Biologia plantarum, 2017 (vol. 61), issue 3
Original Papers
In vitro propagation, microtuberization, and molecular characterization of three potato cultivars
J. Salem, A. M. Hassanein
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:427-437 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0715-x
Sprouts of potato tubers were excised from the three potato cultivars Agria, Hermes, and Spunta, sterilized and subjected to shoot formation and propagation on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1 mg dm-3 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) + 0.5 mg dm-3 gibberellic acid. Shoots were rooted on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg dm-3 indole-3-butyric acid. To increase shoot vigour prior tuber formation, shoots were subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 0.56 mg dm-3 BAP, 0.11 mg dm-3 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 0.96 mg dm-3 naphthaleneacetic acid. Under dark, microtuberization...
Enhancement of polysaccharides accumulation in Dendrobium officinale by exogenously applied methyl jasmonate
Z. Q. Yuan, J. Y. Zhang, T. Liu
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:438-444 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0702-7
The accumulation of polysaccharides, activities of sucrose metabolism enzymes, and the expression of sucrose biosynthetic genes in Dendrobium officinale were significantly affected by exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Application of MeJA increased the content of polysaccharides and the highest polysaccharide production occurred in the samples treated with 200 μM MeJa. The MeJA application influenced polysaccharide biosynthesis rather than degradation because the activities of sucrose metabolism enzymes and the expressions of sucrose biosynthetic genes were upregulated by MeJA. Interestingly, low MeJA concentrations promoted accumulation...
Genome-wide identification, classification, and expression analysis of the phytocyanin gene family in Phalaenopsis equestris
L. Xu, X. J. Wang, T. Wang, L. B. Li
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:445-452 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0716-9
Phytocyanins (PCs) are ancient blue copper-binding proteins in plants that bind to single type I copper atoms and function as electron transporters. PCs play an important role in plant development and stress resistance. Many PCs are considered to be chimeric arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs). Previously, 38, 62, and 84 PC genes were identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, and Brassica rapa, respectively. In this study, we identified 30 putative PC genes in the orchid Phalaenopsis equestris through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Based on phylogeny and motif constitution, the P. equestris...
Characterization of the high-affinity phosphate transporter PHT1;4 gene promoter of Arabidopsis thaliana in transgenic wheat
E. Peñaloza, M. Santiago, S. Cabrera, G. Muñoz, L. J. Corcuera, H. Silva
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:453-462 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0672-9
The root specificity and phosphate (Pi) deficiency responsiveness of high-affinity phosphate transporter (PHT1) genes point to their promoters as a sustainable system to drive Pi acquisition-related transgenes in plants. In this study, a 3-kb promoter of the AtPHT1;4 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was biolistically introduced into wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and functionally characterized in transgenic plants grown in hydroponics and in pots with soil under various Pi supply rates. From among 27 T1 progeny derived from 250 T0, four transgenic...
Selection of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR in Casuarina equisetifolia under salt stress
C. Fan, Z. Qiu, B. Zeng, Y. Liu, X. Li, G. Guo
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:463-472 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0670-y
Real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is widely used in gene expression analysis for its accuracy and sensitivity. Reference genes serving as endogenous controls are necessary for gene normalization. In order to select an appropriate reference gene to normalize gene expression in Casuarina equisetifolia under salt stress, 10 potential reference genes were evaluated using real time qPCR in the leaves and roots of plants grown under different NaCl concentrations and treatment durations. GeNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper analyses reveal that elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1α) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme...
Soybean NAC gene family: sequence analysis and expression under low nitrogen supply
X. Wang, D. Li, J. Jiang, Z. Dong, Y. Ma
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:473-482 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0693-4
NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2 (NAC) proteins are plant-specific transcription factors playing essential roles in plant development and various abiotic stress responses. In the present study, we identified 173 full-length NAC genes in soybean, which were phylogenetically clustered into 15 groups (NACa - NACo). The soybean NAC genes (GmNACs) were non-randomly located across the 20 chromosomes, and 128 genes (86.5 %) were preferentially located in duplicated regions of chromosome arms, which implied long segmental duplication and contributed to evolution of the GmNAC gene family. Most GmNACs genes showed a distinct...
