Light-grown plants of transgenic tobacco expressing an introduced oat phytochrome A gene under the control of a constitutive viral promoter exhibit persistent growth inhibition by far-red light

A comparison of the photoregulation of development has been made for etiolated and light-grown plants of wild-type (WT) tobacco (Nicotiana tabacun L.) and an isogenic transgenic line which expresses an introduced oat phytochrome gene (phyA) under the control of a constitutive viral promoter. Etiolated seedlings of both the WT and transgenic line showed irradiance-dependent inhibition of hypocotyl growth under continuous far-red (FR) light; transgenic seedlings showed a greater level of inhibition under a given fluence rate and this is considered to be the result of the heterologous phytochrome protein (PhyA) functioning in a compatible manner with the native etiolated phytochrome. Deetiolation of WT seedlings resulted in a loss of responsiveness to prolonged FR. Light-grown transgenic seedlings, however, continued to respond in an irradiance-dependent manner to prolonged FR and it is proposed that this is a specific function of the constitutive PhyA. Mature green plants of the WT and transgenic lines showed a qualitatively similar growth promotion to a brief end-of-day FR-treatment but this response was abolished in the transgenic plants under prolonged irradiation by this same FR source. Growth inhibition (McCormac et al. 1991, Planta 185, 162–170) and enhanced levels of nitrate-reductase activity under irradiance of low red:far-red ratio, as achieved by the FR-supplementation of white light, emphasised that the introduced PhyA was eliciting an aberrant mode of photoresponse compared with the normal phytochrome population of light-grown plants. Total levels of the oat-encoded phytochrome in the etiolated transgenic tobacco were shown to be influenced by the wavelength of continuous irradiation in a manner which was qualitatively similar to that seen for the native, etiolated tobacco phytochrome, and distinct from that seen in etiolated oat tissues. These results are discussed in terms of the proposal that the constitutive oat-PhyA pool in the transgenic plants leads to a persistence of a mode of response normally restricted to the situation in etiolated plants.Abbreviations FR far-red light - R red light - WL white light - WL + FR white light supplemented with FR - HIR high-irradiance response - PAR photosynthetically active radiation - Pr, Pfr R- and FR-absorbing forms of phytochrome - Ptot total phytochrome - phyA (PhyA) gene (encoded protein) for phytochrome - WT wild type This work was supported by an Agricultural and Food Research Council research grant to H.S. and A.M.; J.R. Cherry and R.D. Vierstra, (Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) are thanked for the provision of the transgenic tobacco line.     

The photoperceptive sites and the function of tissue light-piping in photomorphogenesis of etiolated oat seedlings*

Abstract. Responses to red light irradiation of discrete areas along the intact, etiolated oat seedling indicate that illumination of the region around the coleoptilar node results in maximal coleoptile growth stimulation and mesocotyl growth suppression. Quantitation of the fibre optic properties of these etiolated tissues shows that the amount of axially transmitted light is log linear as a function of distance for both the mesocotyl and coleoptile (plus primary leaf). Using the fibre optic properties of the tissues to predict the response of the etiolated seedling to defined illumination fields allows one to localize two sites of photoperception: although the mesocotyl response pattern can be explained by the action of a single site found near the top of the mesocotyl itself, the coleoptile response depends on irradiation of both the mesocotyl site and an additional site located just above the node. The very low- and the low-fluence responses of etiolated oats independently predict similar regions of the seedling as sites of photo-perception. The fibre optic properties of the seedling could allow the seedling to increase the effective light signal received by the photosensitive area significantly.     

3种燕麦的核型研究

３种燕麦的核型研究余懋群,马欣荣,张庆勤（中国科学院成都生物研究所成都６１００４１）（贵州农学院麦作研究中心贵阳５５００２５）关键词砂燕麦,野生大燕麦,黑龙江野燕麦,核型ＫＡＲＹＯＴＹＰＥＳＴＵＤＹＯＦＴＨＲＥＥＯＡＴＳＩＮＣＨＩＮＡ￥ＹｕＭａｏｑｕ...     

Regulation of Avena Fatua Seed Germination by Smoke Solutions, Gibberellin A3 and Ethylene

Dormant, intact Avena fatua L. (wild oat) seeds germinate poorly at 20 °C. Removing the hulls slightly increased germination. Treatment with smoke solutions increased the germination of both intact seeds and caryopses. Exogenous GA₃, alone or in the presence of smoke solution, increased the germination of caryopses, while ACC shows a tendency to increase germination of caryopses only when applied in combination with smoke solution. Results suggest that GA₃ and ethylene, but not smoke solutions, are involved in the regulation of α-amylase activity during germination. However, the participation of smoke solutions in the control of ACC oxidase activity cannot be excluded.     

Senescence in oat leaf segments under hypobaric conditions

The physiological effects of storing plants under hypobaric conditions were studied using oat ( Avena sativa L. cv. Victory) leaf segments as a test system. The segments from seven day old plants were floated on water and stored in darkness at 12°C, 1.6 kPa or at 25°C, 6 kPa. Low temperature or hypobaric conditions delayed senescence, whereas the combination arrested the syndrome at an early stage. One of the effects of low pressure was to force the stomata open. The hormones abscisic acid and kinetin, which affect the stomatal aperture and also senescence, did not show any effect in hypobarically stored plant material. The stomata were forced open in darkness when the pressure was lower than 77 kPa and opening time was 8 h. The senescence syndrome in hypobarically stored segments developed similar to those treated with kinetin at 101 kPa.     

