Overexpression of dehydroascorbate reductase, but not monodehydroascorbate reductase, confers tolerance to aluminum stress in transgenic tobacco

Aluminum (Al) inhibits plant growth partly by causing oxidative damage that is promoted by reactive oxygen species and can be prevented by improving antioxidant capacity. Ascorbic acid (AsA), the most abundant antioxidant in plants, is regenerated by the action of monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR) and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR). We investigated the role of MDAR and DHAR in AsA regeneration during Al stress using transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants overexpressing Arabidopsis cytosolic MDAR (MDAR-OX) or DHAR (DHAR-OX). DHAR-OX plants showed better root growth than wild-type (SR-1) plants after exposure to Al for 2 weeks, but MDAR-OX plants did not. There was no difference in Al distribution and accumulation in the root tips among SR-1, DHAR-OX, and MDAR-OX plants after Al treatment for 24 h. However, DHAR-OX plants showed lower hydrogen peroxide content, less lipid peroxidation and lower level of oxidative DNA damage than SR-1 plants, whereas MDAR-OX plants showed the same extent of damage as SR-1 plants. Compared with SR-1 plants, DHAR-OX plants consistently maintained a higher AsA level both with and without Al exposure, while MDAR-OX plants maintained a higher AsA level only without Al exposure. Also, DHAR-OX plants maintained higher APX activity under Al stress. The higher AsA level and APX activity in DHAR-OX plants contributed to their higher antioxidant capacity and higher tolerance to Al stress. These findings show that the overexpression of DHAR, but not of MDAR, confers Al tolerance, and that maintenance of a high AsA level is important to Al tolerance.     

Establishment of Trisomic Series of Millet (Setaria italica L. Beauv.)

The young-ears of “Yugu No. 1”, a millet (Setaria italica (L.) Beauv. ) variety of good quality, high yielding and stress-resistance, were chosen to induce callus on N6 medium. After 3—5 times of subcultures, the callus was treated with colchicine (0.02%) for 48 hours and then transferred hack to subculture medium to restore growth, after which the callus was transferred to differentiation medium and subsequently, tetraploid plants were obtained. Through crossing, using tetraploid plants as female parent and diploid plant as male parent, 5 triploid plants were found among 2100 offspring plants. The triploid plants were fertilized with pollens from diploid plants. Among the plants developed from the seeds harvested on triploid plants, 9 kinds of trisomics (totally 283 plants) were identified according to chromosomal number and morphologic feature. Each kind of the trisomics has specific marker feature: (Figures in parentheses represent the number of plants obtained) Triplo-1 (52) has rolling leaves, Triplo-2 (18) is dark green, Triplo-3 (43) is bushy and has degenerated spikelets at the tip of panicles: Triplo-4 (58) has long bristle: Triplo-5 (16) has slender stalks: Triplo-6 (36) has twisted panicle neck; Triplo-7 (44) is semi-erect; Triplo-8 (8) has thick panicles; Triplo-9 (8) is pseudonormal (Similar with diploid of “Yugu No. 1”).     

Patterns of phenylpropanoids in non-inoculated and potato virus Y-inoculated leaves of transgenic tobacco plants expressing yeast-derived invertase

The patterns of secondary metabolites in leaves of yeast invertase-transgenic tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun NN) were analyzed. Plants expressing cytosolic yeast-derived invertase (cytInv) or apoplastic (cell wall associated) yeast invertase (cwInv) showed a characteristic phytochemical phenotype compared to untransformed controls (wild-type plants). The level of phenylpropanoids decreased in the cytInv plants but increased in the cwInv plants, which showed an induced de novo synthesis of a caffeic acid amide, i.e. N-caffeoylputrescine. In addition, the level of the coumarin glucoside scopolin was markedly enhanced. Increased accumulation of scopolin in the cwInv plants is possibly correlated with the induction of defense reactions and the appearance of necrotic lesions similar to the hypersensitive response caused by avirulent pathogens. This is consistent with results from potato virus Y-infected plants. Whereas there was no additional increase in the coumarins in leaves following infection in cwInv plants, wild-type plants showed a slight increase and cytInc a marked increase.     

