Salicylic acid induces amelioration of chromium toxicity and affects antioxidant enzyme activity in Sorghum bicolor L.

Aim: Chromium (Cr(VI)) would inflict serious morphological, metabolic, and physiological anomalies in plants ranging from chlorosis of shoot to lipid peroxidation and protein degradation. Cr(VI) toxicity is often associated with oxidative stress, caused by the excessive formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In response, plants are equipped with a repertoire of mechanisms to counteract heavy metal (HM) toxicity. Salicylic acid (SA) plays a key role in the signal transduction pathways of various stress responses, demonstrating the protective effect of SA against abiotic stress factors. So, the present investigation was carried out to study the amelioration of pernicious effects of different concentration of Cr(VI) (0.0, 2.0, and 4.0?mg Cr(VI) kg^?1 soil in the form of potassium dichromate) by treatments of salicylic acid solution viz. pretreatment and foliar spray via antioxidative enzymes and their metabolites.

Results: With different treatments of salicylic acid solution, the reinstatement from ill effects of Cr(VI) toxicity was contemplated but the most conspicuous effect was observed when salicylic acid solution was supplied through the foliar spray (0.50?mM). This was accompanied with an increase in ascorbate peroxidase activity and hydrogen peroxide content and decrease in peroxidase activity and ascorbic acid content.

Significance of the study: This study suggests that salicylic acid when applied through pre-treatment of seeds or through a foliar spray can be used to ameliorate the toxic effects of chromium (VI). Salicylic acid has the great potential for reducing the toxicity of heavy metals without negatively impacting the growth of the plants.     

The colanic acid gene cluster of Salmonella enterica has a complex history

The colanic acid gene cluster of Salmonella enterica LT2 was sequenced and compared with that of Escherichia coli K-12. The two clusters are similar with divergence slightly higher than average for genes of the two species. The cluster was divided into four blocks by GC content and seems likely to have transferred from a higher GC content species to the ancestor of E. coli and S. enterica. All 19 genes of K-12 and 13 genes of LT2 appear to have undergone random genetic drift with amelioration of the GC content. However, in the case of S. enterica, we believe that the six genes of the GDP-fucose pathway group were replaced relatively recently by genes closely related to those of the original donor species. Two repetitive elements were observed: a bacterial interspersed mosaic element in the intergenic region between wzx and wcaK in K-12 only and a RSA (repetitive sequence element) sequence between wcaJ and wzx in LT2 only.     

Fusarium mycotoxins: a review of global implications for animal health, welfare and productivity

Trichothecenes, zearalenone (ZEN) and fumonisins are the major Fusarium mycotoxins occurring on a worldwide basis in cereal grains, animal feeds and forages. Other important Fusarium mycotoxins include moniliformin and fusaric acid. Spontaneous outbreaks of Fusarium mycotoxicoses have been recorded in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and South America and, in addition, chronic exposure occurs on a regular and more widespread scale. The metabolism and adverse effects of the Fusarium mycotoxins are considered in this review with particular reference to recent data on specific and proposed syndromes and to interactions among co-occurring mycotoxins. Within the trichothecene group, deoxynivalenol (DON) is associated with emesis, feed refusal and depressed feed intake in pigs, while T-2 toxin and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) are now clearly linked with oral lesions in poultry. The gut microflora of farm livestock are able to transform DON to a de-epoxy derivative. In contrast, the ovine metabolism of ZEN results in the production of five metabolites and relatively high levels of these forms may be excreted in the urine as glucuronides. There is now undisputed evidence that ZEN and its metabolites possess estrogenic activity in pigs, cattle and sheep, but T-2 toxin has also been implicated in reproductive disorders in farm livestock. Fumonisins are positively linked with pulmonary edema in pigs, leukoencephalomalacia in equines and with deranged sphingolipid metabolism in these animals. Fusarium mycotoxins have also been provisionally implicated in ovine ill-thrift, acute mortality of poultry and in duodenitis/proximal jejunitis of horses. Several Fusarium mycotoxins may co-occur in a particular feed ingredient or in compound feedingstuffs. In general, combinations of Fusarium mycotoxins result in additive effects, but synergistic and/or potentiating interactions have been observed and are of greater concern in livestock health and productivity. Synergistic effects have been reported between DON and fusaric acid; DON and fumonisin B₁ (FB₁); and DAS and the Aspergillus-derived aflatoxins. Limited evidence of potentiation between FB₁ and DON or T-2 toxin has also emerged recently. Additive and synergistic effects between known and unidentified mycotoxins may account for enhanced adverse effects observed on feeding Fusarium-contaminated diets. The potential for transmission of DON into eggs and of ZEN into porcine kidney and liver has been demonstrated. However, lactational carry-over of FB₁ appears not to occur, at least in cows and sows. It is concluded that livestock health, welfare and productivity may be severely compromised by consumption of DON, T-2 toxin, DAS, ZEN and fumonisins and by interactions among these mycotoxins. Safety of some animal products may also be at risk. Furthermore, in view of the limited options available for remediation, it is concluded that exploitation of crops resistant to Fusarium infection offers the most viable strategy for reducing mycotoxin contamination of grain and animal feed.     

