Biologia plantarum, 2018 (vol. 62), issue 3
Reviews
Leaf senescence in response to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration and low nitrogen supply
E. Agüera, P. De la Haba
Biologia plantarum 62:401-408, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0798-z
This review reports the physiological and metabolic changes in plants during development under elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and/or limited-nitrogen supply in order to establish their effects on leaf senescence induction. Elevated CO2 concentration and nitrogen supply modify gene expression, protein content and composition, various aspects of photosynthesis, sugar metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and redox state in plants. Elevated CO2 usually causes sugar accumulation and decreased nitrogen content in plant leaves, leading to imbalanced C/N ratio in mature leaves, which is one of the main factors behind premature...
Mechanisms of heat sensing and responses in plants. It is not all about Ca2+ ions
M. Sajid, B. Rashid, Q. Ali, T. Husnain
Biologia plantarum 62:409-420, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0795-2
The climate shift has resulted in frequent heat waves, which cause damaging effects on plant growth and development at different life stages. All cellular processes in plants are highly sensitive to a high temperature. The plasma membrane heat receptors usually sense temperature variations directly or via a change in membrane fluidity. The accumulation of damaged proteins and reactive oxygen species also aid in heat perception. Calcium ions and heat sensors transfer signals to transcription factors through a series of signaling cascades. The heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) effectively regulate expression of heat induced genes. The members...
The functions of plant cation/proton antiporters
W. Dong, D.-L. Li, N.-W. Qiu, Y.-G. Song
Biologia plantarum 62:421-427, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0790-7
The cation/H+ exchange is a basic process in transmembrane transport. The acquisition of genome sequences has now established that plants possess genes encoding a large number of cation/proton antiporter 1 (CPA1) proteins, few of which have been characterized with respect to their contribution to ion homeostasis. The CPA1s comprise plasma membrane, vacuolar, and endosomal forms, and they have been identified as important for a salinity tolerance. They are, however, also involved in both the control of cellular pH and K+ homeostasis, and regulate processes over a wide range of physiological events, from vesicle trafficking to development...
Original Papers
Gene expression analysis reveals function of TERF1 in plastid-nucleus retrograde signaling under drought stress conditions
W. Wu, L.-L. Liu, T. Yang, J.-H. Wang, J.-Y. Wang, P. Lv, Y.-C. Yan
Biologia plantarum 62:428-438, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0771-x
Ethylene response factor (ERF) is a key transcription factor of plant ethylene signaling pathway, which plays an important role in plant response to abiotic and biotic stresses by regulating the expression of downstream genes. However, little is known about the mechanisms of the regulation of gene expression by ERF proteins. Chloroplast is an essential organelle that is important for photosynthesis and biosynthesis of many essential metabolites. There exists an interaction between chloroplasts and the nucleus. Chloroplasts can send multiple kinds of signals to regulate the nuclear gene expression known as retrograde signaling. In our study, we have...
Somatic embryogenesis from stem thin cell layers of Dendrobium aqueum
S. Parthibhan, M. Venkateswara Rao, J. A. Teixeira da Silva, T. Senthil Kumar
Biologia plantarum 62:439-450, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0769-4
An efficient in vitro regeneration protocol through somatic embryogenesis was established from stem transverse thin cell layers (tTCLs) of Dendrobium aqueum Lindley, an imperiled orchid. This study outlines the induction and successive maturation stages of D. aqueum somatic embryos (SEs). The tTCLs (~ 0.5 mm thick) cultured on halfstrength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing cytokinins and auxins, either individually or in combination, produced embryogenic callus (EC). Treatment with 0.5 mg dm-3 zeatin induced EC in 41.42 % of tTCLs. As many as 42.66 globular SEs per tTCL were formed in the presence of 1.5 mg...
Characterization and expression analysis of circadian clock genes in the diploid woodland strawberry Fragaria vesca
X. D. Chen, J. Wang, M. Z. Zhao, F. Zhao
Biologia plantarum 62:451-461, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0793-4
Strawberry is an economically important fruit crop worldwide. Circadian clock genes are endogenous timers that regulate a wide range of metabolic processes and consequently plant development. However, little is known about the circadian clock genes in strawberry. In the present work, we identified 12 primary circadian clock genes from the diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) genome. Phylogenetic, conserved motif, and gene structure analyses revealed the evolutionary relationships of strawberry circadian clock genes with homologous genes from other species. Promoter analysis revealed different regulatory elements responding to abiotic...