Effect of ambiol on stem growth in regenerants of source and transgenic potato plants

The effects of ambiol, a new growth regulator, on stem growth and morphological features of stem development have been compared in regenerants of potato (Solanum tuberosum L., var. Desire) plants transgenic for a defensin gene and in original potato plants. The original and transgenic plants exhibited differences in shoot development, which were observed both in control settings (no ambiol) and in the presence of various ambiol concentrations. In addition to normal plants of both forms, plant regenerants with morphological deviations were present in ambiol-treated groups. It is suggested that the abnormal shoot development observed in original and transgenic potato plants treated with ambiol is associated with (a) hormonal changes caused by expression of the defensin gene in the transgenic plants and (b) effects of ambiol on the hormonal balance of the plants.     

Metal accumulation and tolerance in wetland plants

This paper briefly reviews the progress in studies of wetland plants in terms of heavy metal pollution. The current research mainly includes the following areas: (1) metal uptake, translocation, and distributions in wetland plants and toxicological effects on wetland plants, (2) radial oxygen loss (ROL) of wetland plants and its effects on metal mobility in rhizosphere soils, (3) constitutional metal tolerance in wetland plants, and (4) mechanisms of metal tolerance by wetland plants. Although a number of accomplishments have been achieved, many issues still remain unanswered. The future research effort is likely to focus on the ROL of wetland plants affecting metal speciation and bioavailability in rhizosphere soils, and the development of rhizosphere management technologies to facilitate and improve practical applications of phytoremediation of metalpolluted soils.     

Cytomixis in pollen mother cells of Medicago sativa L

Cytomixis (i.e., chromatin migration between meiocytes) has been detected in many plant species, but not in Medicago sativa spp. In the present study we report the identification of a few cytomictic alfalfa plants. Those plants, the "mother plants," were selfed and crossed with a normal control plant. Microsporogenesis analysis was performed on the mother plants, on the S(1) and F(1) plants, and on controls. The S(1) and F(1) plants, like the mother plants, were found to be cytomictic. Single or multiple chromatin bridges between two or more meiocytes were observed almost exclusively in prophase I. Some completely empty meiocytes were also observed. In addition to cytomixis, other meiotic abnormalities were found. Control plants showed an almost regular meiosis. The highest values of cytomixis were observed in the mother plants, and the lowest in their F(1) progenies. Variability of cytomixis in the F(1) plants is probably due to a heterozygotic condition of the parents for this trait. No significant correlation was found between cytomixis and pollen viability, even if the cytomictic plants showed low values of pollen viability.     

Antagonistic plant defense system regulated by phytohormones assists interactions among vector insect, thrips and a tospovirus

The western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) is a polyphagous herbivore that causes serious damage to many agricultural plants. In addition to causing feeding damage, it is also a vector insect that transmits tospoviruses such as Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). We previously reported that thrips feeding on plants induces a jasmonate (JA)-regulated plant defense, which negatively affects both the performance and preference (i.e. host plant attractiveness) of the thrips. The antagonistic interaction between a JA-regulated plant defense and a salicylic acid (SA)-regulated plant defense is well known. Here we report that TSWV infection allows thrips to feed heavily and multiply on Arabidopsis plants. TSWV infection elevated SA contents and induced SA-regulated gene expression in the plants. On the other hand, TSWV infection decreased the level of JA-regulated gene expression induced by thrips feeding. Importantly, we also demonstrated that thrips significantly preferred TSWV-infected plants to uninfected plants. In JA-insensitive coi1-1 mutants, however, thrips did not show a preference for TSWV-infected plants. In addition, SA application to wild-type plants increased their attractiveness to thrips. Our results suggest the following mechanism: TSWV infection suppresses the anti-herbivore response in plants and attracts its vector, thrips, to virus-infected plants by exploiting the antagonistic SA-JA plant defense systems.     

