Dissecting the transcriptional networks underlying the gibberellin response in Nicotiana tabacum

R. Manoharlal, G. V. S. Saiprasad, A. Thambrahalli, K. Madhavakrishna

Biologia plantarum 62:647-662, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0809-0

The present work examines global transcriptional and limited metabolic profiling to dissect the signalling pathways associated with gibberellin A₃ (GA₃) induced alterations in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) under field conditions. Our microarray analysis revealed that GA3 foliar application elicited 7 032 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 3 507 and 3 525 genes displaying up- and down-regulation, respectively. These DEGs broadly belong to diverse metabolic pathways: GA signalling and homeostasis, ethylene and auxin biosyntheses, saccharide metabolism, glycolysistricarboxylic acid cycle, terpenoid biosynthesis, shikimate-phenylpropanoid...

Abscisic acid biosynthesis under water stress: anomalous behavior of the 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase1 (NCED1) gene in rice

S. S. Changan, K. Ali, V. Kumar, N. K. Garg, A. Tyagi

Biologia plantarum 62:663-670, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0807-2

The gene NCED1 encodes 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, which catalyzes oxidative cleavage of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoids neoxanthin and violaxanthin to xanthoxin, a key step in the biosynthesis of abscisic acid in higher plants. In the present study, the complete NCED1 of 1 917 bp was cloned and characterized from rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. N22) as no earlier reports were available for its characterization from indica cultivar. The NCED1 had no intron and encoded a protein of 639 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 68.62 kD and pI of 6.07. The aliphatic index and grand average of hydropathicity...

Transcriptomic analyses reveal genotype- and organ-specific molecular responses to cold stress in Elymus nutans

J.-J. Fu, J. C. Geng, Y.-J. Miao, Y.-M. Xu, T.-M. Hu, P.-Z. Yang

Biologia plantarum 62:671-683, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0812-5

Elymus nutans is an important alpine perennial forage of the Pooideae subfamily, that can survive subzero temperatures. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance in E. nutans, we performed the transcriptional analysis by RNA-Seq in two genotypes, the tolerant Damxung (DX) and the sensitive Gannan (GN), under cold stress. The new E. nutans transcriptomes comprised 200 520/200 836 and 181 331/211 973 transcripts in leaves/crowns of DX and GN, respectively. More cold-stress-related genes were identified in leaves than in crowns of both genotypes throughout the whole cold stress. The most prominent functional...

Comprehensive isolation and expression analysis of the flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes in Tricyrtis spp.

M. Otani, Y. Kanemaki, F. Oba, M. Shibuya, Y. Funayama, M. Nakano

Biologia plantarum 62:684-692, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0802-7

Tricyrtis spp., which belong to the family Liliaceae, produce unique flowers, whose tepals have many reddish-purple spots. Although elucidation of a molecular mechanism of tepal spot formation and molecular breeding for flower colour alteration are desired for Tricyrtis spp., only one flavonoid biosynthesis-related gene, TrCHS encoding chalcone synthase (CHS), has been isolated so far. In the present study, comprehensive isolation and expression analysis of the other flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes were carried out in Tricyrtis sp. Six genes (TrCHI, TrF3H, TrF3'H, TrFLS, TrDFR, and TrANS) encoding...

Genome-wide identification and organization of seed storage protein genes of Cannabis sativa

E. Ponzoni, I. M. Brambilla, I. Galasso

Biologia plantarum 62:693-702, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0810-7

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seeds have been recognized as a nutritional protein source for humans and animals. In this study, gene families encoding precursor polypeptides of three storage protein classes, including six 11S edestin, two 2S albumin and one 7S vicilin-like genes were identified and characterized from an inbred line of hemp. All edestins showed typical 11S globulin features but based on the amino acid composition, they were grouped in three edestin types (type1, -2 and -3). Genes encoding edestin type1 and -3, were very close to each other in a DNA fragment of 16 071 bp, whereas the two isoforms of edestin type2 were linked on a...

