Biologia plantarum, 2016 (vol. 60), issue 2

Original Papers

Structural effects on Cattleya xanthina leaves cultivated in vitro and acclimatized ex vitro

A. P. Lando, M. R. Wolfart, P. C. P. Fermino Jr., M. Santos

Biologia plantarum 60:219-225, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0589-3

In vitro orchid micropropagation is efficient biotechnological strategy for conservation and commercial plantlet production. However, micropropagated plantlets generally need to adapt to survive severe changes in humidity, irradiance, and growing medium that accompany the transfer to ex vitro conditions. Such adaptive cellular changes would give insights into the phenotypic plasticity of the model plant Cattleya xanthina (L.) Van den Berg. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate structural changes in the leaves of C. xanthina cultivated in vitro and acclimatized ex vitro using qualitative and quantitative analyses....

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of SpWRKY6 gene from Solanum pimpinellifolium

Z. Liu, Y. S. Luan, J. B. Li

Biologia plantarum 60:226-234, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0582-x

Ttranscription factors WRKY play vital roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, and previous studies have predominantly focused on model plants and fairly limited research has been performed with tomato. In the present study, a novel pathogen-induced WRKY gene named SpWRKY6 was isolated from the late blight resistant tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) cultivar L3708 using in silico cloning and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods. Multiple sequence alignment with other plant WRKYs indicates that SpWRKY6 contains two WRKY domains and belongs to group I WRKY transcription factors....

Characterization and expression analysis of histone deacetylases family RPD3/HDA1 in Populus trichocarpa

X. J. Ma, C. P. Yang, D. A. Xia

Biologia plantarum 60:235-243, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0579-x

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) catalyze histone deacetylation and play an important role in suppression of gene transcription in multiple cellular processes. HDACs are widely distributed in eukaryotes, however, detailed characterrization of HDACs in woody plants is not available. In this study, the sequences of reduced potassium dependency 3/histone deacetylase 1 (RPD3/HDA1) family proteins in black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & A. Gray) were characterized and their expression patterns in response to cold and salt stresses were determined. The RPD3/HDA1 proteins had conserved HDAC domains and can be divided into three classes based...

Identification and expression of Aux/IAA, ARF, and LBD family transcription factors in Boehmeria nivea

X. Huang, Y. N. Bao, B. Wang, L. J. Liu, J. Chen, L. J. Dai, D. X. Peng

Biologia plantarum 60:244-250, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0588-4

Auxin controls numerous processes in plant development and auxin/indoleacetic acid (Aux/IAA), an auxin response factor (ARF), and a lateral organ boundaries domain (LBD) were considered as early auxin response transcription factors (TFs). Till now, no Aux/IAA, ARF, and LBD TFs were identified in ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud). In this study, we used Arabidopsis and mulberry sequences as query to search against the ramie transcriptome database and the searched sequences were analyzed for a full-length coding sequence. In total, we obtained 16 BnAux/IAA, 14 BnARF,...

Identification of microRNAs involved in chilling response of maize by high-throughput sequencing

S. P. Li, H. X. Dong, G. Yang, Y. Wu, S. Z. Su, X. H. Shan, H. K. Liu, J. Y. Han, J. B. Liu, Y. P. Yuan

Biologia plantarum 60:251-260, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0590-x

Chilling stress impedes growth, development, and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses at the post-transcriptional level. Although some miRNAs have been identified in maize, little is known about the miRNAs that accumulate differently in the response to chilling stress. In this paper, we combined Illumina sequencing with Northern blot to identify chilling-responsive miRNAs in maize. Novel miRNAs (36) were predicted and some were validated. Twenty-eight known miRNAs and 24 novel miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed under various chilling...

