Reorientation of Microfibrils and Microtubules at the Outer Epidermal Wall of Maize Coleoptiles During Auxin-Mediated Growth

Auxin-mediated elongation growth of isolated subapical coleoptile segments of maize (Zea mays L.) is controlled by the extensibility of the outer cell wall of the outer epidermis (Kutschera et al., 1987). Here we investigate the hypothesis that auxin controls the extensibility of this wall by changing the orientation of newly deposited microfibrils through a corresponding change in the orientation of cortical microtubules. On the basis of electron micrographs it is shown that cessation of growth after removal of the endogenous source of auxin is correlated with a relative increase of longitudinally orientated microfibrils and microtubules at the inner wall surface. Conversely, reinduction of growth by exogenous auxin is correlated with a relative increase of transversely orientated microfibrils and microtubules at the inner wall surface. These changes can be detected 30–60 min after the removal and addition of auxin, respectively. The functional significance of directional changes of newly desposited wall microfibrils for the control of elongation growth is discussed.     

Microfilaments Anchor Chloroplasts along the Outer Periclinal Wall in Vallisneria Epidermal Cells through Cooperation of PFR and Photosynthesis

In the cytoplasmic layer that faces the outer periclinal wallin epidermal cells of leaves of the aquatic angiosperm Vallisneriagigantea Graebner, we examined a possible interrelationshipamong the configuration of microfilaments, chloroplast motility,and anchoring of chloroplasts. In dark-adapted cells, microfilamentsare arranged in a network array. During a 10-min incubationin darkness 10 to 20 min after irradiation with red light (650nm, 0.41 W m^–2) for 5 min, the number of cells containinga network array decreased substantially while the number ofcells containing microfilaments in a honeycomb array increased.Irradiation with red light rapidly produces an increase in chloroplastmotility, but chloroplast motility declined almost to initiallevels during the 10-min incubation in darkness after the irradiation.Simultaneously, the chloroplasts in these cells became extremelyresistant to centrifugal forces. These effects of red lightwere negated either by far-red light or by the presence of DCMU,and were sensitive to cytochalasin B. It appears, therefore,that microfilaments not only drive the movement of chloroplastsbut also play a crucial role in accumulation of the chloroplastsalong the outer periclinal wall through dynamic changes in theconfiguration under cooperative regulation by P_FR and photosynthesis. (Received July 24, 1998; Accepted September 22, 1998)     

Orientation of Wall Microfibrils in Avena Coleoptiles and Mesocotyls and in Pisum Epicotyls

Microfibrils (MFs) on the inner surface of the walls of Avenacoleoptile and mesocotyl cells and of Pisum epicotyl cells wereexamined by a replica method. In the elongating epidermis ofthese three organs, cells having MFs that were transverse, obliqueor longitudinal to the elongation axis were intermingled. Inthe elongating parenchymal tissues, all cells deposited MFstransversely. In non-elongating cells of Avena coleoptiles andPisum epicotyls, the orientation of MFs on the inner wall surfaceof both epidermal and parenchymal cells was more longitudinalthan in elongating cells. These observations on the orientationsof MFs are compatible with those our previously reported observationson the orientations of microtubules (MT) (Iwata and Hogetsu1988). Disruption of MTs of Avena coleoptiles by treatment withamiprophosmethyl caused changes in the orientation of depositionof MFs. These results support the idea that MFs are usuallyco-aligned with MTs in organ cells and that the orientationof MFs is controlled by MTs. The averaged direction of MFs, visualized under polarized light,showed a clear difference between the epidermal and inner-tissuecell walls in the elongating regions of the three organs. Inalmost all elongating and non-elongating epidermal cells, theaveraged direction of MFs was longitudinal, while it was transversein all inner-tissue cells. (Received December 16, 1988; Accepted April 28, 1989)     

Particles Associated with the Outer Epidermal Wall in Internodes of Deepwater Rice

Partial submergence induces rapid internodal growth in deepwaterrice (Oryza saliva L., cv. Habiganj Aman II). The infrastructureof the cell wall/plasmalemma interface of air-grown and submergedinternodes was investigated in the region where cell elongationtakes place. In submerged internodes, electron-dense particlesof about 100 nm diameter were found. These particles were detectableonly at the thick outer wall of the outer epidermis but notat the inner walls. In air-grown control plants, no such granuleswere visible. We suggest that these particles are related tothe process of cell wall growth. The wall weight per unit lengthwas 75% lower in the submerged internode as compared to thatof the air-grown control. This indicates that secondary wallformation is suppressed during submergence of the plant Oryza saliva, deepwater rice, intemodal growth, electron-dense particles     

