Effect of Wild and Genetically Modified Rhizosphere Bacteria Pseudomonas aureofaciens on the Accumulation of Arsenic by Plants

Gene constructions rendering recombinant bacteria resistant to arsenic and increasing their ability to dissolve soil phosphates and/or arsenates were created by cloning the ars operon and the gene of citrate synthase from a chromosome of the strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01. Genetically modified variants of the strain Pseudomonas aureofaciens BS1393 have been constructed that are resistant to high concentrations of arsenic and dissolve poorly soluble phosphates and/or arsenates. The recombinant strains P. aureofaciens BS1393(pUCP22::arsRBC) and P. aureofaciens BS1393(pUCP22::gltA) exerted positive effects on the survival of sorgo (Sorghum saccharatum L.) and its ability to accumulate arsenic.     

Morphogenetic Changes in Ambiol-Treated Regenerants of Parent and Transgenic Potato Plants

The effects of ambiol, a new growth regulator, on the formation of leaves and roots in parent and defensin-gene-transformed regenerants of potato Solanum tuberosum L. (cultivarDesire) were studied. Various concentrations of ambiol induced differences in morphogenetic parameters between parent and transgenic plants. In some cases, ambiol caused the formation of shoots without leaves or with rudimentary leaves. The data suggest that features of root and leaf formation in parent and transgenic regenerants induced by ambiol are due to changes in hormone balance in transgenic plants caused by expression of the defensin gene and the effect of ambiol on the plant hormonal balance.     

甜荞品种内与品种间的遗传多样性研究

以9个甜荞品种为材料,1个苦荞品种为对照,每个品种随机取10粒种子发芽,提取基因组DNA,采用长随机引物和内含子切接点引物的PCR分子标记技术,对甜荞品种内和品种间的遗传多样性进行了分析.结果表明:(1)所使用的引物均能在 9份甜荞品种和1份苦荞品种中稳定扩增出条带,共获得了45条条带,其中多态性条带42条,占总数的93.3%;(2)甜荞同一品种内存在一定的遗传差异,但遗传距离较小,大部分不同甜荞品种间的遗传差异大于其品种内的遗传差异.因而,在甜荞品种鉴定和遗传多样性研究中,通过品种内适当混合取样可以较好地代表和反映甜荞品种特性.     

Comparison of the Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities of Zigongdongdou Soybean and a High-Methionine Transgenic Line of This Cultivar

Previous studies have shown that methionine from root exudates affects the rhizosphere bacterial population involved in soil nitrogen fixation. A transgenic line of Zigongdongdou soybean cultivar (ZD91) that expresses Arabidopsis cystathionine γ-synthase resulting in an increased methionine production was examined for its influence to the rhizosphere bacterial population. Using 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing analysis of the V4 region and DNA extracted from bacterial consortia collected from the rhizosphere of soybean plants grown in an agricultural field at the pod-setting stage, we characterized the populational structure of the bacterial community involved. In total, 87,267 sequences (approximately 10,908 per sample) were analyzed. We found that Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, Gemmatimonadetes, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia constitute the dominant taxonomic groups in either the ZD91 transgenic line or parental cultivar ZD, and that there was no statistically significant difference in the rhizosphere bacterial community structure between the two cultivars.     

不同叶菜型甘薯品种的氨基酸含量及组成分析

选用7个叶菜型甘薯品种,测定分析了茎尖中氨基酸含量及组成。结果表明:甘薯茎尖的E/T值变幅为37.22%~39.60%,E/N值变幅为0.59~0.66,符合理想蛋白质的要求;各种人体必需氨基酸占氨基酸总量的相对含量大部分符合1973年FAO/WHO修订的人体必需氨基酸模式谱,仅蛋氨酸+半胱氨酸中度缺乏;在全部18种氨基酸中,以半胱氨酸、蛋氨酸、色氨酸的变异系数最大,其他15种氨基酸的变异系数较小。     

Temporal Dynamics of Bacterial and Fungal Communities in a Genetically Modified (GM) Rice Ecosystem

