Nitric Oxide Signalling In Plants

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important molecule that acts in many tissues to regulate a diverse range of physiological processes. It is becoming apparent that NO is a ubiquitous signal in plants. Since the discovery of NO emission by plants in the 1970s, this gaseous compound has emerged as a major signalling molecule involved in multiple physiological functions. Research on NO in plants has gained significant awareness in recent years and there is increasing indication on the role of this molecule as a key-signalling molecule in plants. The investigations about NO in plants have been concentrated on three main fields: The search of NO or any source of NO generation, effects of exogenous NO treatments, NO transduction pathways. However we have limited information about signal transduction procedures by which NO interaction with cells results in altered cellular activities. This article reviews recent advances in NO synthesis and its signalling functions in plants. First, different sources and biosynthesis of NO in plants, then biological processes involving NO signalling are reviewed. NO signalling relation with cGMP, protein kinases and programmed cell death are also discussed. Besides, NO signalling in plant defense response is also examined. Especially NO signalling between animal and plant systems is compared.     

2-D DIGE analysis of UV-C radiation-responsive proteins in globe artichoke leaves

Plants respond to ultraviolet stress inducing a self-defence through the regulation of specific gene family members. The UV acclimation is the result of biochemical and physiological processes, such as enhancement of the antioxidant enzymatic system and accumulation of UV-absorbing phenolic compounds (e.g. flavonoids). Globe artichoke is an attractive species for studying the protein network involved in UV stress response, being characterized by remarkable levels of inducible antioxidants. Proteomic tools can assist the evaluation of the expression patterns of UV-responsive proteins and we applied the difference in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) technology for monitoring the globe artichoke proteome variation at four time points following an acute UV-C exposure. A total of 145 UV-C-modulated proteins were observed and 119 were identified by LC-MS/MS using a ～144,000 customized Compositae protein database, which included about 19,000 globe artichoke unigenes. Proteins were Gene Ontology (GO) categorized, visualized on their pathways and their behaviour was discussed. A predicted protein interaction network was produced and highly connected hub-like proteins were highlighted. Most of the proteins differentially modulated were chloroplast located, involved in photosynthesis, sugar metabolisms, protein folding and abiotic stress. The identification of UV-C-responsive proteins may contribute to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to UV stress.     

不同株型芝麻种质湿害后产量性状研究及耐湿性评价

于盛花期对66份种质进行湿害处理,结果表明:湿害对单秆型和分枝型种质的产量性状影响差异明显,对单秆型芝麻产量性状的影响(湿害指数值)大小依次为单株种子干重(69.18%)蒴果数(67.48%)有效果节数(49.10%)有效果轴长度(45.69%)株高(16.40%),对分枝性芝麻的影响依次为分枝有效果节数(65.96%)分枝蒴果数(64.73%)总蒴果数(52.01%)单株种子干重(49.92%)主茎蒴果数(41.66%)主茎有效果轴长度(37.57%)有效分枝数(34.21%)主茎有效果节数(20.12%)株高(15.43%);湿害对三蒴型芝麻的侧位蒴果影响较大,对单秆三蒴型芝麻的影响为侧位蒴果数(92.25%)中位蒴果数(50.25%),对分枝三蒴型芝麻的影响为分枝侧位蒴果数(92.86%)主茎侧位蒴果数(69.14%)分枝中位蒴果数(44.17%)主茎中位蒴果数(32.97%)。根据相对湿害产量可以将供试种质聚为耐湿与不耐湿二大类,不耐湿类型种质61份,占92.42%;耐湿类型种质5份,占7.58%,为竹山白芝麻、西平二郎花、阜南芝麻、嘉兴紧口黑和麻城黑芝麻,可作为耐湿种质加以利用。     

A modified Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining method at nanogram sensitivity compatible with proteomic analysis

A more sensitive and convenient Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB) staining method for visualizing proteins was developed. Compared with the modifications include the supplement of 10% (v/v) methanol into the fixing solution, an increase of an additional sensitization step and CBB raised from 0.1 to 0.125%. The improved method can detect proteins at nanogram level. The improved method is more sensitive than Blue Silver and more convenient than the Silver protocol. Mass spectrometry results confirmed that it is suitable for subsequent proteomic research.     

