Methyl jasmonate alleviates arsenic-induced oxidative damage and modulates the ascorbate–glutathione cycle in oilseed rape roots

Methyl jasmonate (MJ) is an important plant growth regulator, involves in various physiological processes of plants. In the present study, role of MJ in tolerance to oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) roots under arsenic (As) stress was investigated. The treatments were comprised of three MJ doses (0, 0.1, and 1 µM) and two levels of As (0 and 200 µM). Arsenic stress resulted in oxidative damage as evidenced by decreased root growth and enhanced reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. However, plants treated with MJ decreased the H₂O₂ and O₂ ^·? contents in roots and have higher antioxidant activities. Importantly, results showed that MJ enhanced the redox states of AsA and GSH, and the related enzymes involved in the AsA–GSH cycle. Moreover, MJ also induced the secondary metabolites related enzymes (PAL and PPO) activities, under As stress. PAL and PPO expression was further increased by MJ application in the roots of B. napus under As stress. MJ also reduced the total As content compared with As alone treated plants. These findings suggest the role of MJ in mitigation of the As-induced oxidative damage by regulating AsA and GSH redox states and by reducing As uptake in both cultivars.     

Response of Strawberry Plant cv. ‘Camarosa’ to Salicylic Acid and Methyl Jasmonate Application Under Salt Stress Condition

The possible role of salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) treatments on the physiology responses and growth of strawberry (Fragaria?×?ananassa) cv. ‘Camarosa’ subjected to the different levels of salinity stress were investigated. Root and shoot growth as well as their Na⁺/K⁺ ratio, photosynthetic-related factors, and activity of some important antioxidant enzymes were determined in the salt-treated plants. Results indicated that salt stress reduced plant performance especially at higher concentrations. By increasing the levels of salinity stress, fresh and dry weight of shoot and roots, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), and stomatal conductance (Gs) significantly decreased, whereas intercellular CO₂ (Ci) increased. Application of exogenous SA and MJ significantly improved the plant physiological characters as well as fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots. Moreover, the ratio of Na⁺/K⁺ was elevated in the leaves and roots concomitantly with salinity levels, whereas SA and MJ treatments significantly reduced this ratio. Results of enzymatic assays showed that activity of ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase enzymes increased in the salt-stressed plants. In addition, SA and MJ treatments reduced the destructive effects of salinity in strawberry plant. In general, among the tested concentrations, 0.5 mM SA and 0.25 mM MJ best increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and hence alleviated the detrimental effects of salinity stress.     

Content of Osmolytes and Flavonoids under Salt Stress in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> Plants Defective in Jasmonate Signaling

The effects of the salt stress (200 mM NaCl) and exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) on levels of osmolytes and flavonoids in leaves of four-week-old Arabidopsis thaliana L. plants of the wild-type (WT) Columbia-0 (Col-0) and the mutant jin1 (jasmonate insensitive 1) with impaired jasmonate signaling were studied. The increase in proline content caused by the salt stress was higher in the Col-0 plants than in the mutant jin1. This difference was especially marked if the plants had been pretreated with exogenous 0.1 μM JA. The sugar content increased in response to the salt stress in the JA-treated WT plants but decreased in the jin1 mutant. Treatment with JA of the WT plants but not mutant defective in jasmonate signaling also enhanced the levels of anthocyanins and flavonoids absorbed in UV-B range in leaves. The presence of JA increased salinity resistance of the Col-0 plants, since the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products and growth inhibition caused by NaCl were less pronounced. Under salt stress, JA almost did not render a positive effect on the jin1 plants. It is concluded that the protein JIN1/MYC2 is involved in control of protective systems under salt stress.     

