Water relations of cotton plants under nitrogen deficiency

Nitrogen deficiency in cotton plants (Gossypium hirsutum L.) increased the threshold water potentials for both stomatal closure and leaf senescence (defined as loss of chlorophyll and protein) during drought. These studies attempted to answer two questions: (1) What is the basis for the N/water interaction on senescence? (2) Is there a direct relationship between stomatal closure and senescence? Young and old leaves from N-deficient and N-sufficient plants maintained their relative sensitivities to water stress when excised leaf discs were floated on solutions of polyethylene glycol in dim light. In this leaf disc system, both leaf aging and N deficiency increased the threshold water potential for senescence. Leaf aging and N deficiency also decreased the concentration of exogenous abscisic acid necessary to initiate senescence in discs. A role for cytokinins in controlling senescence could not be clearly shown. In young leaves of both N-deficient and N-sufficient plants, stomata closed at water potentials much higher than those causing senescence. During leaf aging, the water potentials causing senescence increased more than those causing stomatal closure. The two processes thus occurred at about the same potentials in the oldest leaves. These data argue against a general cause-and-effect relationship between stomatal closure and senescence. Rather, each process apparently responded independently to absicsic acid accumulated during drought.     

Dominant Gene cplsr1 Corresponding to Premature Leaf Senescence Resistance in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) premature leaf senescence-resistant inbred XLZ33 and senescencesusceptible inbred lines XLZ13 were selected and crossed to produce F1,F1-reciprocal,F2 and BC1 generations...     

Leaf senescence in response to elevated atmospheric CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> concentration and low nitrogen supply

This review reports the physiological and metabolic changes in plants during development under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and/or limited-nitrogen supply in order to establish their effects on leaf senescence induction. Elevated CO₂ concentration and nitrogen supply modify gene expression, protein content and composition, various aspects of photosynthesis, sugar metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and redox state in plants. Elevated CO₂ usually causes sugar accumulation and decreased nitrogen content in plant leaves, leading to imbalanced C/N ratio in mature leaves, which is one of the main factors behind premature senescence in leaves. Elevated CO₂ and low nitrogen decrease activities of some antioxidant enzymes and thus increase H₂O₂ production. These changes lead to oxidative stress that results in the degradation of photosynthetic pigments and eventually induce senescence. However, this accelerated leaf senescence under conditions of elevated CO₂ and limited nitrogen can mobilize nutrients to growing organs and thus ensure their functionality.     

外源亚精胺对棉花幼苗抗冷性的生理生态特征影响

以棉花幼苗为试材,分析不同浓度的亚精胺（Spermidine,Spd）（0．01mmol／L、0．10mmol／L、0．50mmol／L和1．00mmol／L）处理对棉花幼苗生长、生理生态特性的影响,以弄清Spd增强棉花抗冷性的效果及其生理机制。结果表明,Spd预处理棉花叶片可提高冷胁迫条件下棉花幼苗抗冷性,具体表现为Spd处理棉花幼苗可增加幼苗体内干物质和含水量,降低叶片冷害指数、电解质渗漏率和丙二醛（MDA）含量,增强超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化物酶（POD）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性,提高抗坏血酸、脯氨酸和可溶性糖含量。表明Spd可以改变冷胁迫条件下棉花幼苗体内生理生化指标,从而缓解冷胁迫对棉花的伤害,其中以0．50mmol／L的Spd处理效果较理想。     

激动素和丁二酸拌种对玉米衰老过程中抗氧化系统和植物激素的影响

以‘郑单958’（晚衰型品种）和‘豫单2002’（早衰型品种）为实验材料,采用盆栽方式,0．03μg·kg-1的外源激动素（KT）和300mg·kg-1丁二酸复合剂进行拌种处理,研究拌种后玉米根叶衰老指标的变化及其化学调控效应。结果表明：激动素和丁二酸混合拌种后根系与叶片中超氧阴离子（O2-）产生速率、丙二醛（MDA）及脱落酸（ABA）含量低于其对照,而超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性和生长素（IAA）含量却较高,据此认为膜脂过氧化得到缓解,根叶的生理功能期延长;且在整个生育期内各个叶位叶的MDA含量、SOD活性、ABA和IAA含量高于根系,但其O2-和IAA／ABA较低,表明根系的衰老早于叶片。综上可以推测,激动素和丁二酸拌种能有效防止根叶早衰,为提高玉米产量打下基础。     

