Elicitors of defence responses repress a gibberellin signalling pathway in barley embryos

Elicitors of defence response can modulate pathways other than those related to pathogen attacks. In this paper, we demonstrate that, as with sugars, chitosan and oligogalacturonides (OGs) can repress the gibberellin signalling pathway leading to the induction of -amylase in barley embryos. These results are suggestive of a complex cross-talk between the defence, hormonal and metabolic signalling pathways.     

Occurrence of trichothecenes, zearalenone and ochratoxin A in cereals and mixed feed from central Lithuania

A total of 92 samples — 23 winter wheat, 12 summer barley, 5 oats and 52 mixed feed — were collected from a state factory in Kaunas, Lithuania and were analysed for the presence of trichothecenes, zearalenone (ZEN) and ochratoxin A (OA) using gas chromatography with electron capture detection and immunoaffinity column/high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence and UV detections. Deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin were detected at concentrations above 10 μg/kg in 68%, 48%, 38% and 8% of cereal samples, respectively, and in 98%, 88%, 12% and 8% of samples of mixed feed for swine and poultry. More than 10 μg/kg of zearalenone and ochratoxin A were found in 58% and 92% of the mixed feed samples, respectively. The highest concentrations of all analysed trichothecenes in Lithuanian mixed feed and cereal grains, with an exception of T-2 toxin in one oat lot and one sample of mixed feed and OA in two mixed feed samples, were lower than those reported as Lithuanian advisory or tolerance limits.     

Drought and Oxidative Load in the Leaves of C3 Plants: a Predominant Role for Photorespiration?

Although active oxygen species are produced at high rates inboth the chloroplasts and peroxisomes of the leaves of C₃ plants,most attention has focused on the potentially damaging consequencesof enhanced chloroplastic production in stress conditions suchas drought. This article attempts to provide quantitative estimatesof the relative contributions of the chloroplast electron transportchain and the glycolate oxidase reaction to the oxidative loadplaced on the photosynthetic leaf cell. Rates of photorespiratoryH₂O₂ production were obtained from photosynthetic and photorespiratoryflux rates, derived from steady-state leaf gas exchange measurementsat varying irradiance and ambient CO₂. Assuming a 10 % allocationof photosynthetic electron flow to the Mehler reaction, photorespiratoryH₂O₂ production would account for about 70 % of total H₂O₂ formedat all irradiances measured. When chloroplastic CO₂ concentrationrates are decreased, photorespiration becomes even more predominantin H₂O₂ generation. At the increased flux through photorespirationobserved at lower ambient CO₂, the Mehler reaction would haveto account for more than 35 % of the total photosynthetic electronflow in order to match the rate of peroxisomal H₂O₂ production.The potential signalling role of H₂O₂ produced in the peroxisomesis emphasized, and it is demonstrated that photorespiratoryH₂O₂ can perturb the redox states of leaf antioxidant pools.We discuss the interactions between oxidants, antioxidants andredox changes leading to modified gene expression, particularlyin relation to drought, and call attention to the potentialsignificance of photorespiratory H₂O₂ in signalling and acclimation.     

抗黄矮病小麦-中间偃麦草易位系基因组可转化人工染色体文库的构建及初步筛选

利用抗黄矮病小麦 -中间偃麦草易位系HW6 4 2的细胞核DNA构建了一个可转化人工染色体 (transformation competentartificialchromosome,TAC)文库 ,文库由 2 .3× 10 6 克隆构成 ,重组率为 90 .4 8% ,平均插入片段大小为 2 2kb左右 ,约覆盖普通小麦单倍体基因组 2 .5倍 ,在该文库中分离得到单拷贝DNA序列的几率约是 95 .77%。文库保存在 2 4块 96孔板中 ,每个孔中约含有 10 0 0个不同的重组克隆 ,可以采用PooledPCR的方法对文库进行筛选。用来源于小麦的简单重复序列 (simplesequencerepeat,SSR)引物wms37扩增中间偃麦草、抗病易位系及感病材料 ,得到一条与抗性共分离的特异条带 ,约 4 5 0bp。将此特异标记条带转化为SCAR(sequencecharacterizedamplifiedregion)标记 ,用于筛选HW6 4 2基因组TAC文库 ,得到 12个阳性克隆。对阳性克隆进行了PCR Southern验证 ,以中间偃麦草基因组总DNA为探针与限制酶HindⅢ消化后的阳性克隆杂交 ,其中 10个阳性克隆分别有 1～ 6条杂交带 ,结果表明 ,这 10个阳性克隆可作为抗黄矮病相关基因筛选的候选克隆     

