Biologia plantarum, 2019 (vol. 63)
Editorial
Editorial
J. Pospisilova
Biologia Plantarum 63: i, 2019
Dear members of editorial board, referees, authors, and readers, First, I greet you at the beginning of the year 2019 and wish you a steady health, a lot of happiness, and a great success in your professional life. Simultaneously, I would like to express many thanks for all the work done and attention paid to our journal in previous years.
Reviews
Rare earth elements in plants
M. Kovaříková, I. Tomášková, P. Soudek
Biologia Plantarum 63: 20-32, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.003
Since 1960, the positive effects of rare earth elements (REE) on crop physiology have been observed, and support for photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, secondary metabolites, or enzymes has been reported in 40% of studies. A higher content of chlorophylls a and b as well as carotenoids have been found along with an increased efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry and electron transfer rates. An increased activity of a key photosynthetic enzyme was also found in several plants growing in soil with a higher content of REE. An appropriate amount of REE also activates the antioxidant activity of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase,...
Apyrases in Arabidopsis thaliana
R. Meng, L.Q. Zhu, Y.F. Yang, L.C. Zhu, Z.K. Hou, L. Jin, B.C. Wang
Biologia Plantarum 63: 38-42, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.005
Apyrases belong to the ATPase family of enzymes that hydrolyze phosphoanhydride bonds of nucleoside tri- and di-phosphates. These enzymes differ markedly from other phosphohydrolases due to their high specific activity, broad divalent cation requirement, broad nucleotide substrate specificity, and insensitivity to various inhibitors. In the past 30 years, apyrases have been frequently studied in mammals. In comparison, research of apyrases in plants has received little attention, despite the growth of plants being closely related to the apyrases. In this review, we summarize the research of the apyrases in Arabidopsis thaliana and point to the...
Fluorine: a biohazardous agent for plants and phytoremediation strategies for its removal from the environment
A. Banerjee, A. Roychoudhury
Biologia Plantarum 63: 104-112, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.013
Fluorine, one of the most abundant elements found on earth, acts as an environmental xenobiotics even at sparingly low concentrations. Uncontrolled anthropogenic activities have steeply increased the F content in the air, water, and soil. Irrigation of crops and vegetables with F contaminated groundwater or agricultural practices in contaminated soils adversely affect their physiological and biochemical parameters, leading to inhibited growth and productivity. Some plants can translocate the toxic ions from roots to shoots and accumulate them in the edible parts. Bioaccumulations of F have hazardous outcomes, as their concentrations in edible parts...
Multifunctional proline rich proteins and their role in regulating cellular proline content in plants under stress
R.S. GUJJAR, A.D. PATHAK, S.G. KARKUTE, K. SUPAIBULWATANA
Biologia Plantarum 63: 448-454, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.078
Proline rich proteins (PRPs), earlier famous as animal salivary proteins, have now been proven as indispensable plant proteins. They are highly rich in proline amino acid residues at the N-terminus whereas a characteristic eight cysteine motif is located at the C-terminus. The PRPs support a number of developmental processes from germination to plant death. Under normal environmental conditions, PRP genes express customarily in different plant parts depending on the specific function to be carried out. During abiotic stresses, PRP genes exhibit an uneven pattern of transcriptional regulation depending on the time and intensity of stress....
Recent advances and perspectives in crop biofortification
T. VLČKO, L. OHNOUTKOVÁ*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 586-593, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.056
The increasing world population and limited amount of land area appropriate for intensive agriculture necessitate high-yield cultivars. The focus is on the enrichment of existing crops deficient in nutrients, which is also called biofortification. Microelements, vitamins, and fatty acids belong to most important traits being subjected to biofortification. Biofortification strategies can be divided on fertilization-based strategy, which is characterized by direct application of nutrients or plant growth promoting substances on plants, and biotechnological strategy, which involves molecular biology techniques in order to enhance transport, production,...
Original Papers
Expression of genes encoding PIP aquaporins in tomato seeds exposed to blue radiation and mercury
J. Balarynová, M. Fellner
Biologia Plantarum 63: 1-10, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.001
Aquaporins control the specific transport of water and some other small molecules across membranes and are involved in various physiological processes. Plasma membrane aquaporins (PIPs) were shown to play an important role during tomato seed development. Therefore, we were interested in the participation of PIPs in seed germination and early seedling growth of wild type (WT) and the 7B-1 mutant, affected by blue light responses. We characterised the expression patterns of PIP-type aquaporin genes in these lines during different phases of seed germination and seedling growth after HgCl2 (an aquaporin blocker) treatment. Further,...
Mitochondrial respiration after combined action of dehydration and low temperature in pea seedlings
I.P. Generozova, P.A. Butsanets, A.G. Shugaev
Biologia Plantarum 63: 11-19, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.002
The impact of the individual and combined action of dehydration and low temperature on the respiratory activity of mitochondria isolated from epicotyls of pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedlings was investigated. These organelles were isolated immediately after the treatments and after two and three days of recovery. After the treatments, the capacity of the energy-producing cytochrome pathway (CP) of mitochondrial oxidation decreased, while the capacity of the non-phosphorylating alternative respiratory pathway (AP) catalyzed by a CN-resistant oxidase was elevated. After returning the seedlings to normal growing conditions, a gradual...
Effects of short-term arsenic exposure in Arabidopsis thaliana: tolerance versus toxicity responses
A. Pita-Barbosa, T.C.R. Williams, M.E. Loureiro
Biologia Plantarum 63: 43-53, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.006
The metalloid arsenic (As) is highly phytotoxic, in part due to the similarity of the arsenates to phosphates, but also due to its ability to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, and in the form of arsenite directly interact with certain enzymes. Here we aimed to determine the effects of a short period of As exposure on Arabidopsis thaliana. Particular focus was given to shoot responses, which have received less attention in previous studies. A. thaliana (ecotype Col-0) plants (28-d-old) were cultivated hydroponically in the presence of 0, 27, 108, and 216 µM arsenic in the form of sodium arsenate for five days. Translocation...
The homoeologous genes encoding C24-sterol methyltransferase 1 in Triticum aestivum: structural characteristics and effects of cold stress
A. Renkova, J. Valitova, H. Schaller, F. Minibayeva
Biologia Plantarum 63: 59-69, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.008
A unique structural feature of plant sterols is the presence of a 24-alkyl group in the sterol side chain, which is synthesized by C24-sterol methyltransferase (SMT). Here we report for the first time that the bread wheat genome (AABBDD) contains at least three homoeologous genes encoding C24-sterol methyltransferase 1. While these copies have similar coding regions, they differ markedly in the nucleotide sequences of their non-coding regions. Sequencing de novo of the promoter regions of the TaSMT1 homoeologs demonstrated the occurrence of common and specific stress-sensitive cis-elements such as LTR, the cis-element involved...
Involvement of proline and non-protein thiols in response to low temperature and cadmium stresses in wheat
N. Repkina, V. Talanova, A. Ignatenko, A. Titov
Biologia Plantarum 63: 70-77, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.009
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low temperature (4 °C), cadmium sulphate (100 μM), or their combination on content of free proline (Pro), glutathione (GSH), and phytochelatins (PCs) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. Results revealed an increase in proline and phytochelatins accumulation in leaves of wheat seedlings along with enhanced cold tolerance at the low temperature, CdSO4, and their combination. Moreover, there were increases in mRNA content of TaP5CS and TaPCS1 genes, encoding ∆1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase (P5CS) and phytochelatin synthases (PCS), respectively. A rapid increase...
