Biologia plantarum, 2015 (vol. 59), issue 3
Reviews
Translation initiation in plants: roles and implications beyond protein synthesis
S. Dutt, J. Parkash, R. Mehra, N. Sharma, B. Singh, P. Raigond, A. Joshi, S. Chopra, B. P. Singh
Biologia plantarum 59:401-412, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0517-y
Protein synthesis is a ubiquitous and essential process in all organisms, including plants. It is primarily regulated at translation initiation stage which is mediated through a number of translation initiation factors (eIFs). It is now becoming more apparent that in addition to synthesis of proteins, eIFs also regulate various aspects of plant development and their interaction with environment. Translation initiation factors, such as eIF3, eIF4A, eIF4E, eIF4G, and eIF5A affect different processes during vegetative and reproductive growth like embryogenesis, xylogenesis, flowering, sporogenesis, pollen germination, etc. On the contrary, eIF1A,...
Embracing new-generation 'omics' tools to improve drought tolerance in cereal and food-legume crops
B. Singh, A. Bohra, S. Mishra, R. Joshi, S. Pandey
Biologia plantarum 59:413-428, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0515-0
Drought stress presents a considerable threat to the global crop production. As a dominant source of vegetarian diet, cereals and grain-legumes remain crucial to meeting the growing dietary demands worldwide. Therefore, breeding cultivars of these staple crops with enhanced drought tolerance stands to be one of the most sustainable solutions to enhance food production in changing climate. Given the context, a more focused survey of environment-defined germplasm sets is imperative to comprehend such adaptive traits. In parallel, uncovering the genetic architecture and the molecular networks that collectively contribute towards drought tolerance is urgently...
Original Papers
Overexpression of LeMYB1 enhances shikonin formation by up-regulating key shikonin biosynthesis-related genes in Lithospermum erythrorhizon
H. Zhao, Q. S. Chang, D. X. Zhang, R. J. Fang, H. Zhao, F. Y. Wu, X. M. Wang, G. H. Lu, J. L. Qi, Y. H. Yang
Biologia plantarum 59:429-435, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0512-3
We previously reported that LeMYB1 might be a crucial transcription factor in regulating shikonin formation in Lithospermum erythrorhizon. In this study, by overexpressing LeMYB1 under the control of CaMV35S promoter in L. erythrorhizon hairy roots, we further clarified the role of LeMYB1 in the shikonin formation and its regulation. The LeMYB1-overexpressing transgenic hairy roots were successfully induced by infecting seedling nodes with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain ATCC15834 that carried the pBI121-LeMYB1 vector. The LeMYB1 transcripts were significantly up-regulated in the transgenic...
Expression of stable reference genes and SPINDLY gene in response to gibberellic acid application at different stages of grapevine development
A. Upadhyay, S. Jogaiah, S. R. Maske, N. Y. Kadoo, V. S. Gupta
Biologia plantarum 59:436-444, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0521-2
Gibberellic acid (GA3) is widely used at different stages of berry development, and to understand the molecular mechanism of its action requires identification of stable reference genes. We sprayed grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Thompson Seedless with GA3 at rachis stage for rachis elongation, at flower cluster stage for flower thinning, and at 3-4 mm berry stage for berry elongation. Tissue samples were collected at different time points after GA3 application. The expression of 10 candidate reference genes was analyzed using 4 different algorithms to assess their suitability for real time-PCR data normalization....
Preparation of sub-genomic fractions enriched for particular chromosomes in polyploid wheat
J. Vrána, M. Kubaláková, J. Číhalíková, M. Valárik, J. Doležel
Biologia plantarum 59:445-455, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0522-1
Flow-sorted chromosomes have been used to simplify analyses of complex plant genomes. In bread wheat, majority of studies involve cultivar Chinese Spring, a genotype chosen for sequencing. Telosomic lines developed from this cultivar enable isolation by flow sorting chromosome arms, which represent less than 3.4 % of the genome. However, access to other wheat cultivars is needed to allow mapping and cloning useful genes. In these cultivars, cytogenetic stocks are not readily available and only one chromosome (3B) can be sorted. Remaining chromosomes form composite peaks on flow karyotypes and cannot be sorted. In order to overcome this difficulty,...
A germin-like protein gene of rice increased superoxide dismutase activity in transformed tobacco
T. Yasmin, A. Mumtaz, T. Mahmood, M. Z. Hyder, S. M. S. Naqvi
Biologia plantarum 59:456-462, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0524-z
Germin and germin-like proteins (GLPs) are a broad and diverse family of developmentally regulated proteins widely distributed in plants. Oryza sativa L. harbours a large family of GLPs and serves as a good model for their study. In the present study, a germin-like protein gene (OsRGLP1) of rice origin was characterized by its heterologous expression in tobacco. The real-time PCR established almost a uniform expression of OsRGLP1 in leaves, stem, and roots of T1 Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun. Although no morphological difference was apparent between T0 transgenic and wild-type plants, leaves of mature...
