Effects of Overexpression of the Endogenous Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase on the Artemisinin Content in Artemisia annua L.

Artemisinin is a novel effective antimalarial drug extracted from the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. Owing to the tight market and low yield of artemisinin, there is great interest in enhancing the production of artemisinin. In the present study, farnesyi diphosphate synthase （FPS） was overexpressed in high-yield A. annua to Increase the artemisinin content. The FPS activity in transgenic A. ennue was twoto threefold greater than that In non-transgenic A. annua. The highest artemisinin content in transgenic A. annua was approximately 0.9% （dry weight）, which was 34.4% higher than that in non-transgenic A. annua. The results demonstrate the regulatory role of FPS in artemisinin biosynthesis.     

芦蒿不同浸提物化感活性的比较研究

采用水、甲醇、乙醇、丙酮和乙酸乙酯等不同溶剂对整株芦蒿进行浸提,并用生菜和紫花苜蓿作为受试植物,对不同浸提物进行了化感活性的比较研究。5种不同溶剂的芦蒿浸提物对种子的萌发率和幼苗生长均表现出化感潜势,与对照组相比,0.005 g/mL的芦蒿甲醇提取物对生菜和紫花苜蓿种子的萌发具有轻微的促进作用,当浓度达到0.04 g/mL以上时,对生菜和紫花苜蓿种子的萌发和幼苗生长均具有不同程度的抑制作用（p〈0.05）。不同浓度的提取液对植物的化感作用强度不同,对种子萌发率、根长、芽长均有不同程度的影响。根据比较,甲醇溶剂提取物的化感活性最强,其是深入研究芦蒿化感物质有效的提取剂。     

Net carbon exchange and evapotranspiration in postfire and intact sagebrush communities in the Great Basin

Invasion of non-native annuals across the Intermountain West is causing a widespread transition from perennial sagebrush communities to fire-prone annual herbaceous communities and grasslands. To determine how this invasion affects ecosystem function, carbon and water fluxes were quantified in three, paired sagebrush and adjacent postfire communities in the northern Great Basin using a 1-m³ gas exchange chamber. Most of the plant cover in the postfire communities was invasive species including Bromus tectorum L., Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn and Sisymbrium altissimum L. Instantaneous morning net carbon exchange (NCE) and evapotranspiration (ET) in native shrub plots were greater than either intershrub or postfire plots. Native sagebrush communities were net carbon sinks (mean NCE 0.2–4.3 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) throughout the growing season. The magnitude and seasonal variation of NCE in the postfire communities were controlled by the dominant species and availability of soil moisture. Net C exchange in postfire communities dominated by perennial bunchgrasses was similar to sagebrush. However, communities dominated by annuals (cheatgrass and mustard) had significantly lower NCE than sagebrush and became net sources of carbon to the atmosphere (NCE declined to −0.5 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) with increased severity of the summer drought. Differences in the patterns of ET led to lower surface soil moisture content and increased soil temperatures during summer in the cheatgrass-dominated community compared to the adjacent sagebrush community. Intensive measurements at one site revealed that temporal and spatial patterns of NCE and ET were correlated most closely with changes in leaf area in each community. By altering the patterns of carbon and water exchange, conversion of native sagebrush to postfire invasive communities may disrupt surface-atmosphere exchange and degrade the carbon storage capacity of these systems.     

Possible role of pectin-containing mucilage and dew in repairing embryo DNA of seeds adapted to desert conditions

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Repair of damage to DNA of seed embryos sustained during long periods of quiescence under dry desert conditions is important for subsequent germination. The possibility that repair of embryo DNA can be facilitated by small amounts of water derived from dew temporarily captured at night by pectinaceous surface pellicles was tested. These pellicles are secreted during early seed development and form mucilage when hydrated. METHODS: Seeds of Artemisia sphaerocephala and Artemisia ordosica were collected from a sandy desert. Their embryos were damaged by gamma radiation to induce a standard level of DNA damage. The treated seeds were then exposed to nocturnal dew deposition on the surface of soil in the Negev desert highlands. The pellicles were removed from some seeds and left intact on others to test the ability of mucilage to support repair of the damaged DNA when night-time humidity and temperature favoured dew formation. Repair was assessed from fragmentation patterns of extracted DNA on agarose gels. KEY RESULTS: For A. sphaerocephala, which has thick seed pellicles, DNA repair occurred in seeds with intact pellicles after 50 min of cumulative night dew formation, but not in seeds from which the pellicles had been removed. For A. ordosica, which has thin seed pellicles, DNA repair took at least 510 min of cumulative night dewing to achieve partial recovery of DNA integrity. The mucilage has the ability to rehydrate after daytime dehydration. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of seeds to develop a mucilaginous layer when wetted by night-time dew, and to repair their DNA under these conditions, appear to be mechanisms that help maintain seed viability under harsh desert conditions.     