Wound and insect‐induced jasmonate accumulation in carnivorous Drosera capensis: two sides of the same coin

Carnivorous sundew plants catch and digest insect prey for their own nutrition. The sundew species Drosera capensis shows a pronounced leaf bending reaction upon prey capture in order to form an ‘outer stomach’. This formation is triggered by jasmonates, phytohormones typically involved in defence reactions against herbivory and wounding. Whether jasmonates still have this function in D. capensis in addition to mediating the leaf bending reaction was investigated here. Wounded, insect prey‐fed and insect‐derived oral secretion‐treated leaves of D. capensis were analysed for jasmonates (jasmonic acid, JA; jasmonic acid‐isoleucine conjugate, JA‐Ile) using LC‐MS/MS. Prey‐induced jasmonate accumulation in D. capensis leaves was persistent, and showed high levels of JA and JA‐Ile (575 and 55.7 pmol·g·FW^?1, respectively), whereas wounding induced a transient increase of JA (maximum 500 pmol·g·FW^?1) and only low (3.1 pmol·g·FW^?1) accumulation of JA‐Ile. Herbivory, mimicked with a combined treatment of wounding plus oral secretion (W+OS) obtained from Spodoptera littoralis larvae induced both JA (4000 pmol·g·FW^?1) and JA‐Ile (25 pmol·g·FW^?1) accumulation, with kinetics similar to prey treatment. Only prey and W+OS, but not wounding alone or OS, induced leaf bending. The results indicate that both mechanical and chemical stimuli trigger JA and JA‐Ile synthesis. Differences in kinetics and induced jasmonate levels suggest different sensing and signalling events upon injury and insect‐dependent challenge. Thus, in Drosera, jasmonates are still part of the response to wounding. Jasmonates are also employed in insect‐induced reactions, including responses to herbivory and carnivory.     

Nitrogen Metabolism Genes from Temperate Marine Sediments

In this study, we analysed metagenomes along with biogeochemical profiles from Skagerrak (SK) and Bothnian Bay (BB) sediments, to trace the prevailing nitrogen pathways. NO₃ ^? was present in the top 5 cm below the sediment-water interface at both sites. NH₄ ⁺ increased with depth below 5 cm where it overlapped with the NO₃ ^? zone. Steady-state modelling of NO₃ ^? and NH₄ ⁺ porewater profiles indicates zones of net nitrogen species transformations. Bacterial protease and hydratase genes appeared to make up the bulk of total ammonification genes. Genes involved in ammonia oxidation (amo, hao), denitrification (nir, nor), dissimilatory NO₃ ^? reduction to NH₄ ⁺ (nfr and otr) and in both of the latter two pathways (nar, nap) were also present. Results show ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are similarly abundant in both sediments. Also, denitrification genes appeared more abundant than DNRA genes. 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that the relative abundance of the nitrifying group Nitrosopumilales and other groups involved in nitrification and denitrification (Nitrobacter, Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, Nitrosococcus and Nitrosomonas) appeared less abundant in SK sediments compared to BB sediments. Beggiatoa and Thiothrix 16S rRNA genes were also present, suggesting chemolithoautotrophic NO₃ ^? reduction to NO₂ ^? or NH₄ ⁺ as a possible pathway. Our results show the metabolic potential for ammonification, nitrification, DNRA and denitrification activities in North Sea and Baltic Sea sediments.     

Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms Preventing Cd Toxicity in the New Hyperaccumulator <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abelmoschus manihot</Emphasis>

Abelmoschus manihot, an ornamental plant, was examined for phytoremediation purposes in accordance with the ability to accumulate cadmium and physiological mechanisms of cadmium tolerance. A net photosynthetic rate (A _N) glasshouse experiment for 60 days was conducted to investigate the influence of different cadmium amounts (0–100 mg kg^?1) on the growth, biomass, photosynthetic performance, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, antioxidative enzyme activities, Cd uptake and accumulation of A. manihot. Exposure to cadmium enhanced plant growth even at 100 mg kg^?1, without showing symptoms of visible damage. The cadmium concentration of shoots (stems or leaves) and roots was more than the critical value of 100 mg kg^?1 and reached 126.17, 185.26 and 210.24 mg kg^?1, respectively. BCF values of A. manihot plants exceeded the reference value 1.0 for all the Cd treatments, and TF values were greater than 1 at 15–60 mg kg^?1 Cd treatment. The results also showed that cadmium concentrations of 60 mg kg^?1 or less induced a significant enhancement in plant net photosynthetic rate (A _N), stomatal conductance (G _s), transpiration rate (T _r), photosynthetic pigments and F _v/F _m. These parameters were slightly decreased at the higher concentration (100 mg kg^?1). The ROS production (O₂ ^?, H₂O₂) and antioxidative response including SOD, CAT and POD were significantly enhanced by increasing cadmium. These results suggest that A. manihot can be considered as a Cd-hyperaccumulator and the hormetic effects may be taken into consideration in remediation of Cd contamination soil.     

