Effects of growth-promoting rhizobacteria on maize growth and rhizosphere microbial community under conservation tillage in Northeast China

Conservation tillage in conjunction with straw mulching is a sustainable agricultural approach. However, straw mulching reduces the soil temperature, inhibits early maize growth and reduces grain yield in cold regions. To address this problem, we investigated the effects of inoculation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on maize growth and rhizosphere microbial communities under conservation tillage in Northeast China. The PGPR strains Sinorhizobium sp. A15, Bacillus sp. A28, Sphingomonas sp. A55 and Enterobacter sp. P24 were isolated from the maize rhizosphere in the same area and inoculated separately. Inoculation of these strains significantly enhanced maize growth, and the strains A15, A28 and A55 significantly increased grain yield by as much as 22%–29%. Real-time quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing showed that separate inoculation with the four strains increased the abundance and species richness of bacteria in the maize rhizosphere. Notably, the relative abundance of Acidobacteria_Subgroup_6, Chloroflexi_KD4-96, and Verrucomicrobiae at the class level and Mucilaginibacter at the genus level were positively correlated with maize biomass and yield. Inoculation with PGPR shows potential for improvement of maize production under conservation tillage in cold regions by regulating the rhizosphere bacterial community structure and by direct stimulation of plant growth.     

Actinidia arguta Pulp: Phytochemical Composition,Radical Scavenging Activity,and in Vitro Cells Effects

Hardy kiwifruit (Actinidia arguta) is a highly appreciated exotic fruit endowed with outstanding bioactive compounds. The present work proposes to characterize the pulp from A. arguta organic fruits, emphasizing its radicals scavenging capacity and effects on intestinal cells (Caco-2 and HT29-MTX). The physicochemical properties and phenolic profile were also screened. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively) of pulp were 12.21 mg GAE/g on dry weight (DW) and 5.92 mg CE/g DW, respectively. A high antioxidant activity was observed (FRAP: 151.41 μmol FSE/g DW; DPPH: 12.17 mg TE/g DW). Furthermore, the pulp did not induce a toxic effect on Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells viability up to 1000 μg/mL. Regarding in vitro scavenging capacity, the pulp revealed the highest scavenging power against NO^. (IC₅₀=3.45 μg/mL) and HOCl (IC₅₀=12.77 μg/mL). These results emphasize the richness of A. arguta fruit pulp to be used in different food products.     

Effect of Non-Volatile Constituents of Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hyl. from Southern Vietnam on Reactive Oxygen Species and Nitric Oxide Release in Macrophages

The extract of Elsholtzia ciliata aerial parts was subjected to bio-guided isolation using the intercellular ROS reduction in J774A.1 macrophages to monitor the anti-oxidative activity. Fifteen compounds were isolated from the active fractions including eleven flavonoids (vitexin, pedalin, luteolin-7-O-β-d -glucopyranoside, apigenin-5-O-β-d -glucopyranoside, apigenin-7-O-β-d -glucopyranoside, chrysoeriol-7-O-β-d -glucopyranoside, 7,3′-dimethoxyluteolin-6-O-β-d -glucopyranoside, luteolin, 5,6,4′-trihydroxy-7,3′-dimethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone (compound 13 ), 5-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone); three hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (caffeic acid, 4-(E)-caffeoyl-l -threonic acid, 4-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl-l -threonic acid) and one fatty acid (α-linolenic acid). The biological evaluation of these compounds (10–2.5 μm ) indicated that all of them exerted good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, in particular compound 13 .     

喜旱莲子草在青藏高原对模拟增温的可塑性: 引入地和原产地种群的比较

气候变暖背景下植物可通过关键性状的表型可塑性来适应环境温度的增加。表型可塑性增强进化假说预测定植到新环境中的入侵植物种群具有演化出更强表型可塑性的潜力。此前对可塑性进化的研究涵盖了外来植物性状对水分条件、光照变化、土壤养分、邻体根系以及天敌防御等的响应, 而较少有研究关注增温条件下植物重要性状的可塑性进化。已有的部分研究多集中在温带和热带地区, 而较少关注入侵植物在高寒地区对增温的响应; 且研究多集中在植物生长相关性状, 较少关注功能性状和防御性状。本研究采用同质园实验比较了喜旱莲子草6个引入地(中国)种群和6个原产地(阿根廷)种群, 在西藏拉萨模拟全天增温2℃处理下的适合度性状、功能性状和防御性状的响应差异。结果表明: (1)高寒地区模拟全天增温显著提高了喜旱莲子草总生物量(+36.4%)、地上生物量(+34.5%)、贮藏根生物量(+51.4%)和毛根生物量(+33.6%), 降低了分枝强度(-19.8%)和比茎长(-30.2%); (2)模拟全天增温使引入地种群的比叶面积和黄酮含量增加, 而原产地种群则相反。这些结果表明高寒地区全天增温2℃对喜旱莲子草可能是一种有利条件。引入地种群的适合度性状对模拟全天增温2℃的响应比原产地种群更强, 而其光能利用相关性状和防御性状的响应可能提升了其在高寒地区的适合度。因此, 在未来全球气候变暖的背景下, 高寒地区温度升高可能更有利于喜旱莲子草引入地种群的定植和扩散。     

Arabidopsis CURVATURE THYLAKOID1 Proteins Modify Thylakoid Architecture by Inducing Membrane Curvature

Chloroplasts of land plants characteristically contain grana, cylindrical stacks of thylakoid membranes. A granum consists of a core of appressed membranes, two stroma-exposed end membranes, and margins, which connect pairs of grana membranes at their lumenal sides. Multiple forces contribute to grana stacking, but it is not known how the extreme curvature at margins is generated and maintained. We report the identification of the CURVATURE THYLAKOID1 (CURT1) protein family, conserved in plants and cyanobacteria. The four Arabidopsis thaliana CURT1 proteins (CURT1A, B, C, and D) oligomerize and are highly enriched at grana margins. Grana architecture is correlated with the CURT1 protein level, ranging from flat lobe-like thylakoids with considerably fewer grana margins in plants without CURT1 proteins to an increased number of membrane layers (and margins) in grana at the expense of grana diameter in overexpressors of CURT1A. The endogenous CURT1 protein in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp PCC6803 can be partially replaced by its Arabidopsis counterpart, indicating that the function of CURT1 proteins is evolutionary conserved. In vitro, Arabidopsis CURT1A proteins oligomerize and induce tubulation of liposomes, implying that CURT1 proteins suffice to induce membrane curvature. We therefore propose that CURT1 proteins modify thylakoid architecture by inducing membrane curvature at grana margins.