江西庐山国家级自然保护区珍稀濒危植物优先保护定量研究

为制定江西庐山国家级自然保护区珍稀濒危植物的保护策略,采用濒危系数、遗传系数及物种价值系数等评价指标对58种珍稀植物的濒危程度和优先保护顺序进行评估。结果表明,自然保护区珍稀植物的综合评价值(VS)为0.153～0.742,濒危等级为安全的11种,占该区珍稀保护植物总数的19%;稀有的28种(48%);渐危的18种(31%);濒危的1种(2%)。优先保护顺序为Ⅰ级的8种,占该区珍稀保护植物总数的14%,急需保护;Ⅱ级的22种(38%),需要保护;Ⅲ级的23种(40%),可以一般保护;IV级的5种(8%),较为安全。生境破坏和人为干扰是该区珍稀植物保护面临的主要威胁。     

氨基酸肥效研究

本文以植物肥效试验为依据,研究了不同氨基酸在单一和混合状态下的肥效作用,证明混合氨基酸的肥效大于单个氨基酸的作用,也大于等氮量的无机氮肥。还发现某些氨基酸对植物具有独特的生理作用,在植物营养上具有重要的理论和应用价值。     

近海潮间带植物及其生境中微生物的特性及药用前景

近海潮间带植物生境的微生物是最富有生物多样性的海洋种群,其生境的独特性决定了该区域微生物较高的药用价值.本文介绍了我国南北方海域近海潮间带植物生境和微生物的特性及药用前景,为该区域微生物的开发利用提供参考.     

Research progress on the effects of soil erosion on vegetation

The relationship between vegetation and soil erosion deserves attention due to its scientific importance and practical applications. A great deal of information is available about the mechanisms and benefits of vegetation in the control of soil erosion, but the effects of soil erosion on vegetation development and succession is poorly documented. Research shows that soil erosion is the most important driving force for the degradation of upland and mountain ecosystems. Soil erosion interferes with the process of plant community development and vegetation succession, commencing with seed formation and impacting throughout the whole growth phase and affecting seed availability, dispersal, germination and establishment, plant community structure and spatial distribution. There have been almost no studies on the effects of soil erosion on seed development and availability, of surface flows on seed movement and redistribution, and their influences on soil seed bank and on vegetation establishment and distribution. However, these effects may be the main cause of low vegetation cover in regions of high soil erosion activity and these issues need to be investigated. Moreover, soil erosion is not only a negative influence on vegetation succession and restoration, but also a driving force of plant adaptation and evolution. Consequently, we need to study the effects of soil erosion on ecological processes and on development and regulation of vegetation succession from the points of view of pedology and vegetation, plant and seed ecology, and to establish an integrated theory and technology for deriving practical solutions to soil erosion problems.     

Plant lectins as potent Anti-coronaviruses,Anti-inflammatory,antinociceptive and antiulcer agents

Lectins are defined as carbohydrate-binding proteins/glycoproteins of none immune origin, they are ubiquitous in nature, exist from bacteria to human cells. And due to their carbohydrate-binding recognition capacity, they have been a useful biological tool for the purification of glycoproteins and their subsequent characterization. Some plant lectins have also been revealed to own antinociceptive, antiulcer, and anti-inflammatory properties, where these features, in many instances, depending on the lectin carbohydrate-binding site. Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease that struck the entire world leaving millions of people dead and more infected. Although COVID-19 vaccines have been made available, and quite a large number of world populations have already been immunized, the viral infection rates remained in acceleration, which continues to provoke major concern about the vaccines' efficacy. The belief in the ineffectiveness of the vaccine has been attributed in part to the recurrent mutations that occur in the epitope determinant fragments of the virus. Coronavirus envelope surface is extensively glycosylated being covered by more than sixty N-linked oligomannose, composite, and hybrid glycans with a core of Man3GlcNAc2Asn. In addition some O–linked glycans are also detected. Of these glyco-chains, many have also been exposed to several mutations, and a few remained conserved. Therefore, numerous plant lectins with a specificity directed towards these viral envelope sugars have been found to interact preferentially with them and are suggested to be scrutinized as a possible future tool to combat coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) through blocking the viral attachment to the host cells. In this review, we will discuss the possible applications of plant lectins as anti-coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antiulcer agents with the proposed mechanism of their actions.