Regulation of nitrate reductase in detached oat leaves by light and oxygen

Regulation of nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.6.6.1) by oxygen concentration and light was studied in segments of oat ( Avena sativa L. cv. Suregrain) leaves, using the in vivo nitrate reductase assay. The activity of NR decreased after excision in either light or darkness; the addition of cycloheximide prevented this decrease. Treatments that increased tissue permeability (anoxia, Triton X-100) also increased NR activity. There was in general less NR activity in the light than in the dark and also less under aerobic (21–100% O₂) than under anaerobic (0.3% O₂) conditions. Treatments with antioxidants improved the activity in the light, but only at high O₂ levels (21–100% O₂).
The results suggest that NR may be regulated by inhibitory proteins synthesized in either light or darkness, by permeability changes and by light-induced oxidations that occur when O₂ is present. Oxygen may control the activity by stimulating the synthesis of inhibitory proteins in the light and in the dark and by promoting oxidation of SH-groups in the light.     

A rice dihydrosphingosine C4 hydroxylase (DSH1) gene, which is abundantly expressed in the stigmas, vascular cells and apical meristem, may be involved in fertility

Dihydrosphingosine C4 hydroxylase is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of phytosphingosine, a major constituent of sphingolipids in plants and yeasts. The rice genome contains five homologue genes for dihydrosphingosine C4 hydroxylase, DSH1-DSH5, whose gene products show high degrees of homology to the yeast counterpart, SUR2. Among them, expression of DSH1, DSH2 and DSH4 was detected, and DSH1 and DSH4 complement the yeast sur2 mutation. The DSH1 gene was specifically and abundantly expressed in vascular bundles and apical meristems. In particular, very strong expression was detected in the stigmas of flowers. Repression of DSH1 expression by the antisense gene or RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in a severe reduction of fertility. In the transformants in which DSH1 expression was suppressed, significantly increased expression of DSH2 was found in leaves but not in pistils, suggesting that there was tissue-specific correlation between DSH1 and DSH2 expression. Our results indicate that the product of DSH1 may be involved in plant viability or reproductive processes, and that the phenotype of sterility is apparently caused by loss of function of DSH1 in the stigma. It is also suggested that there is a complex mechanism controlling the tissue-specific expression of the DSH1 gene.     

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria on root biofilms and their possible contribution to N use efficiency of different rice cultivars

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) populations were studied on the root surface of different rice cultivars by PCR coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). PCR-DGGE of the ammonium monooxygenase gene (amoA) showed a generally greater diversity on root samples compared to rhizosphere and unplanted soil. Sequences affiliated with Nitrosomonas spp. tended to be associated with modern rice hybrid lines. Root-associated AOB observed by FISH were found within a discrete biofilm coating the root surface. Although the total abundance of AOB on root biofilms of different rice cultivars did not differ significantly, there were marked contrasts in their population structure, indicating selection of Nitrosomonas spp. on roots of a hybrid cultivar. Observations by FISH on the total bacterial community also suggested that different rice cultivars support different bacterial populations even under identical environmental conditions. The presence of active AOB in the root environment predicts that a significant proportion of the N taken up by certain rice cultivars is in the form of NO₃ ^–-N produced by the AOB. Measurement of plant growth of hydroponically grown plants showed a stronger response of hybrid cultivars to the co-provision of NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^–. In soil-grown plants, N use efficiency in the hybrid was improved during ammonium fertilization compared to nitrate fertilization. Since ammonium-fertilized plants actually receive a mixture of NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^– with ratios depending on root-associated nitrification activity, these results support the advantage of co-provision of ammonium and nitrate for the hybrid cultivar.     

