Apoptosis-like DNA fragmentation in leaves and floral organs precedes their developmental senescence

ABSTRACT

We investigated the senescence of flag leaves of durum wheat (Triticum durum) during grain-filling, and of petal-like ray flowers of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) at anthesis. In both systems, we observe cleavage of DNA to high molecular weight fragments, followed by further degradation to nucleosomal fragments (laddering), a classical hallmark of apoptosis. We show that DNA fragmentation in such specialised leaves is triggered early in organ development, before the appearance of visual symptoms of senescence. Our observations support the hypothesis that senescence and cell death are part of the plant developmental program, activated by developmental cues.     

外源油菜素内酯对镉胁迫下菊芋幼苗光合作用及镉富集的调控效应

以两种菊芋(Helianthus tuberosus L.)品系南芋2号(NY2)和南芋5号(NY5)为材料,研究了外源24-表油菜素内酯(24-EBL)对镉胁迫下菊芋幼苗干重、根冠比(R/S)、光合色素含量、叶片气体交换参数和水分利用效率(WUE)的调节效应,还测定了其不同器官的镉(Cd)含量.结果表明:在镉胁迫下,2种菊芋幼苗的干重、R/S、光合色素含量、净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)、蒸腾速率(Tr)、WUE均呈下降趋势,而胞间二氧化碳浓度(Ci)升高.(2)与镉胁迫相比,胁迫下外源喷施10-10、10-9、10-8、10-7mol/L 24-EBL作用下,两品系植株干重和R/S值均不同程度的上升,NY2、NY5的植株干重分别在10-9 mol/L 24-EBL(EBL2)和10-8mol/L 24-EBL(EBL3)处理下达到最大值,分别增加50％和64％.镉胁迫下,外源24-EBL处理均提高菊芋的叶绿素(Chl)和类胡萝卜素(Car)含量,Pn、Gs、Tr也由此得到不同程度的上升,而Ci均下降,NY5的Ci下降更显著.镉胁迫下,外源EBL2和EBL3作用下均不同程度地提高其WUE,NY5的WUE增幅远大于NY2.镉胁迫下NY5的新完全展开叶Cd含量的积累明显高于NY2;而EBL2处理下可降低NY2的新完全展开叶Cd含量,但EBL3却显著增加NY5的叶片Cd含量.镉胁迫下,喷施EBL2的NY2的不同器官、NY5根的Cd含量均显著下降,而NY5其他器官的Cd含量变化不显著.NY5不同器官的Cd含量均明显高于NY2.上述表明,24-EBL可明显提高菊芋的耐镉水平,主要是因为外源喷施24-EBL能显著促进其光合和提高水分利用效率,从而改善Cd胁迫下菊芋幼苗的生长;而24-EBL对菊芋NY5非气孔限制的更显著改善是其促进其光合、水分利用的重要原因,也是其对NY5的生长调控效果优于NY2的重要原因之一.结果还显示,菊芋NY5植株生物量大,从环境中提取Cd的能力较好,因此可作为重金属污染土壤的植物修复的材料来利用.     

Interaction between sunflower plants and five isolates of Plasmopara halstedii on the level of pathogenicity

The interaction between sunflower plants showing a high level of quantitative resistance and five Plasmopara halstedii (the causal agent of downy mildew) isolates of several races were studied using five single zoosporangium isolates per pathogen isolate. Aggressiveness criteria were analyzed for 25 P. halstedii single zoosporangium isolates. Based on the reaction for the P. halstedii isolates to four sunflower hybrids H1–H4 varying only in their downy mildew resistance genes, there were differences in virulence spectrum in pathogen isolates. Analysis of five single zoosporangium isolates for P. halstedii isolates showed significant variability within pathogen isolate for all aggressiveness criteria but not for all pathogen isolates. The hypothesis explaining the interaction between P. halstedii and its host plant was discussed on the level of pathogenicity.     

