Effect of Saline Environment on Yield and Smut Disease Severity of Different Corn Genotypes (Zea mays L.)

The effects of saline irrigation water on growth, yield, smut index and leaf CI content were investigated under field conditions. The plants were grown in 1994 and 1995 and artificially infected with U. maydis- spore-suspension at V₆ and V₁₀ leaf stages. The severity was rated on a 1–9 scale, whenever the symptotns appeared. The results showed that superior growth, greater yield performance, associated with lower smut incidence and leaf Cl contents were generally observed on Taba than its counterparts. Increasing salinity exhibited significant increases in leaf CI and induced marked inhibition on growth, yield and SI data. The salt sensitivity of corn genotypes, as revealed from the comparison of the slope of linear regression equations, was related to 1.00: 1.19;1.42 for cvs Taba, 310 and 320, respectively. The differential yield response with respect to SI data proved that smut susceptibility was inversely related to salt tolerance concept. The data of Cl-disease interaction showed that smut reactions of highly susceptible and resistant genotypes (cvs 320 and Taba) were hardly monitored by plant Cl content, revealing that disease resistance is genetically controlled. Conversely, the progressive modifications of smut reaction, accompanied by CI accumulation in the moderately susceptible genotype 310 proved that disease resistance was environmentally conditioned by salt stress.     

Salt Tolerance in Simmondsia chinensis: Water Balance and Accumulation of Chloride, Sodium and Proline Under Low and High Salinity

The response of jojoba [Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneid]plants to salinity was studied in solution culture. At concentrationsof 0, 100, 200 and 600 m-mol l^–1 NaCI it was found thatjojoba plants have high tolerance to NaCl. The growth of theseplants was not affected by salinity. They accumulated largeamounts of Cl^–, Na⁺ and proline. These amounts decreasedrapidly in plants transferred back to control medium. Potassiumcontent decreased in NaCl-treated plants and tended to increaserapidly to the control level in plants transferred to controlmedium. The effect of salinity on water balance was not appreciable.As suggested for other xerophytic species, it could be assumedthat the high tolerance of jojoba to salinity plays an importantrole in its ability to endure periods of drought. The role ofproline during or after stress remains an open question. Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneid, jojoba, salt tolerance, sodium accumulation, chloride ion accumulation, proline accumulation, xerophytism, drought tolerance     

Effect of Chloride and Sulphate Types of Salinity on the Nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotides in Pea Root Tips

It was shown that in pea root tips grown in media salinatedwith NaCl the content of NAD + NADH decreased while the contentof NADPH+NADP increased with increasing salinity. In pea roottips, grown in sulphate salinated media, only the decrease inthe content of NAD+NADH was noted. The content of NADPH+NADPin such root tips remained more or less constant. The implicationof these results and of previous results for the explanationof the nature of salinity damage was discussed.     

Role of Vacuolar Membrane Transport Systems in Plant Salinity Tolerance

About 20% of all irrigated land is adversely affected by salinity hazards and therefore understanding plant defense mechanisms against salinity will have great impact on plant productivity. In the last decades, comprehension of salinity resistance at molecular level has been achieved through the identification of key genes encoding biomarker proteins underpinning salinity tolerance. Implication of the vacuolar transport systems in plant salinity tolerance is one example of these central mechanisms rendering tolerance to saline stress. One important organelle in plant cells is the central vacuole that plays pivotal multiple roles in cell functioning under normal and stress conditions. This review thus attempts to address different lines of evidence supporting the role of the vacuolar membrane transport systems in plant salinity tolerance. Vacuolar transport systems include Na⁺(K⁺)/H⁺ antiporters, V-ATPase, V-PPase, Ca²⁺/H⁺ exchangers, Ca²⁺-ATPase, ion channels, aquaporins, and ABC transporters. They contribute essentially in retaining a high cytosolic K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, K⁺ level, sequestrating Na⁺ and Cl^? into vacuoles, as well as regulation of other salinity responsive pathways. However, little is known about the regulation and functions of some of the vacuolar transporters under salinity stress and therefore need more exploration and focus. Numerous studies demonstrated that the activities of the vacuolar transporters are upregulated in response to salinity stress, confirming their central roles in salinity tolerance mechanism. The second line of evidence is that manipulation of one of the genes encoding the vacuolar transport proteins results in some successful improvement of plant salinity tolerance. Therefore, transgene pyramiding of more than one gene for developing genotypes with better and strong salinity tolerance and productivity should gain more attention in future research. In addition, we should move step further and verify the experimental data obtained from either a greenhouse or controlled environment into field trials in order to support our claims.