We assessed the temporal dynamics of bacterial and fungal communities in a soil ecosystem supporting genetically modified (GM) rice (Oryza sativa L., ABC-TPSP; fusion of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and phosphatase). Using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and real-time quantitative PCR, we compared bacterial and fungal communities in the soils underlying GM rice (ABC-TPSP), and its host cultivar (Nakdong) during growing seasons and non-growing seasons. Overall, the soils supporting GM and non-GM rice did not differ significantly in diversity indices, including ribotype numbers, for either bacteria or fungi. The diversity index (H) in both the bacterial and fungal communities was correlated with water content, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and ammonium nitrogen, and the correlation was stronger in fungi than in bacteria. Multivariate analysis showed no differences in microbial community structures between the two crop genotypes, but such differences did appear in time, with significant changes observed after harvest. Gene copy number was estimated as 10⁸~10¹¹ and 10⁵~10⁷ per gram of soil for bacteria and fungi, respectively. As observed for community structure, the rice genotypes did not differ significantly in either bacterial- or fungal-specific gene copy numbers, although we observed a seasonal change in number. We summarize the results of this study as follows. (1) GM rice did not influence soil bacterial and fungal community structures as compared to non-GM rice in our system, (2) both bacterial and fungal communities changed with the growth stage of either rice genotype, (3) fungal communities were less variable than bacterial communities, and (4) although several environmental factors, including ammonium nitrogen and DOC correlated with shifts in microbial community structure, no single factor stood out.     

不同植茶年限茶树根际土壤细菌多样性及群落结构研究

运用传统培养法和高通量测序技术研究不同植茶年限(5年、10年、20年)茶树根际土壤细菌的多样性、结构和组成,并分析茶树土壤理化性质与细菌群落的相关性,为改善茶树的土壤和提高茶树产量提供参考。结果表明:两种方法均指出不同植茶年限下的根际细菌群落结构存在显著性差异,5年和10年茶树细菌多样性显著高于20年茶树细菌;培养法得出厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)为优势门属,高通量测序技术得出酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)、变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和Candidatus_Udaeobacter属为优势门属;总氮(TN)、总钾(TK)、总磷(TP)、pH是影响茶树细菌群落的关键理化因子;随着植茶年限增加,要采取措施防止土壤酸化,适当增施氮肥和磷肥。     

Shoot Formation from Explant Cultures of Fourteen Potato Cultivars and Studies of the Cytology and Morphology of Regenerated Plants

Plants were regenerated in quantity from cultured excised stem,rachis or leaf pieces of 13 potato (Solarium tuberosum L.) cultivarsusing modifications of a two-step procedure. Pronounced differenceswere observed in the response of different cultivars and explantsources to medium formulations containing different auxins orcytokinins. A few plants were recovered from tuber pieces ofseven cultivars by a different two-step procedure. Morphologicaldifferences from control plants were observed in some of theprimary regenerants. Anthocyanin pigmentation of tubers wasscored and stable changes to red-splashed white or white tuberswere found in some plants regenerated from cv. Desiree. Regenerantsfrom the particoloured cultivars Cara and King Edward oftenlost this trait but it returned to varying extents in subsequentgenerations. Most of the regenerated plants (87 per cent) containedthe euploid number of chromosomes (2n = 4x = 48). The methodsare suitable for production of plants for assessment of somaclonalvariation in a range of genotypes. Potato breeding, somaclonal variation, chromosome variation, skin colour, explant culture, plant regeneration, solanum tuberosum L. potato     

Impact of Biocontrol Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0 and a Genetically Modified Derivative on the Diversity of Culturable Fungi in the Cucumber Rhizosphere