Identification and validation of organ-preferential genes and analysis of corresponding upstream tissue-specific promoters in wheat
P.P. Su, X. Jin, T. Sun, L. Chen, F. Shi, K.X. Li, J.L. Chang, G.X. Yang, G.Y. He
Biologia Plantarum 63: 78-88, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.010
Tissue/organ-specific promoters are important tools in genetic engineering and crop molecular breeding. They are well characterized in dicots, such as Arabidopsis, tobacco, and tomato, but not sufficiently in monocots, especially in wheat. In this study, the genes specifically expressed in seven different tissues, including coleoptile, root, leaf, pistil, anther, embryo, and endosperm were identified through analyzing the public transcriptome data from a wheat microarray using the ROKU method. The expression patterns of selected genes were validated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that these selected genes...
Effects of methyl jasmonate on growth, antioxidants, and carbon and nitrogen metabolism of Glycyrrhiza uralensis under salt stress
X. Yu, P. Fei, Z. Xie, W. Zhang, Q. Zhao, X. Zhang
Biologia Plantarum 63: 89-96, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.011
We investigated the effects of 0.025 or 0.05 mM methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the growth characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activities, non-enzymatic antioxidant content, and carbon and nitrogen metabolizing enzyme activities in Glycyrrhiza uralensis exposed to 100 mM NaCl. Results showed that salt stress decreased the stem length and lateral root number and the treatment with 0.025 or 0.05 mM MeJA increased the root length of salt-stressed G. uralensis seedlings but decreased root diameter, stem length, and stem diameter. MeJA application modulated oxidative stress in salt-stressed G. uralensis seedlings. It decreased the catalase...
Genome-wide identification of circular RNAs in tomato seeds in response to high temperature
R. Zhou, X.Q. Yu, L.P. Xu, Y.L. Wang, L.P. Zhao, T.M. Zhao, W.G. Yu
Biologia Plantarum 63: 97-103, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.012
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), an emerging class of non-coding RNAs, are abundant in eukaryotic transcriptomes. Seed germination is one of the most important stages in the entire life cycle of plants that can be slowed down or totally restrained by high temperature. Our aim is to identify heat-responsive circRNAs and explore the potential function of circRNAs in tomato seeds at high temperature. Following high-throughput sequencing, 4 164 circRNAs were identified, and 980 circRNAs were shared in the control and high-temperature libraries. Among the 748 circRNAs with high expressions, 73 circRNAs were significantly up-/down- regulated in tomato seeds germinated...
Implication of peroxisomes and mitochondria in the halophyte Cakile maritima tolerance to salinity stress
N. Ben Amor, A. Jimenez, M. Boudabbous, F. Sevilla, C. Abdelly
Biologia Plantarum 63: 113-121, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.014
The role of mitochondria and peroxisomes in the tolerance of the halophyte Cakile martima to salt stress was studied. The plants were subjected to 0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl for 5 weeks. The evaluation of oxidative stress according to the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonyl (CO-) proteins, O2-, and H2O2, and the activities of several antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and enzymes of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle were determined in two purified organelles, mitochondria and peroxisomes. The intact organelles were purified by centrifugation in Percoll density gradients. Results show that the content of MDA...
Overexpression of a gene AhFBA from Arachis hypogaea confers salinity stress tolerance in Escherichia coli and tobacco
Z.K. Du, Y.F. Hu, J.M. Li
Biologia Plantarum 63: 122-133, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.015
Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA), an essential enzyme involved in the glycolytic pathway, gluconeogenesis, and the Calvin cycle, plays significant roles in the regulation of plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, a novel gene, AhFBA (GenBank accession number KF470788), containing a 1077-bp open reading frame and encoding a protein of 358 amino acids, was isolated from Arachis hypogaea L. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that AhFBA belonged to class-I aldolases and preferentially localized in the cytoplasm. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that AhFBA had a higher expression in...
Deficiency in phytochromobilin biosynthesis enhances heat-stress-induced impairments to the photosynthetic apparatus in tomato
A.J. Crispim Filho, A.C. Costa, F.R.R. Alves, P.F. Batista, A.A. Rodrigues, S.C. Vasconcelos Filho, K.J.T. Nascimento
Biologia Plantarum 63: 134-144, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.016
Plants are continuously exposed to unfavorable environmental conditions, such as heat stress, which negatively affect plant growth and productivity. There is evidence that phytochromes are involved in plant response to different abiotic stresses. We investigated the possible phytochrome-dependent responses to heat stress in photomorphogenic tomato mutants aurea (au, phytochromobilin-deficient, PΦB) and high-pigment 1 (hp1, hyperresponsive to phytochrome-mediated responses), as well as the wild-type Micro-Tom (MT). In comparison with MT, reductions in photosynthetic rate promoted by a high temperature were more pronounced in...
Characterisation of Arabidopsis flotillins in response to stresses
K. Kroumanová, D. Kocourková, M. Daněk, L. Lamparová, R. Pospíchalová, K. Malínská, Z. Krčková, L. Burketová, O. Valentová, J. Martinec, M. Janda
Biologia Plantarum 63: 144-152, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.017
Plant flotillins, a subgroup of the SPFH domain protein superfamily, consist of three proteins, AtFLOT1, AtFLOT2, and AtFLOT3 in Arabidopsis thaliana. The exact functions of flotillins in plant cell has not been established yet. In this study we focused on the role of flotillins in response to both abiotic and biotic stresses and on the response to phytohormones abscisic acid and 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in A. thaliana. We observed transcriptomic changes of AtFLOT genes in response to high salinity and cold, treatment with 22-amino acid peptide from N-terminal part of flagellin (flg22), and after infection...
Virus-induced gene silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana triggered by heterologous gene sequences from Viola philippica
Q.X. Li, J. Wang, S. Zheng, N. Yang, K. Sun, C.Y. He
Biologia Plantarum 63: 153-163, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.018
Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a particularly useful tool for functional genomics. In the present study, we attempted to utilize this technology to infer the function of genes from Viola philippica using a tobacco rattle virus (TRV) construct. Firstly, the phytoene desaturase gene from V. philippica (VpPDS) was silenced, and local leaf bleaching was observed but did not exhibit systemic effects, thereby limiting utilization of TRV-mediated gene silencing in the recipient plant. However, we observed systemic gene silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana when the VpPDS sequence was used as a trigger, thereby suggesting...
Proteomic analysis provides integrated insight into mechanisms of Turnip mosaic virus long distance movement in Brassica rapa
C. Liu, G.-S. Sun, R.-J. Zhang, S.-W. Lv, L. Gao, L.-W. Gao, T.-K. Liu, D. Xiao, X.-L. Hou, C.-W. Zhang
Biologia Plantarum 63: 164-173, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.019
In non-heading Chinese cabbage, the yield relies mostly on the health of leaves, which can be heavily impacted by turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). The virions or viral ribonucleoprotein complexes are transported through the phloem and xylem. Plasmodesmata are indispensable because they traverse cell walls and connect companion cells, allowing virus particles long distance movement. However, which complexes and genes participate in this process is still unknown. Plants can activate defense mechanisms and apply disease resistance genes to respond to pathogen attacks. In this study, we collected the stems and petioles infected by TuMV for 7 d (TuMV-7),...
Meta-topolin improved micropropagation in Syzygium cumini and acclimatization to ex vitro conditions
A. Naaz, S.A. Hussain, M. Anis, A.A. Alatar
Biologia Plantarum 63: 174-182, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.020
An efficient micropropagation system was developed for a recalcitrant woody tree Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels using nodal explants excised from 15-d-old aseptic seedlings. The explants were employed on an Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations (1.0 - 10.0 μM) of cytokinins, such as benzyladenine (BA), kinetin (Kin), meta-topolin (mT), or 2-isopentyl adenine (2ip), either alone or in combination with different concentrations (1.0 - 3.0 μM) of auxins, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), or α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Of the cytokinins tested, mT proved to be best...
