Biologia plantarum, 2015 (vol. 59), issue 1
Original Papers
Micropropagation of Cassia occidentalis L. and the effect of irradiance on photosynthetic pigments and antioxidative enzymes
R. Naz, M. Anis, H. A. El Atta
Biologia plantarum 59:1-10, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0482-x
The objective of the current study was to develop an efficient and reproducible protocol for plant regeneration using nodal (1.0-1.5 cm) explants excised from a field grown mature plant of Cassia occidentalis L. The highest shoot regeneration frequency (80 %) with a maximum number of shoots (11.66) and shoot length (3.83 cm) after eight weeks of culture were observed on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium amended with 5.0 μM 6-benzyladenine, 100 μM citric acid, and 1.0 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid. A half-strength MS medium supplemented with 1.5 μM indole-3-butyric acid proved best for the induction of maximum roots (8.33) per...
Effect of copper and zinc on the in vitro regeneration of Rauvolfia serpentina
N. Ahmad, A. A. Alatar, M. Faisal, M. I. Khan, N. Fatima, M. Anis, A. K. Hegazy
Biologia plantarum 59:11-17, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0479-5
The present study exemplifies morphogenic roles played by copper and zinc during micropropagation of Rauvolfia serpentina, an important medicinal shrub. Incorporation of 20 μM CuSO4 or 25 μM ZnSO4 to a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with optimized concentrations of auxins and cytokinins induced a maximum number of shoots per explant (40.67 ± 1.76 and 45.47 ± 0.24, respectively). However, higher concentrations of both the micronutrients negatively affected the morphogenic potential. The pigment content of the regenerants increased up to the optimal concentrations of both metals and thereafter decreased,...
In silico characterization and expression analysis of selected Arabidopsis receptor-like kinase genes responsive to different MAMP inducers
S.-A. New, L. A. Piater, I. A. Dubery
Biologia plantarum 59:18-28, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0478-6
Candidate Arabidopsis thaliana S-domain receptor-like kinase (SD-RLK) (At1g11330, At1g61430, and At1g61610) and leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK) (At1g51850, At2g19190, and At5g45840) genes were characterized utilizing PlantPAN, AGRIS, and AthaMap databases. Following determination of the main conserved domains, both classes of RLKs were found to be structurally similar with extracellular, transmembrane, and intracellular domains including a serine/threonine kinase domain, which might suggest a functional role in intracellular signal transduction. This...
Expression of a WIN/SHN-type regulator from wheat triggers disorganized proliferation in the Arabidopsis leaf cuticle
K. Jäger, A. Miskó, A. Fábián, C. Deák, E. Kiss-Bába, D. Polgári, B. Barnabás, I. Papp
Biologia plantarum 59:29-36, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0471-0
Based on information from the Arabidopsis model system, a putative transcriptional activator of cuticle formation (TaSHN1) was selected among the expressed sequence tags in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). RT-PCR indicated the preferential expression of this gene in the basal, but not in the middle parts of wheat leaves. This leaf region is a likely site of cuticle formation in cereals. TaSHN1 was cloned and expressed in Arabidopsis, resulting in shiny leaf surfaces and the overproliferation of cuticular material as observed by electron microscopy. Unlike the Arabidopsis WAX INDUCER/SHINE1 (WIN/SHN1) gene, TaSHN1...
Characterization and expression pattern analysis of microRNAs in wheat under drought stress
Y. -Y. Zhao, C. -J. Guo, X. -J. Li, W. -W. Duan, C. -Y. Ma, H. -M. Chan, Y. -L. Wen, W. -J. Lu, K. Xiao
Biologia plantarum 59:37-46, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0463-0
Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in regulating plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic stresses. In this study, 38 miRNAs (TaMIRs) from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), 36 from the miRBase database, and two from our previous work were characterized and subjected to an expression pattern analysis under normal conditions and a drought stress. A semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and small RNA blot analyses revealed that two TaMIRs (TaMIR1120 and TaMIR1123) were root-predominant and two TaMIRs (TaMIR1121 and TaMIR1134) were leaf-predominant. Seven TaMIR...