Effect of Ambiol on Stem Growth in Regenerants of Source and Transgenic Potato Plants

The effects of ambiol, a new growth regulator, on stem growth and morphological features of stem development have been compared in regenerants of potato (Solanum tuberosum L., var. Desire) plants transgenic for a defensin gene and in original potato plants. The original and transgenic plants exhibited differences in shoot development, which were observed both in control settings (no ambiol) and in the presence of various ambiol concentrations. In addition to normal plants of both forms, plant regenerants with morphological deviations were present in ambiol-treated groups. It is suggested that the abnormal shoot development observed in original and transgenic potato plants treated with ambiol is associated with (a) hormonal changes caused by expression of the defensin gene in the transgenic plants and (b) effects of ambiol on the hormonal balance of the plants.     

Improvement of vitamin E quality and quantity in tobacco and lettuce by chloroplast genetic engineering

Vitamin E (tocopherol: Toc) is an important lipid-soluble antioxidant synthesized in chloroplasts. Among the 8 isoforms of vitamin E, α-Toc has the highest activity in humans. To generate transgenic plants with enhanced vitamin E activity, we applied a chloroplast transformation technique. Three types of the transplastomic tobacco plants (pTTC, pTTMT and pTTC-TMT) carrying the Toc cyclase (TC) or γ-Toc methyltransferase (γ-TMT) gene and the TC plus γ-TMT genes as an operon in the plastid genome, respectively, were generated. There was a significant increase in total levels of Toc due to an increase in γ-Toc in the pTTC plants. Compared to the wild-type plants, Toc composition was altered in the pTTMT plants. In the pTTC-TMT plants, total Toc levels increased and α-Toc was a major Toc isoform. Furthermore, to use chloroplast transformation to produce α-Toc-rich vegetable, TC-overexpressing transplastomic lettuce plants (pLTC) were generated. Total Toc levels and vitamin E activity increased in the pLTC plants compared with the wild-type lettuce plants. These findings indicated that chloroplast genetic engineering is useful to improve vitamin E quality and quantity in plants.     

Thermal tolerance of tropical and temperate alpine plants suggests that ‘mountain passes are not higher in the tropics’

Aim

Tolerance of species to extreme temperatures largely determines their distribution and vulnerability to climate change. We examined thermal tolerance in tropical and temperate alpine plants, testing the hypotheses that: (a) temperate plants are resistant to more extreme temperatures and have an overall wider thermal tolerance breadth (TTB); (b) TTB in temperate plants is wider than TTB in tropical plants during the entire growing season; (c) resistance to frost and heat varies during the season in temperate plants but not in tropical plants; (d) TTB of a species predicts its latitudinal range.

Location

Tropical (Ecuador, Bolivia) and temperate (USA, Austria) mountains.

Time period

Four periods of the growing season (2014, 2016–2019).

Major taxa

Ninety-six vascular plant species.

Methods

We employed the electrolyte leakage method to estimate the temperature resistance, that is, the temperature at which 50% tissue injury (Lt50) occurs in leaves. We used phylogenetic linear mixed-effect models in a Bayesian framework to test for differences between the plant groups.

Results

Temperate and tropical plants do not differ in their temperature resistance. The four hypotheses are rejected since: (a) temperate plants do not have significantly wider overall TTB compared to tropical plants, (b) TTB of temperate plants is wider than TTB of tropical plants only at the end of the temperate summer, (c) seasonal acclimation is observed in both plant groups, (d) the latitudinal range of the plants is not related to TTB.

Main conclusions

The lack of TTB differences between temperate and tropical alpine plants is consistent with trends observed in ectothermic animals, which suggests a general latitudinal pattern in high-elevation poikilotherm organisms. Limited acclimation capacity to cope with long freezing exposures restricts the occurrence of tropical alpine species to thermally aseasonal environments making them particularly vulnerable to climate change.     