Overexpression of CBL interacting protein kinase 2 improves plant tolerance to salinity and mercury
W.H. Pan, Z.Z. Zheng, X. Yan, J.Q. Shen, J.X. Shou, L.X. Jiang, J.W. Pan
Biologia Plantarum 63: 183-192, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.021
In plants, calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) regulate Ca2+ signalling and so responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the details of specific CIPKs functions in various stress responses are poorly understood. Here, we report roles of dicot and monocot CIPK2 genes in response to salinity and heavy metals. Arabidopsis thaliana AtCIPK2 was found to be universally expressed in different tissues and organs and furthermore induced by salinity. Overexpression of AtCIPK2 or Tibetan Plateau wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) HsCIPK2 in Arabidopsis alleviated toxic...
MicroRNA319 family members play an important role in Solanum habrochaites and S. lycopersicum responses to chilling and heat stresses
X.P. Shi, F.L. Jiang, J.Q. Wen, S.Y. Cui, Y.Z. Zhou, Z. Wu
Biologia Plantarum 63: 200-209, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.023
The microRNA319 (miR319) family is involved in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. Previous work showed that miR319 responded to chilling stress in the chilling-tolerant wild tomato (Solanum habrochaites L.) genotype LA1777. Here, the precursors of sha-miR319a, b, c, and d were cloned from LA1777 and the putative target genes tosinte branched/cycloidea/proliferating cell factors (TCP3 and TCP29) were validated using 5′-RLM-RACE. Expression patterns revealed a negative correlation of sha-miR319 with TCP3 and TCP29 in LA1777. Four tomato (S. lycopersicum) genotypes with varying sensitivities...
The gene OsIAA9 encoding auxin/indole-3-acetic acid proteins is a negative regulator of auxin-regulated root growth in rice
Y.L. Song
Biologia Plantarum 63: 210-218, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.024
Auxin signal transduction in plants depends on regulation by short-lived nuclear plant proteins called auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins. The OsIAA9, which is highly and rapidly induced by auxin, encodes the entire Aux/IAA domain characteristic of the Aux/IAA family in rice. The promoter region of OsIAA9 contains several cis-elements. Analysis of POsIAA9:GUS transgenic plants indicates a specific expression of OsIAA9 in roots and seedling shoots, especially lateral roots and root tips. Based on real-time PCR, the expression of OsIAA9 was induced by multiple hormones and abiotic stresses. Furthermore,...
Genome-wide analysis of heptahelical protein (HHP) gene family and expression of BcHHP1 in response to stresses in Brassica rapa
J. Wang, F.Y. Huang, X.L. Hou, X. You
Biologia Plantarum 63: 219-227, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.025
Heptahelical protein (HHP) signalling pathway is involved in cold acclimation responses to low temperature and other stresses. The HHP transcription factor family is the key component regulating this signalling pathway. In this study, five HHP-like genes, BcHHP1, BcHHP2, BcHHP3, BcHHP4, and BcHHP5, were isolated from non-heading Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis cv. Suzhouqing). Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that BcHHP proteins are highly homologous to HHP proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana, Glycine max, Oryza sativa, and Zea mays. Some...
Effects hydrogen sulfide on the antioxidant system and membrane stability in mitochondria of Malus hupehensis under NaCl stress
G.-Q. Wei, W.-W. Zhang, H. Cao, S.-S. Yue, P. Li, H.-Q. Yang
Biologia Plantarum 63: 228-236, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.026
Salt stress is one of the most critical environmental factors limiting plant growth, and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can play a role in plant responses to this stress. To investigate the effects of H2S on mitochondrial functions under salt stress, we treated Malus hupehensis Rehd. var. pingyiensis germinating seeds with an 85 mM NaCl solution with or without an H2S donor sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) and H2S scavenger hypotaurine (HT). Then, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured in mitochondria of seedling roots. Our results show that the application of 0.05 mM NaHS rescued an NaCl-induced inhibition...
Identification and validation of reference genes for real-time qPCR normalization during Al-induced programmed cell death in peanut
S.C. Yao, J. Zhan, C.L. Pan, W.J. Xiong, D. Xiao, Y.L. Wang, H. Shen, A.Q. Wang, L.F. He
Biologia Plantarum 63: 237-246, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.027
The reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is becoming increasingly important for gene expression studies. However, the accuracy and reliability of RT-qPCR depend on normalizing expression to reference genes. In this study, ten candidate reference genes, including cyclophilin (CYP), elongation factor 1b (EF1b), α-tubulin (TUA5), β-tubulin (TUB4), ubiquitin10R (UBQ10R), 60S ribosomal RNA (60S), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH3), metalloprotease (MTP), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and actin (ACT2) were evaluated for the stability of expression...
Identification of candidate reference genes in tropical bamboos stable across species, tissues, and developmental stages
S. Chakraborty, S. Dutta, P. Biswas, M. Das
Biologia Plantarum 63: 253-261, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.029
Bamboo possesses many unique physiological characteristics, but the molecular understanding of many of these processes remains poorly understood till to date. One major reason is unavailability of sufficient sequence and expression data. Selection of suitable reference genes is pivotal to initiate any gene expression analyses. Although, suitable reference genes have been identified in the temperate bamboo Phyllostachys edulis, it has not been done for tropical bamboo. In this study, expression stability of 10 candidate reference genes were investigated in 4 widely grown tropical bamboo species (Bambusa tulda, B. balcooa, B....
Cloning, characterization, and expression of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase gene from Dioscorea zingiberensis
Z. Cheng, R. Wang, J. Shen, Z. Yang, Y. Chen
Biologia Plantarum 63: 262-267, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.030
Diosgenin, mainly extracted from some Dioscorea species, is the most important starting material for the production of steroidal drugs. It is believed that diosgenin in Dioscorea is synthesized from isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP, the isomer of IPP) produced by the cytosolic mevalonate pathway. So far, the possibility of the plastidic 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for biosynthesis of diosgenin remains unclear. The key enzyme in the MEP pathway is 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate-reductoisomerase (DXR, EC: 1.1.1.267). In this study, a DXR gene, named DzDXR (GenBank accession...
Heterologous expression of the AtDREB1A gene in tomato confers tolerance to chilling stress
S.G. Karkute, R. Krishna, W.A. Ansari, B. Singh, P.M. Singh, M. Singh, A.K. Singh
Biologia Plantarum 63: 268-277, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.031
Tomato is highly sensitive to chilling stress (0 - 12 °C) which severely affects plant growth and development. Transgenic tomato plants expressing the AtDREB1A gene under the control of the rd29A promoter were evaluated for its tolerance to chilling stress by exposing them to 4 °C for 5 d. The cold stress caused an increase in production of reactive oxygen species, however, transgenic plants had an effective antioxidant system due to an enhanced synthesis of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate and so the reduced content of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions. Transgenic plants showed a slightly less reduction of chlorophyll...
Shoot proliferation and organogenesis on Arbutus unedo: physiological analysis under water stress
J.F. Martins, S. Correia, B. Correia, G. Pinto, J.M. Canhoto
Biologia Plantarum 63: 278-286, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.032
Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is a small perennial tree that grows spontaneously in the Mediterranean basin, Ireland, and Portugal. In this work, strawberry tree clones were established in vitro from epicormic shoots obtained from a young tree, an adult tree, and from a seedling. They were propagated by axillary shoot buds proliferation on solid and in liquid media, and also in a modified De Fossard medium with 9 µM benzylaminopurine. The organogenesis from calli obtained from apical leaves of the in vitro grown shoots from the three genotypes was carried out in the same basal liquid medium supplemented with 9 µM...