Cytosolic alkalinization is a common and early messenger preceding the production of ROS and NO during stomatal closure by variable signals,including abscisic acid,methyl jasmonate and chitosan

Stomata are unique that they sense and respond to several internal and external stimuli, by modulating signaling components in guard cells. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and cytosolic calcium (Ca²⁺) increase significantly during stomatal closure by not only plant hormones [such as abscisic acid (ABA) or methyl jasmonate (MJ)] but also elicitors (such as chitosan). We observed that cytosolic alkalinization preceded the production of ROS as well as NO during ABA induced stomatal closure. We therefore propose that besides ROS and NO, the cytosolic pH is an important secondary messenger during stomatal closure by ABA or MJ. We also noticed that there is either a cross talk or feedback regulation by cytosolic Ca²⁺ and ROS (mostly H₂O₂). Further experiments on the interactions between cytosolic pH, ROS, NO and Ca²⁺ would yield interesting results.Key words: abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, chitosan, cytosolic pH, reactive oxygen species, H₂O₂, nitric oxide, cytosolic calcium     

Identification and comparative analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis> pathogenesis-related genes in response to hormonal,biotic and abiotic stresses

Pathogenesis-related proteins (PRs) are the antimicrobial proteins which are commonly used as signatures of defense signaling pathways and systemic acquired resistance. However, in Brassica juncea most of the PR proteins have not been fully characterized and remains largely enigmatic. In this study, full-length cDNA sequences of SA (PR1, PR2, PR5) and JA (PR3, PR12 and PR13) marker genes were isolated from B. juncea and were named as BjPR proteins. BjPR proteins showed maximum identity with known PR proteins of Brassica species. Further, expression profiling of BjPR genes were investigated after hormonal, biotic and abiotic stresses. Pre-treatment with SA and JA stimulators downregulates each other signature genes suggesting an antagonistic relationship between SA and JA in B. juncea. After abscisic acid (ABA) treatment, SA signatures were downregulated while as JA signature genes were upregulated. During Erysiphe cruciferarum infection, SA- and JA-dependent BjPR genes showed distinct expression pattern both locally and systemically, thus suggesting the activation of SA- and JA-dependent signaling pathways. Further, expression of SA marker genes decreases while as JA-responsive genes increases during drought stress. Interestingly, both SA and JA signature genes were induced after salt stress. We also found that BjPR genes displayed ABA-independent gene expression pattern during abiotic stresses thus providing the evidence of SA/JA cross talk. Further, in silico analysis of the upstream regions (1.5 kb) of both SA and JA marker genes showed important cis-regulatory elements related to biotic, abiotic and hormonal stresses.     

Tomato Jasmonic Acid-Deficient Mutant <Emphasis Type="Italic">spr2</Emphasis> Seedling Response to Cadmium Stress

The involvement of jasmonic acid (JA) in the plant response to cadmium (Cd) stress has been addressed in some publications by application experiments or analysis of endogenous contents of JA. In this study, we comparatively investigated the response of tomato wild type (WT) and its JA-deficient mutant spr2 to Cd stress aimed at clarifying the role of JA. One-month-old potted plants were exposed to CdCl₂ at final concentrations of 5, 25, and 50 mg kg^?1 in soil, respectively, for 15 days. The root and leaf Cd contents were dramatically increased, especially in the spr2 plants, in a CdCl₂ dose-effect manner. In the Cd dose-dependent inhibitory effect on plant growth, spr2 plants were more obvious than WT plants. This was also reflected by certain physiological and biochemical metabolisms. We analyzed photosynthesis-related parameters including total chlorophyll, actual efficiency of PS2, ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence, and net photosynthetic rate; relative water content, soluble sugar and proline contents, and starch accumulation; oxidative stress and antioxidative defense including malondialdehyde production, electrolyte leakage, H₂O₂ levels, activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, and their isoform expression profiles. The Cd-induced changes in all these parameters supported the conclusion that endogenous JA deficiency enhanced tomato seedling sensitivity to Cd. This implies that JA positively regulates the tomato plant response to Cd stress.     