Cytokinin-mediated source/sink modifications improve drought tolerance and increase grain yield in rice under water-stress

Drought is the major environmental factor limiting crop productivity worldwide. We hypothesized that it is possible to enhance drought tolerance by delaying stress-induced senescence through the stress-induced synthesis of cytokinins in crop-plants. We generated transgenic rice (Oryza sativa) plants expressing an isopentenyltransferase (IPT) gene driven by P(SARK) , a stress- and maturation-induced promoter. Plants were tested for drought tolerance at two yield-sensitive developmental stages: pre- and post-anthesis. Under both treatments, the transgenic rice plants exhibited delayed response to stress with significantly higher grain yield (GY) when compared to wild-type plants. Gene expression analysis revealed a significant shift in expression of hormone-associated genes in the transgenic plants. During water-stress (WS), P(SARK)::IPT plants displayed increased expression of brassinosteroid-related genes and repression of jasmonate-related genes. Changes in hormone homeostasis were associated with resource(s) mobilization during stress. The transgenic plants displayed differential expression of genes encoding enzymes associated with hormone synthesis and hormone-regulated pathways. These changes and associated hormonal crosstalk resulted in the modification of source/sink relationships and a stronger sink capacity of the P(SARK)::IPT plants during WS. As a result, the transgenic plants had higher GY with improved quality (nutrients and starch content).     

Morphological Adaptation of Inflorescences in Plants that Develop at Low Temperatures in Early Spring: The Convergent Evolution of "Downy Plants"

Abstract: A new category of plants that exhibit convergent evolution, namely "downy plants", is described and discussed here on the bais of natural selection. So-called snowball plants can be represented by Saussurea gossypiphora D. Don (Compositae), which has extremely dense trichomes on well-developed bracts that are tightly packed around floral buds. Plants whose morphology is similar to that of S. gossypiphora are found at high elevations of alpine zones in the Nepalese Himalayas, where temperatures are low and precipitation is high (frequent rain) in summer. Nonetheless, we noticed that plants with a morphology similar to that of Himalaya snowball plants are commonly distributed from temperature to Arctic zones, and are even found in Alaska where precipitation is very limited. Willows ( Salix spp.: Salicaceae) and deciduous magnolias (Magnoliaceae) are typical examples of such plants. Measurements of temperature inside and outside the inflorescences of Salix (pussy willow or catkin) and of Magnolia suggested that the pubescent bracts might play a role in keeping the interior of buds warm, but that the effect depends on light intensity. Our examination of such species led us to extend the concept of "snowball plants" to a larger group of plants, namely "downy plants", that are characterized by very dense trichomes on tightly packed bracts of inflorescences. Downy plants are thereby considered to represent a convergent adaptation that allows blooming at low temperatures.     

TISSUE CULTURE DERIVED CROSSING BARRIERS

Tobacco plants derived from herbicide (paraquat)-resistant cell lines and from wild type (non-resistant) cell lines were self-pollinated and crossed with sexually-derived wild type plants. Analysis of the seed germination frequencies from these crosses indicated that seed viability and thus the ability of tissue culture-derived plants to intercross with sexually derived plants was reduced. Partial reduction was observed when tissue culture-derived plants were the female parent. Significant reduction in ability to intercross was observed when tissue culture-derived plants were the male parent. Self pollinations of tissue culture-derived plants and crosses between tissue culture-derived plants, both wild type and mutant, did not show the presence of a crossing barrier. The crossing barrier (reduction of seed viability) is due to either: 1) failure of a fertilized ovule to undergo embryonic development, or 2) failure of pollen to fertilize ovules. It is apparently not due to in viable pollen. A possible explanation of the crossing barrier is that genetic changes accumulate as a result of the tissue culture process which reduces the ability of tissue culture-derived plants to cross with sexually-derived plants. Since tissue culture-derived plants are able to intercross with each other and produce viable seed, the genetic changes would be similar in all of our tissue culture-derived lines, regardless of mutant or wild type origin.     