Little is known about the effects of Pseudomonas biocontrol inoculants on nontarget rhizosphere fungi. This issue was addressed using the biocontrol agent Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0-Rif, which produces the antimicrobial polyketides 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (Phl) and pyoluteorin (Plt) and protects cucumber from several fungal pathogens, including Pythium spp., as well as the genetically modified derivative CHA0-Rif(pME3424). Strain CHA0-Rif(pME3424) overproduces Phl and Plt and displays improved biocontrol efficacy compared with CHA0-Rif. Cucumber was grown repeatedly in the same soil, which was left uninoculated, was inoculated with CHA0-Rif or CHA0-Rif(pME3424), or was treated with the fungicide metalaxyl (Ridomil). Treatments were applied to soil at the start of each 32-day-long cucumber growth cycle, and their effects on the diversity of the rhizosphere populations of culturable fungi were assessed at the end of the first and fifth cycles. Over 11,000 colonies were studied and assigned to 105 fungal species (plus several sterile morphotypes). The most frequently isolated fungal species (mainly belonging to the genera Paecilomyces, Phialocephala, Fusarium, Gliocladium, Penicillium, Mortierella, Verticillium, Trichoderma, Staphylotrichum, Coniothyrium, Cylindrocarpon, Myrothecium, and Monocillium) were common in the four treatments, and no fungal species was totally suppressed or found exclusively following one particular treatment. However, in each of the two growth cycles studied, significant differences were found between treatments (e.g., between the control and the other treatments and/or between the two inoculation treatments) using discriminant analysis. Despite these differences in the composition and/or relative abundance of species in the fungal community, treatments had no effect on species diversity indices, and species abundance distributions fit the truncated lognormal function in most cases. In addition, the impact of treatments at the 32-day mark of either growth cycle was smaller than the effect of growing cucumber repeatedly in the same soil.     

Ecophysiological Characterization of Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities at Different Root Locations and Plant Developmental Stages of Cucumber Grown on Rockwool

Bacterial communities from the rhizosphere of cucumber were characterized with respect to growth rates and carbon source utilization, in order to develop a selection strategy for biocontrol agents against Pythium aphanidermatum. Rhizosphere samples were collected from different root regions (root tips, the root base, and the intermediate region where lateral roots emerge) and developmental stages (the seedling, vegetative, and generative stage) from plants cultivated on reused rockwool. By colony counts on 1/10 strength TSA on subsequent days after plating, percentages of fast- and slow-growing isolates (i.e., forming visible colonies within 2 days, or after 3 or more days, respectively) were determined for each rhizosphere sample. At all plant developmental stages, root tips had the highest percentages of fast growing isolates, and root bases the lowest. During plant growth, the relative amounts of slowly growing bacteria increased. Community-level carbon source utilization was determined for the different rhizosphere samples with Biolog GN plates. Principal component analysis showed that rhizosphere samples from different developmental stages and root locations had distinct carbon source utilization patterns. Communities from root tips of seedlings showed the highest utilization of several monosaccharides. Communities from tips and intermediate regions of plants in the vegetative stage utilized relatively many amino acids and several organic acids, and in the generative stage, more di- and polysaccharides were used. Root base samples scored low with respect to carbon source utilization, except for some disaccharides. From the different rhizosphere samples, 826 bacteria, randomly collected from 1/10 strength TSA plates, were screened on the utilization of 9 carbon sources. The 9 selected carbon sources were chosen because they are reported to occur in the rhizosphere, to be used by the zoospores of Pythium in the infection process, or appeared to be discriminant in the analysis of community-level carbon source utilization performed in this study. It appeared that monosaccharides (glucose and fucose), amino acids (alanine and asparagine), and organic acids (galacturonic, succinic, and linoleic acid) were used for growth mainly by bacteria from the root tips, and to a lesser extent from the intermediate region, of young plants. Disaccharides were predominantly utilized by isolates from plants in the vegetative stage. Overall, the results indicated that growth rates and carbon source utilization reflect the adaptation of bacteria to the rhizosphere environment. The possibility of using these characteristics to screen for rhizosphere competent biocontrol agents that compete for substrates with P. aphanidermatum is discussed.     