The Spatial Distribution of Growth in the Extension Zone of Seedling Wheat Leaves

Two models of the distribution of relative elemental rates ofelongation (RELEL) were tested for the extension zone (EZ) ofthe first foliage leaf of seedling wheat plants, by comparisonto patterns of separation of rings and gyres in the walls ofprotoxylem vessels. One model, containing a defined growth maximumin the basal half of the EZ, is favoured in the literature andwas derived from data published for perennial ryegrass. Theother, containing a flat, broad maximum throughout the regionof the EZ with stomates, was constructed from regressions ofinterstomatal distance against distance along the EZ in thefirst foliage leaf of wheat seedlings. The test strongly favouredthe model with the flat maximum. Although the gibberellic acid(GA) insensitivity alleles Rht1 and Rht2 reduce length of extensionzone (LEZ), leaf extension rate (LER) and final cell and leaflengths, they had no effect on maximum RELEL. Results with aninhibitor of GA synthesis indicated that control of leaf elongationby the control of LEZ may be generalizable as a mechanism bywhich GA controls LER in the grass leaf. Extension zone, elongation, gibberellic acid, Rht, wheat, Triticum aestvum L.     

Arrangement of Cellulose Microfibrils in Walls of Elongating Parenchyma Cells

The arrangement of cellulose microfibrils in walls of elongating parenchyma cells of Avena coleoptiles, onion roots, and celery petioles was studied in polarizing and electron microscopes by examining whole cell walls and sections. Walls of these cells consist firstly of regions containing the primary pit fields and composed of microfibrils oriented predominantly transversely. The transverse microfibrils show a progressive disorientation from the inside to the outside of the wall which is consistent with the multinet model of wall growth. Between the pit-field regions and running the length of the cells are ribs composed of longitudinally oriented microfibrils. Two types of rib have been found at all stages of cell elongation. In some regions, the wall appears to consist entirely of longitudinal microfibrils so that the rib forms an integral part of the wall. At the edges of such ribs the microfibrils can be seen to change direction from longitudinal in the rib to transverse in the pit-field region. Often, however, the rib appears to consist of an extra separate layer of longitudinal microfibrils outside a continuous wall of transverse microfibrils. These ribs are quite distinct from secondary wall, which consists of longitudinal microfibrils deposited within the primary wall after elongation has ceased. It is evident that the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils in a primary wall can be complex and is probably an expression of specific cellular differentiation.     