四种提取芸芥基因组DNA方法的比较

以芸芥为材料 ,分别用CTAB法、SDS法、尿素法、NaOH法四种方法对芸芥基因组DNA进行了提取 ;并用紫外光分光光度计法、琼脂糖电泳法和RAPD分析法对所提取的DNA进行检测 ,将它们在DNA的产量、质量和耗时、耗费等方面的优缺点进行比较 ,以便在实际工作中根据不同的试验条件选取最合适的提取方法。通过四种方法的比较 ,研究认为尿素法是芸芥基因组DNA的最佳提取方法。     

腔孢纲一新属--类腊肠茎点霉属

近年甘肃省河西走廊一带胡萝卜上发生一种叶斑病,严重时造成减产20%~30%.其病原物为丝分孢子真菌(半知菌)腔孢纲Coelomycetes中一未描述的真菌.该菌具有分生孢子器,但其形态与相似属茎点霉属Phoma、鞘茎点霉属Coleophoma和拟腊肠茎点霉属Allantophomopsis不同,遂建立类腊肠茎点霉属Allantophomoides(新属);其模式种为胡萝卜类腊肠茎点霉Allantophomoides carotae(新种).研究的标本保存在山东农业大学植物病理学标本室(HSAUP).     

大叶紫花苜蓿愈伤组织原生质体再生植株

大叶紫花苜蓿下胚轴诱导的愈伤组织在继代培养基上生长快速,易于分散。继代第１２ｄ的愈伤组织原生质体的得率为６．５×１０７／ｇ鲜重。原生质体培养基为ＳＨ基本培养基,含有１．０ｍｇ／Ｌ２,４－０、０．５ｍｇ／ＬＢＡ、２．０ｇ／ＬＣＨ、２％蔗糖、６％葡萄糖、５ｍｍｏｌ／ＬＭＥＳ,培养密度为１．０×１０５／ｍＬ。培养至第１２ｄ时的原生质体再生细胞植板率为３．７％。由原生质体形成的小愈伤组织在含２．０ｍｇ／Ｌ２,４－Ｄ的ＭＳ固体培养基上大量增殖。增殖的愈伤组织转移至２．０ｍｇ／Ｌ２－ｉｐ＋０．１ｍｇ／ＬＮＡＡ的Ｂ５培养基上,形成体细胞胚并发育成完整植株。     

Induction of Betalain Pigmentation in Hairy Roots of Red Beet under Different Radiation Sources

The effects of aluminum on lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidative enzymes were investigated in detached rice leaves treated with 0 to 5 mM AlCl₃ at pH 4.0 in the light. AlCl₃ enhanced the content of malondialdehyde but not the content of H₂O₂. Superoxide dismutase activity was reduced by AlCl₃, while catalase and glutathione reductase activities were increased. Peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase activities were increased only after prolonged treatment, when toxicity occurred. The results give evidence that Al treatment caused oxidative stress and in turn, it caused lipid peroxidation.     

Roles of OsCKI1, a rice casein kinase I, in root development and plant hormone sensitivity

Casein kinases are critical in cell division and differentiation across species. A rice cDNA fragment encoding a putative casein kinase I (CKI) was identified via cDNA macroarray under brassinosteroid (BR) treatment, and a 1939-bp full-length cDNA, OsCKI1, was isolated and found to encode a putative 463-aa protein. RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis indicated that OsCKI1 was constitutively expressed in various rice tissues and upregulated by treatments with BR and abscisic acid (ABA). Enzymatic assay of recombinant OsCKI1 proteins expressed in Escherichia coli showed that the protein was capable of phosphorylating casein. The physiological roles of OsCKI1 were studied through antisense transgenic approaches, and homozygous transgenic plants showed abnormal root development, including fewer lateral and adventitious roots, and shortened primary roots as a result of reduced cell elongation. Treatment of wild-type plants with CKI-7, a specific inhibitor of CKI, also confirmed these functions of OsCKI1. Interestingly, in transgenic and CKI-7-treated plants, exogenously supplied IAA could restore normal root development, and measurement of free IAA content in CKI-deficient primary and adventitious roots revealed altered auxin content, indicating that OsCKI1 is involved in auxin metabolism or that it may affect auxin levels. Transgenic plants were less sensitive than control plants to ABA or BR treatment during germination, suggesting that OsCKI1 may be involved in various hormone-signaling pathways. OsCKI1-GFP fusion studies revealed the localization of OsCKI1 to the nucleus, suggesting a possible involvement in regulation of gene expression. In OsCKI1-deficient plants, differential gene expression was investigated using cDNA chip technology, and results indicated that genes related to signal transduction and hormone metabolism were indeed with altered expression.