亚适宜温光环境下不同硝铵比营养液对黄瓜幼苗生长、氮吸收和代谢的影响

以‘中农26’黄瓜为试材,研究亚适宜温光(18 ℃/10 ℃,180±20 μmol·m^-2·s^-1)下不同硝铵比(26:2、21:7和14:14)营养液对黄瓜幼苗生长和生理特性的影响.结果表明:硝铵比为21:7处理的黄瓜总根长最长、根体积和根表面积最大、根尖数最多;根中H⁺-ATPase活性最高;硝态氮转运蛋白(NRT)和铵转运蛋白(AMT)基因表达量也升高,提高了根系的氮吸收能力;叶中硝酸还原酶(NR)、谷氨酰胺合成酶(GS)和谷氨酸合酶(GOGAT)活性较高,提高了体内氮代谢能力,使黄瓜氮含量和干物质积累显著增加.亚适宜温光下,营养液中硝铵比为21:7时,黄瓜幼苗干质量分别比26:2和14:14处理增加14.0%和19.3%.亚适宜温光下,可通过调整营养液中硝铵比,提高黄瓜氮吸收与代谢能力,缓解亚适宜温光对黄瓜幼苗的不利影响,促进黄瓜生长.     

Effects of amino acid mutations in the pore-forming domain of the hemolytic lectin CEL-III

The hemolytic lectin CEL-III forms transmembrane pores in the membranes of target cells. A study on the effect of site-directed mutation at Lys405 in domain 3 of CEL-III indicated that replacements of this residue by relatively smaller residues lead to a marked increase in hemolytic activity, suggesting that moderately destabilizing domain 3 facilitates formation of transmembrane pores through conformational changes.     

Editorial note

Generalist herbivores can face many challenges when choosing their host plant. This can be particularly difficult if their choice and performance are affected by host experience. Greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is an invasive generalist herbivore, which has established in year‐round greenhouses at northern latitudes where it cannot overwinter outdoors. It mainly uses crops such as cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and ornamentals as host plants. However, every summer the insect escapes greenhouses and is exposed to natural vegetation. We evaluated the performance of T. vaporariorum on diverse vegetation outside greenhouses after prolonged experience of greenhouse crops. First, we surveyed the vegetation near infested greenhouses. Development success of the insect differed among wild hosts. We identified five new hosts among 12 plant species that bore pupae and were thus considered suitable as the insect's host plants. Members of the Urticaceae and Onagraceae were the most preferred and frequently inhabited by all insect life stages. The highest abundance of insects occurred in plots with low plant species richness, independent of plant family in these habitats. We then studied experimentally the impact of 1 year of preconditioning to one of three common greenhouse crops, cucumber, tomato, or poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch), on the performance of the preconditioned adults and their progeny on four wild plants. Adults from tomato and poinsettia preferred the novel host species over the species to which they were preconditioned. The whitefly population preconditioned to cucumber was the most fecund on all offered hosts. We conclude that generalist herbivores can have large variation in performance, despite polyphagy, on novel hosts as shown by the variable abundance of T. vaporariorum pupae among outdoor hosts. Furthermore, performance of whiteflies on natural vegetation was affected by experience on greenhouse crops. Based on our observations, we provide insights and recommendations for pest management.     

Biological characteristics of Streptomyces albospinus CT205 and its biocontrol potential against cucumber Fusarium wilt

In a dual-culture assay, Streptomyces albospinus CT205 inhibited the growth of Fusarium oxysporum in vitro, the casual agent of widespread Fusarium wilt, probably due to the production of chitinase, β-glucanase, and a heat-resistant antagonistic substance. Pot and field experiments were performed to investigate the effects of S. albospinus CT205 alone or combined with organic fertiliser (BOF-CT205) on control of Fusarium wilt. Pot experiments showed that BOF-CT205 treatments obtained the lowest disease index (23.2), compared with organic fertiliser (OF, 55.3), strain CT205 (66.2), and control (72.5) treatments. In the field experiment, BOF-CT205 treatment yielded significantly lower disease incidences than the control, with reductions of ca. 55%. Cucumber yields in the same treatments were significantly higher than in the control, with increases of approximately 30% in the OF treatment. The cucumber yield was maximised in the BOF-CT205 in field experiments, reaching 8.3 × 104 kg ha^?1. The application of BOF-CT205 reduced the presence of the pathogen in the cucumber rhizosphere. In conclusion, S. albospinus CT205 was demonstrated to be a promising biocontrol agent for cucumber wilt, and the most effective treatment was the application of BOF-CT205.     

Antihypertensive effect and purification of an ACE inhibitory peptide from sea cucumber gelatin hydrolysate

Gelatin from the sea cucumber (Acaudina molpadioidea) was hydrolyzed sequentially with bromelain and alcalase. The hydrolysate was fractionated into three ranges of molecular weight (GH-I, <10 kDa; GH-II, <5 kDa; GH-III, <1 kDa) using an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor system. The GH-III brought about a high angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, with IC₅₀ value of 0.35 mg/ml. An ACE inhibitory peptide was isolated from the GH-III, using the chromatographic methods including ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The purified ACE inhibitory peptide with a molecular weight of 840 Da consisted of five main amino acids (Glu, Asp, Pro, Gly and Ala), and its IC₅₀ value was 0.0142 mg/ml. This sea cucumber gelatin hydrolysate (GH-III) was used as drinks administered to renal hypertensive rats (RHR) for 1 month. The systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of the RHR were significantly reduced, which indicates an antihypertensive effect by oral administration.     