     

Effects of Salinity and Relative Humidity on Two Melon Cultivars Differing in Salt Tolerance

The effects of increasing relative humidity on the growth and salt tolerance of two melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars, Revigal C-8 (salt sensitive) and Galia (salt tolerant) was investigated. One month after germination, the plants were exposed for 15 d to 0 (control) and 80 mM NaCl, under relative humidity (RH), 30 and 70 %. The growth of the whole plant, leaf, stem and root of cv. Revigal C-8 was increased with increasing RH. On the other hand, cv. Galia showed an increase in root growth with increasing RH only under the NaCl treatment. Under salinity, most of the Na⁺ was withheld in the stems. An increase in RH in the NaCl treatment significantly decreased Na⁺ and Cl^– concentrations in leaves of cv. Revigal C-8, while it had no effect on their concentrations in cv. Galia. In both cultivars, increasing RH under NaCl condition significantly decreased water contents in leaves and stems, and increased osmotic potential in roots. The amount of the root exudate of cv. Galia was significantly decreased with increasing RH, while it was not affected in cv. Revigal C-8. Under the NaCl treatment, cv. Galia had significantly higher leaf osmotic potential than cv. Revigal C-8 at both relative humidities and higher amount of root exudate at 30 % RH.     

Insights into the Role of Gasotransmitters Mediating Salt Stress Responses in Plants

Salinity stress is one of the most significant global issues that negatively affect plant growth and development. Modern agricultural practices have expanded the destructive effects of salinity stress, affecting plants through immediate osmotic stress, followed by a slow onset of ionic or hyper-osmotic stress. Plants alteration and resistance to salinity stress involve complex physiological, biochemical, and molecular systems to maintain homeostasis. As of late, the investigation of gaseous molecules in plants has attained much consideration, particularly for abiotic stress. Abiotic stresses generally initiate gasotransmitter (GT) generation in plants. In the interim, these GTs enhance the accumulation and activities of few antioxidant molecules, check the destructiveness of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and improve plant resilience under different stress conditions. The current review presented the role of gaseous molecules in plants under salinity stress, which include nitric oxide (·NO), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), hydrogen gas (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH₄), and the only gaseous phytohormone ethylene. Further, we highlighted the underlying molecular mechanisms of the gasotransmitter signaling and cross-talks in salinity stress. Also, we presented a general update on the inclusion of GT in salt stress response, including the research gaps and its applications in the advancement of salinity-resistant plants.

     

Salt Tolerance in Astragalus cicer Microsymbionts: The Role of Glycine Betaine in Osmoprotection

In this study, we have investigated intrinsic salt tolerance of Astragalus cicer microsymbionts (USDA3350, ACMP18) and the role of exogenous glycine betaine in osmoprotection in these bacteria. Salt stress was imposed by NaCl concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 2 %. A. cicer mesorhizobia were capable of tolerating up to 2 % sodium chloride with a population count that was inversely proportional to the salt content. When the extracellular concentration of NaCl was raised to 2 %, the generation time of the UDSA3350 strain in the mid-exponential phase of growth was 3.9-times greater than that in the no-salt control medium, whereas the ACMP18 strain survived under the same conditions but did not multiply. Application of 1 mM glycine betaine into the salt-stressed rhizobium cultures increased the number of culturable bacteria, pointing out that this molecule was involved in restoration of osmotic balance. The decline in A. cicer symbiont viability in the medium with sodium chloride and the osmoprotective role of glycine betaine for these bacteria was confirmed in the experiment using the live/dead Bac Light Bacterial Vibility Kit. Data presented in this study showed the presence of proU-like genes in the genomes of A. cicer rhizobia with high sequence similarity to the genes of the ProU-like system in Sinorhizobium meliloti and the proU operon of Escherichia coli.     