Identification of alternatively spliced MsRan transcripts involved in low temperature response in Musa spp.
Y. L. Zhang, Z. Z. Fang, Z. X. Lai
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:483-493 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0682-7
Ran is involved in response to external stimuli. In this study, six MsRan gene cDNA sequences were isolated from wild banana (Musa spp. AB group) from Sanming City, China. Sequence analysis reveals that MsRan3A, MsRan3A-1a, and MsRan3C contained Ran protein domains including a GTP hydrolysis domain, a RanGAP-binding domain, and an acidic tail, whereas two G boxes (G4 and G5) were absent in MsRan3A-6a. The physicochemical property of MsRan3A, MsRan3A-1a, MsRan3A-6a, and MsRan3C appeared to differ significantly. Real time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis indicates that MsRan3A-1, MsRan3A-5, MsRan3A-6, MsRan3A-6a,...
Constitutive expression of SlTrxF increases starch content in transgenic Arabidopsis
F. B. Wang, W. L. Kong, Y. R. Fu, X. C. Sun, X. H. Chen, Q. Zhou
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:494-500 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0675-6
The plastidic thioredoxin F-type (TrxF) protein plays an important role in plant saccharide metabolism. In this study, a gene encoding the TrxF protein, named SlTrxF, was isolated from tomato. The coding region of SlTrxF was cloned into a binary vector under the control of 35S promoter and then transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited increased starch accumulation compared to the wild-type (WT). Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that constitutive expression of SlTrxF up-regulated the expression of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) small subunit (AtAGPase-S1...
Molecular characterization and subcellular localization of salt-inducible lipid transfer proteins in rice
K.-C. Lin, T.-M. Wu, N. N. P. Chandrika, S.-J. Chou, C.-Y. Hong
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:501-510 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0671-x
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a salt-sensitive species. Salt stress can cause injury to the plant cellular membrane. Plant lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are abundant lipid binding proteins that are important in membrane vesicle biogenesis and trafficking, however, the biological importance of LTPs on salt-stress response in rice remains unclear. Therefore, salt-responsive rice LTPs were identified and characterized in this study. Microarray analysis showed seven genes positively regulated by salinity, including five Ltp genes (LtpII.3, LtpII.5, LtpII.6, LtpV.1, and LtpV.2) and two Ltp-like (LtpL;...
Detection of DNA methylation pattern in thidiazuron-induced blueberry callus using methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism
A. Ghosh, A. U. Igamberdiev, S. C. Debnath
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:511-519 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0678-3
During the normal developmental process, programmed gene expression is an essential phenomenon in all organisms. In eukaryotes, DNA methylation plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. The extent of cytosine methylation polymorphism was evaluated in leaf tissues collected from the greenhouse grown plants and in in vitro-derived callus of three lowbush and one hybrid blueberry genotypes, using methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique. Callus formation started from the leaf segments after 4 weeks of culture on a thidiazuron (TDZ) containing medium. Maximum callus formation (98 %) was observed in the...
Improving tobacco freezing tolerance by co-transfer of stress-inducible CbCBF and CbICE53 genes
P. Lin, C. Shen, H. Chen, X. H. Yao, J. Lin
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:520-528 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0687-2
Cold stress is one of the major limitations to crop productivity worldwide. We investigated the effects of multiple gene expression from cold tolerant Capsella bursa-pastoris in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum) plants. We combined CblCE53 and CbCBF into a reconstruct vector by isocaudomers. Plant overexpression of CbICE53 under the stress inducible CbCOR15b promoter and CbCBF under a constitutive promoter showed increased tolerance to both chilling and freezing temperatures in comparison to wild-type plants, according to the electrolyte leakage and relative water content. The expressions of endogenous...
