Plasmid content of salt stress-tolerant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizobium</Emphasis> strains from Egyptian soils nodulating common bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaseolus vulgaris</Emphasis> L.)

Plasmid profile analysis is useful to characterize Rhizobium strains within the same species. Among the 16 Rhizobium strains examined, 14 had distinct plasmid profiles. The size of plasmids ranged from 40 to 650 kb, and three plasmids of 650, 510 and 390 kb were common to several strains. Plasmid analysis revealed that Rhizobium etli contained a mega-plasmid, similar in size to Rhizobium tropici. All the salt-tolerant strains examined had a plasmid of 250 kb, except for strain EBRI 29. This suggests that this plasmid may play an important adaptive role under salt stress conditions.     

Overexpression of the Escherichia coli catalase gene, katE, enhances tolerance to salinity stress in the transgenic indica rice cultivar, BR5

Salinity stress is a major limiting factor in cereal productivity. Many studies report improvements in salt tolerance using model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana or standard varieties of rice, e.g., the japonica rice cultivar Nipponbare. However, there are few reports on the enhancement of salt tolerance in local rice cultivars. In this work, we used the indica rice (Oryza sativa) cultivar BR5, which is a local cultivar in Bangladesh. To improve salt tolerance in BR5, we introduced the Escherichia coli catalase gene, katE. We integrated the katE gene into BR5 plants using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated method. The introduced katE gene was actively expressed in the transgenic BR5 rice plants, and catalase activity in T₁ and T₂ transgenic rice was approximately 150% higher than in nontransgenic plants. Under NaCl stress conditions, the transgenic rice plants exhibited high tolerance compared with nontransgenic rice plants. T₂ transgenic plants survived in a 200 mM NaCl solution for 2 weeks, whereas nontransgenic plants were scorched after 4 days soaking in the same NaCl solution. Our results indicate that the katE gene can confer salt tolerance to BR5 rice plants. Enhancement of salt tolerance in a local rice cultivar, such as BR5, will provide a powerful and useful tool for overcoming food shortage problems.     

小麦品种资源耐盐性鉴定

按照农业部行业标准NY/PZT001-2002,对882份小麦品种资源进行耐盐性初步鉴定,筛选出芽期耐盐性为一级的品种328份,苗期和芽期都达到中度耐盐的品种43份。这些品种中很多既具有中度或中度以上耐盐性且具有高产优质等优异特性,如小偃22、新曙光1号等,为小麦耐盐育种提供重要信息。相关分析表明,不同耐盐级别的小麦品种其芽期和苗期耐盐性并没有一致的相关关系,二者并没有可比性,在耐盐种质筛选过程中,都有其本身的意义。     

Monitoring with lichens – Conductivity methods assess salt and heavy metal damage more efficiently than chlorophyll fluorescence

In the lab, we exposed three foliose lichen species, Lobaria pulmonaria, Parmelia sulcata and Xanthoria aureola, to 0, 0.01, 0.2, and 0.6 M NaCl in combinations with copper and zinc (0, 10, 100, 500 μM). High salt concentrations adversely affected the lichen membrane integrity as measured by conductivity methods, whereas the potential photosystem II efficiency (Fv/Fm) was tolerant. High light was necessary to reduce Fv/Fm in thalli exposed to salt, whereas high light did not aggravate the conductivity. The seashore species X. aureola was much more resistant to salt than the old forest species L. pulmonaria. With respect to Cu and Zn, used concentrations had no (P. sulcata, X. aureola) or small (L. pulmonaria) effects on Fv/Fm. However, both heavy metals substantially increased conductivity in all species, consistent with membrane damage. Thus, the conductivity method detected high salt, high copper and high zinc stress much more efficiently than did the chlorophyll fluorescence method. This suggests that membrane integrity of the mycobiont is more sensitive to salt and heavy metal stress than potential photosystem II efficiency of its autotrophic partners.     

Functional genomics and sexual differentiation in amphibians

To succeed on land rather than in water, crabs require a suite of physiological and morphological changes, and ultimately the ability to reproduce without access open water. Some species have modified gills to assist in gas exchange but accessory gas exchange organs, usually lungs, occur in many species. In accomplished air-breathers the lung becomes larger and more vascularised with pulmonary vessels directing oxygenated haemolymph to the heart. The relative abundance of O₂ in air promotes relative hypoventilation and thus an internal hypercapnia to drive CO₂ excretion. Land crabs have a dual circulation via either lungs or gills and shunting between the two may depend on respiratory media or exercise state. During their breeding migration on Christmas Island Gecarcoidea natalis maintained arterial Po₂ by branchial O₂ uptake, while pulmonary O₂ pressure was reduced; partly because exercise doubled relative haemolymph flow through the gills. Related species rely on elevated haemocyanin concentration and affinity for O₂ to assist uptake but this compromises unloading at the tissues and thus the aerobic scope of tissues. Aquatic crabs exchange salt and ammonia with water via the gills but in land crabs this is not possible. Birgus latro has adopted uricotelism but other species excrete ammonia in either the urine or as gas. Land crabs minimise urinary salt loss using a filtration-reabsorption system analogous to the kidney. Urine is redirected across the gills where salt reabsorption occurs in systems under hormonal control, although in G. natalis this is stimulatory and in B. latro inhibitory. While crabs occupy a range of habitats from aquatic to terrestrial, these species do not comprise a physiological continuum but across the crab taxa individual species possess appropriate and specific physiological features to survive in their individual habitat.     