Ectopic expression of soybean methionine synthase delays flowering time in transgenic tobacco plants
A. H. Sha, Z. L. Gao, H. Wu, D. Z. Lin, Q. L. Zhang, Y. H. Chen
Biologia plantarum 59:47-54, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0461-2
A photoperiod-sensitive soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cv. ZhongDou 24 (ZD24) exhibiting delayed flowering when grown under long-days (LD, a 16-h photoperiod) was used to identify the genetic control of flowering delay. A differential expression profiling technique enabled identification of a gene fragment that was up-regulated under LD. This fragment was homologous to a gene encoding methionine synthase (MS) in soybean and was named GmMS. The RNA content confirmed that GmMS was expressed in roots, stems, and leaves of soybean grown under LD. The highest expression was in stems. Full length GmMS, encoding 763 amino acids,...
Overexpression of maize chloride channel gene ZmCLC-d in Arabidopsis thaliana improved its stress resistance
S. Wang, S. Z. Su, Y. Wu, S. P. Li, X. H. Shan, H. K. Liu, S. Wang, Y. P. Yuan
Biologia plantarum 59:55-64, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0468-8
In plant cells, anion channels and transporters are essential for key functions. Members of the chloride channel (CLC) family located in intracellular organelles are required for anion accumulation, pH adjustment, and salt tolerance. Here, we cloned a maize (Zea mays L.) CLC gene, named ZmCLC-d, and found that its transcription was up-regulated under cold, drought, salt, and heat stresses, and after hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. The overexpression of ZmCLC-d in Arabidopsis conferred tolerance to cold, drought, and salt stresses; this tolerance was primarily displayed by...
Transcription of potassium transporter genes of KT/HAK/KUP family in peach seedlings and responses to abiotic stresses
Z.-Z. Song, Y. Yang, R.-J. Ma, J.-L. Xu, M.-L. Yu
Biologia plantarum 59:65-73, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0462-1
Potassium uptake and transport is facilitated by KT/HAK/KUP transporters. In this study, we identified 16 putative K+-uptake transporter genes in peach (Prunus persica). To investigate the role of PpeKUP in maintaing K+ uptake, transport, and homeostasis, we applied abiotic stresses to peach seedlings and analysed physiological reactions and transcriptional responses of PpeKUP genes. The peach seedlings were sensitive to polyethylene glycol (PEG), Pb, and Cd, as evidenced by impaired growth, K+ nutrition, and photosynthetic performance. However, the peach seedlings were tolerant to aluminum. K+...
A novel DREB transcription factor from Halimodendron halodendron leads to enhance drought and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis
J. -T. Ma, C. -C. Yin, Q. -Q. Guo, M. -L. Zhou, Z. -L. Wang, Y. -M. Wu
Biologia plantarum 59:74-82, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0467-9
A new member of the APETALA2/ethylene responsive element binding protein (AP2/EREBP) transcription factor family, HhDREB2, was isolated from Halimodendron halodendron. Based on the similarity of the AP2/ERF domain, HhDREB2 was classified into A-5 group of the DREB subfamily. The expression of HhDREB2 gene was induced by drought, high salinity, and low temperature, but not by exogenous plant hormones. Trans-activity assay demonstrated that HhDREB2 gene encodes a transcription activator. Furthermore, over-expression of HhDREB2 gene under the stress-inducible rd29A promotor in Arabidopsis resulted in enhanced...
Marker-assisted breeding for TaALMT1, a major gene conferring aluminium tolerance to wheat
B. J. Soto-Cerda, C. Inostroza-Blancheteau, M. Mathías, E. Peñaloza, J. Zuñiga, G. Muñoz, Z. Rengel, H. Salvo-Garrido
Biologia plantarum 59:83-91, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0474-x
Aluminium toxicity in acid soils is the main limitation to crop production worldwide. In wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the Al-activated malate transporter (TaALMT1) gene located on chromosome 4DL is associated with malate efflux and Al-tolerance. To introgress Al-tolerance from the breeding line CAR3911 into the high yielding Al-sensitive cultivar Kumpa-INIA, phenotypic and molecular characterizations of gene/QTL underlying Al-tolerance in CAR3911 followed by marker-assisted backcrossing (MAS-BC) were undertaken. Al-tolerant backcross (BC) lines were selected using the functional marker ALMT1-4 designed immediately upstream of the TaALMT1...