Generation of expressed sequence tags from a cDNA library of Coleus forskohlii for identification of genes involved in terpene biosynthesis
Y. Fang, J. Huang, X. Huang, S. H. Chen, P. C. Zou, W. S. Li, K. Yu, Y. W. Liu
Biologia plantarum 59:463-468, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0526-x
Coleus forskohlii (syn. Plectranthus barbatus) is a widely used medicinal plant and its main bioactive constituents are diterpenes forskolin and isoforskolin. The present study aimed to construct a cDNA library to identify expressed sequence tags related to terpene biosynthesis in C. forskohlii. We constructed a high quality normalized full-length cDNA library which reached the requirements (abundance, integrity, and library content) for isolating full-length genes. A total of 4 224 cDNA clones were sequenced and 2 394 unigenes were assembled with an average unigene size of 753 bp. A total of 2 100 (87.7 %) unigenes were functionally...
Loss-of-function mutation in SCY1 triggers chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana
D. Liu, Z. M. Wu, L. Hou
Biologia plantarum 59:469-476, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0514-1
The secretory (Sec) pathway is one of the most important systems for transporting proteins across the thylakoid membrane into the lumen. Two Arabidopsis genes encoding SecY translocon proteins, designated SCY1 and SCY2, were characterized in this study. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and histochemical staining β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity reveal that both SCY1 and SCY2 promoters were active in germinating seeds, etiolated cotyledons, and flowers, but not in roots. In particular, the expression of GUS gene driven by the SCY1 promoter was almost undetectable in green leaves, whereas GUS staining controlled...
Silencing AT3 gene reduces the expression of pAmt, BCAT, Kas, and Acl genes involved in capsaicinoid biosynthesis in chili pepper fruits
M. L. Arce-Rodríguez, N. Ochoa-Alejo
Biologia plantarum 59:477-484, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0525-y
The effects of AT3-gene silencing on the expression of genes involved in capsaicinoid biosynthesis was investigated in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cv. Tampiqueño 74 fruits. Seeds were germinated and seedlings were grown in a greenhouse until they produced fruits. Capsaicinoids (capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin) content and AT3 gene expression were determined in placenta tissue from fruits at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 days post-anthesis (DPA). Capsaicin was more abundant than dihydrocapsaicin and both exhibited a similar accumulation pattern at different developmental stages starting at 20 DPA, reaching maximum values...
Application of internal transcribed spacers and maturase K markers for identifying Anoectochilus, Ludisia, and Ludochilus
J. -R. Chen, Y. -J. Shiau
Biologia plantarum 59:485-490, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0520-3
Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions and maturase K (matK) sequence polymorphisms provide an efficient tool for discrimination and conservation of genetic resources of Anoectochilus species. The objectives of this study were to develop markers specifically distinguishing A. formosanus Hayata from closely related A. koshunensis Hayata, A. roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl., and Ludisia discolor (Ker Gawl.) A. Rich. and to identify a molecular phylogenetic relationship of a new intergeneric BC1F1 hybrid - Ludochilus Jin-Chai. Specific primers for nuclear ITS regions and chloroplast matK sequences were...
Effect of sulfate availability on root traits and microRNA395 expression in sugar beet
P. Stevanato, P. Fedito, D. Trebbi, M. Cagnin, M. Saccomani, G. Cacco
Biologia plantarum 59:491-496, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0511-4
Nutritional stress is one of the main limits to sugar beet yield. This study evaluated morphological and molecular responses of sugar beet to changes in sulfate availability. Morphological characteristics of the root system and the accumulation of microRNA395 (miR395) were examined in sulfate(S)-supplemented and S-deprived seedlings under hydroponic conditions. We also investigated the functional role of miR395 in regulating the expression of APS1 gene coding for ATP-sulfurylase in roots and leaves. The S-deprived seedlings showed a significant increase in the number of root tips, in the miR395 expression in leaves but not in roots, and in the...
Overexpression of TsApx1 from Thellungiella salsuginea improves abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana
Z. Q. Li, J. X. Li, H. J. Li, Z. H. Shi, G. F. Zhang
Biologia plantarum 59:497-506, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0533-y
The halophyte Thellungiella salsuginea is a new model plants due to its small genome size, short life cycle, and copious seed production. Although T. salsuginea shares a high sequence identity with its close relative Arabidopsis thaliana, it shows a greater tolerance to salinity, drought, freezing, heat, and cold. To elucidate the mechanism of abiotic stress resistance in T. salsuginea, we characterized its cytosolic Apx1 gene (TsApx1) and established A. thaliana transgenic lines overexpressing TsApx1. Under 300 mM NaCl, the content of H2O2, malondialdehyde, and proline were...