Characterization of promoter activity of the ethylene receptor gene OgERS1 from Oncidesa in transgenic Arabidopsis

W.-F. Huang, P.-L. Huang, Y.-Y. Do

Biologia plantarum 60:261-268, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0578-y

Physiological changes associated with senescence of flowers and abscission of floral parts in Oncidesa (formerly Oncidium) cv. Gower Ramsey are caused by a plant hormone ethylene which is produced by pollinia cap dislodgment during postharvest handling and transportation. The ethylene receptor gene OgERS1 of Oncidesa has been previously cloned and characterized. To analyze promoter activity of OgERS1, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants were generated to express the ß-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene under the control of 5'-upstream sequence of OgERS1 from Oncidesa. The expression pattern...

Characterization of S-adenosylmethionine synthetases in soybean under flooding and drought stresses

X. Wang, M. W. Oh, S. Komatsu

Biologia plantarum 60:269-278, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0586-6

Soybean is stress-sensitive crop that exhibits markedly reduced growth under flooding and drought conditions. Three S-adenosylmethionine synthetases (SAMs) proteins were identified as flooding and drought responsive proteins in soybean using a proteomic technique. To better understand the role of these SAMs proteins in soybean under flooding and drought stresses, temporal, organ, and stress specificities were examined at mRNA and enzyme activity levels. The activity of SAMs decreased in response to the flooding, however, it was not significantly changed by NaCl, cold, gibberellic acid, and calcium in soybean roots. The activity of SAMs was induced...

The B-, G- and S-genomic Chi genes in family Triticeae

O. Y. Shoeva, O. B. Dobrovolskaya, I. N. Leonova, E. A. Salina, E. K. Khlestkina

Biologia plantarum 60:279-284, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0595-5

As result of a close evolutionary relationship between Triticeae B, G, and S genomes, the exchange of genetic material between them is possible and may be beneficial for broadening the genetic diversity of cultivated bread wheat. However, the extent to which regulatory networks are conserved remains poorly researched. Here, the structural organization and transcriptional activity of the B, S, and G genome copies of a gene encoding flavonoid biosynthesis enzyme chalcone-flavanone isomerase (CHI) were explored using introgression lines which differ from the wild type by carrying a non-bread wheat Chi-1 gene. Chi-S1, Chi-G1,...

Isolation and characterization of genes encoding lipid transfer proteins in Linum usitatissimum

V. A. Mhaske, R. Datla, S. Qiu, A. M. Harsulkar

Biologia plantarum 60:285-291, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0592-8

Very little is known about lipid transfer proteins from flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). In the present work, three genes encoding a lipid transfer protein (LTP) were isolated from flax, two of which encoded Type-1 and one Type-2 LTPs with molecular masses of about 9 and 7 kDa, respectively. The analysis of deduced amino acid sequence reveals that only Type 2 of the L. usitatissimum leaf specific LTP (LuLTP_Ls) had an N terminal signal peptide consisting of 23 amino acids. The phylogenetic analyses of LuLTP_Ls suggest their closest relatedness with respective proteins from Dimocarpus longan and Vitis vinifera. The gene expression...

VvZFP11, a Cys2His2-type zinc finger transcription factor, is involved in defense responses in Vitis vinifera

Y.-H. Yu, X.-Z. Li, Z.-J. Wu, D.-X. Chen, G.-R. Li, X.-Q. Li, G.-H. Zhang

Biologia plantarum 60:292-298, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0598-2

In plants, many C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factors function in plant defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we report cloning and characterization of VvZFP11 which encoded a C2H2-type zinc finger protein (ZFP) in grapevine (Vitis vinifera). Sequence analysis shows that VvZFP11 contained one L-box, two C2H2-type zinc finger motifs and one ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif. The VvZFP11 localized to the nucleus and functional analysis shows that full-length VvZFP11 had no transcriptional activity, but VvZFP11 lacking the EAR motif had a strong transcriptional activity in yeast. In grapevine,...