油菜素内酯对NaCl胁迫下棉花叶片生理特征和基因表达谱的影响

研究了外源油菜素内酯(BL)对NaCl胁迫下棉花幼苗的钠累积、叶片生理特征及叶片差异基因表达水平的影响.结果表明： NaCl胁迫下2个棉花品种各部位钠含量升高,叶片丙二醛(MDA)、脯氨酸含量上升,叶绿素含量下降,叶片基因表达水平受到影响.外源施用油菜素内酯可降低NaCl胁迫下棉花幼苗根、茎、叶的钠含量,降低叶片中MDA含量,提高脯氨酸含量,并且NaCl胁迫下苏棉12号棉花品种更易受油菜素内酯调控.对苏棉12号的叶片进行数字表达谱分析结果表明,NaCl胁迫下苏棉12号叶片中的差异基因表达水平受到油菜素内酯调控,BL+NaCl处理棉花叶片的基因表达模式与CK(正常生长棉株)更为一致.说明外源油菜素内酯可减轻NaCl胁迫下棉花叶片受抑制程度,从而使NaCl胁迫下棉花叶片生理功能增强(叶绿素含量升高),最终使生物量增加.     

棉花叶片衰老过程中激素和膜脂过氧化的关系

以陆地棉品种辽棉9号的去根幼苗为材料,对其进行暗诱导衰老培养.在培养液中分别加入6-BA、ABA、GSH、H2O2、CaCl2、A23187 和A23187 CaCl2,测定在不同培养条件下棉花去根幼苗叶片内源激素、SOD酶活性和MDA含量的变化.结果表明:棉花叶片衰老表现为细胞分裂素含量的下降和ABA含量的上升.6-BA、GSH和钙离子均延缓叶片的衰老,ABA和H2O2促进叶片的衰老.     

Relationships Between Nitrogen Content and Net Gas Exchange Components of a Cotton Leaf During Ontogeny

Relationships between leaf nitrogen (N) content and leaf gas exchange components of a single cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) leaf subtending the fruit during ontogeny were investigated under field conditions. A 20-d old leaf exhibited the highest physiological activity characterized by net photosynthetic (PN) and transpiration (E) rates, stomatal conductances to CO2 exchange (gsCO2) and water vapor transfer (gsH2O), and nitrogen (N) content. With the advent of leaf senescence, the gas exchange rates declined as exhibited by the 30-, 40-, and 60-d old leaves. Regression analysis indicated close relationships between gsCO2 and PN, and gsH2O and E as the leaves advanced towards senescence. Both PN and gsCO2 were related to N as they declined with leaf age. Thus, the declines in PN were associated with stomatal closure and removal of N during leaf ontogeny.     

水稻叶片早衰成因及分子机理研究进展

植物叶片衰老是叶片发育的最终阶段,也是植物在长期进化过程中形成的适应性机制。水稻(Oryza sativa)叶片的衰老对其产量和品质影响极大,相关研究主要集中在早衰。该文综述了水稻早衰及其调控基因的研究进展,尤其对水稻叶片早衰的形成原因、发生过程、生理变化及防治措施进行了阐述,以期为深入解析水稻早衰的分子机制奠定理论基础,同时为水稻育种提供参考。     

Exploiting tumor cell senescence in anticancer therapy

Cellular senescence is a physiological process of irreversible cell-cycle arrest that contributes to various physiological and pathological processes of aging. Whereas replicative senescence is associated with telomere attrition after repeated cell division, stress-induced premature senescence occurs in response to aberrant oncogenic signaling, oxidative stress, and DNA damage which is independent of telomere dysfunction. Recent evidence indicates that cellular senescence provides a barrier to tumorigenesis and is a determinant of the outcome of cancer treatment. However, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, which contributes to multiple facets of senescent cancer cells, may influence both cancer-inhibitory and cancer-promoting mechanisms of neighboring cells. Conventional treatments, such as chemo- and radiotherapies, preferentially induce premature senescence instead of apoptosis in the appropriate cellular context. In addition, treatment-induced premature senescence could compensate for resistance to apoptosis via alternative signaling pathways. Therefore, we believe that an intensive effort to understand cancer cell senescence could facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies for improving the efficacy of anticancer therapies. This review summarizes the current understanding of molecular mechanisms, functions, and clinical applications of cellular senescence for anticancer therapy. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(2): 51-59]     

砂仁不同叶位叶片的光合作用和氧化胁迫

衰老时砂仁叶片Pmax降低,这与叶片Gs、Chi含量和可溶性蛋白质含量的降低有关.随着叶片的衰老,NPQ、AQY、F/Fm、φPsIl和qp均降低,热耗散减少,光抑制加剧,衰老后期出现光破坏.但这些参数下降的幅度均小于Pmax下降幅度.光暗反应失衡,活性氧生成增加.衰老初期(老化)叶片MDA含量没有升高,衰老中后期叶片MDA含量显著升高,表明老化叶片能有效地耗散或清除活性氧,衰老叶片则不能,尽管其sOD、APX和POD等抗氧化酶活力显著升高.上述结果表明砂仁叶片老化与氧化胁迫关系不大,衰老与氧化胁迫密切相关.     