半矮秆基因brh1在大麦中的精细定位

选用从大麦、小麦和水稻中分离的RFLP标记 ,构建了大麦半矮秆基因brh1精细图谱。以快中子处理六棱大麦品种Steptoe的种子 ,从M2 代中选择出brh1突变体FN5 3。brh1是一个极易鉴别的形态学标记 ,通过对FN5 3×Morex的F2 代群体进行鉴定表明 ,brh1基因为隐性 ,前人通过BSA法将其初步定位在大麦第 1染色体 (7H)短臂上 ,靠近端粒区。这一区间还有一个控制秆锈病抗性的显性基因Rpg1。所以 ,brh1的精细定位不仅对研究其本身具有重要意义 ,同时 ,也为Rpg1的图位克隆和功能研究提供了更大的重组配子群体。定位实验全部以F2 中具有brh1特征的个体为对象完成 ,鉴定工作在苗期进行。在该精细图上 ,brh1区间长15 .2cM ,各标记间的平均距离为 0 .8cM。其中 ,大麦的cDNA克隆MWG2 0 74B与brh1共分离。 2 0 74A在靠近着丝点一侧 ,与brh1相距 0 .8cM。BCD12 9和R3139在定位群体内呈现与MWG2 0 74A共分离。CDO5 4 5位于端粒一侧 ,距离brh1为 0 .8cM。根据禾谷类作物基因组的共线性原理 ,CDO5 4 5成功定位在水稻的同源染色体即第 6染色体短臂brh1区间内。然而 ,由于在定位亲本间缺乏多态性 ,BCD12 9和MWG2 0 74的 2条主带A和B均未能定位在水稻的共线性区段内。推测MWG2 0 74的其他各带可能被定位在水稻的目标区间内 ,从而有     

He-Ne激光对啤酒大麦麦芽同工酶基因表达的影响

采用不同时间He-Ne激光（5 m W/mm2）对＂临啤二号＂大麦种子进行辐照,利用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳（PAGE）技术分析激光辐照对大麦麦芽中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）同工酶、过氧化物（POD）同工酶、过氧化氢（CAT）同工酶、β-淀粉酶同工酶、三磷酸腺苷（ATPase）同工酶酶谱的影响。结果表明：种子经He-Ne激光辐照后诱导出1条新POD同工酶谱带,且总POD活性在60 s和90 s处有所增加;30 s激光辐照诱导出1条新的CAT同工酶谱带,其它时间处理酶的组分没有变化,但酶活性增加;He-Ne激光辐照使SOD、β-淀粉酶及ATPase同工酶的组分在不同时间下有所减少,但一定时间的激光辐照提高了其同工酶的活性。综合实验结果可知,60 s～90 s He-Ne激光可以促进大麦种子萌发过程中以上同工酶基因的表达,有利于缩短制麦周期,提高麦芽糖化力及抗氧化力。     

氮高效利用基因型大麦的物质生产与氮素积累特性

通过土培盆栽试验,研究了22份大麦材料在低氮(125 mg·kg^-1)和正常氮(250 mg·kg^-1)处理下氮素吸收利用效率的基因型差异,探讨氮高效大麦干物质生产与氮素积累特性.结果表明： 大麦氮素吸收利用效率基因型差异显著.低氮处理下籽粒产量、氮素籽粒生产效率及氮素收获指数的最高值分别是最低值的2.87、2.92、2.47倍;氮高效基因型大麦籽粒产量、氮素籽粒生产效率和氮素收获指数均显著大于低效基因型,低氮处理下高效基因型3个参数较低效基因型分别高82.1%、61.5%和50.5%.氮高效基因型大麦各生育期干物质和氮素积累优势明显,干物质积累高峰出现在拔节-抽穗阶段,氮素积累高峰出现在拔节前;低氮处理下高效基因型典型材料DH61、DH121+的干物质量较低效基因型典型材料DH80分别高34.4%、38.3%,氮素积累量较DH80分别高54.8%、58.0%.供试大麦干物质和氮素的阶段性积累量对籽粒产量的影响为拔节前最大,且低氮处理下贡献率最高,分别为47.9%和54.7%;而干物质和氮素的阶段性积累量对氮素籽粒生产效率的影响在抽穗 成熟阶段最大,其次是播种-拔节阶段,低氮处理下这两个阶段的贡献率分别为29.5%、48.7%和29.0%、15.8%.氮高效基因型大麦在各生育期的物质生产和氮素积累能力强,低氮处理下优势较为明显,能够提高拔节前干物质生产和氮素积累能力,并协同提高大麦产量和氮素利用效率.     