Structure of Cellulose Microfibrils in Primary Cell Walls from Collenchyma

In the primary walls of growing plant cells, the glucose polymer cellulose is assembled into long microfibrils a few nanometers in diameter. The rigidity and orientation of these microfibrils control cell expansion; therefore, cellulose synthesis is a key factor in the growth and morphogenesis of plants. Celery (Apium graveolens) collenchyma is a useful model system for the study of primary wall microfibril structure because its microfibrils are oriented with unusual uniformity, facilitating spectroscopic and diffraction experiments. Using a combination of x-ray and neutron scattering methods with vibrational and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we show that celery collenchyma microfibrils were 2.9 to 3.0 nm in mean diameter, with a most probable structure containing 24 chains in cross section, arranged in eight hydrogen-bonded sheets of three chains, with extensive disorder in lateral packing, conformation, and hydrogen bonding. A similar 18-chain structure, and 24-chain structures of different shape, fitted the data less well. Conformational disorder was largely restricted to the surface chains, but disorder in chain packing was not. That is, in position and orientation, the surface chains conformed to the disordered lattice constituting the core of each microfibril. There was evidence that adjacent microfibrils were noncovalently aggregated together over part of their length, suggesting that the need to disrupt these aggregates might be a constraining factor in growth and in the hydrolysis of cellulose for biofuel production.Growth and form in plants are controlled by the precisely oriented expansion of the walls of individual cells. The driving force for cell expansion is osmotic, but the rate and direction of expansion are controlled by the mechanical properties of the cell wall (Szymanski and Cosgrove, 2009). Expanding, primary cell walls are nanocomposite materials in which long microfibrils of cellulose, a few nanometers in diameter, run through a hydrated matrix of xyloglucans, pectins, and other polymers (Knox, 2008; Mohnen, 2008; Szymanski and Cosgrove, 2009; Scheller and Ulvskov, 2010). Native cellulose microfibrils are partially crystalline (Nishiyama, 2009; Fernandes et al., 2011). Formerly, primary wall cellulose was thought to have a unique crystal structure called cellulose IV₁ (Dinand et al., 1996), but NMR evidence suggests the presence of forms similar to the better characterized cellulose Iα and Iβ crystalline forms together with large quantities of less ordered cellulose (Wickholm et al., 1998; Sturcová et al., 2004; Wada et al., 2004). Nevertheless, cellulose is much more ordered than any other component of the primary cell wall (Bootten et al., 2004), in keeping with its key role of providing strength and controlling growth.The stiffness of the cell wall is greatest in the direction of the cellulose microfibrils, where growth is directional and the predominant microfibril orientation is usually transverse to the growth direction (Green, 1999; MacKinnon et al., 2006; Szymanski and Cosgrove, 2009). Expansion of the cell wall then requires either widening of the spacing between microfibrils (Marga et al., 2005) or slippage between them (Cosgrove, 2005), or both, and the microfibrils reorient toward the direction of growth (Anderson et al., 2010). Polymer cross bridges between microfibrils (McCann et al., 1990) are thought to resist these deformations of the cell wall nanostructure and, thus, to control the rate of growth. Until recently, most attention was focused on bridging xyloglucans, hydrogen bonded to microfibril surfaces (Scheller and Ulvskov, 2010). However, there is evidence that not all xyloglucans are appropriately positioned (Fujino et al., 2000; Park and Cosgrove, 2012a) and that other bridging polymers may be involved (Zykwinska et al., 2007). It has also been suggested that bundles of aggregated microfibrils, not single microfibrils, might be the key structural units in primary cell walls (Anderson et al., 2010), as in wood (Fahlén and Salmén, 2005; Fernandes et al., 2011). If so, single microfibrils could bridge between microfibril bundles. In summary, the growth of plant cells is not well understood, and we need more information on how cellulose orientation is controlled and on the nature of the bridging polymers, the cellulose surfaces to which these polymers bind, and the cohesion between microfibril surfaces that might mediate aggregation.Cellulose microfibrils are synthesized at the cell surface by large enzyme complexes having hexagonal symmetry, sometimes called “rosettes” (Somerville, 2006). Each complex contains multiple cellulose synthases that differ between primary cell walls and wood, although the appearance of the complexes is similar (Somerville, 2006; Atanassov et al., 2009). The simultaneous synthesis, from the same end, of all the chains in a native cellulose microfibril is why they are parallel (Nishiyama et al., 2002, 2003), in contrast to the entropically favored antiparallel structure found in man-made celluloses like rayon (Langan et al., 2001). The number of chains in a microfibril and the number of cellulose synthases in the synthetic complex are evidently related. It is commonly assumed that the number of chains is divisible by six, matching the hexagonal rosette symmetry, and 36-chain models (Himmel et al., 2007) bounded by the hydrophilic [110] and [1-10] crystal faces, as in algal celluloses (Bergenstråhle et al., 2008), have been widely adopted. The assembly and orientation of cellulose are connected, as several cellulose synthase mutants have phenotypes defective in cellulose orientation and plant form as well as depleted in cellulose content (Paredez et al., 2008). In certain other mutant lines, the crystallinity of the microfibrils appears to be affected (Fujita et al., 2011; Harris et al., 2012; Sánchez-Rodríguez et al., 2012).Therefore, a detailed understanding of the structure of primary wall cellulose microfibrils would help us to understand cellulose synthesis as well as the growth and structural mechanics of living plants (Burgert and Fratzl, 2009). Primary cell walls and their cellulose skeletons also affect food quality characteristics like the crispness of salad vegetables and apples (Malus domestica; Jarvis, 2011). When biofuels are produced from lignocellulosic biomass, lignification leads to recalcitrance (Himmel et al., 2007), but some of the cell types in Miscanthus spp., switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and arable crop residues have only primary walls with no lignin, and recalcitrance then depends on the nature of the cellulose microfibrils (Beckham et al., 2011).A relatively detailed structure has recently been proposed for the microfibrils of spruce (Picea spp.) wood (Fernandes et al., 2011), which are 3.0 nm in diameter, allowing space for only about 24 cellulose chains. Evidence from x-ray diffraction supported a “rectangular” shape (Matthews et al., 2006) bounded by the [010] and [200] faces. There was considerable disorder increasing toward the surface, and the microfibrils were aggregated into bundles about 15 to 20 nm across, with some, but not all, of the lateral interfaces being resistant to water (Fernandes et al., 2011). Disordered domains are a feature of other strong biological materials such as spider silk (van Beek et al., 2002).Therefore, it is of interest whether any of these features of wood cellulose might also be found in the cellulose microfibrils of primary (growing) cell walls. It would be particularly useful to characterize the disorder known to be present in primary wall microfibrils, that is, to define how cellulose that is not measured as “crystalline” differs from crystalline cellulose. Many of the experiments leading toward a structure for wood cellulose were dependent on exceptionally uniform orientation of the cellulose microfibrils (Sturcová et al., 2004; Fernandes et al., 2011). However, in growing cell walls, the microfibrils are not uniformly oriented. When microfibrils are first laid down at the inner face of the primary cell wall, their orientation is normally transverse to the direction of growth, but as the cell wall expands, the microfibrils reorient so that the orientation distribution, integrated across the thickness of the expanded cell wall, becomes progressively closer to random (Cosgrove, 2005; MacKinnon et al., 2006).This technical problem does not apply to the cell walls of celery (Apium graveolens) collenchyma, which are similar in composition to other primary cell walls but have their microfibrils oriented relatively uniformly along the cell axis (Sturcová et al., 2004; Kennedy et al., 2007a, 2007b). Some structural information on celery collenchyma cellulose has already been derived from spectroscopic and scattering experiments (Sturcová et al., 2004; Kennedy et al., 2007a, 2007b), confirming the disorder expected in a primary wall cellulose. Some of these experiments were analogous to what has been done on spruce cellulose (Fernandes et al., 2011), but insufficient data are available to specify the number of chains in each primary wall microfibril, the nature and location of the disorder, and the presence or absence of direct contact between microfibrils. Here, we report x-ray and neutron scattering and spectroscopic experiments addressing these questions and leading to a proposed structure for primary wall cellulose microfibrils. Characterizing a structure containing so much disorder presented unusual challenges, but disorder appears to be central to the enigmatic capacity of primary wall cellulose to provide high strength and yet to permit and control growth.     