Archaeal and Bacterial Communities Associated with the Surface Mucus of Caribbean Corals Differ in Their Degree of Host Specificity and Community Turnover Over Reefs

Comparative studies on the distribution of archaeal versus bacterial communities associated with the surface mucus layer of corals have rarely taken place. It has therefore remained enigmatic whether mucus-associated archaeal and bacterial communities exhibit a similar specificity towards coral hosts and whether they vary in the same fashion over spatial gradients and between reef locations. We used microbial community profiling (terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism, T-RFLP) and clone library sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to compare the diversity and community structure of dominant archaeal and bacterial communities associating with the mucus of three common reef-building coral species (Porites astreoides, Siderastrea siderea and Orbicella annularis) over different spatial scales on a Caribbean fringing reef. Sampling locations included three reef sites, three reef patches within each site and two depths. Reference sediment samples and ambient water were also taken for each of the 18 sampling locations resulting in a total of 239 samples. While only 41% of the bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) characterized by T-RFLP were shared between mucus and the ambient water or sediment, for archaeal OTUs this percentage was 2-fold higher (78%). About half of the mucus-associated OTUs (44% and 58% of bacterial and archaeal OTUs, respectively) were shared between the three coral species. Our multivariate statistical analysis (ANOSIM, PERMANOVA and CCA) showed that while the bacterial community composition was determined by habitat (mucus, sediment or seawater), host coral species, location and spatial distance, the archaeal community composition was solely determined by the habitat. This study highlights that mucus-associated archaeal and bacterial communities differ in their degree of community turnover over reefs and in their host-specificity.     

Development of Biosafe Genetically Modified <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum tuberosum</Emphasis> (Potato) Cultivars for Growth within a Centre of Origin of the Crop

Male sterile cv Desiree has been generated for use with other transgenic traits where hybridisation of a potato crop with wild relatives might occur. A ribosomal inactivating protein from maize (b32RIP) was expressed under the control of a tapetal specific promoter (TA29). Its known low activity against plant ribosomes was not correlated with either a lower incidence or less complete male sterility than occurred for similar lines expressing an RNAse (barnase) from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The b32RIP lines had a lower incidence of abnormal vegetative growth than barnase lines. Pollen grains of eight b32RIP lines and two barnase lines rarely showed uptake of the fluorophore fluorescein diacetate unlike the wild type Desiree. Pollen tubes formed very infrequently for sterile lines in conditions where this occurred for >80% of pollen of an untransformed control. Hand crossing with pollen from wild type but not the male sterile lines achieved fertilisation. Histological section of anthers for one b32RIP line confirmed its pollen grains had not matured in contrast to control plants. This is the first report of b32RIP having activity in planta against plant cells.     

Effect on the Progeny of Applying Different Day Length and Hormone Treatments to Parent Plants of Lactuca scariola

Seedlings of the self-fertilizing species Lactuca scariola L. grown continuously in 8 h days did not flower even one year from sowing. Seedlings grown in 16 h days uatil flower buds appeared 96 days after germination were either transferred to 8 h days or treated weekly with gibberellic acid (GA₃), abscisic acid (ABA) or chlormequat (CCC) and retained, together with untreated control plants, in 16 h days. Each growth regulator caused characteristic morphological changes in the treated plants. All these plants flowered and produced seeds but the seeds showed distinct differences in weight, in their time to germination and in the seedlings which they produced. Germination and seedling characters depended on the light regime during germination as well as on the chemical applied to the parent plant and the rate of application. The parental treatment also affected the shape and size of the seedlings on a given day after germination, and certain treatments of the parent plant (transfer from long to short days and treatment with CCC in long days) advanced the flowering date of the seedlings. The gibberellin level in the seeds was raised, in increasing order, by treatment of the parent plant with 100 mg/1 GA₃, transfer from long to short days, 10 mg/1 GA₃, and 5000 mg/l CCC. It is suggested that the effect of day length on plant performance is mediated by the level of growth regelating substances within the plant and that the behaviour of seeds can be modified by the parental environment via the accumulation of different levels of certain growth factors in the seeds. A rise of one growth substance in the parent plant can result in the accumulation of a different one in the seeds.     