Chl a fluorescence and proteomics reveal protection of the photosynthetic apparatus to dehydration in tolerant but not in susceptible wheat cultivars
M. Nykiel, P. Lisik, J. Dębski, B. Florea, K. Rybka
Biologia Plantarum 63: 287-297, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.033
Seedlings of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, Ethos and Zebra, differing in drought tolerance were dehydrated to reach a water saturation deficit (WSD) in leaves ~15, 30, and 50 %. Ethos, the drought tolerant cultivar, dried slower in comparison with Zebra and regrew in 70 % upon rehydration. The effect of dehydration on photosystem II was evaluated by Chl a fluorescence (OJIP transients). The inflection point of double normalized curves (ΔWOJ) calculated for Ethos was negative for seedlings with 15 % WSD, nearly zero for those with 30 % WSD, and about +0.05 for those with 50 % WSD. In case of Zebra, the...
Effect of aluminum and fluoride on R2R3-MYB transcription factor characterization and expression in Camellia sinensis
Y. Wang, P. Chang, J. Pan, J. Zhu, C. Cui, X. Ye, Y. Ma, X. Zhu, W. Fang, C. Jiang
Biologia Plantarum 63: 298-307, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.034
Tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is a typical plant that accumulates abundant aluminum (Al) and fluoride (F). Al and F play vital roles in the growth and development in tea plant. MYB (myeloblastosis) is one of the largest transcription factor families in plant, which plays an important role in the stress responses. As the largest and multifunctional subfamily of MYB, R2R3-MYB subfamily participates in multiple abiotic stresses in plant. However, there are few studies about R2R3-MYB in tea plant, especially in the accumulation of Al and F during its growth. Here, we identified 43 CsMYB genes from the transcriptome database of tea plant...
The RNA-seq transcriptome analysis identified genes related to rice seed dormancy
K. Xie, J. Bai, Y.Y. Yang, N.B. Duan, Y.M. Ma, T. Guo, F.Y. Yao, H.F. Ding
Biologia Plantarum 63: 308-313, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.035
Plant hormones play important roles in seed dormancy and dormancy breaking. We measured the hormone content in rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Nona Bokra) seeds at different stages and with or without imbibition treatment. We identified 1 265 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between dormant and dormancy-broken seeds using RNA-seq analysis: 1 015 genes were significantly up-regulated, while 250 genes were significantly down-regulated. Sixteen DEGs were selected as related to seed dormancy, and their expressions were validated using quantitative PCR. Three DEGs were in the same position as two reported dormancy QTLs, suggesting that they...
Biochemical examination of non-transgenic and transgenic soybean plants under drought stress conditions
C.G. Gonçalves, A.C. Silva Jr., L.R. Alves, M.R.R. Pereira, P.L. Gratão, D. Martins
Biologia Plantarum 63: 314-322, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.036
Drought is one of the major environmental stresses limiting crop production worldwide because both the duration and the severity of the stress are critical. Plants display a variety of physiological and biochemical stress responses towards prevailing drought stress thus making it a complex phenomenon. To address the modulation of stress responses, we used Glycine max cv. MG/BR 46 Conquista (non-transgenic) and cv. BRS Valiosa (transgenic) to analyze the effects of progressive drought stress during two stages of soybean development (V2 and V4) on physiological and biochemical parameters. Three minimum soil water potentials (Ψs) were established:...
Overexpression of the UGT76E12 gene modulates seed germination, growth, and response to NaCl, mannitol, and abscisic acid
L. Chen, W.-S. Wang, Q. Liu, R.-R. Dong, Y.-J. Li, T.-T Chen, B.-K. Hou
Biologia Plantarum 63: 328-334, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.038
Seed germination and following seedling growth are largely affected by environmental conditions. However, the genes involved in adaptations to these conditions are largely unknown. In this study, we cloned and characterized an Arabidopsis uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferase gene UGT76E12 and investigated its function in seed germination and plant growth under adverse environments. We found that UGT76E12 gene expression was induced by NaCl, mannitol, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. Under these treatments, the UGT76E12 overexpression lines exhibited a delayed seed germination and cotyledon growth compared with...
OsCaM1-1 overexpression in the transgenic rice mitigated salt-induced oxidative damage
T. Kaewneramit, T. Buaboocha, P. Sangchai, N. Wutipraditkul
Biologia Plantarum 63: 335-342, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.039
Various physiological and biochemical parameters associated with improved salinity tolerance in the transgenic rice lines overexpressing OsCaM1-1 gene and wild-type KDML105 were compared 3 d after exposure to 150 mM NaCl. The results showed higher relative water content, relative growth rate, content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls a, b, and carotenoids), DPPH scavenging activity, and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the transgenic plants when compared with the wild-type and control, KDML105 transformed with blank vector, whereas H2O2...
Gibberellin A3 mediated decreased transcriptional rate, mRNA stability and non-competitive inhibition of DNA methyltransferases in tobacco
R. Manoharlal, G.V.S. Saiprasad, V. Kaikala
Biologia Plantarum 63: 343-353, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.040
The present work aims to examine the underlying molecular mechanism(s) for the reduced transcriptions and activities of DNA methyltransferases (NtDNMTs) by gibberellin A3 (GA3) in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L). Nuclear run-on and cordycepin chase assays demonstrated a significant reduction in the transcriptional rate and transcript half-lives of NtMET1 and NtCMT3 by GA3. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis revealed a non-competitive mode of inhibition of NtDNMTs activity by GA3. Taken together, both in vivo and in vitro studies clearly demonstrated the altered transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation...
Differential expressions of citrus CAMTAs during fruit development and responses to abiotic stresses
Z.G. Ouyang, L.F. Mi, H.H. Duan, W. Hu, J.M. Chen, T. Peng, B.L. Zhong
Biologia Plantarum 63: 354-364, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.041
Calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) play important roles in plant growth, developmental processes, and responses to abiotic and biotic factors. Recently, five CAMTA members were identified in Citrus sinensis, however, very little is known about the molecular regulation of these CAMTAs in citrus during fruit development and under abiotic stresses. In this study, the different expression profiles of CsCAMTA genes were found in different tissues and different fruit developmental stages. The CsCAMTA genes also displayed distinct expression patterns after heat, cold, salt, and drought stresses. Furthermore, the...
The effects of gibberellic acid on Allium cepa root tip meristematic cells
B. Tütünoğlu, Ö. Aksoy, R. Özbek, F. Uçkan
Biologia Plantarum 63: 365-370, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.042
Gibberellic acid (GA) is a natural plant growth regulator (PGR) which stimulates germination, vegetative growth, flowering, and fruit formation. However, when high concentrations of GA are used, it inhibits plant growth and development and causes abnormalities in the plant tissue. In our study, we determined the effects of different concentrations of GA on Allium cepa L. var. cepa roots. Increasing concentrations of GA (50 - 5 000 mg dm-3) were used in A. cepa root growth inhibition tests. Further, random amplified polymorphic DNA technique was used for determination of possible genotoxic effects of 600 - 1200...
Overexpression of BdRHP1 improves drought tolerance and reduces yield loss in rice
D.-E. Zeng, Z.-M. Cai, Y.-S. Liu
Biologia Plantarum 63: 371-379, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.043
Drought is a major factor decreasing the growth, development, and productivity of rice in about one-third of the world area. The characterization of genes imparting tolerance to drought in rice, is an attractive strategy for genetic engineering to improve drought tolerance. It is demonstrated that ectopic overexpression of Brachypodium distachyon RING-H2 finger gene (designated as BdRHP1) enhances drought tolerance in rice at both the vegetative and reproductive stages. When subjected to drought, positive transgenic lines showed delayed wilting, and improved recovery after rewatering. However, the transgenic plants exhibited...