扦插玉米秸秆改良松嫩平原次生光碱斑的研究

根据野外实验,提出了改良松嫩平原次生光碱斑的新方法,即通过扦插玉米秸秆截留植物种子,在玉米秸秆分解作用下,以玉米秸秆本身及其邻近区域,为植物提供生长平台,使被截留的植物种子得以顺利定居、生长;达到低成本、快速地恢复次生光碱斑植被的日的．结果表明,扦插玉米秸秆可显著提高土壤种子库,改良区土壤种子数量为4020．0±1773．6粒·m^2,次生光碱斑土壤种子库为10．0±31．6粒·m^2,被截留的种子为植被恢复提供了种源．改良区土壤理化特性得到一定改善,但仍具有高pH值、高盐分含量和低有机质含量等特征．虎尾草能在玉米秸秆周围存活,每个玉米秸秆周围可生长3．9±2．2株,产量可达68．64±38．72g·m^-2．该方法投入少、成本低、技术简单,在次生光碱斑呈斑块状、且面积相对较小的区域．具有更大的推广潜力．     

Cadmium induced bioaccumulation,histopathology, gene regulation in fish and its amelioration – A review

Different anthropogenic activities as well as natural sources contribute enormously towards various heavy metal contaminations in aquatic habitats. Cadmium (Cd) is one of most prevalent and toxic heavy metals with a long half life. Unlike terrestrial animals, exposure of Cd in fishes may happen not only through feeds but also from its habitat water. Bioaccumulation of Cd in fishes occurs in many tissues, but mainly in gill, liver, kidney, skin, and muscle. The concentrations of Cd in fish tissues depend upon the extent and duration of Cd exposure, species and age of fishes, dietary minerals and antioxidant concentrations, and habitat water quality. Specific histopathological observations in liver, kidney, and gill are useful to understand the effects of Cd, which could help to determine the ameliorating methods to be adopted. Exposure of Cd exerts several adverse effects on general growth and development, reproductive processes, osmoregulation, morphological and histological structures, stress tolerance, and endocrine system, mainly due to changes in biological functions induced by differential expressions of several genes related to oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, immunosuppressions, genotoxicity, Cd chelation and carbohydrate metabolism. Chronic biomagnifications of Cd exceeding the permitted level may be harmful not only to the fishes itself but also to humans through food chains. Amelioration of such toxic heavy metal that has been categorized as a potent carcinogenic in humans is of utmost importance. Main modes of amelioration encompas reducing oxidative damages by promoting the antioxidative defenses, decreasing Cd absorption, increasing excretion through excretory system and improving the tolerance of fishes to Cd toxicity. Many amelioration measures such as use of minerals (for example, zinc, calcium, and iron), vitamins (vitamin C, A, and E), different herbs, probiotics and other agents (taurine, bentonite, chitosan, zeolite, and metallothionein) have been explored for their effective roles to reduce Cd bioaccumulation and toxicity symptoms in fishes. The present review discusses bioaccumulation of Cd, histopathological alterations, oxidative stress, synergism-antagonism, and gene regulation in different tissues, and its amelioration measures in fishes.     