青枯病抗性不同的番茄品种根际拮抗菌拮抗能力差异研究

以植物基因型影响根际微生物的多样性为依据,通过平板拮抗试验,从番茄的感病品种和抗病品种、感病品种的严重发病植株和轻微发病植株根际筛选到36株抬抗菌,不同来源的抬抗菌群落具有不同的特征。严重发病的感病品种植株根际的拮抗菌群落多样性低,仅筛选到1个拮抗菌株,而轻微发病的感病品种和未发病的抗病品种植株根际筛选到的拮抗菌株数较多;抗病品种根际桔抗菌表现出强拮抗能力,而感病品种根际拮抗菌的拮抗能力较弱。测定植株根面和根颈处导管内青枯菌的种群数量、3株拮抗菌的防病效果,发现导管内青枯茵数量与防病效果基本一致,探讨了导管内青枯菌数量作为拮抗菌防病效果指标的可能性。     

热带珊瑚岛不同生活型植物叶片性状及其生态适应性意义

为探究热带珊瑚岛植物对高温、高光照、土壤贫瘠生境的适应性,对热带珊瑚岛不同生活型植物叶片功能性状及其生态适应策略差异进行研究。结果表明,不同生活型植物叶片全N、纤维素含量,C/N、水分利用效率和比叶面积存在显著差异;叶片功能性状间的显著相关性表明植物在资源分配和生长投资间存在权衡;不同物种在珊瑚岛生境中采取不同的生态策略,且呈现明显趋异性。在热带珊瑚岛植被恢复实践中,可优先选择的乔木树种为抗风桐(Pisonia grandis),灌木为银毛树(Tournefortia argentea),但同时要防范飞机草(Chromolaena odorata)、孪花蟛蜞菊(Wollastonia biflora)和南美蟛蜞菊(Sphagne- ticola trilobata)的扩张。     

RAPD标记鉴定水稻3种不同细胞质雄性不育类型的杂交种及其亲本

利用RAPD引物对3种不同细胞质雄性不育类型的杂交水稻组合及其亲本共21个材料进行了DNA多态性分析。从264个随机引物中筛选出具有非常明显多态性的引物25个, 对25个引物在3种不同细胞质不育类型的杂交组合及其亲本间的DNA扩增多态性差异进行比较,最终选出具有不同类型间特异性扩增带的引物7个,利用这些特异性扩增带能有效地区分和鉴定目前在生产上大面积种植和推广,或者是具有应用潜力的3种不同细胞质雄性不育类型—野败型(WA)、红莲型(HL)和包台型(BT))—的6种杂交水稻组合及其亲本。     

Characterization of Epiphytic Bacterial Communities from Grapes,Leaves, Bark and Soil of Grapevine Plants Grown,and Their Relations

Despite its importance in plant health and crop quality, the diversity of epiphytic bacteria on grape berries and other plant parts, like leaves and bark, remains poorly described, as does the role of telluric bacteria in plant colonization. In this study, we compare the bacterial community size and structure in vineyard soils, as well as on grapevine bark, leaves and berries. Analyses of culturable bacteria revealed differences in the size and structure of the populations in each ecosystem. The highest bacteria population counts and the greatest diversity of genera were found in soil samples, followed by bark, grapes and leaves. The identification of isolates revealed that some genera – Pseudomonas, Curtobacterium, and Bacillus – were present in all ecosystems, but in different amounts, while others were ecosystem-specific. About 50% of the genera were common to soil and bark, but absent from leaves and grapes. The opposite was also observed: grape and leaf samples presented 50% of genera in common that were absent from trunk and soil. The bacterial community structure analyzed by T-RFLP indicated similarities between the profiles of leaves and grapes, on the one hand, and bark and soil, on the other, reflecting the number of shared T-RFs. The results suggest an interaction between telluric bacterial communities and the epiphytic bacteria present on the different grapevine parts.