Suitable reference genes for real-time quantitative PCR in Salsola laricifilia under five abiotic stresses
Y.-F. Zhang, Z.-B. Wen, Y. Wang, Y.-L. Wang, Y. Feng
Biologia Plantarum 63: 380-387, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.044
Salsola laricifolia, a typical C3-C4 intermediate desert plant, is an important for understanding gene evolution and mechanisms for drought resistance. The reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a preferred choice for gene expression studies, but it requires stable reference genes for normalization. Therefore, we tested the expression stability of five candidate reference genes in S. laricifolia: EF1α (elongation factor 1-α), ACT (actin), GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), TUB (tubulin), and 18S (18S ribosomal RNA). The...
N-terminal domains of AhAREB1 protein are necessary for transcriptional characteristics and negative regulation of the AhNCED1 gene
L. Hong, C.Y. He, H. Shen, S. Liu, X. Liu, X.L. Li, L. Li
Biologia Plantarum 63: 388-397, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.050
A transcription factor gene Arachis hypogaea abscisic acid (ABA) responsive element binding protein 1 (AhAREB1) has been isolated from peanut previously. Here, the function of different domains from AhAREB1 was investigated using construct series containing AhAREB1 full-length and truncated fragments to transform peanut hairy roots and pAhNCED1 (promoter of Arachis hypogaea 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 1) GUS/Col Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively. The results of real-time quantitative PCR, transient expression, and chromosome immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay all showed that AhAREB1 negatively regulated...
Somatic mutations, DNA methylation, and expression of DNA repair genes in Arabidopsis thaliana treated with 5-azacytidine
K.V. Kiselev, Z.V. Ogneva, A.S. Dubrovina, N.N. Nityagovsky, A.R. Suprun
Biologia Plantarum 63: 398-404, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.051
An inhibitor of DNA methylation 5-azacytidine (5A) is a chemical analog of the nucleoside cytidine. This study investigated the influence of 5A-induced DNA hypomethylation on the accumulation of somatic DNA mutations (nucleotide substitutions, indels) in the Actin2 3′ untranslated region, nuclear internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2, and the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase gene of Arabidopsis thaliana and analyzed concurrent changes in the expression of DNA methyltransferase and DNA repair genes. The 5A treatment (20 mg per 100 g of soil) decreased DNA methylation, and the detected 5A-induced demethylation...
Growth, secondary metabolism, and related gene expression in response to interactions of nitrogen and sulfur in Isatis indigotica
Y.J. Miao, R.J. Qu, J.T. Sha, Y.W. Cao, J.L. Guan, J. Xu, X.Q. Tang, F.Q Wang, J. Yang
Biologia Plantarum 63: 411-417, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.053
Nitrogen and sulfur are major elements influencing plant growth and production of secondary metabolites. They interact to each other, but little is known about it in Isatis indigotica Fort. plants. In this study, 15 different treatments representing all possible combinations of 3 N treatments (N1, N2, and N3, corresponding to 5, 15, and 25 mM N, respectively) and five S treatments (S0, S1, S2, S3, and S4, corresponding to 0.00, 1.25, 2.50, 5.00 and 7.50 mM S, respectively) were used, and plant growth, indigo and indirubin yields, and expressions of genes encoding enzymes involved in N and S metabolisms were measured. The results show that the...
Rosmarinic acid accumulation in Melissa officinalis shoot cultures is mediated by ABA
S.-M. Mousavi, L. Shabani
Biologia Plantarum 63: 418-424, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.057
Plant responses to elicitors are the result of a series of highly modulated consecutive changes in hormones or reactive oxygen species (ROS). Abscisic acid (ABA) is a stress hormone that coordinates the complex networks of stress responses and its content is rapidly changed in response to stresses. This study evaluated the effects of application of ABA (0, 5, 25, 50, and 100 µM) to shoot cultures of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium on growth, H2O2 production, rosmarinic acid (RA) content, total phenolic compound accumulation, phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (PAL)...
Transcriptome profiling in Salix matsudana during refilling xylem vessels after embolism
Y.C. Yu, J.X. Liu, Z.Y. Sun
Biologia Plantarum 63: 425-431, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.061
The objective of this study is to understand the role of bark water uptake in refilling of xylem vessels after embolism in Salix matsudana. Further, we determined expression of genes closely related to xylem embolism repair. The isolated branch segments of S. matsudana were soaked in deionized water and after 2 h, the micro-computed tomography (CT) images, volume of xylem sap, osmotic potential of xylem sap, and the content of starch and soluble sugar were measured. At the same time, Illumina high-throughput sequencing (Hi Seq TM) was applied to obtain the xylem transcriptome profiling. The results showed that the soaked branches...
Influence of girdling on flower sex ratio, biochemical constituents, and fruit set intensity in mango (Mangifera indica L.)
K. S. SHIVASHANKARA, G. A. GEETHA, and T. K. ROY
Biologia Plantarum 63: 432-439, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.064
The study was conducted in mango to understand the relationship of various metabolites with flower sex ratio (hermaphrodite/male) and fruit set using stem girdling technique. Girdling one year old branches was carried out in two cultivars, Mangifera indica 'Alphonso' and 'Totapuri' to retain 50, 100 and 150 leaves to vary the content of hormones, sugars, total carbohydrates, and amino acids. The increased leaf number was found to increase the total carbohydrates, glucose, fructose, and other sugars. Girdling also significantly increased the concentration of abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), indole acetic acid,...
Identification and characterization of catalase genes in Eleusine coracanaunder abiotic stresses
S. SINGH, R. CHOPPERLA, S. KHAN, N. REDDY, J.C. PADARIA, A. MOLKUMAR, A.U. SOLANKE
Biologia Plantarum 63: 440-447, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.048
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are byproducts of metabolic processes such as respiration and photosynthesis in plants. Production of ROS leads to rapid cell damage, and plants developed a complex system of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants to scavenge these ROS. Catalase is an important enzyme, which plays a key role in elimination of toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide and plays a major role as an antioxidant. When characterizing heat responsive genes in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) using a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library, we isolated two catalase genes and named them as EcCATA1 and EcCATB1....
Sense- and antisense-mediated resistance against Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV) in Nicotiana benthamiana
A. GOGOI, A. KALDIS, I. DASGUPTA, B.K. BORAH, A. VOLOUDAKIS
Biologia Plantarum 63: 455-464, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.079
Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV) is the principal causal agent of cassava mosaic disease in the Indian subcontinent. To gain resistance against the virus, the coat protein (CP) gene, namely the AV1 of SLCMV-Adivaram isolate, was cloned in either sense or antisense orientation under the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, and transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants were obtained through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A total of eight T1 transgenic lines, four harboring the CP-sense construct and four harboring the CP-antisense construct were challenged with agro-infectious clones...
The intensity of and recovery from photoinhibition under drought in a thermotolerant common bean compared to drought tolerant genotypes
D.C. MACEDO, G.R. LIMA, R.L.N. BARROS, C. PIMENTEL
Biologia Plantarum 63: 465-473, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.076
The chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters of four Phaseolus vulgaris L. genotypes were evaluated under drought in two greenhouse experiments. Under severe water stress, the thermotolerant genotype 'Diplomata' maintained significantly higher values of predawn leaf water potential (Ψw), maximum Fv/Fm and effective (ΦPSII) quantum yield of photosystem II , and non-photochemical quenching than 'Ouro Negro', in the first experiment, and 'A 285' and 'A 222', in the second one. Among these parameters, Fv/Fm showed more differences that discriminated between the genotype...