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in TaER genes and their association with carbon isotope discrimination in wheat genotypes under drought

T. A. Yasir, H. Ali, A. Wasaya, H. M. Aatif, M. Hussain, M. Farooq, A. W. Baloch, Y. G. Hu

Biologia plantarum 62:703-710, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0818-z

Candidate gene association studies implicate the detection of contributing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) for the target traits and have been recommended as a promising technique to anatomize the complex characters in plants. ERECTA gene in plants controls different physiological functions. In this study, we identified SNPs in 1.1 kb partial sequences of TaER-1 and TaER-2 of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Thirty-nine SNPs were identified in the coding regions of TaER-1 gene in 33 wheat genotypes, of which 20 SNPs caused non-synonymous mutations while 19 SNPs produced synonymous mutations; while 31 SNPs were located...

Phylogenetic and transcriptional analysis of chrysanthemum GRAS transcription factors

T. W. Gao, W. W. Zhang, A. P. Song, C. An, J. J. Xin, J. F. Jiang, Z. Y. Guan, F. D. Chen, S. M. Chen

Biologia plantarum 62:711-720, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0816-1

The GRAS transcription factors encoding proteins ranging from 400 to 700 residues are recognized by their conserved C terminus. Here, a set of 23 CmGRAS genes was identified from a scan of the chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) transcriptome. A phylogenetic analysis implied that nine of these genes could be assigned orthologs to the GRAS gene family, and that four of them formed two pairs of paralogs. A phylogenetic analysis of the GRAS protein family based on the chrysanthemum and recent study of eight representative species of angiosperms showed that most of the CmGRAS genes belonged to a recognized sub-group. CmGRAS4...

Mapping QTLs for chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence in wheat under heat stress

N. Bhusal, P. Sharma, S. Sareen, A. K. Sarial

Biologia plantarum 62:721-731, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0811-6

Heat stress, one of the major abiotic stresses in wheat, affects chlorophyll fluorescence and chlorophyll content and thereby photosynthesis. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with these traits under terminal heat stress, 251 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross HD 2808/HUW510 were phenotyped. Using composite interval mapping, 40 QTLs were identified; 17 were related to conditions after timely sowing and 23 to heat stress after late sowing. The various parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence were associated with 23 QTLs, which were located on chromosomes 1A, 2A, 3A, and 2D and explained 3.67 to 18.04 % of phenotypic...

OsNOX3, encoding a NADPH oxidase, regulates root hair initiation and elongation in rice

S. S. Wang, X. N. Zhu, J. X. Lin, W. J. Zheng, B. T. Zhang, J. Q. Zhou, J. Ni, Z. C. Pan, S. H. Zhu, W. N. Ding

Biologia plantarum 62:732-740, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0814-3

Root hairs play important roles in plant nutrient and water acquisition. To better understand the genetic mechanism controlling root hair development in rice (Oryza sativa L.), a rice mutant with root hair defects was isolated and characterized. Cryo-scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the density and length of root hairs in the mutant were significantly reduced compared to wild type (WT). Map-based cloning and complementation test revealed that the mutation occurred in a NADPH oxidase gene OsNOX3 (LOC_Os01g61880). The OsNOX3 displays high sequence similarity with the previously characterized NOX genes RTH5...

Transcriptional profiling of wheat and wheat-rye addition lines to identify candidate genes for aluminum tolerance

N. Salvador-Moreno, P. R. Ryan, I. Holguín, E. Delhaize, C. Benito, F. J. Gallego

Biologia plantarum 62:741-749, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0804-5

A large-scale expression profiling study was performed to investigate candidate genes associated with the two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for aluminum (Al) tolerance (Alt1 and Alt2). They have been identified in rye and localized on chromosomes 6R and 3R, respectively. Materials employed were hexaploid wheat (cv. Chinese Spring), and two wheat-rye addition lines (3R-AL and 6R-AL). Seedlings were treated with and without Al for 24 h to examine genes up-regulated or down-regulated by Al. Measurements of root growth at different Al concentrations showed the Al tolerance was higher in 3R-AL than in 6R-AL and wheat. Initial transcriptomic results revealed...

Apoplastic hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion exhibited different regulatory functions in salt-induced oxidative stress in wheat leaves

Q. Li, L. R. Lv, Y. J. Teng, L. B. Si, T. Ma, Y. L. Yang

Biologia plantarum 62:750-762, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0808-1

The present work aimed to investigate the mechanisms of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generations and to explore their roles in the regulation of antioxidative responses in the wheat leaves under salinity. Except for an insignificant change of NO content and nitrate reductase (NR) activity due to 50 mM NaCl, NO, hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion (O₂^*- ), hydroxyl radical (^*OH), chlorophyll and malondialdehyde content, as well as activities of nitric oxide synthase, NR, peroxidases (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase rose in response to different NaCl concentrations. Meanwhile, leaf...