Heterologous expression of a novel Poa pratensis gibberellin 2-oxidase gene, PpGA2ox, caused dwarfism, late flowering, and increased chlorophyll accumulation in Arabidopsis
P.-H Tan, L. Zhang, S.-X. Yin, K. Teng
Biologia plantarum 62:462-470, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0788-1
Gibberellin 2-oxidases (GA2oxs) irreversibly convert bioactive gibberellins (GAs) and their immediate precursors into inactive GAs via 2-β hydroxylation and so regulate gibberellin content in plants. However, to the best of our knowledge, little has been known about the GA2oxs and its function in cool season turfgrass Poa pratensis. In this study, rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) was employed to isolate PpGA2ox from P. pratensis. The open reading frame of PpGA2ox was 1 047 bp in length, corresponding to 348 amino acids. PpGA2ox was localized in both nucleus and cytoplasm. The expression of PpGA2ox...
Comparative analysis of DNA methylation changes in two contrasting wheat genotypes under water deficit
A. Kaur, A. Grewal, P. Sharma
Biologia plantarum 62:471-478, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0786-3
DNA methylation is one of the epigenetic mechanisms regulating gene expression in plants in response to environmental conditions. In this study, analysis of methylation patterns was carried out in order to assess the effect of water stress in two contrasting wheat genotypes using methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP). The results revealed that demethylation was higher in drought-tolerant genotype (C306) as compared to drought-sensitive genotype (HUW468) after experiencing drought stress. Comparisons of different MSAP patterns showed a high percentage of polymorphic bands between tolerant and susceptible wheat genotypes (from 74.79 % at...
Overexpression of transcription factor SlNAC35 enhances the chilling tolerance of transgenic tomato
G.-D. Wang, Q. Liu, X.-T. Shang, C. Chen, N. Xu, J. Guan, Q.-W. Meng
Biologia plantarum 62:479-488, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0770-y
The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factor family participates in responses to various kinds of environmental stimuli in plants. However, the roles of NAC protein in cold resistance, especially in the cold resistance of tomatoes, are not completely understood. This study examined the roles of a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) NAC transcription factor (SlNAC35) in resisting chilling using transgenic tomatoes. GUS staining and expression analysis revealed that SlNAC35 expression was induced at 4 °C, thereby suggesting its involvement in plant responses to chilling stress. Moreover, transgenic lines over-expressing SlNAC35...
Physiological adaptation and gene expression analysis of Casuarina equisetifolia under salt stress
C. Fan, Z. Qiu, B. Zeng, X. Li, S. H. Xu
Biologia plantarum 62:489-500, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0799-y
Casuarina equisetifolia is widely planted in coastal areas of tropical and subtropical regions as windbreaks or to stabilize dunes against wind erosion due to its high salt tolerance and nitrogen-fixing ability. To investigate the mechanisms responsible for its salt tolerance, we examined growth, mineral composition, expression of genes for sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) transport proteins, and antioxidant responses under NaCl treatments. Increasing NaCl concentrations inhibited lateral root elongation and decreased plant height, length of internodes, and numbers of branches and twigs. The Na+ content significantly...
Overexpression of glycine-rich RNA-binding protein in tomato renders fruits with higher protein content after cold storage
G. M. Ruggieri, A. Triassi, C. E. Alvarez, A. Gola, J. Wiggenhauser, C. O. Budde, M. V. Lara, M. F. Drincovich, G. L. Müller
Biologia plantarum 62:501-510, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0794-3
Glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins (GR-RBPs) are involved in RNA processing and also some of them are output signals of the circadian clock. In tomato, one GR-RBP gene family (LeGRP1) is composed by three highly homologous genes (LeGRP1a-c); each one rendering three transcriptional products: the un-spliced pre-RNA (preLegrp1a-c), the mature mRNA (mLegrp1a-c) and the alternatively spliced mRNA (asLegrp1a-c). To get insight into their regulation and impact on RNA metabolism in fruits, Solanum lycopersicum cv. Micro-Tom was transformed with preLeGRP1a fused to the polygalacturonase promoter, which drives...