Exogenous salicylic acid alleviates the oxidative damageof Arabidopsis thaliana by enhancing antioxidant defense systemsunder high light
Z.C. YANG, N. WU, L. TANG, X.H. YAN, M. YUAN, Z.W. ZHANG, S. YUAN, H.Y. ZHANG, Y.E. CHEN
Biologia Plantarum 63: 474-483, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.074
To understand the protective roles of salicylic acid (SA) under high light, we investigated oxidative damage of Arabidopsis thaliana under high light in the presence or absence of SA. The results indicate that the high light led to an increase in the levels of proline, soluble sugars, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and electrolyte leakage, and a decrease in stomatal conductance (gs). Activities of six antioxidant enzymes increased significantly under the high light for 1 h. However, the high light for 3 h decreased the activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. In addition, we found that exogenous SA effectively...
Overexpression of the dominant negative nbexo70d1 mutantionconfers tolerance to salt stress in transgenic tobacco
N.N. TRINH, H.T. LE, T.P. NGUYEN
Biologia Plantarum 63: 484-495, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.058
The vesicle trafficking process, which involves exocytotic and endocytotic pathways, has been reported to play a role in regulating plant responses to different environmental stresses. The Exo70 protein is important for the localization of the exocyst in the plasma membrane; however, its role in the physiology of stress tolerance is currently unclear. In this study, we characterized NbExo70D1, an Exo70 gene from tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana). It was shown to have a role in the plant response to salt stress. More specifically, tolerance to salt stress is conferred by the overexpression of the dominant negative nbexo70d1 domain...
Evaluation of Oryza coarctata candidate reference genes under different abiotic stresses
S. CHOWRASIA, H. KAUR, A. MUJIB, T.K. MONDAL
Biologia Plantarum 63: 496-503, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.054
Oryza coarctata Roxb. is a wild halophytic species found mostly on South Asian seashore. It can tolerate salinity up to 4 S m-1, which is equivalent to 479 mM NaCl. This species has unique morphological, anatomical, as well as physiological adaptations, which helps it to survive under high salinity and submerged conditions. Thus, it is considered to be a reservoir of salinity and submergence tolerance genes. For quantification of gene expressions, it is necessary to identify stable reference genes and validate stress responsive genes by real time quantitative PCR. The present study deals with the expression analyses of eight candidate reference...
Effects of various winter chilling regimes on flowering quality indicators of Greek olive cultivars
G. KOUBOURIS, I. LIMPERAKI, M. DARIOTI, C. SERGENTANI
Biologia Plantarum 63: 504-510, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.065
Aims of the present two-year study were to evaluate the feasibility and identify potential drawbacks of the greenhouse/outdoors parallel plant growth methods for investigation of the effects of various winter chilling regimes on flowering quality indicators of four Greek olive cultivars, namely Mastoidis, Amfissis, and Lefkolia Serron (originating from mountainous and colder areas) compared to cv. Koroneiki (grown mainly in plain warm areas). Groups of potted olive plants were either grown outdoors under ambient temperature or transferred into a greenhouse for one, two, or three months during winter in Crete, Greece. During the first year, chilling...
Exogenous spermidine enhances expression of Calvin cycle genes andphotosynthetic efficiency in sweet sorghum seedlings under salt stress
A.I. EL SAYED, M.A.M. EL-HAMAHMY, M.S. RAFUDEEN, M.K.H. EBRAHIM
Biologia Plantarum 63: 511-518, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.046
Salinity adversely affects plants resulting in disruption to plant growth and physiology. Previously, it has been shown that these negative effects can be alleviated by various exogenous polyamines. However, the role of spermidine (Spd) in conferring salinity tolerance in sorghum is not well documented. The effect of exogenous Spd on the responses of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) seedlings to salt stress (150 mM NaCl) was investigated by measuring photosynthetic carbon assimilation, Calvin cycle enzyme activities, and the the expression of respective genes. Application of 0.25 mM Spd alleviated the negative effects of salt stress on efficiency...
Physiology and proteomics of two maize genotypes with different drought resistance
Y.H. LI, J.Y. CUI, Q. ZHAO, Y.Z. YANG, L. WEI, M.D. YANG, F. LIANG, S.T. DING, T.C. WANG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 519-528, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.085
The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological basis and molecular mechanism of genotypic variation in drought response of maize seedlings. Comparative physiological and proteomic analyses were conducted in the leaves of drought-tolerant Liyu 35 (LY) and drought-sensitive Denghai 605 (DH) maize genotype seedlings. Drought induced a significant decrease of relative water content and osmotic potential of leaves, length and volume of roots, and total dry weight, but significantly increased malondialdehyde in DH seedlings. However, root dry weight , proline content and antioxidant enzyme activities increased more in LY than in DH. Forty-two...
The crucial role of gibberellic acid on germination of drought-resistant upland rice
J.-Z. LI, M.-Q. LI, Y.-C. HAN, H.-Z. SUN, Y.-X. DU, Q.-Z. ZHAO*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 529-535, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.049
Drought is one of the main factors restricting seed germination. In order to reveal the physiological and molecular mechanisms of improved germination ability in upland rice under drought stress, we investigated the seed germination characteristics and the expression of genes related to gibberellic acid (GA3), α-amylase, and expansin of upland rice cultivar IRAT109 and lowland rice cultivar Yuefu under drought stress induced by 15 % (m/v) polyethylene glycol (PEG) and GA3 application. Seed germination decreased in upland rice and lowland rice under PEG-induced stress; upland rice was less affected than lowland rice. The germination...
Molecular and physiological analysis of drought stress responses in Zea mays treated with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria
I. AHMAD, S. ZAIB, P.C.M.S. ALVES, D.S. LUTHE, A. BANO, S.N. SHAKEEL
Biologia Plantarum 63: 536-547, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.092
Our research intended to appraise the performance of two different Pseudomonas strains on Zea mays L. (cv. B73) under drought stress and non-stress conditions. Plants were inoculated with P. putida KT2440 (Pp) and P. fluorescens (Pf1) followed by sampling at 0, 3rd, and 6th day after imposition of drought stress (DAS). Both strains demonstrated significant improvement in root length, protein content, chlorophyll content, and root and shoot fresh masses as compared to un-inoculated drought stressed plants. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that drought stress responsive genes, i.e.,...
Physiological and molecular responses of two Chinese cabbage genotypes to heat stress
Q. SONG, F. YANG, B. CUI, J. LI, Y. ZHANG, H. LI, N. QIU, F. WANG, J. GAO
Biologia Plantarum 63: 548-555, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.097
A comparative investigation of heat stress-mediated physiological and biochemical parameters in conjunction with the expression analysis of heat shock transcription factors (BrHSF) from two different Chinese cabbage genotypes was done to understand the mechanism of heat tolerance. Our results show that the heat-tolerant (2013-33) genotype had a smaller relative electric conductivity, a less malondialdehyde content and a higher maximal efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry than the heat-sensitive (AM160) genotype, and was able to develop the leaf head under heat stress, whereas 'AM160' flailed to develop it. The results also indicate...
Expression profile analysis of MATE gene family in rice
J.J. HUANG, W. J. AN, K. J. WANG, T.H. JIANG, Q. REN, W.H. LIANG, H.H. WANG*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 556-564, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.099
Multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) proteins is a newly characterized transporter family in plants. However, knowledge of this family in systematic classification, molecular evolution, and expression patterns in plants is limited. In this study, MATE gene sequence, structure, and names as well as MATE protein size and subcellular localization in rice were analyzed using bioinformatics tools, chromosome localizations, and gene clusters. The function of MATE proteins was further elucidated on a basis of phylogenetic relationships. Using available transcriptomic data, the expression pattern and function of MATE were different in...