盐胁迫下甜菜碱的生物合成及植物耐盐的分子机制（综述）

甜菜碱是一种无毒的渗透调节剂.在盐胁迫下,植物体内迅速积累甜菜碱等小分子化合物以维持细胞内外的渗透平衡,从而维持细胞正常的生理功能.本文对甜菜碱的生理作用、生物合成、基因工程及植物抗盐的分子机制作一综述,为培育理想的耐盐植物新品系提供参考.     

Differential Responses of Two Wheat Varieties Differing in Salt Tolerance to the Combined Stress of Mn and Salinity

The effect of Mn and NaCl on growth, mineral nutrients and antioxidative enzymes in two tetroploid wheat genotypes differing in salt tolerance was investigated in this study. 100 mM NaCl and Mn stress significantly inhibited plant growth, photosynthesis and Ca uptake, while stimulated ROS accumulation, MDA and proline content in wheat plants, Mn stress also increased SOD, APX, GR and DHAR activities. Durum wheat (AS780) was less affected by 100 mM NaCl and Mn stress than emmer wheat (AS847) due to more proline production, higher antioxidative enzymes activities and less-affected mineral nutrients. Application of 10 mM NaCl to Mn-stressed durum wheat alleviated Mn-induced damage by reducing Mn accumulation and translocation, while promoting proline accumulation and SOD, APX and GR activities. Irrespective of NaCl level, the combined stress of Mn and NaCl caused more severe oxidative stress, result in further reduction of photosynthetic rate and plant growth in emmer wheat as compared to Mn stress alone. The additively negative effects of NaCl and Mn stress on growth of emmer wheat results from reduced SOD and APX activities as well as Ca, Cu and Fe accumulation in both shoots and roots. These results suggest that salt-tolerant durum wheat is superior to emmer in adapting to Mn stress and the combined stress of salinity and Mn.

     

The Role of Calcium and Cell Permeability in the Disease Blossom-end Rot of Tomatoes

Research was carried out concerning the cell-physiological backgrounds of the disease blossom-end rot of tomatoes, which, like bitter pit of apple and lipburn of lettuce, is a Ca-deficiency disease. In our experiments tomatoes with the least amounts of Ca were attacked by the disease. We estimated the ion permeability of tissues with different Ca levels. Permeability was found to increase with decreasing Ca contents in the tissue. The increase accelerated with the beginning of the disease. The artificial rise in the permeability caused by ether and decenylsuccinic acid resulted in an increased occurrence of the disease. It is probable that the Ca-deficiency causes the necrosis of the tissue in blossomend rot and that the shortage of calcium among others affects the disorganization of membranes and organells in the cell.     

Physiological Characteristics and Alternative Respiratory Pathway under Salt Stress in Two Wheat Cultivars Differing in Salt Tolerance

Changes in respiratory pathway, dry weight, contents of proline, ATP, Na⁺and K⁺were investigated under five salinity treatments in the leaves of plants of spring wheat (Triticum aestivumL.). Two cultivars differing in salt resistance, namely, 89122 (salt-tolerant) and Longchun13 (salt-sensitive), were used. The decrease in dry weight and K⁺content was observed with the increasing NaCl concentrations, but more in cv. 89122 plants than in Longchun13 plants. Contents of proline and Na⁺in both cvs increased greatly, but the former increased more in 89122 while the latter more in Longchun13 plants. In all salinity treatments tested, a salt-induced increase in the activity of the alternative pathway was found, although cytochrome pathway (CP) still remained the main electron transport pathway. ATP production changed in parallel with CP operation. Cv. 89122 plants could produce more ATP than cv. Longchun13 plants exposed to each salinity treatment and their ATP generation could even be stimulated in contrast to its rapidly decline in Longchun13 plants with increased salinity stress. The possible relationship between respiration metabolism and above mentioned physiological changes is discussed.     