Chitinase and peroxidase activities in sunflower hypocotyls: Effects of BTH and inoculation with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmopara halstedii</Emphasis>

Systemic acquired resistance (SAR) can be induced in plants by incompatible pathogens, pathogen derived extracts, or certain chemicals as benzothiadiazole (BTH). The aim of this work was to compare changes in peroxidase and chitinase activities, enzymes considered as PR-proteins, caused by BTH and the pathogen Plasmopara halstedii. Hypocotyls from susceptible and resistant BTH-treated sunflower seedlings showed increased peroxidase and chitinase activities. Inoculation with P. halstedii increased chitinase and peroxidase activities in inoculated hypocotyls from susceptible but not from resistant sunflower seedlings.     

Etiolation symptoms in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) cotyledons partially covered by the pericarp of the achene

Background and Aims

Etiolation symptoms and the greening process are usually studied on dark-germinated seedlings and this raises the question – can these results be generalized for plants growing under field conditions? This work examines various aspects of the plastid differentiation under the covering of the achene wall, which often remains attached to the cotyledons of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seedlings grown under light.

Methods

Cotyledons of 7- to 10-d-old sunflower seedlings grown in the dark and on light were examined. The partially covered cotyledons were sectioned into light-exposed, covered and transition zones. Pigment contents, 77 K fluorescence spectroscopy, electron microscopy and fluorescence imaging, along with fluorescence kinetic methods, were used.

Key Results

The light-exposed zone of the partially covered cotyledons was similar to cotyledons developed without achene covering. However, some of the plastids had prolamellar bodies among the granal thylakoid membranes; despite this no protochlorophyllide was detected. The fully covered, yellowish sections contained protochlorophyllide forms emitting at 633 and 655 nm and well-developed prolamellar bodies, similar to those of etiolated cotyledons. In addition, reduced amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and stacked thylakoid membrane pairs were found in this region. The transitional sections showed a mixture of the characteristics of the covered and exposed sections. Various, but significantly different values of the photosynthetic activity parameters were found in each sector of the partially covered cotyledons.

Conclusions

The partial covering of the achene wall shades the cotyledon tissues effectively, enough to provoke the appearance of etiolation phenomena, i.e. the permanent presence of flash-photoactive protochlorophyllide complexes and prolamellar bodies (with or without protochlorophyllide), which proves that these phenomena may appear under natural illumination conditions.Key words: Cotyledon, etio-chloroplast, etioplast, etiolation, Helianthus annuus, photosynthetic activity, protochlorophyllide, prolamellar body, sunflower     

Cloning and characterization of a root sunflower peroxidase gene putatively involved in cell elongation

A cDNA-encoding a peroxidase (Helianthus annuus POX (HaPOX)1) was isolated and characterized from the roots of sunflower seedlings. This gene exhibited homology with other peroxidases from several higher-plant species, and its expression in the root growth was particularly abundant during cell expansion. To elucidate the precise functions of HaPOX1 in sunflower root, we examined its expression pattern in response to several plant growth regulators. Expression of HaPOX1 is down-regulated by abscisic acid (ABA), whereas indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) induced its expression. These results suggest that HaPOX1 expression is differentially regulated by phytohormonal components of signaling cascades. Since IAA appears to participate in the regulation of HaPOX1 expression, we postulate that the peroxidase encoded by HaPOX1 may be involved in the reactions that promote cell elongation during the early stage of root growth.     

Stomatal and pavement cell density linked to leaf internal CO2 concentration

Background and Aims

Stomatal density (SD) generally decreases with rising atmospheric CO₂ concentration, C_a. However, SD is also affected by light, air humidity and drought, all under systemic signalling from older leaves. This makes our understanding of how C_a controls SD incomplete. This study tested the hypotheses that SD is affected by the internal CO₂ concentration of the leaf, C_i, rather than C_a, and that cotyledons, as the first plant assimilation organs, lack the systemic signal.