Suppression of SlNAC1 reduces heat resistance in tomato plants
X.-Q. Liang, N.-N. Ma, G.-D. Wang, X. Meng, X.-Z. Ai, Q.-W. Meng
Biologia plantarum 59:92-98, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0477-7
NAC (NAM, ATAF1,2, and CUC2) transcription factors play an important role in the responses of plants to various environmental stresses. To investigate the function of SlNAC1, which was found to be a member of the ATAF subfamily in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants under heat stress conditions, transgenic tomato plants were generated using an antisense technology. After a treatment at 40 °C for 48 h, in comparison with wild-type (WT) plants, the transgenic plants were severely wilted and exhibited a lower net photosynthetic rate and a maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II. Moreover, the transgenic plants displayed a...
Brassinosteroid enhances cytokinin-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seedlings
L. B. Yuan, Z. H. Peng, T. T. Zhi, Z. Zho, Y. Liu, Q. Zhu, X. Y. Xiong, C. M. Ren
Biologia plantarum 59:99-105, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0472-z
To investigate whether brassinosteroids (BR) affects cytokinin (CK)-induced anthocyanin biosynthesis, seedlings of the Arabidopsis dwarf4 (dwf4) mutants including partially suppressing coi1 (psc1) and dwf4-102, which are defective in the BR biosynthesis, and the brassinosteroid-insensitive 1-4 (bri1-4) mutant defective in BR signalling were used for the analysis of CK-induced anthocyanin accumulation and the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and WD-repeat/Myb/bHLH transcription factors. The results show that the CK-induced anthocyanin accumulation was remarkably reduced in dwf4 and...
Responses of two barley cultivars differing in their salt tolerance to moderate and high salinities and subsequent recovery
K. Kosová, P. Vítámvás, I. Hlaváčková, M. O. Urban, E. Vlasáková, I. T. Prášil
Biologia plantarum 59:106-114, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0465-y
Two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars, Czech spring cv. Amulet and Syrian landrace Tadmor, were subject to different salinity treatments: 1) the NaCl concentration was gradually increased from 0 (the control) to either 100 (a moderate salt stress) or 300 mM NaCl (a high salt stress), 2) the NaCl concentration was increased directly either from 0 to 300 mM NaCl or from 100 to 300 mM NaCl, and 3) a recovery when all variants were transferred back to control conditions and cultivated for seven additional days before sampling. The following parameters were determined: water saturation deficit (WSD), osmotic potential (ψs),...
Identification of nitric oxide responsive genes in the floral buds of Litchi chinensis
W. -W. Liu, H. -B. Chen, X. -Y. Lu, M. J. Rahman, S. Zhong, B. -Y. Zhou
Biologia plantarum 59:115-122, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0466-x
Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is an important tropical and subtropical evergreen woody fruit tree, and it has been shown that nitric oxide (NO) could promote litchi flowering. NO responsive genes of litchi (cv. Nuomici) primordia were identified through a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library screen. We obtained 1 563 expressed sequences tags (ESTs) that were enriched in the NO treated inflorescence primordia. We then used a reverse Northern analysis to identify 728 true NO responsive ESTs, the sequences of which have been further analyzed. They represent 70 litchi unique genes that could be classified into 9 categories: 14 %...
Antioxidative defence under drought stress in a wheat stay-green mutant
F. X. Tian, M. Zhang, X. Wang, Y. H. Chen, W. Wang
Biologia plantarum 59:123-130, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0483-9
A wheat stay-green mutant, named tasg1, was generated using the mutagen ethyl methane sulphonate applied to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. HS2. A drought stress was imposed by controlling irrigation and sheltering plants from rain. The antioxidant defence was characterized in the flag leaves of the tasg1 and wild-type (WT). Compared with WT, tasg1 had higher reduced ascorbate/oxidized ascorbate ratio, reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio, and antioxidant enzyme activities during senescence under both normal and drought stress conditions. The DHAR gene expression remained higher in tasg1 than in...