Comparative analysis of complete chloroplast genomes sequencesof Arctium lappa and A. tomentosum
Y.-P. XING, L. XU, S.-Y. CHEN, Y.-M. LIANG, J.-H. WANG, C.-S. LIU, T. LIU, T.-G. KANG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 565-574, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.101
Arctium lappa and A. tomentosum are known medicinal plants in China. The complete chloroplast genomes from A. lappa and A. tomentosum were sequenced using Illumina sequencing technology. The total genome sizes of the complete chloroplast genomes of A. lappa and A. tomentosum were 152 767 bp and 152 688 bp, respectively, and contained a pair of inverted repeats of the same length (15,181 bp). The small single-copies were 18 584 bp and 18 582 bp, and the large single-copies were 83 821 bp and 83 744 bp, respectively. We identified and annotated 134 and 126 genes from A. lappa and A. tomentosum...
Effects of drought on expression patterns of genes encoding the antioxidantenzymes associated with chloroplasts in wheat
S.F. DANYALI, M. MOGHADDAM VAHED, S.S. ALAVIKIA, H. SAMIZADEH LAHIJI, M. NOROUZI
Biologia Plantarum 63: 575-585, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.055
Reactive oxygen species lead to cellular damage and in plants exposed to drought stress, an increasing expressions of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes play important protective roles. The aim of this study was to evaluate response of drought tolerant ('Arg' and 'Roshan') and drought sensitive ('Arta' and 'Navid') wheat cultivars to oxidative stress caused by drought. Relative water content (RWC), water loss rate (WLR), free proline content, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and peroxidase (POX) activity were measured after 2, 4, 6, and 8 h of dehydration. The tolerant cultivars had a higher RWC and lower MDA, proline content, POX activity and WLR...
Evaluating the role of wheat histone variant genes in development and response to abiotic stress in Arabidopsis
H. LV, X. CUI, P. ZHANG, Y. LI, Y. JI, Y. WANG, G. XIA, M. WANG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 594-600, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.113
Histone variants can epigenetically regulate gene transcription through chromatin modulation. This regulation have been occasionally found in responses to abiotic stresses in plants, but their roles are not quite clear. Here, we describe 12 salt-responsive histone variant genes isolated from wheat. There was no sequence polymorphism in these 12 genes between the wheat cultivar 'JN177'and its salinity and drought tolerant derivative 'SR3' indicating that histone variant genes are highly conserved. However, these genes displayed differential patterns of transcription in 'JN177' and 'SR3'. When transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana, eight of the...
Virus-induced gene silencing for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase affects pepper adaption to low temperature
G.-X. CHENG, J.-T. SUN, J.-P. SHANG, Z.-H. GONG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 601-609, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.063
Reverse genetics approaches in plants rely on post-transcriptional gene silencing to study the function of genes. In particular, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) has been successfully applied to identify gene function in some crops. To date, it is unclear whether phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is involved in low temperature tolerance in the pepper. Here, we used an agroinfiltration protocol with tobacco rattle virus (TRV) constructs containing partial sequences from CaPAL for VIGS to test its role in anthocyanin biosynthesis and response to low temperature in the pepper (Capsicum annuum). We found that accumulation of anthocyanins...
Identification of differentially expressed genes of Haloxylon ammodendronin response to salinity stress
J.F. HE, Y.Y. FANG, Z.X. LU, L.W. WANG, X.Q. ZHAO, X.F. FU, J. ZHAO, H.K. LIU
Biologia Plantarum 63: 610-617, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.066
Haloxylon ammodendron (C.A. Mey.), an endangered desert tree with excellent drought and salinity tolerance, provides a unique genotype to characterize and understand the tolerance mechanisms. In this study, four RNA-Seq libraries were constructed and sequenced from H. ammodendron under salinity stress. Total 12 027 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, in which 4 023, 3 517, 4 487 genes were differentially expressed under light salinity stress (200 mM NaCl), moderate salinity stress (400 mM NaCl), and severe salinity stress (800 mM NaCl), respectively. The up-regulated DEGs included several transcription factors (e.g.,...
A novel potato microRNA stu-miR856 regulates mitogen-activatedprotein kinase genes contributing to drought tolerance
J.W. YANG, X. ZHU, S.G. LI, X. TANG, N. ZHANG, H.J. SI
Biologia Plantarum 63: 618-626, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.067
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are significant components of MAPK cascades, which play versatile roles in different transduction pathways to mediate stress adaptation. However, little information is known about post-transcriptional regulation of MAPK genes in plant under drought stress. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of newly identified, short non-coding RNAs, regulate the expression of target genes in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In order to investigate the mechanism of miRNA regulating MAPK genes in potato, we identified a novel potato miRNA with the sequence CGGCCTTAATAAGATGGTGAAG and named it as stu-miR856...
Overexpression of the alfalfa zeaxanthin epoxidase gene delaysseed germination in transgenic tobacco
Y.M. CAO, Z.Q. ZHANG, T. ZHANG, J. AN, L.Q. CHANG, Y.F. WANG, H.X. WU, T.M. HU, P.Z. YANG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 627-632, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.059
Zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) plays important roles in plant growth and development due to its functions in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and in the xanthophyll cycle. Many studies have been exploring the roles of ZEP in seed germination and response to various environmental stresses. In this study, we reported that heterologously overexpressing the ZEP gene from Medicago sativa (MsZEP) in tobacco increased ABA content in tobacco mature seeds and negatively regulated seed germination. Enhanced ABA synthesis in seed embryo and delayed germination might also be related to the increased 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED6)...
Enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities and respective gene expressionsin potato somatic hybrids under NaCl stress
R. JBIR-KOUBAA, S. CHARFEDDINE, D. BOUAZIZ, R. BEN MANSOUR, R. GARGOURI-BOUZID, O. NOURI-ELLOUZ
Biologia Plantarum 63: 633-642, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.075
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), a plant of great economic importance worldwide, is known to be highly sensitive to salinity. Improving the tolerance of this crop was envisaged using interspecific somatic hybridization. In this report, the impact of salinity on three hybrid lines (STBa, STBc, and STBd) produced by protoplast fusion between the cv. BF15 and the wild species Solanum berthaultii was investigated in vitro. An analysis of plant response to oxidative stress was considered when plantlets were submitted to 100 mM NaCl for 5 d. The peroxidation of membrane lipids was screened by measuring malondialdehyde accumulation in these lines....
Changes in leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and antioxidantsin maize leaves infected by Exserohilum turcicum
P.R. SILVEIRA, P.O. MILAGRES, E.F. CORRÊA, C.E. AUCIQUE-PÉREZ, J.A. WORDELL FILHO, F.A. RODRIGUES
Biologia Plantarum 63: 643-653, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.130
Considering the importance of northern leaf blight, caused by Exserohilum turcicum, to decrease maize yield, this study evaluated electrolyte leakage, content of H2O2, malondialdehyde (MDA), chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, and carotenoids (CAR), and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase, as well as expressions of superoxide dismutase (sod), catalase (cat 1), ascorbate peroxidase (apx 2), peroxidase (pox), glutathione reductase (gr 1), and glutathione-S-transferase...