A nitrite transporter associated with nitrite uptake by higher plant chloroplasts

Chloroplasts take up cytosolic nitrite during nitrate assimilation. In this study we identified a nitrite transporter located in the chloroplasts of higher plants. The transporter, CsNitr1-L, a member of the proton-dependent oligopeptide transporter (POT) family, was detected during light-induced chloroplast development in de-etiolating cucumber seedlings. We detected a CsNitr1-L-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein in the chloroplasts of leaf cells and found that an immunoreactive 51 kDa protein was present in the isolated inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts. CsNitr1-L has an isoform, CsNitr1-S, with an identical 484 amino acid core sequence; however, in CsNitr1-S the 120 amino acid N-terminal extension is missing. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells expressing CsNitr1-S absorbed nitrite from an acidic medium at a slower rate than mock-transformed control cells, and accumulated nitrite to only one-sixth the concentration of the control cells, suggesting that CsNitr1-S enhances the efflux of nitrite from the cell. Insertion of T-DNA in a single CsNitr1-L homolog (At1g68570) in Arabidopsis resulted in nitrite accumulation in leaves to more than five times the concentration found in the wild type. These results show that it is possible that both CsNitr1-L and CsNitr1-S encode efflux-type nitrite transporters, but with different subcellular localizations. CsNitr1-L may possibly load cytosolic nitrite into chloroplast stroma in the chloroplast envelope during nitrate assimilation. The presence of genes homologous to CsNitr1-L in the genomes of Arabidopsis and rice indicates that facilitated nitrite transport is of general physiological importance in plant nutrition.     

In vivo investigation of oocyte transit and maturation in a broadcast-spawning holothurian

Abstract. A sequential in vivo approach was used to examine the transformations undergone by oocytes during transit in the gonoduct of the sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota , from ovulation until fertilization competency. Spasms of the ovarian muscle bands, during the pre-spawning locomotor activity of the females, coincided with the extrusion of oocytes from the follicle cells (ovulation). No germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) was visible and the oocytes were not fertilizable. As the animal began to display the anterior sweeping movements characteristic of spawning, the oocytes streamed out of the gonad and were stored in the gonad basis. The oocytes, which were still non-fertilizable, were then pressed forward through the first (proximal) section of the gonoduct. GVBD was completed during this rapid transit, but oocytes could not be fertilized unless they had soaked ≥20 min in seawater. In the second (distal) section of the gonoduct, most oocytes were readily fertilizable; fertilization rates increased noticeably after the formation of a bulge beneath the gonopore, which favored the entry of seawater. Hydration of the jelly coat was apparent (i.e., a 60% increase in oocyte surface area). Gamete release occurred in one powerful spurt ∼85 min after the onset of ovulation. This oocyte maturation sequence is expected to occur in holothurian species with similar anatomy and spawning behavior.     

Waterlogging‐induced adventitious root formation in cucumber is regulated by ethylene and auxin through reactive oxygen species signalling

Development of adventitious roots (ARs) at the base of the shoot is an important adaptation of plants to waterlogging stress; however, its physiological mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the regulation of AR formation under waterlogged conditions by hormones and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Cucumis sativus L., an agriculturally and economically important crop in China. We found that ethylene, auxin, and ROS accumulated in the waterlogged cucumber plants. On the other hand, application of the ethylene receptor inhibitor 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP), the auxin transport inhibitor 1‐naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), or the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) decreased the number of ARs induced by waterlogging. Auxin enhanced the expression of ethylene biosynthesis genes, which led to ethylene entrapment in waterlogged plants. Both ethylene and auxin induced the generation of ROS. Auxin‐induced AR formation was inhibited by 1‐MCP, although ethylene‐induced AR formation was not inhibited by NPA. Both ethylene‐ and auxin‐induced AR formation were counteracted by DPI. These results indicate that auxin‐induced AR formation is dependent on ethylene, whereas ethylene‐induced AR formation is independent of auxin. They also show that ROS signals mediate both ethylene‐ and auxin‐induced AR formation in cucumber plants.     

黄瓜矮生突变体C1056的茎解剖结构及其生理特性分析

该研究以黄瓜矮生突变体C1056和野生型CCMC为材料,对其主要生理特性、叶绿体超微结构以及茎显微结构进行了观察、测定和比较分析,以探讨黄瓜株高调控机理并挖掘新的矮化种质,为黄瓜的矮化育种提供依据。结果显示:(1)突变体C1056的株高较野生型极显著变矮,且叶色加深、叶脉加粗、叶尖内卷、叶片皱缩,但茎粗、节间数与野生型无显著差异,而节间长度极显著低于野生型。(2)茎横切显微结构显示,突变体的维管束数量与野生型无显著差异,但导管直径缩小;纵切结果显示,突变体茎节间细胞长度变短,细胞变小,细胞数目略有补偿。(3)与野生型相比,突变体的叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量均有不同程度的下降,叶绿素/类胡萝卜素和叶绿素a/b的比值明显增高。(4)突变体叶绿素荧光各参数与野生型相比无明显变化;突变体的净光合速率较野生型降低8%,气孔导度、蒸腾速率较野生型分别提高15%和10%,但差异均不显著,而胞间CO2浓度显著高于野生型。(5)透射电镜观察结果发现,与野生型相比,突变体的叶肉细胞比较小,叶绿体所占细胞面积明增大,且叶绿体形状为半圆形和纺锤形,部分非正常结构的叶绿体的大部分基质、基粒片层未完全分化且不清晰,垛叠不整齐。研究表明,黄瓜矮生突变体C1056的矮化主要因其节间长度缩短以及细胞变小所致,且突变体的叶绿体结构受到一定程度的影响,但并未明显影响其光合能力。