The relationship between red fruit colour formation and key genes of capsanthin biosynthesis pathway in Capsicum annuum
S. -L. Tian, L. Li, S. N. M. Shah, Z. -H. Gong
Biologia plantarum 59:507-513, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0529-7
Pepper (Capsicum annum L.) fruit colours vary from green, ivory, or yellow at the juvenile stage to red, orange, and yellow at the mature stage. Carotenoid accumulation causes fruit colour formation in ripe Capsicum fruits, and capsanthin is a main carotenoid in ripe red pepper fruits. In this study, pepper cultivars with red, yellow, and orange fruits were employed and four key genes named phytoene synthase (Psy), lycopene-β-cyclase (Lcyb), β-carotene hydroxylase (Crtz), and capsanthin/capsorubin synthase (Ccs) in the capsanthin biosynthetic pathway were analyzed. Results...
Structural modifications in the mesophyll associated with cryopreservation of seven Hypericum species
D. Stoyanova-Koleva, M. Stefanova, T. S. Ganeva, E. Čellárová
Biologia plantarum 59:514-520, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0528-8
The present work examined seven Hypericum species (H. perforatum, H. humifusum, H. kalmianum, H. annulatum, H. tomentosum, H. pulchrum, and H. rumeliacum) produced in vitro and regenerated after cryopreservation. The aim of the study was to assess, by means of light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the effect of freezing temperature on leaf histological organization and mesophyll chloroplast ultrastructure. Histological analysis showed a negative effect of ultralow temperatures on leaf tissue structure in H. pulchrum and a positive effect in H. perforatum....
Effects of irradiance on the photosynthetic traits, antioxidative enzymes, and growth of Cryptotaenia japonica
K. Liu, S. B. Zhou, X. Y. Wu, F. Liu, G. X. Li
Biologia plantarum 59:521-528, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0534-x
Growth, photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence parameters, and peroxidation of membrane lipids of Cryptotaenia japonica were studied under differing irradiances (15, 35, 60, and 100 % of full irradiance). At full irradiance, C. japonica exhibited a typical decline in net photosynthetic rate (PN) at midday, which was not observed in the other irradiance treatments. This indicates a possible photoinhibition for C. japonica at the high irradiance. Diurnal patterns of stomatal conductance (gs) were remarkably similar to those of PN in each irradiance treatment, and the intercellular...
Osmoregulation as a key factor in drought hardening-induced drought tolerance in Jatropha curcas
S. L. Yang, K. Chen, S. S. Wang, M. Gong
Biologia plantarum 59:529-536, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0509-y
Jatropha curcas L. is a plant with various commercial uses, and drought is an important limiting factor for its distribution and production. In this study, we investigated the role of drought hardening in an increased drought tolerance in J. curcas, and the involvement of osmoregulation and biochemical pathways in this enhanced tolerance. Results show that a drought hardening treatment with 10 % (m/v) polyethylene glycol 6000 for two days significantly increased a survival rate, decreased the content of malondialdehyde, and alleviated electrolyte leakage in the J. curcas seedlings under the drought stress. Measurements of leaf...
Effects of heat shock and salinity on barley growth and stress-related gene transcription
M. Faralli, C. Lektemur, D. Rosellini, F. Gürel
Biologia plantarum 59:537-546, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0518-x
The effects of a short (30 min) heat shock (HS) on plants subsequently grown under a salinity stress (SS, 200 mM NaCl) for 10 d were investigated in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cv. Tokak 157/37. The maximum temperature for HS allowing plant survival was 45 °C. The root length was significantly decreased by SS, whereas HS alone did not affect root growth. Interestingly, HS stimulated root elongation under SS. An osmotic adjustment was promoted in leaves by SS. On the contrary, HS increased the osmotic potential in leaves in the absence of SS, and partly counteracted the effect of SS in the HS+SS treatment. Cu/Zn-SOD, HvAPX, HvCAT2,...
Alleviation of salt-induced oxidative stress in rice seedlings by proline and/or glycinebetaine
N. Wutipraditkul, P. Wongwean, T. Buaboocha
Biologia plantarum 59:547-553, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0523-0
The effects of proline and/or glycine betaine (GB) application on growth, photosynthetic pigments, H2O2 content, and activities of antioxidant enzymes in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. KDML105) under salt stress were investigated. The H2O2 content and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) but not catalase (CAT) increased under salinity. Under 160 mM NaCl, the CAT activity was maintained on the pre-stress level in the presence of proline, whereas in the presence of GB, the GR activity increased more than without GB application. A co-application...