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase plays critical role in artemisinin production of Artemisia annua under salt stress
J. W. Wang, H. Tian, X. Yu, L. P. Zheng
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:529-539 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0674-7
Artemisinin, a natural sesquiterpenoid isolated from Artemisia annua L., is regarded as the most efficient drug against malaria in the world. Artemsinin production in NaCl-treated A. annua seedlings and its relationships with the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) activity and generation of H2O2 and nitric oxide (NO) were investigated. Results revealed that artemisinin content in the seedlings was increased by 79.3 % over the control after 1-month treatment with 68 mM NaCl. The G6PDH activity was enhanced in the presence of NaCl together with stimulated generation of H2O2 and NO. Application...
Functional characterization of the antioxidant enzymes in rice plants exposed to salinity stress
I. L. Vighi, L. C. Benitez, M. N. Amaral, G. P. Moraes, P. A. Auler, G. S. Rodrigues, S. Deuner, L. C. Maia, E. J. B. Braga
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:540-550 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0727-6
The objective of this study was to relate the activation of enzymatic antioxidant system to the production of reactive oxygen species induced by salt stress. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes BRS Bojuru and BRS Pampa, tolerant and sensitive to salinity, respectively, were subjected to 150 mM NaCl for 0, 6, 24, 48, and 72 h. A significant increase of superoxide anion and H2O2 and a decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) content were observed in the tolerant genotype, whereas in the sensitive genotype, there was no change in superoxide anion content, reduced H2O2 content, and increased MDA content. The superoxide...
Lanthanum improves the cadmium tolerance of Zea mays seedlings by the regulation of ascorbate and glutathione metabolism
H. Dai, C. Shan, H. Zhao, G. Jia, D. Chen
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:551-556 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0669-4
The effect of lanthanum on the metabolism of ascorbate (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) in the leaves of maize seedlings under cadmium stress was investigated. The findings showed that Cd remarkably increased electrolyte leakage (EL), the activities of ascorbate peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), glutathione reductase, L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase, and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, and the content of reduced AsA, reduced GSH, total AsA, total GSH, malondialdehyde (MDA), and Cd, compared with control. However, Cd significantly decreased the dry biomass of roots and shoots. Treatment with...
Physiological and molecular responses to drought and salinity in soybean
H. R. Liu, G. W. Sun, L. J. Dong, L. Q. Yang, S. N. Yu, S. L. Zhang, J. F. Liu
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:557-564 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0703-1
Drought and salinity are severe environmental stresses and limit soybean growth. In this study, a comparative analysis of physiological and molecular responses of two soybean (Glycine max L.) genotypes to these stresses was carried out. Plants of drought-tolerant genotype RD (cv. FD92) and sensitive genotype SD (cv. Z1303) were exposed to 15 % (m/v) PEG 6000, which simulated drought stress, or 150 mM NaCl. The RD plants maintained larger leaf area and higher net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, and relative water content compared with the SD plants. Leaf proline content increased under both stresses more in RD...
Foliar-application of α-tocopherol enhanced salt tolerance of Carex leucochlora
Y. R. Ye, W. L. Wang, C. S. Zheng, D. J. Fu, H. W. Liu, X. Shen
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:565-570 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0709-8
Several different concentrations of α-tocopherol were applied to Carex leucochlora after plants had been treated with high salinity (0.8 % NaCl) in a greenhouse for one month. The results revealed that 0.8 mM α-tocopherol treatment showed the greatest alleviation of growth inhibition and cell membrane damage induced by salt stress. In comparison with NaCl alone, the 0.8 mM α-tocopherol application significantly decreased the content of hydrogen peroxide and the rate of superoxide radical generation, and increased the content of chlorophyll b, carotenoids, free proline, and soluble protein, but had no effect on the content...
Effects of melatonin on photosynthetic performance and antioxidants in melon during cold and recovery
Y. P. Zhang, S. J. Yang, Y. Y. Chen
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:571-578 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0717-8
Melatonin (MT), a tryptophan derivative, plays an important role in the function and survival of organisms. To better understand the role of MT in cold tolerance, the melon (Cucumis melo L.) were sprayed with various concentrations of MT (0, 50, 100, 200 or 400 μM), exposed to cold stress (day/night temperature of 12/6 °C) for 7 d, and then returned to optimal conditions (28/18 °C) for 7-d recovery. The foliar application of MT (especially 200 μM) significantly alleviated cold-induced growth suppression, and MT-treated plants recovered more quickly than untreated plants. Further, MT-treated plants had higher chlorophyll content, photosynthetic...