Role of Calcium in Volume-Activated Chloride Currents in a Mouse Cholangiocyte Cell Line

Volume-activated Cl(-) channels (VACCs) play vital roles in many cells including cholangiocytes. Previously, we characterized the VACCs in mouse cholangiocytes. Since calcium plays an important role in VACC regulation in many cells, we have studied the effect of calcium modulation on the regulatory volume decrease (RVD) and VACC currents in mouse bile duct cells (MBDCs). Cell volume measurements were assessed by a Coulter counter with cell sizer, and conventional whole-cell patch-clamp techniques were used to study the role of calcium on RVD and VACC currents. Cell volume study indicated that MBDCs exhibited RVD, which was inhibited by 5-nitro-2'-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoate (NPPB), 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DIDS) and 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra-acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA-AM) but not by removal of extracellular calcium. During hypotonic challenge, MBDCs exhibited an outwardly rectified current, which was significantly inhibited by administration of classical chloride channel inhibitors such as NPPB and tamoxifen. Chelation of the intracellular calcium with BAPTA-AM or removal of extracellular calcium and calcium channel blocker had no significant effect on VACC currents during hypotonic challenge. In addition to VACC, MBDC had a calcium-activated chloride channel, which was inhibited by NPPB. The present study is the first to systemically study the role of calcium on the VACC and RVD in mouse cholangiocytes and demonstrates that a certain level of intracellular calcium is necessary for RVD but the activation of VACC during RVD does not require calcium. These findings suggest that calcium does not have a direct regulatory role on VACC but has a permissive role on RVD in cholangiocytes.     

High Tolerance to Salinity and Herbivory Stresses May Explain the Expansion of Ipomoea Cairica to Salt Marshes

Background

Invasive plants are often confronted with heterogeneous environments and various stress factors during their secondary phase of invasion into more stressful habitats. A high tolerance to stress factors may allow exotics to successfully invade stressful environments. Ipomoea cairica, a vigorous invader in South China, has recently been expanding into salt marshes.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To examine why this liana species is able to invade a stressful saline environment, we utilized I. cairica and 3 non-invasive species for a greenhouse experiment. The plants were subjected to three levels of salinity (i.e., watered with 0, 4 and 8 g L⁻¹ NaCl solutions) and simulated herbivory (0, 25 and 50% of the leaf area excised) treatments. The relative growth rate (RGR) of I. cairica was significantly higher than the RGR of non-invasive species under both stress treatments. The growth performance of I. cairica was not significantly affected by either stress factor, while that of the non-invasive species was significantly inhibited. The leaf condensed tannin content was generally lower in I. cairica than in the non-invasive I. triloba and Paederia foetida. Ipomoea cairica exhibited a relatively low resistance to herbivory, however, its tolerance to stress factors was significantly higher than either of the non-invasive species.

Conclusions/Significance

This is the first study examining the expansion of I. cairica to salt marshes in its introduced range. Our results suggest that the high tolerance of I. cairica to key stress factors (e.g., salinity and herbivory) contributes to its invasion into salt marshes. For I. cairica, a trade-off in resource reallocation may allow increased resources to be allocated to tolerance and growth. This may contribute to a secondary invasion into stressful habitats. Finally, we suggest that I. cairica could spread further and successfully occupy salt marshes, and countermeasures based on herbivory could be ineffective for controlling this invasion.     

Salt Tolerance in the Halophyte Suaeda maritima (L.) Dum.: Interaction between Aluminium and Salinity

Growth of Suaeda maritima was stimulated by low aluminium concentrationsin saline solution culture with an increase in the number andextent of lateral roots. Under non-saline conditions the sameAl concentrations inhibited growth and led to an abnormal lateralroot initiation. Increasing the level of Al led to growth inhibitionunder both culture conditions. Salinity reduced the uptake of A1 into plant tissue, and therewas no evidence that A1 was tolerated internally. Although short-term³²P influx was increased by A1 there were no long-term effectsof significance on levels of Na, K, Ca nor P in the shoots. The results are discussed in relation to proposed mechanismsof A1 toxicity and the interaction between A1 and salt toxicities.An explanation is proposed for both stimulatory and inhibitoryeffects of A1 as a quantitative expression of a single primaryeffect upon the root system.     