Expression of rice OsMyb4 transcription factor improves tolerance to copper or zinc in canola plants
G. N. Raldugina, M. Maree, M. Mattana, G. Shumkova, S. Mapelli, V. P. Kholodova, I. V. Karpichev, V. V. Kuznetsov
Biologia plantarum 62:511-520, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0800-9
The effects of copper and zinc salts on transgenic canola plants expressing rice transcription factor (TF) OsMYB4 were investigated. Transgenic plants (TPs), which showed a high OsMyb4 expression in response to either Cu or to Zn excess, were used for the current study. In leaves of TPs, the content of Cu was equal and the content of Zn was significantly higher than in non-transformed plants (NTPs). The TPs grown on an extremely high concentration of heavy metals (HMs; 150 μМ CuSO4 or 5 000 μМ ZnSO4) were able to survive for more than 15 d, while NTPs died after 7 - 9 d of incubation. This indicates that...
Identification and expression pattern analysis of the glucosinolate biosynthetic gene BoCYP83B1 from broccoli
R. Xu, W. W. Kong, Y. F. Peng, K. X. Zhang, R. Li, J. Li
Biologia plantarum 62:521-533, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0797-0
Glucosinolates are a branch of amino acid-derived metabolites, which are specifically found in Brassicales. In Arabidopsis, tryptophan derived indolic glucosinolates are required for plant defense against a wide range of pathogens and herbivores due to their strong antimicrobial activity and potential signaling function. An important enzyme in indolic glucosinolate biosynthesis pathway is CYP83B1, which oxidizes indole-3-acetaldoxime, a precursor of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). In this study, we reported isolation and expression characterization of a CYP83B1 gene from Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck,...
Ferulic acid pretreatment alleviates heat stress in blueberry seedlings by inducing antioxidant enzymes, proline, and soluble sugars
Z.-Y. Cheng, L. Sun, X.-J. Wang, R. Sun, Y.-Q. An, B.-L. An, M.-X. Zhu, C.-F. Zhao, J.-G. Bai
Biologia plantarum 62:534-542, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0772-9
Heat causes stress in blueberry; therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether exogenous ferulic acid (FA) might protect plants against heat stress and to analyze possible mechanisms underlying such protection. Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) seedlings were pretreated with 0.6 mM FA for 1 d and then kept at normal (25/20 °C) or elevated (39/30 °C) temperatures for 3 d. One day of FA pretreatment increased transcriptions of genes encoding iron superoxide dismutase, cytoplasmic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase and elevated content of proline and soluble sugars in...
The crucial role of roots in increased cadmium-tolerance and Cd-accumulation in the pea mutant SGECdt
A. A. Belimov, N. V. Malkov, J. V. Puhalsky, V. E. Tsyganov, K. B. Bodyagina, V. I. Safronova, K.-J. Dietz, I. A. Tikhonovich
Biologia plantarum 62:543-550, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0789-0
Elucidation of mechanisms underlying plant tolerance to cadmium, a widespread toxic soil pollutant, and accumulation of Cd in plants are urgent tasks. For this purposes, the pea (Pisum sativum L.) mutant SGECdt (obtained by treatment of the laboratory pea line SGE with ethylmethane sulfonate) was reciprocally grafted with the parental line SGE, and four scion/rootstock combinations were obtained: SGE/SGE, SGECdt/SGECdt, SGE/SGECdt, and SGECdt/SGE. They were grown in hydroponics in the presence of 1 μM CdCl2...
Regulation of rice responses to submergence by WRKY transcription factors
V. E. Viana, N. Marini, C. Busanello, C. Pegoraro, J. A. Fernando, L. C. Da Maia, A. Costa de Oliveira
Biologia plantarum 62:551-560, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0806-3
Responses of rice to submergence have been extensively studied, but the molecular network behind the tolerance to this stress is still incomplete. Transcription factors (TFs) are important players in gene transcription regulation during stresses. Here, we analyzed expression of WRKY genes and morphological and anatomical changes in different rice cultivars under submergence. When they were submerged for 48 h, changes in root number, fresh and dry masses, and aerenchyma development were observed. Although accumulations of WRKY transcripts were observed in both shoots and roots, root tissues showed higher accumulation with a peak already...