Involvement of polar auxin transport in the inhibition of Arabidopsis seedling growth induced by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

J. Wang, Y. Zhang, Y. Li, X. Wang, Z. Liu, W. Nan, C. Zhao, F. Wang, J. Ma, Y. Bi

Biologia plantarum 60:299-310, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0585-7

A wide range of microorganisms found in the rhizhosphere are able to regulate plant growth and development, but little is known about the mechanism by which epiphytic microbes inhibit plant growth. Here, an epiphytic bacteria Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, named as LZMBW216, were isolated and identified from the potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Da Xi Yang) leaf surface. They could decrease primary root elongation and lateral root numbers in Arabidopsis seedlings. The inhibitory effects of LZMBW216 on plant growth were not due to a reduced indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content, as exogenously applied IAA did not recover the inhibition....

Molecular hydrogen can take part in phytohormone signal pathways in wild rice

F. Liu, J. Li, Y. Liu

Biologia plantarum 60:311-319, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0591-9

Molecular hydrogen (H₂) could be a novel signal in phytohormone signaling pathways in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we employed two wild rice species (Oryza rufipogon Griff. and O. minuta J. Presl) to test this hypothesis using hydrogen-rich water (HW). The expression differences of phytohormone and hydrogenase genes between conventional rice (Oryza sativa L,) and wild rice were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the effects of HW on gene expression of wild rice were detected during three growth stages. Expression of hydrogenase genes, synthesis genes, and receptor genes...

What can cell cycle and ultrastructure tell us about desiccation tolerance in Leucaena leucocephala germinating seeds?

J. Maia, C. C. Guimarães, E. A. A. da Silva, J. M. R. Faria

Biologia plantarum 60:320-328, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0583-9

Desiccation tolerance (DT) is the ability to tolerate dehydration to levels below 0.1 g(H₂O) g^-1(dry mass) and subsequent rehydration without lethal damage. Here, it is proposed that Leucaena leucocephala, a tree species, has potential to be model tolerant species in seed research. Using flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy, cytological changes related to loss of DT in Leucaena primary roots were followed during germination. Leucaena seeds lost their DT at the end of germination and this coincided with an increase in cellular 4C DNA content. A negative correlation between the 8C DNA content...

Role of foliar application of 24-epibrassinolide in response of peanut seedlings to iron deficiency

Y. L. Song, Y. J. Dong, X. Y. Tian, J. Kong, X. Y. Bai, L. L. Xu, Z. L. He

Biologia plantarum 60:329-342, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0596-4

Limited information is available on the role of brassinosteroids (BRs) in response of plants to nutrient deficiency. To understand the functions of BRs in response to iron deficiency, we investigated the effect of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on activities of ferric-chelate reductase (FCR), H⁺-ATPase, Ca²⁺-ATPase, nitrate reductase (NR), antioxidant enzymes, Fe and other minerals content and distribution, chlorophylls, soluble protein, free proline, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde in peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) plants subjected to Fe deficiency (10^-5 M Fe(III)-EDTA) with foliar application of EBR (0,...

The basis of pod dehiscence: anatomical traits of the dehiscence zone and expression of eight pod shatter-related genes in four species of Brassicaceae

Y. Zhang, Y. Y. Shen, X. M. Wu, J. B. Wang

Biologia plantarum 60:343-354, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0599-1

Members of the Brassicaceae family disperse their seeds through a mechanism commonly referred to as fruit dehiscence or pod shatter. Pod shatter is influenced by variations in valve margin structure and by the molecular control pathways related to valve development. Anatomical patterns of the dehiscence zone from Brassica napus L., Brassica rapa L., Brassica carinata L., and Sinapis alba L., representing fruit types differing in pod shatter resistance, were compared using histological staining. The pod shatter-susceptible plant B. napus showed an increased lignin deposition at the vascular bundle of the replum...

Anatomical, physiological, and biochemical traits involved in the UV-B radiation response in highbush blueberry

M. Reyes-Díaz, C. Meriño-Gergichevich, C. Inostroza-Blancheteau, M. Latsague, P. Acevedo, M. Alberdi

Biologia plantarum 60:355-366, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0580-4

The effects of a long-term simulated spring-summer UV-B daily course on some anatomical, physiological, and biochemical features were studied in new and old leaves of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars Legacy, Brigitta, and Bluegold. The results show that under UV-B exposure, leaf thickness increased in Bluegold due to an increased intercellular cavities. By contrast, Brigitta maintained its leaf thickness. The net photosynthetic rate was not significantly affected by the UV-B radiation in any of the cultivars; however, Brigitta presented a better photosystem II performance, since this cultivar had more efficient photochemistry under...