Increased Chilling Tolerance Following Transfer of a betA Gene Enhancing Glycinebetaine Synthesis in Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

A betA gene encoding choline dehydrogenase from Escherichia coli was transformed into cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic cotton plants exhibited improved tolerance to chilling due to accumulation of glycinebetaine (GB). The results of our experiment showed that GB contents of leaves of transgenic lines 1, 3, 4, and 5, both before and after chilling stress, were significantly higher than those of wild-type (WT) plants. At 15°C, transgenic lines 1, 3, 4, and 5 exhibited higher germination capacity as determined by the germination speed and final germination percentage and, displayed less inhibition in seedling shoot growth rate than WT plants. Under chilling stress, transgenic lines 4 and 5 maintained higher relative water content, upper carbon dioxide (CO₂) fixation capacity and PSII electron transfer rate, better osmotic adjustment (OA), a lower percentage of ion leakage, and less lipid membrane peroxidation when compared with WT plants. Chilling resistance of the transgenic lines was demonstrated to be positively correlated with GB content under chilling stress. The high levels of GB in transgenic cotton plants might not only protect the integrity of cell membrane from chilling damage, but also be involved in OA which alleviated chilling induced water stress. Moreover, under chilling-stressed conditions, transgenic cotton plants enhanced stomatal conductance, PSII electron transport rate, and further leaf photosynthesis through accumulating high levels of GB.     

Selenium Modifies the Effect of Short-Term Chilling Stress on Cucumber Plants

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of selenium (Se) supply (0, control; 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 μM) on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Polan F1 plants grown under short-term low temperature stress. About 14–16 day-old seedlings, grown at an optimal temperature (25/20°C; day/night), were exposed to short-term chilling stress with a day/night temperature of 10°C/5°C for 24 h, for a further 24 h at 20°C/15°C, and then transferred to 25/20°C (re-warming) for 7 days. Se did not affect the fresh weight (FW) of plants at a concentration of 2.5–10 μM, but in the presence of 20 μM Se, the biomass of shoots significantly decreased. The contents of chlorophylls and carotenoids witnessed no significant change after Se supplementation. Compared with the control, the Se-treated plants showed an increase of proline content in leaves, once after chilling and again after 7 days of re-warming. However, proline levels were much higher immediately after chilling than after re-warming. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the root of plants treated with 2.5–10 μM Se decreased directly after stress. This was in comparison with the plants grown without Se, whereas it increased in roots and leaves of plants exposed to 20 μM Se. Seven days later, the MDA level in the root of plants grown in the presence of Se was still lower than those of plants not treated with Se and generally witnessed no significant change in leaves. Although Se at concentrations of 2.5–10 μM modified the physiological response of cucumber to short-term chilling stress, causing an increase in proline content in leaves and diminishing lipid peroxidation in roots, the resistance of plants to low temperature was not clearly enhanced, as concluded on the basis of FW and photosynthetic pigments accumulation.     

Physiological and Molecular Changes of Detached Wheat Leaves in Responding to Various Treatments

Leaf senescence is induced or accelerated when leaves are detached. However, the senescence process and expression pattern of senescence-associated genes (SAGs) when leaves are detached are not clearly understood. To detect senescence-associated physiological changes and SAG expression, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves were detached and treated with light, darkness, low temperature (4 C), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA). The leaf phenotypes, chlorophyll content, delayed fluorescence (DF), and expression levels of two SAGs, namely, TaSAG3 and TaSAG5, were analyzed. Under these different treatments, the detached leaves turned yellow with different patterns and varying chlorophyll content. DF significantly decreased after the dark, ABA, JA and SA treatments. TaSAG3 and TaSAG5, which are expressed in natural senescent leaves, showed different expression patterns under various treatments. However, both TaSAG3 and TaSAG5 were upregulated after leaf detachment. Our results revealed senescence-associated physiological changes and molecular differences in leaves, which induced leaf senescence during different stress treatments.     