JA,a new type of polyunsaturated fatty acid isolated from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Juglans mandshurica</Emphasis> Maxim,limits the survival and induces apoptosis of heptocarcinoma cells

Juglans mandshurica Maxim (Juglandaceae) is a famous folk medicine for cancer treatment and some natural compounds isolated from it have been studied extensively. Previously we isolated a type of ω-9 polyunsaturated fatty acid (JA) from the bark of J. mandshurica, however little is known about its activity and the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we studied anti-tumor activity of JA on several human cancer cell lines. Results showed that JA is cytotoxic to HepG2, MDA-MB-231, SGC-7901, A549 and Huh7 cells at a concentration exerting minimal toxic effects on L02 cells. The selective toxicity of JA was better than other classical anti-cancer drugs. Further investigation indicated that JA could induce cell apoptosis, characterized by chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and activation of the apoptosis-associated proteins such as Caspase-3 and PARP-1. Moreover, we investigated the cellular apoptosis pathway involved in the apoptosis process in HepG2 cells. We found that proteins involved in mitochondrion (cleaved-Caspase-9, Apaf-1, HtrA2/Omi, Bax, and Mitochondrial Bax) and endocytoplasmic reticulum (XBP-1s, GRP78, cleaved-Caspase-7 and cleaved-Caspase-12) apoptotic pathways were up-regulated when cells were treated by JA. In addition, a morphological change in the mitochondrion was detected. Furthermore, we found that JA could inhibit DNA synthesis and induce G₂/M cell cycle arrest. The expression of G₂-to-M transition related proteins, such as CyclinB1 and phosphorylated-CDK1, were reduced. In contrast, the G₂-to-M inhibitor p21 was increased in JA-treated cells. Overall, our results suggest that JA can induce mitochondrion- and endocytoplasmic reticulum-mediated apoptosis, and G₂/M phase arrest in HepG2 cells, making it a promising therapeutic agent against hepatoma.     

Probiotic Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus licheniformis fb11</Emphasis> on the Digestive Efficiency and Growth Performance in Juvenile <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chitala chitala</Emphasis> (Hamilton, 1822)

Five isocaloric (430 kcal 100 g^?1), isonitrogenous (40% CP) experimental diets were formulated with different concentrations of Bacillus licheniformis fb11 probionts (isolated from the gut of Chitala chitala) viz. Control (without probionts), 5 × 10⁴ CFU g^?1 (D₁), 5 × 10⁵ CFU g^?1 (D₂), 5 × 10⁶ CFU g^?1 (D₃), 5 × 10⁷ CFU g^?1 (D₄), 5 × 10⁸ CFU g^?1 (D₅) to evaluate its efficiency in C. chitala juvenile. The best growth performance, feed utilisation, specific α-amylase, total protease and lipase activity were observed with the diet D₃ (P < 0.05). The lowest Presumptive Pseudomonas Count, Motile Aeromonad Count, Total Coliform Count was observed for D₃ (P < 0.05) on 90th day of trial. Two uppermost values were achieved in case of crude protein for D₃ and D₂ (P > 0.05). The highest lipid content (12.12 ± 0.4 g 100 g^?1) was found for D₅ (P < 0.05). The highest gross energy (18.75 ± 0.21 MJ 100 g^?1) of carcass was recorded for D₃. Thus B. licheniformis fb11 at the concentration 5 × 10⁶ CFU g^?1 as probiotic supplement promoted growth, digestion in C. chitala juvenile significantly by modulating intestinal microflora.     