Glucose application protects chloroplast ultrastructure in heat-stressed cucumber leaves through modifying antioxidant enzyme activity
Y. -W. Huang, Z. -Q. Zhou, H. -X. Yang, C. -X. Wei, Y. -Y. Wan, X. -J. Wang, J. -G. Bai
Biologia plantarum 59:131-138, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0470-1
To elucidate a physiological mechanism of heat stress mitigation by exogenous glucose, seedlings of Cucumis sativus cv. Jinchun No. 4 were pretreated with glucose and then exposed to normal (25/18 °C) and elevated (42/38 °C) temperatures. We investigated whether glucose can protect cucumber plantlets and chloroplast ultrastructure from heat and whether this protection is associated with antioxidant enzymes, proline, and soluble sugars. Heat inhibited plant growth, disorganized membranes of 86.33 % of chloroplasts, and elevated the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide radical (O2 .-), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)....
Modulation of NaCl induced DNA damage and oxidative stress in mungbean by pretreatment with sublethal dose
P. Saha, A. Mukherjee, A. K. Biswas
Biologia plantarum 59:139-146, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0460-3
Salinity is one of the most severe problems in worldwide agricultural production. The effect of salt on dry mass, total glutathione content, its regulatory enzymes, and extent of DNA damage in growing mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) seedlings was investigated. The salt stress decreased a dry mass accumulation in the seedlings. A total glutathione (GSH) content and the activities of the enzymes of GSH metabolism were adversely affected by the salt stress. The enhanced accumulation of reactive oxygen species under the NaCl stress caused an increase in DNA damage, measured using a comet assay, in both roots and leaves of the mungbean seedlings....
Exogenous sucrose influences antioxidant enzyme activities and reduces lipid peroxidation in water-stressed cucumber leaves
Y. -Y. Cao, M. -T. Yang, S. -Y. Chen, Z. -Q. Zhou, X. Li, X. -J. Wang, J. -G. Bai
Biologia plantarum 59:147-153, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0469-7
To investigate whether exogenous sucrose can protect cucumber from water stress, cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings were pretreated with 90 mM sucrose or 90 mM mannitol for 1 d and then were dehydrated with 10 % (m/v) polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 for further 1 d. Dehydration inhibited plant growth and decreased osmotic potential and relative water content (RWC) in leaves. The pretreatment with 90 mM sucrose further reduced the osmotic potential but increased the RWC and alleviated the growth inhibition. Compared with the PEG treatment alone, the combination of sucrose + PEG increased the activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase,...
Down-regulation of catalase activity contributes to senescence induction in wheat leaves exposed to shading stress
H. F. Causin, C. F. Marchetti, L. B. Pena, S. M. Gallego, A. J. Barneix
Biologia plantarum 59:154-162, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0480-z
In shaded wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves, the suppression of blue radiation (BR) triggers senescence. This phenomenon is correlated to an increase in oxidative stress symptoms and a decrease of catalase (CAT) activity, among other traits. Previous data suggest that the radiation signal transduction pathway may involve changes in Ca2+ and H2O2 homeostasis. For better a understanding of the interaction among the spectral composition of radiation, Ca2+ availability, and the antioxidant metabolism in the regulation of shade-induced senescence, detached wheat leaves were placed in a growth chamber...
Effects of lead and nitric oxide on photosynthesis, antioxidative ability, and mineral element content of perennial ryegrass
X. Y. Bai, Y. J. Dong, Q. H. Wang, L. L. Xu, J. Kong, S. Liu
Biologia plantarum 59:163-170, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0476-8
Hydroponics experiments were conducted to study the effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a donor of NO) on lead toxicity in ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) seedlings. When the ryegrass seedlings were grown in a nutrient solution containing 500 μM Pb2+ for two weeks, the plant biomass as well as net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, chlorophyll and carotenoid content of leaves decreased. The Pb stress also induced the production of superoxide anion (O2 .-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), leading to malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. Furthermore, the activities of superoxide dismutase...