转录后基因沉默--植物抵御外来病毒入侵的一种机制

基因沉默是近几年来在转基因植物中发现的一种后生遗传现象。基因沉默大体可以分为两类：位置效应引起的基因沉默和同源依赖的基因沉默。其中,同源依赖的基因沉默又可以分为转录水平的基因沉默和转录后水平的基因沉默。基因沉默的发现使得人们对植物和病毒的相互关系有了一个新的认识。基因沉默研究中所发现的转录后基因沉默现象是植物抵御病毒入侵、保持自身基因组完整性的一种防御机制,是植物与病毒共进化的结果。对于沉默产生的机理,尤其是转录后基因沉默,已经提出不少模型,但是都未能较全面地解释基因沉默中出现的各种实验现象。该文现就实验所取得的相关结果、转录后基因沉默机制和植物对病毒防御机制的相互关系,以及其研究进展进行综述。     

火炬树雌雄母株克隆生长差异及其光合荧光日变化

火炬树(Rhus typhina Linn.)是兼有雌雄异株和克隆生长特性的外来木本植物。分别探讨火炬树雌雄母株克隆繁殖扩散能力的特点,分析其光合荧光反应的差异。采用CIRAS-2光合仪和FMS-2便携调制式荧光仪,并结合样圆调查法,比较火炬树雌雄母株的克隆分株数量和形态生长指标、光合生理参数的日变化特征,揭示火炬树雌雄异株的资源利用效率和对午间强光缓冲保护能力的雌雄差异。研究结果表明:1)火炬树雄性母株的克隆分株形态生长指标及数量均超过了雌性母株,且雄性母株形成克隆分株的年龄早于雌性母株1a;2)火炬树雄性母株的光能、水分和CO2利用效率和净光合速率均高于雌性母株,此结果为雄性母株克隆生长奠定了较为充足的营养基础;3)在晴天自然光的条件下,火炬树雄性母株未出现光抑制,而雌性母株出现了光抑制现象,非光化学猝灭系数(qN)日变化特征显示雌性母株的热耗散程度较高。因此,火炬树雄性母株的克隆生长力强于雌性母株。     

Resistance of tomato infected with cucumber mosaic virus satellite RNA to potato spindle tuber viroid

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cvs Rutgers and Lichun) plants were firstly pre-inoculated either with a cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) isolate containing satellite RNA (CMV-S52) or with a CMV isolate without satellite RNA, and then challenged 14 days later with a severe strain of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). Also, tomato plants transformed with CMV satellite cDNA and non-transgenic control plants were directly inoculated with PSTVd. Protection effects were assessed by the observation of symptoms and by assay of PSTVd accumulation in tomato plants using return polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. The results indicated that the satellite-transgenic plants and plants pre-inoculated with CMV-S52 showed much milder symptoms of PSTVd infection than the respective control plants. The concentration of PSTVd RNA in the satellite-transgenic plants and CMV-S52 pre-inoculated plants was reduced to about 0.02–0.03 of the controls. PSTVd infection did not increase the amount of satellite ds-RNA in plants. It is concluded that the plant resistance to PSTVd is induced by the presence of satellite RNA rather than the CMV infection. It is suggested that as there is considerable sequence similarity between satellite RNA and PSTVd, base pairings may be a cause of reduction of both symptoms and the accumulation of PSTVd.     

The systemic, holistic, interdisciplinary and participatory (SHIP) approach supports the conservation program of medicinal plants in Bali

Development process brings the positive as well as negative impacts. Among others, the negative impacts include the extinction of some medicinal plants. The research issue is what strategy can be used for preserving the medicinal plants while little attention is given to them. A research action was thus started for preserving and conserving these plants. Methods used were participatory observation, field surveys, and demonstration-plots. The action consisted of: an awareness program, a preparation phase and the establishment of a park of medicinal plants. In doing that, the Systemic, Holistic, Interdisciplinary and Participatory (SHIP) approach was applied. Up to now, the results found are: 1) the awareness program was conducted several times; 2) two pieces of lands were provided from the provincial government of Bali and from the local community; 3) the field surveys identified about 200 kinds of medicinal plants in the house yards, government offices, hotels and median strips of roads; 4) in the traditional medicine texts (lontar), more then 500 kinds of medicinal plants were found to be cited; 5) the medicinal plants were classified into wooden trees, shrubs, grasses, watery plants, epiphytes and parasitic plants. It is concluded that preserving and conserving the medicinal plants in Bali is urgent and that there is a willingness to do that with the active support of the stakeholders. It is encouraging that good examples have already been established in Ubud, Tampaksiring and Karangasem. Therefore, it is recommended to establish a medicinal plants park in Bali since it will have multiplier effects.