In vitro regeneration for two Populus hybrid clones. The role of pectin domains in cell processes underlying shoot organogenesis induction

P. García-Angulo, I. Villar, L. Giner-Robles, M. L. Centeno

Biologia plantarum 62:762-774, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0819-y

An efficient plant regeneration protocol has been established for two commercial Populus hybrid clones, MC (Populus × euramericana) and UNAL (Populus × interamericana). The culture of internode segments on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 0.5 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 4 μM N⁶-benzyladenine for 7 weeks (2 weeks in absence of activated charcoal and 5 weeks in its presence) resulted in the highest frequency of shoot regeneration (100 % for MC and 82 % for UNAL). All regenerated shoots longer than 2 cm rooted on half-strength MS medium, independent of the addition of 0.1 μM NAA. Nevertheless,...

Salt oversensitivity derived from mutation breeding improves salinity tolerance in barley via ion homeostasis

S. Yousefirad, H. Soltanloo, S.S. Ramezanpour, K. Zaynalinezhad, V. Shariati

Biologia plantarum 62:775-785, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0823-2

Molecular cloning and characterization of a PR-5 like protein gene from Brassica campestris ssp. chinensis

C. Liu, H. L. Liu, Y. Wang, D. Hu, D. Xiao, C. W. Zhang, X. L. Hou, Y. Li

Biologia plantarum 62:786-792, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0820-5

Downy mildew caused by Hyaloperonospora parasitica is a serious fungal disease in non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis Makino). Pathogenesis-related 5 (PR-5) genes play an important role in plant resistance to disease invasion. In this study, a gene encoding pathogenesis-related 5-like (PR-5L) protein, named BcPR-5L, was successfully cloned from non-heading Chinese cabbage. The cDNA sequence of BcPR-5L is 747 bp in length. It encoded a protein of molecular mass of 25.78 kDa, an isoelectric point of 4.42, and containing 248 amino acids. Multiple sequence alignment indicated that BcPR-5L...

Effects of 6-benzylaminopurine on photosystem II functionality and leaf anatomy of in vitro cultivated Aechmea blanchetiana

J.P.R. Martins, E.R. Santos, L.C.A. Rodrigues, A.B.P.L. Gontijo, A.R. Falqueto

Biologia plantarum 62:792-800, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0822-3

Effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the growth, photosynthetic traits, and antioxidative enzymes in tomato plants

X. P. Wang, Q. Q. Li, Z. M. Pei, S. C. Wang

Biologia plantarum 62:801-808, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0813-4

With the dramatic increase in nanotechnologies, it has become probable that biological systems will be exposed to excess of nanoparticles (NPs). However, the impact of NPs on plants, remains to be explored. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of ZnO NPs on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants. Plant growth, photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and activities of antioxidative enzymes were measured in 35-d-old plants. The ZnO NP treatments significantly inhibited tomato root and shoot growth, decreased the content of chlorophylls a and b, and reduced photosynthetic efficiency and some other...

Sulfur dioxide acts as an antioxidant and delays programmed cell death in wheat aleurone layers upstream of H₂S and NO signaling pathways

K.-K. Sun, D.-B. Zhu, G.-F. Yao, K.-D. Hu, H. Zhang

Biologia plantarum 62:809-816, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0796-1

Sulfur dioxide is a widespread air pollutant and it also acts as a signaling molecule in various processes in mammals. However, the role of SO₂ in programmed cell death (PCD) in plants is unclear. Here we studied the role of SO₂ in gibberellin (GA)-treated wheat aleurone layers. The results showed that 100 μM SO₂ donor (NaHSO₃/Na₂SO₃) could effectively delay PCD and inhibit the coalescence of small protein storage vacuoles (PSVs) in aleurone cells treated with GA. Also, SO₂ could reduce the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion in GA-treated aleurone layers....