Morphological and physiological responses to increased salinity in marsh and dune ecotypes ofSporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth

Summary Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth is a halophytic grass native to tropical and warm temperate coasts throughout the world. A rhizomatous perennial with erect culms,S. virginicus occurs as two genetically distinct growth forms, which are designated by their characteristic habitats as marsh and dune. What accounts for the specific distribution and maintenance of two separate ecotypes ofS. virginicus is not known. The present study examined the effects of seawater salinity on several morphological and physiological responses of hydroponically cultivated marsh and dune plants to determine whether differential tolerance to substrate salinity might contribute to the observed pattern of habitation. Both marsh and dune form plants survived prolonged exposure to full-strength seawater and reproduced vegetatively via culms and rhizomes. Salinity-induced reductions in culm height, internode length, and leaf size led to a miniaturization of marsh and dune plants. Sodium ion levels were low (<1.0 mmol/g dry weight) in various organs of salinized plants irrespective of ecotype, and potassium ion content increased in all salt-challenged plants, as did quarternary ammonium compounds and proline. Significant differences, however, between marsh and dune plants with respect to the effects of salinity on resource allocation, flowering phenology, and protein composition suggested that external salt concentration has a role in determining ecotype distribution.     

鲁北滨海盐生草甸獐茅群落生长季动态

作者在1982—1984年度对鲁北滨海盐土区的山东省沾化草场改良实验站的獐茅(Aeluropus littoralis var.sinensis)群落生长季内的群落动态及其与环境因子的关系进行了研究(其中1982—1983年配合草场站工作进行月份观测),认为温度的变化与群落生长季内的节律性有明显的相关性。根据生物量的变化,把一个完整的生长季划分为上升期和下降期两个时期,并讨论了这两个时期中生物量、半月平均气温和时间的关系以及生物量和半月平均气温的关系。     

The expression of the salt-responsive gene salT from rice is regulated by hormonal and developmental cues

The expression pattern of the salT gene was analyzed in different cell types and organs of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in response to saline and hormonal treatments to obtain detailed information on the physiological cues controlling gene expression. Gel blot analysis of RNA and in-situ hybridization performed on seedlings grown for 10 ds in the presence of 1% NaCl revealed that salT was expressed mainly in the younger tissues of the plant. In contrast, 6-week-old plants exhibited maximal salT mRNA accumulation in sheaths of older leaves. In addition, salT was normally expressed in rapidly dividing suspension-cultured cells, but not in quiescent ones. Altogether, these results may indicate that salT expression in each region of the plant is dependent on the metabolic activity of the cells as well as on whether or not they are stressed. The effects of two growth regulators, abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid, were investigated in combination with the effects of NaCl. Gibberellic acid had a synergistic effect on the induction of the salT gene when combined with 0.5% NaCl, but did not induce salT on its own. At 10 μM, ABA induced salT both in the absence of NaCl and in its presence. Whereas 1 μM ABA acted additively with NaCl to induce gene expression, 5 μM ABA with NaCl was only as effective as NaCl alone. This may indicate that the two stimuli act independently and possibly through antagonistic signal transduction pathways. Received: 26 March 1998 / Accepted: 11 July 1998     

集球藻对盐胁迫的生理适应及细胞结构变化

盐胁迫是影响荒漠区土壤藻类生存的重要环境因子。集球藻是一种广泛分布于生物土壤结皮中的球状绿藻, 能够积累红色素(如虾青素)和油滴, 显示出其独特的生理特性和潜在的应用价值。目前对集球藻的生理、细胞结构以及色素积累的研究非常匮乏。以从荒漠生物结皮中分离的一种集球藻为材料, 在实验室条件下研究盐胁迫对集球藻生物量、光合活性、膜脂过氧化产物丙二醛含量、细胞可溶性蛋白质含量和可溶性糖含量以及细胞结构的影响。研究结果表明, 与对照处理相比, 盐胁迫导致集球藻生物量和光合活性的显著降低, 细胞可溶性蛋白和可溶性糖呈现一定的积累。同时盐处理导致集球藻膜脂丙二醛含量大量增加, SOD和CAT 活性升高。研究还表明, 对照处理下细胞结构完整, 细胞器形态清晰, 生长后期有大量脂肪体积累。在盐处理下藻体细胞形态结构出现阶段性破坏特征和脂肪体以及淀粉粒的积累, 此外细胞器结构模糊和消失, 细胞出现质壁分离和空泡化等。研究为更好地揭示集球藻在盐胁迫环境中的生理适应特性、微结构特征以及色素积累机制具有重要的科学意义, 并为该藻的基础和应用研究提供实验资料。