Glutathione improves survival of cryopreserved embryogenic calli of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agapanthus praecox</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">orientalis</Emphasis>

The effect of supplementation of reduced glutathione (GSH) to cryoprotectant solution on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (e.g., H₂O₂, OH^·, and O ₂ ^·? ) and antioxidants (e.g., SOD, POD, CAT, AsA, and GSH), as well as membrane lipid peroxidation (i.e., MDA content) mitigation in cryopreserving of embryogenic calli (EC) of Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis was investigated. The vitrification-based cryopreservation method was used in this study. The addition of GSH at a final concentration of 0.08 mM to the cryoprotectant solution has significantly improved cryotolerance of A. praecox EC. The EC post-thaw survival rate increased by 68.34 % using the cryoprotectant solution containing 0.08 mM GSH as compared to the control (GSH-free). EC treated with GSH displayed the reduction in  OH^· generation activity and the contents of H₂O₂ and MDA, as well as enhancement in the inhibition of O ₂ ^·? generation and the antioxidant activity. Treatment with exogenous GSH also increased endogenous AsA and GSH contents after dehydration step. Expression of stress-responsive genes, e.g., peroxidase (POD), peroxiredoxin, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), was also increased during cryopreservation processes. The expression of DAD1 (Defender against apoptotic cell death) was elevated, while cell death-related protease SBT was suppressed. These results demonstrated that the addition of GSH to cryoprotectant solution affects the ROS level and could effectively improve survival of A. praecox EC through enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and decreasing cell death.     

A stopped‐flow study of the dual chemiluminescence for the luminol–KIO4–Mn2+ system in strong alkaline solutions

A novel phenomenon of dual chemiluminescence (CL) was observed for the KIO₄–luminol–Mn²⁺ system in strong alkaline solutions using the stopped‐flow technique. Scavenging study of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) suggested that the two CL peaks originated from different CL pathways precipated by distinct ROS (O₂^? and ^?OH for the first peak, mainly ¹O₂ for the second peak). Generation of these ROS at different time intervals from the reactions involving IO₄^?, O₂, and Mn²⁺ and their subsequent reactions with luminol induced the intense CL emission. The relative intensity of the two CL peaks can be tuned over a wide range by varying the concentrations of Mn^2?, luminol and KIO₄. Because of the involvement of different ROS in each pathway, the two CL peaks could respond quite differently to various substances. Moreover, variation of the intensity ratio of the two CL peaks altered the relative proportions of the corresponding ROS, thereby changing their responses to a given substance. The dual CL emission acts like a pair of tunable probes and it is believed that this CL system has great potential in analytical applications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Natively oxidized amino acid residues in the spinach cytochrome <Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">6</Emphasis></Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">f</Emphasis> complex

The cytochrome b ₆ f complex of oxygenic photosynthesis produces substantial levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It has been observed that the ROS production rate by b ₆ f is 10–20 fold higher than that observed for the analogous respiratory cytochrome bc₁ complex. The types of ROS produced (O₂^{??, 1}O₂, and, possibly, H₂O₂) and the site(s) of ROS production within the b ₆ f complex have been the subject of some debate. Proposed sources of ROS have included the heme b _p , PQ _p ^?? (possible sources for O₂^??), the Rieske iron–sulfur cluster (possible source of O₂^?? and/or ¹O₂), Chl a (possible source of ¹O₂), and heme c _n (possible source of O₂^?? and/or H₂O₂). Our working hypothesis is that amino acid residues proximal to the ROS production sites will be more susceptible to oxidative modification than distant residues. In the current study, we have identified natively oxidized amino acid residues in the subunits of the spinach cytochrome b ₆ f complex. The oxidized residues were identified by tandem mass spectrometry using the MassMatrix Program. Our results indicate that numerous residues, principally localized near p-side cofactors and Chl a, were oxidatively modified. We hypothesize that these sites are sources for ROS generation in the spinach cytochrome b ₆ f complex.