Methods

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), beech (Fagus sylvatica), arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and garden cress (Lepidium sativum) were grown under contrasting environmental conditions that affected C_i while C_a was kept constant. The SD, pavement cell density (PCD) and stomatal index (SI) responses to C_i in cotyledons and the first leaves of garden cress were compared. ¹³C abundance (δ¹³C) in leaf dry matter was used to estimate the effective C_i during leaf development. The SD was estimated from leaf imprints.

Key Results

SD correlated negatively with C_i in leaves of all four species and under three different treatments (irradiance, abscisic acid and osmotic stress). PCD in arabidopsis and garden cress responded similarly, so that SI was largely unaffected. However, SD and PCD of cotyledons were insensitive to C_i, indicating an essential role for systemic signalling.

Conclusions

It is proposed that C_i or a C_i-linked factor plays an important role in modulating SD and PCD during epidermis development and leaf expansion. The absence of a C_i–SD relationship in the cotyledons of garden cress indicates the key role of lower-insertion CO₂ assimilation organs in signal perception and its long-distance transport.     

菊芋试管苗的初代培养及愈伤组织不定芽诱导

菊芋（Helianthus tuberosus Linn.）为菊科（Asteraceae）向日葵属（Helianthus Linn.）多年生草本植物,耐寒、耐旱、耐贫瘠、耐盐碱[1];其地下块茎富含菊糖,还可通过发酵生产乙醇,在功能性食用多糖及生物能源方面的开发潜力巨大。菊芋主要通过块茎进行无性繁殖,其种子成活率和发芽率均很低[2],严重阻碍了菊芋的杂交育种。近年来以植物组织培养为基础的一系列现代育种技术为菊芋的种质改良提供了新途径,但由于菊芋的愈伤组织难以诱导不定芽或体胚发生,导致以农杆菌转化为主的转基因育种技术的应用受到限制。     

生于菊科植物上的两个链格孢新种

报道生于菊科植物上的两个链格孢新种:瘤链格孢Alternariatuberculata和莴苣链格孢Alternarialactucae。二者分生孢子隔膜均增厚,但瘤链格孢的分生孢子表面具瘤状突起,莴苣链格孢的分生孢子具长的假喙。模式标本保存在山东农业大学植物病理学标本室(HSAUP)。     

Cloning and Functional Analysis of the Bifunctional Agglutinin/Trypsin Inhibitor from Helianthus tuberosus L.

In order to find new insect resistance genes, four homologous cDNAs, hta-a, hta-b, hta-c and hta-d with lengths of 775, 718, 784 and 752 bp, respectively （GenBank accession numbers AF477031-AF477034）, were isolated from a tuber cDNA expression library of Helianthus tuberosus L. Sequence analysis revealed that all four cDNAs contain an open reading frame of 444 bp, coding a polypeptide of 147 amino acid residues, and that the sequences of the cDNAs are very similar to those of the mannose-binding agglutinin genes of the jacalin-related family. In hemagglutination reactions and hapten inhibition assays, affinity-purified HTA （Helianthus tuberosus agglutinin） from induced Escherichia coli BL21（DE3） expressing GST-HTA shows hemagglutination ability and a higher carbohydrate-binding ability for mannose than other tested sugars. Trypsin inhibitory activity was detected in the crude extracts of induced E. coli BL21（DE3） expressing HTA, and was further verified by trypsin inhibitory activity staining on native polyacrylamide gel. The mechanism of interaction between HTA and trypsin was studied by molecular modeling. We found that plenty of hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions can be formed between the supposed binding sites of HTA-b and the active site of trypsin, and that a stable HTA/trypsin complex can be formed. The results above imply that HTA might be a bifunctional protein with carbohydrate-binding activity and trypsin inhibitory activity. Moreover, Northern blotting analysis demonstrated that hta is predominantly expressed in tubers of H. tuberosus, very weakly expressed in stems, but not expressed at all in other tissues. Southern blotting analysis indicated that hta is encoded by a multi-gene family. The insect resistance traits have been described in another paper.