Photosynthesis and leaf-nitrogen dynamics during leaf senescence of tropical maize cultivars in hydroponics in relation to N efficiency in the field

The selection process of nitrogen (N)-efficient cultivars during plant breeding could be simplified by a specification of secondary plant traits that are decisive for N efficiency. It was shown that leaf senescence under N deprivation of sixteen tropical maize cultivars in a short-term nutrient solution experiment was related to leaf senescence and grain yield under N deficiency (N efficiency) in field experiments. In this study we investigated if a quantification of leaf- and plant-N flows by ¹⁵N labelling can improve the evaluation of genotypic differences in leaf senescence in short-term experiments. Cultivars differed in leaf-N content prior to senescence; however, this appeared to have no significant impact on the development of leaf senescence. N import into senescing leaves was not related to total plant N uptake, but seems to have been regulated by leaf-inherent factors. Leaf N remaining in the leaf seems to have comprised inefficiently remobilized leaf N, at least during early senescence stages. Photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll contents at early senescence stages depended on additional factors to leaf-N content. Nevertheless, all parameters used to characterize leaf senescence were related to leaf senescence at anthesis in field experiments. However, only photosynthetic rate during late leaf senescence reflected cultivar differences in leaf senescence during reproductive growth and N efficiency in field experiments.     

Senescence-Associated Changes during Long-day-induced Leaf Senescence and the Nature of the Graft-transmissible Senescence Substance in Kleinia articulata

Schwabe, W. W. and Kulkarni, V. J. 1987. Senescence-associatedchanges during long-day-induced leaf senescence and the natureof the graft-transmissible senescence substance in Kleinia articulata.— J. exp. Bot. 38: 1741–1755. The long-day-induced senescence in Kleinia articulata leaveswas characterized by a loss in fresh and dry weight, in therate of leaf expansion and progressive loss of chlorophyll inthe detached rooted leaves. Ultrastructural examination of mesophyllcells of leaves from plants grown in continuous light showedthat osmiophilic globules accumulating in the chloroplasts werethe first visible sign of senescence in the organdies. Thesefirst signs of senescence could be detected in very young leavesof plants in continuous light, even before the leaves had expanded.Attempts were made to study the cause of this photoperiodicsenescence which, from previous work, appeared to involve agraft-transmissible substance. Leaves in continuous light showed reduced stomatal opening andextracts from them had very much higher activity in the Commelinastomatal closure assay (ABA-like activity ?) compared with non-senescingleaves grown in short days (8 h). However, even if all the activitywere due to ABA, this on its own does not appear to be the senescencesubstance because a much longer exposure to continuous lightwas required to induce irreversible senescence than to reachmaximum stomatal closure promoting activity in the bioassay.Moreover, severe water stress (high ABA?) did not lead to senescenceunless combined with continuous light or ethylene treatment.It is postulated that while ABA may play an important role inKleinia leaf senescence its lethal effect may not be realizedunless ethylene-induced membrane changes may synergisticallyassist. Key words: Leaf senescence, ABA, Daylength, stomatal movement, Kleinia     

低氮诱导玉米幼苗叶片衰老过程中碳氮平衡的动态变化

叶片适时衰老对保证玉米产量有重要意义。本试验以玉米自交系PH6WC和PH4CV为研究对象,通过水培方法,设置低氮(0.04 mmol·L^-1,LN)和正常(4 mmol·L^-1,CK)氮素水平两种处理,在培养2、4、6和8 d后,对其幼苗第2和第3叶片表型、光合特性、叶片中氮素和糖分含量及碳氮比进行分析,旨在探究低氮胁迫下玉米幼苗叶片衰老过程中碳氮平衡的动态变化。结果表明: 与CK相比,LN造成两玉米自交系幼苗第2和第3叶片的面积、生物量、相对叶绿素含量、净光合速率、可溶性糖和淀粉含量均下降,而其氮物质生产能力均先后增加,但第2叶片的变化时间均早于第3叶片;在两叶片的各性状上,均为LN下PH6WC的变化幅度大于PH4CV,且仅幼苗叶片中的碳氮比在LN下显著提高;PH6WC的叶片衰老更快,PH4CV有更强的碳氮平衡能力,其叶片衰老相对滞后。综上,低氮会诱导玉米幼苗叶片衰老,高碳氮比具有促进叶片衰老的调控作用,低氮胁迫下幼苗叶片的碳氮平衡能力在两个玉米基因型间存在较大差异。