Root characteristics of grafted peppers and their resistance to Fusarium solani
X. Duan, H. G. Bi, T. Li, G. X. Wu, Q. M. Li, X. Z. Ai
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:579-586 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0677-4
Root rot caused by Fusarium solani, is one of the most severe diseases in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Grafting has been attempted as an effective means to control the disease, but little is known about the disease resistance mechanism in grafted pepper. Therefore, we investigated the changes of biomass, cell structure, and the secondary metabolism in roots of control (non-grafted pepper) and grafted peppers using cvs. Weishi and Buyeding as rootstocks and the cv. Xinfeng 2 as a scion. After a manual inoculation, less F. solani invaded grafted pepper roots and consequently less serious injury to the root cell ultra-structure compared...
Response of Arabidopsis thaliana root growth to phosphorus and its relation to media chemical composition
M. L. Strieder, K. G. Pinto, C. Bertoldi, A. de B. Schneider, C. A. Delatorre
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:587-594 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0713-z
The interaction between phosphorus (P) and other media components alters root development and masks the plant response and thus limits the ability to correctly identify P-deficiency response (pdr) mutants. This study aims to assess changes in root development caused by different composition of growth media normally used in Arabidopsis research and to study their effects on pdr-mutant screening. Primary root growth of four genotypes was analyzed in media differing in P concentrations: half-strength Murashige and Skoog (1/2 MS) and Somerville and Ogren (SO). The effects of nitrogen source and Fe on root growth were investigated in...
Reviews
Signal transduction and biotechnology in response to environmental stresses
M. A. Ahanger, N. A. Akram, M. Ashraf, M. N. Alyemeni, L. Wijaya, P. Ahmad
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:401-416 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0683-6
Providing sufficient food to burgeoning population from the steadily shrinking arable land seems to be very difficult in near future and is one of the foremost challenges for plant scientists. In addition, there are several biotic and abiotic stresses which frequently encounter crop plants during various stages of life cycle, resulting in considerable yield losses. Environmental stresses, including drought, flooding, salinity, temperature (both low and high), high radiation, and xenobiotics induce toxicity, membrane damage, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, reduced photosynthesis, and altered nutrient acquisition. Several indigenous...
Cytosolic GAPDH: a key mediator in redox signal transduction in plants
S. S. Yang, Q. H. Zhai
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:417-426 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-017-0706-y
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) serves not only as a key enzyme in glycolysis, but also as a multifunctional protein in other biological processes, especially in response to abiotic stresses in plants. Cytosolic GAPDH (GAPC) is a typical redox protein with selected catalytic cysteine, which undergoes reversible redox post-translational modifications (RPTMs) on its thiol group by reacting with hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide related species. Moreover, the modified GAPC may interact with certain signal transmitters such as phosphatidic acid, phospholipase D, and osmotic stress-activated protein kinase. All these observations suggest...
Brief Communications
Lead induced oxidative stress and alteration in the activities of antioxidative enzymes in rice shoots
S. Thakur, L. Singh, A. W. Zularisam, M. Sakinah, M. F. M. Din
Biologia plantarum 2017, 61:595-598 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0680-9
Physiological responses of Oryza sativa L. to lead excess (10 and 50 μM) were studied in a hydroponic system after 48- and 96-h exposure. Accumulation of Pb in stressed rice shoots was concomitant with an increased metal concentration in the growth media and duration of exposure. The Pb stress resulted in an enhanced lipid peroxidation accompanied by altered activities of antioxidants. A substantial increase in α-tocopherol content of the Pb stressed rice shoots was observed suggesting its important role as an antioxidant. Among the antioxidant enzymes studied, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)...