Effects of exogenous salicylic acid and nitric oxide on physiological characteristics of two peanut cultivars under cadmium stress
L. L. Xu, Z. Y. Fan, Y. J. Dong, J. Kong, X. Y. Bai
Biologia plantarum 59:171-182, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0475-9
The interactive effects of salicylic acid (SA) and nitric oxide (NO) on alleviating cadmium (Cd) toxicity in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) were studied. Seedlings of two cultivars (Huayu 22 - a big seed type, and Xiaobaisha - a small seed type) were treated with 200 μM CdCl2 without or with 0.1 mM SA or 0.25 mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP, an NO donor). Results show that the Cd exposure depressed the plant growth of both the cultivars but more of Huayu 22 than of Xiaobaisha. Exogenous SA and NO alleviated Cd toxicity in both the peanut cultivars: they improved growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthesis, and mineral nutrition. Furthermore,...
Brief Communications
Nitric oxide accumulation and glycinebetaine metabolism in two osmotically stressed maize cultivars supplied with different nitrogen forms
L. X. Zhang, P. Zheng, Z. Ruan, L. Tian, M. Ashraf
Biologia plantarum 59:183-186, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0458-x
Hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen forms on nitric oxide accumulation and glycinebetaine (GB) metabolism under osmotic stress (OS) simulated by the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) to two maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars Zhengdan 958 (ZD958; drought-tolerant) and Jundan 20 (JD20; drought-sensitive). OS led to the accumulation of NO, GB, and choline, as well as to an increase of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) activity in both the cultivars. The responses of both the maize cultivars to OS were significantly higher under nitrate nutrition than under the mixed supply of ammonium and NO3...
Rice leaf heterogeneity in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters under short-term osmotic stress
J. Z. Li, Y. P. Chen, K. Q. Teng, L. Z. Qin, Y. X. Du, J. Zhang, Q. Z. Zhao
Biologia plantarum 59:187-192, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0481-y
The effects of short-term osmotic stress [a polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment] on photosystem II (PS II) of upland and lowland rice seedlings were investigated using chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence imaging. Spatial heterogeneity in the top fully expanded leaf for all Chl fluorescence parameters was found under stress conditions. After exposure to PEG, a decrease in the effective quantum yield of PS II photochemistry (φPS II) and photochemical quenching (qP), and an increase in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) proceeded from the upper section to the base of the leaf. The most sensitive position in the leaf was different between the two ecotypes....
Extracellular ATP alleviates the salicylic acid-induced inhibition of cell viability and respiration through a Ca2+-dependent mechanism
H. Q. Feng, D. D. Guan, J. Y. Bai, L. Y. Jia, Y. Fang, K. Sun
Biologia plantarum 59:193-197, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0464-z
Extracellular ATP (eATP) has been considered as signalling compound to mediate several physiological processes. Here we show that eATP played a role in alleviating the salicylic acid (SA)-induced inhibition of cell viability and respiration in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Bright Yellow-2) suspension cells. Exogenous SA at higher concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, or 0.7 mM) caused a significant reduction in respiratory O2 uptake or cell viability. The addition of exogenous ATP alleviated the SA-induced reductions in cell viability and respiration, but the effect was dependent on the concentrations of either exogenous SA or...
The photosynthetic parameters of cucumber as affected by irradiances with different red:far-red ratios
T. Shibuya, R. Endo, T. Yuba, Y. Kitaya
Biologia plantarum 59:198-200, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-014-0473-y
We compared photosynthetic performance between cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) leaves acclimated to saturating irradiances with high red: far red (R:FR = 10) and normal R:FR (= 1.4) ratios. The net photosynthetic rate (PN) and stomatal conductance (gs) of the leaves acclimated to high R:FR were greater than those of the leaves acclimated to normal R:FR; the greater gs partly explains the greater PN. The greater gs of the high-R:FR-leaves probably resulted from a higher stomatal density and/or a greater size. PN of the high R:FR leaves was still greater than that of the normal R:FR...