Differential responses of primary and lateral roots to indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid in maize seedlings

G. Márquez, M. V. Alarcón, J. Salguero

Biologia plantarum 60:367-375, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0576-0

The role of auxins on root system architecture was studied by applying indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to maize roots and analysing the main processes involved in root development: primary root (PR) elongation, lateral root (LR) formation, and LR root elongation. We found that these effects were not dependent only on concentration, but also on the type of auxin applied. We also studied temporal changes in auxin inhibition of PR elongation. These temporal changes were analysed calculating the elongation ratio between two consecutive one day periods after auxin application. It was observed that...

Crosstalk of nitric oxide with calcium induced tolerance of tall fescue leaves to high irradiance

Y. F. Xu, X. T. Chu, J. J. Fu, L. Y. Yang, T. M. Hu

Biologia plantarum 60:376-384, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0597-3

Calcium ion (Ca²⁺) is essential secondary messenger in plant signaling networks. In this study, the effect of Ca²⁺ on oxidative damage caused by a high irradiance (HI) was investigated in the leaves of two cultivars of tall fescue (Arid3 and Houndog5). Pretreatment of the tall fescue leaves with a CaCl₂ solution significantly increased Ca²⁺ content and intrinsic HI tolerance due to a decreased ion leakage and content of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, and superoxide radicals. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase increased in both the...

An exceptional irradiance-induced decrease of light trapping in two Tradescantia species: an unexpected relationship with the leaf architecture and zeaxanthin-mediated photoprotection

V. V. Ptushenko, O. S. Ptushenko, O. P. Samoilova, A. E. Solovchenko

Biologia plantarum 60:385-393, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0593-7

Leaf anatomy and irradiance-dependent leaf transmittance changes serving as irradiance acclimation mechanisms in leaves were studied in two ecologically contrasting Tradescantia species, a shade plant T. fluminensis Vell. and a sun plant T. sillamontana Matuda, grown at different irradiances. A dramatic increase in leaf thickness (2 to 4-fold) under a high growth irradiance (800 μmol m^-2 s^-1) compared with a low growth irradiance (60 μmol m^-2 s^-1), achieved mainly by expansion of the epidermis, was recorded in both species. The effect took place on the background of modest changes...

Effect of crop load on phytohormones, sugars, and biennial bearing in apple trees

G. Samuolienė, A. Čeidaitė, R. Sirtautas, P. Duchovskis, D. Kviklys

Biologia plantarum 60:394-400, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0581-3

The amount and composition of phytohormones, sugars, and some other leaf characteristics depending on a crop load were evaluated in apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Ligol grafted on P 60 rootstock) trees in order to prevent biennial bearing. The crop load was adjusted to 12 (control, unthinned), 8, 4, and 0 (non-fruiting) inflorescences (or fruits) per cm² of trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA). Inflorescences were removed in May before flowering. Phytohormones were analyzed in axillary buds and leaves in September. Results show that, in contrast to the unthinned trees, thinning to 4 fruits cm^-2(TCSA) resulted in a significant...

Reviews

Photosynthesis and antioxidative defense mechanisms in deciphering drought stress tolerance of crop plants

D. Easwar Rao, K. V. Chaitanya

Biologia plantarum 60:201-218, 2016 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0584-8

Crop plants are regularly exposed to an array of abiotic and biotic stresses, among them drought stress is a major environmental factor that shows adverse effects on plant growth and productivity. Because of this these factors are considered as hazardous for crop production. Drought stress elicits a plethora of responses in plants resulting in strict amendments in physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes. Photosynthesis is the most fundamental physiological process affected by drought due to a reduction in the CO₂ assimilation rate and disruption of primary photosynthetic reactions and pigments. Drought also expedites the generation...