Carbon Monoxide Alleviates Salt-Induced Oxidative Damage in Wheat Seedling Leaves

Carbon monoxide （CO）, a by-product released during the degradation of heme by heme oxygenases （EC 1.14.99.3） In animals, is regarded as an important physiological messenger or bioactive molecule involved in many biological events that has been recently reported as playing a major role in mediating the cytoprotectlon against oxidant-induced lung Injury. In the present study, we first determined the protective effect of exogenous CO against salt-induced oxidative damage in wheat seedling leaves. Wheat seedlings treated with 0.01μmol/L hematin as the CO donor demonstrated significant reversal of chlorophyll decay, dry weight, and water loss induced by 300 mmol/L NaCl stress. Interestingly, the increase in lipid peroxidation observed in salt-treated leaves was reversed by 0.01μmol/L hematin treatment. Time-couree analyses showed that application of 0.01μmol/L hematln enhanced gualacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activities in wheat seedling leaves subjected to salt stress. These effects are specific for CO because the CO scavenger hemoglobin （1.2 mg/L） blocked the actions of the CO donor hematln. However, higher concentration of the CO donor （1.0μmol/L） did not alleviate dry weight and water loss of salt-stressed wheat seedlings. These results suggest that exogenous application of low levels of a CO donor may be advantageous against salinity toxicity.     

The Epidermal Cells of Tea Leaves

The upper epidrmis of tea leaf consists of cells about 30 40 μ in diameter, with slightly sinuous cell surface and devoid of stomata or hairs. The lower epidermis consists of cells about 50–70 μ in diameter, with more sinuous walls. Stomata confined to the lower surface, surrounded by 3–4 round, subsidiary cells. The upper andlower epidermis of the wild tea of southwest China show the difference in surface texture. Luxuriant wax of the epidermis is in knob or club shape. There are two types of stomata (namely general stomata and stomata of sunken crypts (gland scale)) on the same leaf. The numbers of stomata are distributed 70–100/mm2. Hairs are short and rare, or none. Intercellular flanges between epidermis is steep and thick in wild tea. The protruded parts of the torus are in the form of “foot”. The flanges of the cuticle are rather deep.     