Europium improves the transport of quercetin through Arabidopsis thaliana
I. Šola, I. Piantanida, I. Crnolatac, G. Rusak
Biologia plantarum 59:554-559, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0508-z
The effect of a rare earth element europium (Eu) on the long-distance transport of a plant defence compound quercetin (Q) was investigated. The complex Q/Eu3+ was synthesized in a HEPES buffer and tested for its transport ability through Arabidopsis thaliana and its ability to interact with target molecules in plant cells. Our results show that complexation with Eu3+ enhanced the transport of Q through Arabidopsis roots. During the transport, the complex degraded and released a free Q to tissues where Q was originally not available. Thus, the plant became better supplied with the defensive compound Q. The obtained...
Fate of nickel and calcium in seedlings of the hyperaccumulator Berkheya coddii during germination
S. Groeber, W. Przybyłowicz, G. Echevarria, E. Montarges-Pelletier, A. Barnabas, J. Mesjasz-Przybyłowicz
Biologia plantarum 59:560-569, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0527-9
Little is known about Ni storage in seeds of hyperaccumulating plants and its possible role in the first stages of plant development. The aim of this study was to determine Ni distribution in seeds and seedlings during germination and to test its role during germination with and without an external Ni supply. Field-harvested seeds from the South African Ni-hyperaccumulator Berkheya coddii Roessler were germinated either in Ni-free deionised water or in ultramafic soil. Sections of seeds and seedlings were analyzed using micro-proton induced X-ray emission (micro-PIXE) in order to localise Ni and other elements. Results show that high amounts...
NADPH oxidase RBOHD contributes to autophagy and hypersensitive cell death during the plant defense response in Arabidopsis thaliana
H. B. Liu, X. D. Wang, Y. Y. Zhang, J. J. Dong, C. Ma, W. L. Chen
Biologia plantarum 59:570-580, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0519-9
Autophagy has been implicated as a cellular protein degradation process that is used to recycle cytoplasmic components under biotic and abiotic stresses and so restrict programmed cell death (PCD). In this study, we report a novel regulatory mechanism by which NADPH oxidase respiratory burst oxidase homolog D (RBOHD) regulated pathogen-induced autophagy and hypersensitive (HR) cell death. We found that the Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato bacteria DC3000 expressing avrRps4 (Pst-avrRps4) induction of RBOHD-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production promoted the onset of autophagy, whereas a pretreatment with...
Identification of phospholipase D genes in Brassica napus and their transcription after phytohormone treatment and pathogen infection
M. Janda, L. Ježková, M. Nováková, O. Valentová, L. Burketová, V. Šašek
Biologia plantarum 59:581-590, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0513-2
Phospholipase D (PLD) and its product phosphatidic acid are now considered to be one of the key elements of numerous physiological processes in plants including the salicylic acid signalling pathway. The presented study investigates the transcriptional regulation of Brassica napus PLDs following treatments with defense-related stimuli. We cloned eight B. napus genes encoding members of PLDβ, γ, and δ isoforms and performed phylogenetic analysis with its ancestor species Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea, and with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Transcription of the identified genes was monitored...
Brief Communications
The responses of germinating seedlings of green peas to copper oxide nanoparticles
P. M. G. Nair, I. M. Chung
Biologia plantarum 59:591-595, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0494-1
The effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) on germinating seedlings of green pea (Pisum sativum L.) were studied. The seedlings were grown in a half-strength Murashige and Skoog semisolid medium containing 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 500 mg dm-3 CuONPs for 14 d under controlled growth chamber conditions. Exposures to 100, 200, 400, and 500 mg dm-3 CuONPs significantly reduced plant growth (shoot and root lengths) and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and lipid peroxidation. Gene expression study using real-time polymerase chain reaction showed no significant change in the expression of genes coding...
Effect of salinity on polyamines and ethylene in Atriplex prostrata and Plantago coronopus
M. Bueno, Ma. L. Lendínez, C. Aparicio, Ma. P. Cordovilla
Biologia plantarum 59:596-600, 2015 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-015-0510-5
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of salinity on germination, seedling growth, free polyamines (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine), and ethylene metabolism of two species (Atriplex prostrata Bouchér and Plantago coronopus L.) with different salt sensitivities. Seeds collected from Barranco Hondo (salt marshes, Jaén, southern Spain) were germinated at 0, 50, 100, and 200 mM NaCl in a growth chamber. The germination of P. coronopus seeds decreased considerably with an increasing NaCl concentration, however, seeds of A. prostrata showed high germination percentages (84, 87, and 80 %) at 0 (control), 50,...