A Novel Role of Protein Tyrosine Kinase2 in Mediating Chloride Secretion in Human Airway Epithelial Cells

Ca²⁺ activated Cl⁻ channels (CaCC) are up-regulated in cystic fibrosis (CF) airway surface epithelia. The presence and functional properties of CaCC make it a possible therapeutic target to compensate for the deficiency of Cl⁻ secretion in CF epithelia. CaCC is activated by an increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺, which not only activates epithelial CaCCs, but also inhibits epithelial Na⁺ hyperabsorption, which may also be beneficial in CF. Our previous study has shown that spiperone, a known antipsychotic drug, activates CaCCs and stimulates Cl⁻ secretion in polarized human non-CF and CF airway epithelial cell monolayers in vitro, and in Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) knockout mice in vivo. Spiperone activates CaCC not by acting in its well-known role as an antagonist of either 5-HT2 or D2 receptors, but through a protein tyrosine kinase-coupled phospholipase C-dependent pathway. Moreover, spiperone independently activates CFTR through a novel mechanism. Herein, we performed a mass spectrometry analysis and identified the signaling molecule that mediates the spiperone effect in activating chloride secretion through CaCC and CFTR. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (PYK2) is a non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase, which belongs to the focal adhesion kinase family. The inhibition of PYK2 notably reduced the ability of spiperone to increase intracellular Ca²⁺ and Cl⁻ secretion. In conclusion, we have identified the tyrosine kinase, PYK2, as the modulator, which plays a crucial role in the activation of CaCC and CFTR by spiperone. The identification of this novel role of PYK2 reveals a new signaling pathway in human airway epithelial cells.     

Prefoldins 3 and 5 Play an Essential Role in Arabidopsis Tolerance to Salt Stress

During the last years, our understanding of the mechanisms that control plant response to salt stress has been steadily progressing. Pharmacological studies have allowed the suggestion that the cytoskeleton may be involved in regulating such a response. Nevertheless, genetic evidence establishing that the cytoskeleton has a role in plant tolerance to salt stress has not been reported yet. Here, we have characterized Arabidopsis T-DNA mutants for genes encoding proteins orthologous to prefoldin （PFD） subunits 3 and 5 from yeast and mammals. In these organisms, PFD subunits, also known as Genes Involved in Microtubule biogenesis （GIM）, form a heterohexameric PFD complex implicated in tubulin and actin folding. We show that, indeed, PFD3 and PFD5 can substitute for the loss of their yeast orthologs, as they are able to complement yeast gim2Δ and gim5Δ mutants, respectively. Our results indicate that pfd3 and pfd5 mutants have reduced levels of α- and β-tubulin compared to the wild-type plants when growing under both control and salt-stress conditions. In addition, pfd3 and pfd5 mutants display alterations in their developmental patterns and microtubule organization, and, more importantly, are hypersensitive to high concentrations of NaCl but not of LiCl or mannitol. These results demonstrate that the cytoskeleton plays an essential role in plant tolerance to salt stress.     

Biochemical and Genetic Analyses of the Role of Yeast Casein Kinase 2 in Salt Tolerance

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking the regulatory subunit of casein kinase 2 (CK-2), encoded by the gene CKB1, display a phenotype of hypersensitivity to Na(+) and Li(+) cations. The sensitivity of a strain lacking ckb1 is higher than that of a calcineurin mutant and similar to that of a strain lacking HAL3, the regulatory subunit of the Ppz1 protein phosphatase. Genetic analysis indicated that Ckb1 participates in regulatory pathways different from that of Ppz1 or calcineurin. Deletion of CKB1 increased the salt sensitivity of a strain lacking Ena1 ATPase, the major determinant for sodium efflux, suggesting that the function of the kinase is not mediated by Ena1. Consistently, ckb1 mutants did not show an altered cation efflux. The function of Ckb1 was independent of the TRK system, which is responsible for discrimination of potassium and sodium entry, and in the absence of the kinase regulatory subunit, the influx of sodium was essentially normal. Therefore, the salt sensitivity of a ckb1 mutant cannot be attributed to defects in the fluxes of sodium. In fact, in these cells, both the intracellular content and the cytoplasm/vacuole ratio for sodium were similar to those features of wild-type cells. The possible causes for the salt sensitivity phenotype of casein kinase mutants are discussed in the light of these findings.