Photochemical reflectance index and solar-induced fluorescence for assessing cotton photosynthesis under water-deficit stress

Y. J. Zhang, M. Y. Hou, H. Y. Xue, L. T. Liu, H. C. Sun, C. D. Li, X. J. Dong

Biologia plantarum 62:817-825, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0821-4

Rapid and non-destructive assessment of water status is essential to enhance crop performance. This study aimed to evaluate photosynthetic performance and to monitor water status in cotton under field conditions. A two-year experiment was conducted with three irrigation regimes to measure the following parameters: photochemical reflectance index (PRI), structural independent pigment index (SIPI), water index (WI), solar-induced fluorescence (SIF; retrieved from reflectance by using Fraunhofer line-depth method), gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence (CF). The results showed that PRI decreased > 30 % in moderate drought (MD) and >50 % in...

Efficient virus-induced gene silencing in Brassica rapa using a turnip yellow mosaic virus vector

J. Yu, X.-D. Yang, Q. Wang, L.-W. Gao, Y. Yang, D. Xiao, T.-K. Liu, Y. Li, X.-L. Hou, C.-W. Zhang

Biologia plantarum 62:826-834, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0803-6

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a post-transcriptional gene silencing method used for unraveling gene functions. As an attractive alternative to mutant collections or stable transgenic plants, it has been widely used in reverse-genetics studies owing to its ease use and quick turnaround time. Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV) has the ability to induce VIGS in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the conventional vector construction is difficult and the efficiencies of the infection methods are low. Here, we improved the vector construction and viral infection methods, inserted an inverted-repeat fragment of the phytoene desaturase gene into...

Physiological and molecular mechanisms of brassinosteroid-induced tolerance to high and low temperature in plants

I. Sadura, A. Janeczko

Biologia plantarum 62:601-616, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0805-4

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are plant hormones that were isolated for the first time in the 1970s. This group currently includes more than 70 compounds that differ in their structure and physiological activity. BRs are present in plants in a free form or in the form of conjugates. BRs are known as plant growth regulators, but they also play a role in the plant response to environmental stresses. In the case of plants that are exposed to low/high temperature, exogenous BRs can counteract growth inhibition and reduce biomass losses as well as increase plant survival. BRs show a multidirectional activity in regulating the metabolism of plants exposed to extreme...

The role of plant cation/proton antiporter gene family in salt tolerance

Q. Jia, C. Zheng, S. Sun, H. Amjad, K. Liang, W. Lin

Biologia plantarum 62:617-629, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0801-8

Salinity is one of the major abiotic constraints to agriculture. The physiological and molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance have been studied in plants for many years. The regulation of osmosis and ion homeostasis is crucial. A lot of important components involved in plant responses to salt stress have been identified. Among them, ion transporters and channels take an essential role in ion homeostasis, mainly for Na⁺, Cl^-, and K⁺. Until now, many cation antiporters important for salt tolerance in plants have been characterized. Among them, the monovalent cation/proton antiporters (CPA) family is one of the most important...

Adaptive mechanisms of medicinal plants along altitude gradient: contribution of proteomics

R. Kumar, M. Kumari

Biologia plantarum 62:630-640, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0817-0

Medicinal plants are a rich source of secondary metabolites, extensively used in traditional health care systems. High altitude biodiversity encompasses the diversified and valuable medicinal plant species. The extreme environmental conditions of high altitude region viz. fluctuating temperatures, high UV radiation, salinity, low oxygen concentration, and high wind velocity limits the plant growth and distribution. Yet, how medicinal plants respond to these extreme conditions is not sufficiently understood. Therefore, addressing plant acclimation to different stresses presents an opportunity to unravel adaptive mechanism of medicinal plants...

Transcriptional regulation of salinity stress: role and spatio-temporal expressions of ion-transporter gene promoters

P. K. Agarwal, A. Dave, P. Agarwal

Biologia plantarum 62:641-646, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0815-2

Ion transporters play an important role in ion homeostasis and control ion flow from its intrusion to exclusion in the entire plant system. Abiotic stress tolerance in plants depends immensely on the activity of these transporters. The transporter proteins are transcriptionally regulated by cis-elements present in their upstream region for specific activity. The presence of different cis-elements facilitates cross-talk between different signal transduction pathways. Depending on the cis-elements, a specific stress signalling pathway is activated, eliciting a physiological change towards maintaining ion homeostasis to alleviate...

Alternative splicing at the o2Italian locus in maize: one mutation, two proteins

I. Mascheretti, A. Grasso, A. Viotti, M. Lauria

Biologia plantarum 62:835-839, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0824-1