Improved salt tolerance of melon (Cucumis melo L.) by the addition of proline and potassium nitrate

A pot experiment was carried out under glasshouse conditions with melon (Cucumis melo) cv. “Tempo F1” in a mixture of peat, perlite and sand (1:1:1) to investigate the effects of external proline and potassium nitrate applications to salinity-treated (150 mM) plants with respect to fruit yield, plant growth, some physiological parameters and ion uptake. Treatments were—(i) control (C): plants receiving nutrient solution, (ii) salinity treatment, as for control plus 150 mM NaCl. Salinity treatment was combined with or without either 5 mM supplementary KNO₃ or 10 mM proline. The salt treatment (150 mM NaCl) led to significant decreases in plant growth, fruit yield, relative water content (RWC), stomatal density, uptake of Ca²⁺, K⁺ and N, and chlorophyll a and b contents, accompanied by significant increases in Na⁺ uptake, proline concentration and membrane permeability. Supplementary KNO₃ and proline treatments significantly ameliorated the adverse effects of salinity on plant growth, fruit yield and the physiological parameters examined. This could be attributed to the effects of all the external supplements in maintaining membrane permeability, and increasing concentrations of Ca²⁺, N and K⁺ in the leaves of plants subjected to salt stress.     

Regulation of sugar metabolism in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings under arsenate toxicity and its improvement by phosphate

The effect of arsenate with or without phosphate on the growth and sugar metabolism in rice seedlings cv. MTU 1010 was studied. Arsenate was found to be more toxic for root growth than shoot growth and water content of the seedlings gradually decreased with increasing concentrations. Arsenate exposure at 20 μM and 100 μM resulted in an increase in reducing sugar content and decrease in non-reducing sugar content. There was a small increase in starch content, the activity of starch phosphorylase was increased but α-amylase activity was found to be decreased. Arsenate toxicity also affected the activities of different carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes. The activities of sucrose degrading enzymes viz., acid invertase and sucrose synthase were increased whereas, the activity of sucrose synthesizing enzyme, viz. sucrose phosphate synthase declined. The combined application of arsenate with phosphate exhibited significant alterations of all the parameters tested under the purview of arsenate treatment alone which was congenial to better growth and efficient sugar metabolism in rice seedlings. Thus, the use of phosphorus enriched fertilizers may serve to ensure the production of healthy rice plants in arsenic contaminated soils.     

Numerical study on amelioration of water quality in Lakes Shinji and Nakaumi: a coastal brackish lagoon system

Aiming at estimating the effect of an amelioration scheme for water quality in a highly eutrophicated and strongly enclosed estuary, especially placing emphasis on the alleviation of a oxygen-depleted water body, a three-dimensional (3-D) time-dependent coupled physical and ecological model was applied to Lakes Shinji and Nakaumi, a typical coastal brackish lagoon system in Japan. First, the model was run to reproduce the seasonal variation in water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and other ecological constituents during the period from April 1998 to March 1999. The daily change regimes of the observed sea surface winds, tidal elevation at the open boundary, river discharges, and meteorological parameters were incorporated into the forcing variables of the ecosystem model. Next, as a numerical experiment, a scenario simulation was carried out under four premises to alleviate the oxygen-depleted water body. The model results agreed fairly well with the field measurements obtained through the regular environmental monitoring in the lagoon system. It was found that an oxygen-depleted water body appears in the eastern part of Lake Nakaumi in early May and develops to cover the whole lagoon in midsummer to leave it almost anoxic. The scenario simulation revealed that each amelioration scheme has a considerable effect in alleviating this hypoxic water body. It was found from the model results and the additional flux analyses that the oxygen concentration will improve as a result of (1) change in the flow field by cutting the dikes built up during lake reclamation and (2) decrease in benthic oxygen consumption by filling up deep holes once created by dredging activities. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Horizontal gene transfer and bacterial diversity

Bacterial genomes are extremely dynamic and mosaic in nature. A substantial amount of genetic information is inserted into or deleted from such genomes through the process of horizontal transfer. Through the introduction of novel physiological traits from distantly related organisms, horizontal gene transfer often causes drastic changes in the ecological and pathogenic character of bacterial species and thereby promotes microbial diversification and speciation. This review discusses how the recent influx of complete chromosomal sequences of various microorganisms has allowed for a quantitative assessment of the scope, rate and impact of horizontally transmitted information on microbial evolution.