Characterising seedling and adult plant resistance to Puccinia hordei in Hordeum vulgare

A set of 113 genotypes of barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. vulgare), along with the susceptible control genotype Gus, was tested for response to the barley leaf rust pathogen Puccinia hordei in the greenhouse (as seedlings) and field (as adult plants). The tests revealed that 68 lines carried adult plant resistance (APR), 23 lines carried uncharacterised seedling resistance (USR) and that three lines carried the seedling resistance gene Rph3. Nineteen lines lacked detectable seedling resistance and were also susceptible in the field at adult plant growth stages. The presence of marker bPb‐0837, linked to the APR gene Rph20, in 35 of the 68 lines carrying APR, suggested they carry this gene. The remaining 33 lines, which lacked the Rph20 linked marker, are likely sources of new uncharacterised APR. Pedigree analysis of the 68 lines found to carry APR revealed that 32 were related to cv. Gull and to Hordeum laevigatum; two were related to cv. Bavaria and one related to cvv. Manchuria and Taganrog, suggesting that these genotypes may be the ancestral sources of the APR carried by each.     

Expression of the Arabidopsis vacuolar H+‐pyrophosphatase gene (AVP1) improves the shoot biomass of transgenic barley and increases grain yield in a saline field

Cereal varieties with improved salinity tolerance are needed to achieve profitable grain yields in saline soils. The expression of AVP1, an Arabidopsis gene encoding a vacuolar proton pumping pyrophosphatase (H⁺‐PPase), has been shown to improve the salinity tolerance of transgenic plants in greenhouse conditions. However, the potential for this gene to improve the grain yield of cereal crops in a saline field has yet to be evaluated. Recent advances in high‐throughput nondestructive phenotyping technologies also offer an opportunity to quantitatively evaluate the growth of transgenic plants under abiotic stress through time. In this study, the growth of transgenic barley expressing AVP1 was evaluated under saline conditions in a pot experiment using nondestructive plant imaging and in a saline field trial. Greenhouse‐grown transgenic barley expressing AVP1 produced a larger shoot biomass compared to null segregants, as determined by an increase in projected shoot area, when grown in soil with 150 mm NaCl. This increase in shoot biomass of transgenic AVP1 barley occurred from an early growth stage and also in nonsaline conditions. In a saline field, the transgenic barley expressing AVP1 also showed an increase in shoot biomass and, importantly, produced a greater grain yield per plant compared to wild‐type plants. Interestingly, the expression of AVP1 did not alter barley leaf sodium concentrations in either greenhouse‐ or field‐grown plants. This study validates our greenhouse‐based experiments and indicates that transgenic barley expressing AVP1 is a promising option for increasing cereal crop productivity in saline fields.     

Mapping-by-Sequencing Identifies HvPHYTOCHROME C as a Candidate Gene for the early maturity 5 Locus Modulating the Circadian Clock and Photoperiodic Flowering in Barley

Phytochromes play an important role in light signaling and photoperiodic control of flowering time in plants. Here we propose that the red/far-red light photoreceptor HvPHYTOCHROME C (HvPHYC), carrying a mutation in a conserved region of the GAF domain, is a candidate underlying the early maturity 5 locus in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). We fine mapped the gene using a mapping-by-sequencing approach applied on the whole-exome capture data from bulked early flowering segregants derived from a backcross of the Bowman(eam5) introgression line. We demonstrate that eam5 disrupts circadian expression of clock genes. Moreover, it interacts with the major photoperiod response gene Ppd-H1 to accelerate flowering under noninductive short days. Our results suggest that HvPHYC participates in transmission of light signals to the circadian clock and thus modulates light-dependent processes such as photoperiodic regulation of flowering.