遮荫对紫叶李幼苗叶片色素含量及光合速率的影响

以露地栽培的1年生紫叶李和绿叶李为试材,研究了全光照(CK)、中度遮荫(透光率为43%)、重度遮荫(透光率为27%)处理下叶片色素含量及净光合速率的变化.结果表明:在夏季,各处理紫叶李幼苗叶片叶绿素含量、类胡萝卜素含量随遮荫时间的延长逐渐升高,花色素苷含量、花色素苷含量/叶绿素含量比值降低;在秋季,各处理紫叶李幼苗叶片叶绿素含量、类胡萝卜素含量先升高后降低,而花色素苷含量、花色素苷含量/叶绿素含量比值则先降低后升高.在夏秋两季,紫叶李3种色素含量均高于绿叶李,全光照下的紫叶李叶片花色素苷含量、花色素苷含量/叶绿素含量比值及净光合速率日积分值均高于遮荫处理.紫叶李具备一定的喜光性,全光照环境有利于其彩色的呈现和光合性能的发挥.     

外源一氧化氮对渗透胁迫下小麦幼苗叶片膜脂过氧化的缓解作用

采用15%的聚乙二醇-6000(PEG-6000)对扬麦158三叶一心期的幼苗根部进行轻度渗透胁迫处理,并通过添加不同浓度的一氧化氮(nitric oxide,NO)供体硝普钠(sodium nitropussidi,SNP)和相应的对照(BO-3/NO-2),研究外源NO处理对渗透胁迫下小麦幼苗叶片膜脂过氧化作用的影响.结果发现,0.1 nnol/L的SNP能降低渗透胁迫造成的小麦幼苗叶片脂氧合酶(lipoxygenase,LOX)活性的提高,降低超氧阴离子(O-2)的产生速率和质膜相对透性的增加以及丙二醛(MDA)和H2O2的累积;0.1 mmol/L的SNP还能够诱导超氧化物歧化酶(superoxide dismutase,SOD)活性,加速脯氨酸(Pro)的累积,而0.5mmo1/L的SNP和0.1mmo1/L的NO3/NO2(对照)处理的效果则不明显.上述结果表明低浓度NO对渗透胁迫造成的膜脂过氧化有明显的缓解效应.     

Carbon Monoxide： A Novel Antioxidant Against Oxidative Stress in Wheat Seedling Leaves

Carbon monoxide （CO）, an endogenous signaling molecule in animals, also provides potent cytoprotective effects including attenuation of lung lipid peroxidation induced by oxidant in the mouse. Our recent work demonstrated that 0.01 μmol/L hematin （a CO donor） treatment of wheat plants alleviated salt-induced oxidative damage in seedling leaves. In this report, we further discovered that hematin pretreatment （≤ 0.1 μmol/L） could delay wheat leaf chlorophyll loss mediated by further treatment of H202 and paraquat, two reactive oxygen species （ROS） sources, in dose-and even time-dependent manners. Also, compared with the control samples, seedling leaves pretreated with 0.01 or 0.1 μmol/L hematin for 24 h exhibited lower levels of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation, as well as higher contents of chlorophyll and activities of antioxidant enzymes. Such beneficial effects exerted by hematin were mimicked by the pretreatment of antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene （BHT）, and differentially reversed when CO scavenger hemoglobin （Hb）, or CO specific synthetic inhibitor ZnPPIX was added, respectively. Taken together, the results presented In this paper directly illustrate for the first time that CO is able to strongly protect plants from oxidative damage caused by the overproduction of ROS, and strengthens the evidence that CO is a potent antioxidant in various abiotic and biotic stresses, as similar results have been shown in animal tissues.     

天南星科叶表皮研究

利用光学显微镜对天南星科18属27种及菖蒲科1属1种植物的叶表皮微形态进行观察,同时用扫描电镜对具代表性的14种植物作了研究,结果显示：天南星科气孔类型变异较大,有不规则型,辐射型,平列型,胞环型及平列型和胞环型间的过渡类型,副卫细胞数目0－12个;表皮细胞长宽近相等,平周壁具条纹或否,垂周壁平直,弧形或波浪形,虽然气孔类型对天南星科分类上的意义不大,但与表皮细胞垂周壁形状,副卫细胞角质层纹饰等特征相结合对种间分类有一定意义,天南星科与菖蒲科叶表皮微形态明显不同,从而支持菖蒲属从天南星科中分出另立为科的观点。     

Infrared Spectra of Nitella Cell Walls and Orientation of Carboxylate Ions in the Walls

Infrared spectra of film specimens of the cell wall of Nitella were recorded in the untreated state, after acid treatment, and after treatment for removal of pectic substances and hemicellulose. Assignment of the bands in the spectrum of the wall was made. Polarization measurements on the wall indicate that in addition to cellulose, carboxylate ions, which are attributable to pectic substances, are oriented in the wall. The nature of the bonds holding the oriented carboxylate ions is described.     

