rice

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses that directly implicate plant growth and crop productivity. Although many genes in response to drought stress have been identified, genetic improvement to drought resistance especially in food crops is showing relatively slow progress worldwide. Here, we reported the isolation of abscisic acid, stress and ripening (ASR) genes from upland rice variety, IRAT109 (Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica), and demonstrated that overexpression of OsASR5 enhanced osmotic tolerance in Escherichia coli and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis and rice by regulating leaf water status under drought stress conditions. Moreover, overexpression of OsASR5 in rice increased endogenous ABA level and showed hypersensitive to exogenous ABA treatment at both germination and postgermination stages. The production of H₂O₂, a second messenger for the induction of stomatal closure in response to ABA, was activated in overexpression plants under drought stress conditions, consequently, increased stomatal closure and decreased stomatal conductance. In contrast, the loss‐of‐function mutant, osasr5, showed sensitivity to drought stress with lower relative water content under drought stress conditions. Further studies demonstrated that OsASR5 functioned as chaperone‐like protein and interacted with stress‐related HSP40 and 2OG‐Fe (II) oxygenase domain containing proteins in yeast and plants. Taken together, we suggest that OsASR5 plays multiple roles in response to drought stress by regulating ABA biosynthesis, promoting stomatal closure, as well as acting as chaperone‐like protein that possibly prevents drought stress‐related proteins from inactivation.     

PeCHYR1, a ubiquitin E3 ligase from Populus euphratica,enhances drought tolerance via ABA‐induced stomatal closure by ROS production in Populus

Drought, a primary abiotic stress, seriously affects plant growth and productivity. Stomata play a vital role in regulating gas exchange and drought adaptation. However, limited knowledge exists of the molecular mechanisms underlying stomatal movement in trees. Here, PeCHYR1, a ubiquitin E3 ligase, was isolated from Populus euphratica, a model of stress adaptation in forest trees. PeCHYR1 was preferentially expressed in young leaves and was significantly induced by ABA (abscisic acid) and dehydration treatments. To study the potential biological functions of PeCHYR1, transgenic poplar 84K (Populus alba × Populus glandulosa) plants overexpressing PeCHYR1 were generated. PeCHYR1 overexpression significantly enhanced H₂O₂ production and reduced stomatal aperture. Transgenic lines exhibited increased sensitivity to exogenous ABA and greater drought tolerance than that of WT (wild‐type) controls. Moreover, up‐regulation of PeCHYR1 promoted stomatal closure and decreased transpiration, resulting in strongly elevated WUE (water use efficiency). When exposed to drought stress, transgenic poplar maintained higher photosynthetic activity and biomass accumulation. Taken together, these results suggest that PeCHYR1 plays a crucial role in enhancing drought tolerance via ABA‐induced stomatal closure caused by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production in transgenic poplar plants.     

Independent and combined abiotic stresses affect the physiology and expression patterns of DREB genes differently in stress‐susceptible and resistant genotypes of banana

In tropics, combined stresses of drought and heat often reduce crop productivity in plants like Musa acuminata L. We compared responses of two contrasting banana genotypes, namely the drought‐sensitive Grand Nain (GN; AAA genome) and drought tolerant Hill banana (HB; AAB genome) to individual drought, heat and their combination under controlled and field conditions. Drought and combined drought and heat treatments caused greater reduction in leaf relative water content and greater increase in ion leakage and H₂O₂ content in GN plants, especially in early stages, while the responses were more pronounced in HB at later stages. A combination of drought and heat increased the severity of responses. Real‐time expression patterns of the A‐1 and A‐2 group DEHYDRATION‐RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING (DREB) genes revealed greater changes in expression in leaves of HB plants for both the individual stresses under controlled conditions compared to GN plants. A combination of heat and drought, however, activated most DREB genes in GN but surprisingly suppressed their expression in HB in controlled and field conditions. Its response seems correlated to a better stomatal control over transpiration in HB and a DREB‐independent pathway for the more severe combined stresses unlike in GN. Most of the DREB genes had abscisic acid (ABA)‐responsive elements in their promoters and were also activated by ABA suggesting at least partial dependence on ABA. This study provides valuable information on physiological and molecular responses of the two genotypes to individual and combined drought and heat stresses.     

Overexpressing <Emphasis Type="Italic">SgNCED1</Emphasis> in Tobacco Increases ABA Level,Antioxidant Enzyme Activities,and Stress Tolerance

Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates plant adaptive responses to various environmental stresses. 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is the key enzyme of ABA biosynthesis in higher plants. A NCED gene, SgNCED1, was overexpressed in transgenic tobacco plants which resulted in 51–77% more accumulation of ABA in leaves. Transgenic tobacco plants decreased stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and photosynthetic rate but induced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate-peroxidase (APX). Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and nitric oxide (NO) in leaves were also induced in the transgenic plants. Compared to the wild-type control, the transgenic plants improved growth under 0.1 M mannitol-induced drought stress and 0.1 M NaCl-induced salinity stress. It is suggested that the ABA-induced H₂O₂ and NO generation upregulates the stomatal closure and antioxidant enzymes, and therefore increases drought and salinity tolerance in the transgenic plants.     

Ecology of SO2 resistance

Summary 10 broadleafed trees and shrubs native to the mediterranean climactic zone in California were surveyed for their photosynthetic and stomatal responses to SO₂. These species ranged from drought deciduous to evergreen and had diverse responses to SO₂. These results suggest an approach for predicting SO₂ resistances of plants.We found that conductance values of plants in SO₂-free air can be used to estimate the quantity of SO₂ which plants absorb. These estimates are based on conductance values for plants in non-limiting environmental conditions. SO₂ absorption quantities are then used to predict relative photosynthesis following the fumigation. Thus, relative photosynthesis of plants following fumigation can be predicted on the basis of conductance in SO₂-free air. This approach to predicting SO₂ resistances of plants includes analysis of their stomatal responses to fumigation, their characteristics of SO₂ adsorption and absorption, and their change in photosynthesis resulting from SO₂ stress.