Aerenchyma development in different root zones of maize genotypes under water limitation and different phosphorus nutrition
A. S. Díaz, G. M. Aguiar, M. P. Pereira, E. Mauro de Castro, P. C. Magalhães, F. J. Pereira
Biologia plantarum 62:561-568, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0773-8
Root cortical aerenchyma (RCA) is suggested to reduce metabolic cost for root growth, but it might lower water uptake by plants. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of drought and phosphorus on the RCA development along the root axis and to elucidate its role in water stress tolerance of two maize genotypes. Plants of drought-tolerant DKB390 and drought-sensitive BRS1010 genotypes were grown in Vermiculite at field capacity of 100, 75, 50, and 25 % and supplied with 0.1, 0.4, and 0.8 mM phosphorus. Growth parameters, RCA, and plant P content were evaluated for all plants. Higher RCA development was observed in DKB390 than...
Expression and characteristics of rice xylanase inhibitor OsXIP, a member of a new class of antifungal proteins
R.-J. Sun, Y. Xu, C.-X. Hou, Y.-H. Zhan, M.-Q. Liu, X.-Y. Weng
Biologia plantarum 62:569-578, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0787-2
It has been hypothesized that xylanase inhibitors play important roles in plant defense against microbial pathogens. Currently, there is little information available about xylanase inhibitor OsXIP in rice and its gene expression. We cloned a xylanase inhibitor gene OsXIP from rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare) genomic DNA. To determine the function of OsXIP, we generated OsXIP-overexpressing transgenic rice plants. The transgenic plants had significantly higher OsXIP expression and showed enhanced defense response to Magnaporthe oryzae compared to the wild-type plants. The results also showed that the increased...
Nitrogen metabolism-related enzymes in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum after Botrytis cinerea infection
E. Gajewska, E. Surówka, A. Kornas, E. Kuźniak
Biologia plantarum 62:579-587, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0791-6
We compared C3 and CAM (crassulacean acid metabolism) states in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, a facultative CAM species, with respect to the involvement of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and nitrogen metabolismrelated enzymes in plant response to Botrytis cinerea infection. The enzyme activities were monitored both in pathogeninoculated 2nd leaf pair and non-inoculated 3rd leaf pair. The control activities of most studied enzymes were dependent on the mode of photosynthesis. Compared to C3 plants, those performing CAM exhibited higher PEPC, nitrate reductase (NR), and deaminating glutamate...
Brief Communications
Differences in responses of moderately salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive tree species to heterogeneous salinity
X. H. Feng, P. An, K. Guo, X. G. Li, X. J. Liu
Biologia plantarum 62:589-594, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0768-5
Growth responses of the moderately salt-tolerant velvet ash (Fraxinus velutina) and salt-sensitive poplar (Populus × euramericana) were investigated under heterogeneous root zone salinity. The salinity treatments imposed on the two root zones (lower-higher) were 137-137 (uniform), 103-171, 68-205, 34-239, and 0-273 mM NaCl for velvet ash, and 51-51 (uniform), 34-68, 17-85, and 0-103 mM NaCl for poplar. The leaf gas exchange of the plants was measured one month after these treatments were implemented, and the plants were sampled 75 d after treatment to measure other physiological parameters. Net photosynthetic rate, transpiration...
Comparison of sucrose metabolism in wheat seedlings during drought stress and subsequent recovery
F. Nemati, F. Ghanati, H. Ahmadi Gavlighi, M. Sharifi
Biologia plantarum 62:595-599, 2018 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-018-0792-5
Sucrose is a dominant sugar transported to the sink organs of a plant where it is metabolized to other compounds or stored. Here, the importance of sucrose metabolism in a drought-tolerant wheat cultivar was compared to a drought-sensitive one. The 4-d-old Triticum aestivum L. seedlings were exposed to drought induced by water cessation for 7 d and recovery after re-watering for further 7 d. Under control conditions, constitutive expression of genes encoding vacuolar invertase (VI) and sucrose synthase (SuS) and activity of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) were significantly higher in the tolerant cultivar than in the sensitive...