Characteristics of the Deposition of Microfibrils during Formation of the Polylamellate Walls in the Coenocytic Green Alga Chamaedoris orientalis

Characteristics of the deposition of cellulose microfibrilsduring formation of polylamellate walls and the arrangementof cortical microtubules in the tip-growing bipolar cells ofChamaedoris orientalis were examined by replica preparationmethods and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. The polylamellatewall is made up of two or three kinds of wall lamella whichdiffer in terms of the orientation of microfibrils. Individuallamellae were periodically initiated one after another fromthe pole that was situated exactly at each growing apex of thecell and they were deposited basipetally. The orientation ofmicrofibrils in each lamella was constant during deposition.Microfibrils in different lamellae were deposited at the sametime through the cell wall but the timing of the depositionwas staggered between neighboring lamellae so that the microfibrilswould not be interwoven. By contrast, cortical microtubuleswere persistently arranged longitudinally all over the celland no focal points to which they converged helically were visible,even around the cell apices. The mechanisms that regulate theformation of the polylamellate wall are discussed and a modelfor interpreting the involvement of the cortical microtubulesin such mechanisms is proposed. (Received July 31, 1989; Accepted January 27, 1990)     

Epidermal Patterning in Seedling Roots of Eudicotyledons

Three types of epidermal patterning occur in roots of angiosperms:in Type 1, all the epidermal cells can potentially produce roothairs (hair cells); in Type 2, asymmetric cell divisions produceshort cells that develop into hair cells and larger cells thatdo not (non-hair cells); and in Type 3, hair cells occur infiles separated by one to three files of non-hair cells. Inthe present study we examined the epidermal patternings of seedlingroots of 77 eudicotyledonous species from 43 families. We foundthat Type 1 patterning was the most common and no species hadType 2 patterning. Previously, Type 3 epidermal patterning hadbeen described only in the family Brassicaceae. In additionto the Brassicaceae (including the Capparaceae), we found Type3 patterning in the Brassicales families Limnanthaceae and Resedaceae,whereas the other Brassicales families we examined, Caricaceaeand Tropaeolaceae, had Type 1 patterning. We also found Type3 patterning in six families of the Caryophyllales sensu lato:Amaranthaceae, Basellaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Plumbaginaceae,Polygonaceae and Portulacaceae. However, the family Cactaceae,which is also in this order, had Type 1 patterning. Only oneother species, Nemophila maculata(Boraginaceae), had Type 3patterning; the other two species that we examined in this familyhad Type 1 patterning. Type 3 patterning thus occurs more widelyin the eudicotyledons than was previously thought. Copyright2001 Annals of Botany Company Brassicales, Caryophyllales, eudicotyledons, epidermal patterning, phylogeny, root hairs, roots, seedlings     

一氧化氮参与调节盐胁迫下脱落酸诱导的小麦幼苗叶片脯氨酸的累积

不同浓度(0.01～5.00mmol/L)的外源一氧化氮(NO)供体硝普钠(SNP)以浓度依赖性的性式诱导150mmol/LNaCl胁迫下小麦(Triticum aestivum L.cv.Yangmai 158)幼苗叶片脯氨酸的累积.其中0.1 mmol/L的SNP效果最明显,而结合采用NO清除剂c-PTIO和血红蛋白的处理均分别逆转了该效应.研究结果还发现:0.1 mmol/L SNP诱导的脯氨酸累积还可能有利于盐胁迫下小麦幼苗的保水性;0.1 mmol/L的SNP显著激活了内源ABA的合成,而结合血红蛋白的处理则证实,在外源ABA诱导脯氨酸累积的过程中NO可能作用于ABA信号分子的下游,但NO和ABA信号分子在此诱导反应中不存在累积效应.进一步研究脯氨酸合成和降解的酶促反应途径,发现外源NO处理前4天内可能主要是通过提高△'-吡咯啉-5-羧酸合成酶(P5CS)的活性来促进脯氨酸的合成,以后直至第8天主要是通过抑制脯氨酸脱氢酶(ProDH)的活性来抑制脯氨酸的降解;ABA对于P5CS和ProDH活性的调节能力弱于NO.此外,Ca2 在NO诱导的盐胁迫下小麦叶片脯氨酸累积的信号分子途径中起重要的介导作用.