The effect of inoculating endophytic N2-fixing bacteria on micropropagated sugarcane plants

We investigated the effects of an autumn sowing of contrasting cover crops (oats, rye and a combination of oats and rye) on soil aggregate stability, mycorrhizal colonization, phosphorus uptake and yield of sweet corn planted the following summer. Rye is a common cover crop in the middle Atlantic region of the United States of America. It grows slowly in the autumn, survives the winter, grows rapidly in the spring and flowers in the summer. Thus, herbicide is commonly used to kill rye prior to planting spring crops. Oats, in contrast, grows rapidly in the autumn but is killed by frost during the winter. Thus, with oats, potentially less herbicide is needed to prepare the field for spring planting. When compared to fallow, oats was as effective as rye in increasing mycorrhizal colonization of sweet corn, density of mycorrhizal hyphae, and soil aggregate stability. An oats cover crop may thus be a viable alternative to rye. The combination of cover crops (rye and oats), however, was significantly better than single species of cover crops in terms of sweet corn mycorrhizal colonization, P uptake and yield of sweet corn.     

Substrate stabilization of lysophosphatidylcholine-solubilized plasma membrane H+-ATPase from oat roots

Plasma membrane vesicles with H⁺-ATPase activity were purified from 8-day-old oat ( Avena sativa L. cv. Brighton) roots using an aqueous polymer two-phase system. Of several detergents tested, only lysophosphatidylcholine solubilized the H⁺-ATPase in an active form. Solubilization of the H⁺-ATPase with lysophosphatidylcholine was possible in the absence of glycerol, but the ATPase activity decreased about 4–5 times as rapidly in the absence as in the presence of 30% (w/v) glycerol. The solubilized enzyme was further stabilized by ATP and protons. Addition of 1 m M ATP to the plasma membranes halted inactivation of the H⁺-ATPase. Even in the absence of polyol compounds and ATP, the enzyme was stable for hours at relatively low pH with an optimum around pH 6.7 at room temperature. The curve for the stability of soluble H⁺-ATPase as a function of pH closely resembles the pH curve for the activity of the H⁺-ATPase. This suggests that binding of protons to transport sites may stabilize the soluble H⁺-ATPase in an enzymatically active form.     

Plant invasion alters nitrogen cycling by modifying the soil nitrifying community

Plant invasions have dramatic aboveground effects on plant community composition, but their belowground effects remain largely uncharacterized. Soil microorganisms directly interact with plants and mediate many nutrient transformations in soil. We hypothesized that belowground changes to the soil microbial community provide a mechanistic link between exotic plant invasion and changes to ecosystem nutrient cycling. To examine this possible link, monocultures and mixtures of exotic and native species were maintained for 4 years in a California grassland. Gross rates of nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification were quantified with ¹⁵N pool dilution and soil microbial communities were characterized with DNA‐based methods. Exotic grasses doubled gross nitrification rates, in part by increasing the abundance and changing the composition of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria in soil. These changes may translate into altered ecosystem N budgets after invasion. Altered soil microbial communities and their resulting effects on ecosystem processes may be an invisible legacy of exotic plant invasions.     

九州虫草-半枝莲发酵产物不同极性部位与其抗A549细胞增殖活性的相关性分析

建立九州虫草-半枝莲双向固体发酵产物不同极性部位的HPLC特征图谱,并考察与其抑制肺腺癌A549细胞增殖活性的相关性。采用双向固体发酵技术制备九州虫草-半枝莲发酵产物;溶剂萃取法获得发酵产物的不同极性部位,并运用HPLC法建立不同极性部位的特征图谱;MTT法考察不同极性部位对A549细胞的增殖抑制作用;偏最小二乘回归法分析不同极性部位HPLC色谱峰与其抗增殖作用的相关性。抗增殖试验结果表明,不同极性部位对A549细胞均具有增殖抑制作用并且呈浓度依赖性;标示的9个共有色谱峰与抗增殖活性均呈正相关,其中色谱峰8、4、1、2、9分别为木犀草素、黄芩苷、对香豆酸、野黄芩苷、黄芩素。本研究建立了不同极性部位的HPLC特征图谱,极性部位中以二氯甲烷部位对A549细胞的体外抗增殖作用最佳,并借助谱效相关初步探究了发酵产物抗A549细胞增殖的药效物质基础,为双向固体发酵技术应用于菌种与传统中药提供了参考。     

刈割时间、刈割强度与施肥处理对燕麦补偿的影响

刈割强度、刈割时间和施肥状况对燕麦的补偿有明显影响作用。在不施肥条件下,分蘖期轻度刈割有利于植物的补偿作用,拔节期重度刈割以及重复刈割影响植物生长。施肥可以提高受适度刈割损害植物的补偿程度。无论施肥与否,燕麦都没有发生明显的超补偿现象。但在施肥条件下,留茬高度8cm的刈割处理使燕麦在一定程度上提高了植物的生产力,尤其是秆叶的干重。