一种改进的沙蒿总RNA的提取方法

介绍了一种适用于沙蒿总RNA提取的方法。此方法有效地克服了沙蒿中富含的多糖类物质———沙蒿胶对总RNA提取的干扰。运用此方法所提取的RNA纯度高 ,完整性较好 ,可满足多数分子生物学实验的需要。     

白沙蒿粘液瘦果萌发中聚糖内切水解酶的活动特性

对白沙蒿( Artemisia sphaerocephaha Krasch.)种子萌发不同阶段的种胚提取物中几种可能降解果皮外层粘液物质的多糖内切酶进行了检测.研究结果表明:多聚半乳糖醛酸酶在干燥胚中已存在并具较高的活性,但其活性随着种子吸涨及萌发而降低.此酶并不释放到种胚外.β-甘露聚糖内切酶随着种子的吸涨而增加并被萌发的种胚释放到种子外.纤维素酶在种子萌发的过程中不表现出活性.提取物中的所有多糖内切酶都无法降解果皮外层的粘液物质.     

东北蒿属艾组12种植物核型研究

报道东北蒿属艾组12种植物的染色体数及核型资料,结果如下：宽叶山蒿（Artemisia stolonifera (Maixm.)Komar.)2n=4x=36=28m 4sm(4SAT) 4st(4SAT);野艾蒿（A.lavandulaefolia DC)2n=2x=50=40m 4sm 6st(6SAT); 矮蒿（A.lancea Van.)2n=2x=16=10m 4sm 2st;蒙古蒿（A.mongolica (fisch.ex Bess.)Nakai]2n=2x=16=14m 2st;红足蒿（A.rubripes Nakai)2n=2x=16=14m 2st;歧茎蒿（A.igniaria Maixm.)2n=2x=34=28m 2sm 4st(4SAT);柳叶蒿（A.integrifolia Linn.)2n=4x=36=20m 12sm 4st;线叶蒿（A.subula 4st(4SAT);柳叶蒿（A.integrifolia Linn.)2n＝4x=36=20m 12sm 4st;线叶蒿（A.subulata Nakai)2n=2x=16=14m 2st;高岭蒿（A.brachyphylla Kitam.)2n=2x=18=14m 2sm 2st;林文稿[A.uiridissima(Komar.)Pamp.]2n=2x=18=14m 4sm;奄癌（A.keiskeana Miq.)2n=2x=18=16m 2sm;阴地蒿（A.sylvatica Maxim.)2n=2x=16=14m 2sm,核型对称性野艾蒿（A.lavandulaefolia)为2B型,其余均为2A型,依据核型资料对个别种的演化 分类进行了初步探讨。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Artemisia lerchiana</Emphasis> as a producer of essential oil

Abstrac  The composition of essential oil of Artemisia lerchiana Web. plants growing in Volgograd oblast was studied. Sampling was performed from plots contrasting in climatic and soil characteristics. Essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. The content of essential oil in shoot biomass increased gradually during shoot formation, flower bud formation, and flowering beginning and then decreased. The highest content of essential oil varied from 1.1 to 1.5% of plant dry weight at the stage of flower bud formation. More than thirty compounds were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The following major components were found: camphor, borneol, bornylacetate, camphene, and 1,8-cineole. Some of compounds (sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids) were identified for the first time. The time-course of accumulation of essential oil components strongly depended on habitat edaphic factors and climatic conditions during the year of sampling. The results permit a conclusion that A. lerchiana is a valuable producer of essential oils. Original Russian Text ? E.B. Kirichenko, Yu.V. Orlova, D.V. Kurilov, 2008, published in Fiziologiya Rastenii, 2008, Vol. 55, No. 6, pp. 934–941.