Response of two Arabidopsis ecotypes Columbia-0 and Dijon-G to necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens
Y.H. LEE, J.Y. MOON, H.J. KIM, J.M. PARK, I.S. HWANG, J.K. HONG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 654-661, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.071
Arabidopsis thaliana L. ecotype Dijon-G (Di-G) showed a different symptom development during pathogenesis compared to ecotype Columbia-0 (Col-0). Previously, it has been shown that Di-G has a higher susceptibility to necrotrophic fungus Alternaria brassicicola than Col-0. In this study, Di-G showed enhanced disease susceptibility to necrotrophic fungi Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Sclerotium rolfsii known to secrete oxalic acid (OA) as a pathogenicity factor. Treatment with 50 and 100 mM OA resulted in a more leaf tissue collapse in Di-G than in Col-0. The OA also up-regulated expression of the salicylic acid...
Analysis of apple epidermis in respect to ontogenic resistance against Venturia inaequalis
I. ZAJÍCOVÁ, E. TIHLAŘÍKOVÁ, P. CIFROVÁ, P. KYJAKOVÁ, V. NEDĚLA, J. SECHET, L. HAVELKOVÁ, J. KLOUTVOROVÁ, K. SCHWARZEROVÁ
Biologia Plantarum 63: 662-670, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.134
In order to understand mechanisms of ontogenic resistance to apple scab, we analyzed various aspects of young and old leaves. We have introduced an apple plants cultivation system where in vitro propagated and rooting explants produce a genetically uniform population of apple (Malus domestica cv. Idared) plants. In this work, we demonstrate that apple plants produced in our cultivation system showed susceptibility to Venturia inaequalis, the cause of apple scab disease in young leaves and resistance in old leaves, which is similar to orchard situation. Our analysis shows that the cessation of epidermal cell expansion and shape...
The methylation pattern of DNA and complex correlations with gene expressions during TuMV infection in Chinese cabbage
J. YU, L.-W. GAO, Y. YANG, C. LIU, R.-J. ZHANG, F.-F. SUN, L.-X. SONG, D. XIAO, T.-K.LIU, X.-L. HOU, C.-W. ZHANG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 671-680, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.073
Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is one of the most important economic crops. However, its yield and quality can be severely threatened by Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV). Emerging evidence indicates that epigenetic mechanisms, especially DNA methylation, play an important role in regulating gene expression. Therefore, identification of resistance genes modified by DNA methylation during the virus infection would provide a critical clue for improving disease resistance breeding programs. Here, we present detailed analysis for the correlation of DNA methylation and gene expression involved in several anti-pathogen...
Histone modifications during tobacco male meiosis
S. MURSALIMOV, E. DEINEKO, A. HOUBEN, D. DEMIDOV
Biologia Plantarum 63: 681-689, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.077
The special and temporal distribution of several posttranslational histone modifications (H3K4me2, H3K4me3, H3K9me2, H3K27me2, H3K9ac, H3K14ac, H3K18ac, H3K27ac, H3S10ph, H3S28ph, H3T3ph, H3K4me1-H3T3ph, H3K4me3/H3T3ph H3T11ph, H2AT121ph, and H2A.XS139ph) has been analysed during microsporogenesis of tobacco. Homogeneous distribution of the euchromatin marks H3K4me2 and H3K4me3 throughout the entire chromatin of amphidiploid Nicotiana tabacum suggests that both subgenomes were transcriptionally active. Localization of hyperacetylated clusters of H3K18 and H3K27 close to nucleoli suggests that both modifications were possibly involved in transcription...
Application of sodium salicylate up-regulates defense responseagainst Fusarium graminearum in wheat spikes
M. SORAHINOBAR, V. NIKNAM, A. JAHEDI, H. EBRAHIMZADEH, B. MORADI, M. BEHMANESH, H. SOLTANLOO
Biologia Plantarum 63: 690-698, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.139
Fusarium head blight caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Fusarium graminearum is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat which reduces both grain yield and quality. To better understand mechanism underlying wheat resistance to this pathogen, the expressions of five candidate genes encoding phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), glucanase-2 (Gl 2), class IV chitinase (Cht-4), cytochrome P450 (CYP), and pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) following spike inoculation with F. graminearum was compared in susceptible cv. Falat and resistant cv. Sumai3...
Genes involved in stress signals: the CBLs-CIPKs network in cold tolerant Solanum commersonii
S. ESPOSITO, V. D'AMELIA, D. CARPUTO*, R. AVERSANO*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 699-709, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.072
Several studies revealed the important contribution of calcineurin B-like (CBLs) and CBL-interacting kinase (CIPKs) genes in transmitting stress signals in plants. Taking advantage from the genome sequences of the cultivated potato Solanum tuberosum and its wild relatives S. commersonii and S. chacoense, we identified for the first time 10 CBLs and 26 CIPKs genes in each species. The CBLs and CIPKs derived from tandem duplications indicate that these gene families in potato mainly arise through amplification mechanisms. Once annotated, we compared the par excellence...
Anthocyanin accumulation and differential gene expression in wild-typeand mutant Syzygium malaccense fruits during their growth and ripening
P. KOTEPONG, R.E. PAULL, S. KETSA
Biologia Plantarum 63: 710-720, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.068
Ripe wild-type Malay apple (Syzygium malaccense) cv. Saraek fruit epidermis is red, whereas a mutant has a white skin. Wild-type and mutant fruit were used as a fruit model to study the regulation and gene expression patterns of anthocyanin biosynthesis and a myeloblastosis (MYB) transcription factor during growth and development. Fruit size, color, anthocyanin composition, and the expression of genes involved in anthocyanin biosyntheses were determined during fruit growth and ripening. Wild-type ripe fruit had a greater diameter and fruit mass than the mutant. The total anthocyanin content was approximately nine-fold higher in wild-type red...
A genome-wide analysis of the cellulose synthase-like (Csl) gene family in maize
Y. LI, X. CHENG, Y. FU, Q. WU, Y. GUO, J. PENG, W. ZHANG, B. HE
Biologia Plantarum 63: 721-732, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.081
Cell walls play an important role in the structure and morphology of plants as well as in responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Although the comprehensive analysis of genes involved in cellulose synthase has been performed in model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and rice, information regarding cellulose synthase-like (Csl) genes in maize is limited. In this study, a total of 56 members of Csl gene family were identified in maize genome and classified into six subfamilies. Analysis of gene structure and conserved motif indicated functional similarities among the ZmCsl proteins within the same subfamily....
Proteome analysis of sesame leaves in response to waterlogging stress at vegetative and flowering stages
H.-J. JUNG, S.K. ROY, S.-W. CHO, S.-J. KWON, C. KUN, H.-C. CHUN, S.-H. WOO
Biologia Plantarum 63: 733-749, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.062
Waterlogging, a major environmental stress, impairs plant growth and development and induces synthesis of different proteins. To understand the molecular mechanisms coupled with morpho-physiological alterations underlying waterlogging tolerance, the LTQ-FTICR MS/MS technique was employed to map the proteomes of leaves of sesame grown under control and waterlogged conditions. The waterlogging treatment caused dramatic alterations in morphological and biochemical properties of the leaves of sesame. For proteome analysis, more than 75 reproducible protein spots were identified on 2-DE gels wherein 51 protein spots (≥ 1.5-fold change) were used for...
Constitutive expression of the wheat TaSOD5 gene enhances salinity tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana
Y.-G. SONG, T.-X. GAO, X.-J. LIU, W. DONG*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 750-756, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.108
Superoxide dismutase is a crucial reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger and converts the superoxide radical (O2-) to H2O2, so it is thought to enhance abiotic stress tolerance by reducing ROS accumulation and so avoiding oxidative damage. In this study, we isolated a salt- and oxidative stress-responsive Cu/Zn SOD gene TaSOD5 from wheat. The ectopic overexpression of TaSOD5 in Arabidopsis increased total and Cu/Zn SOD activities, and offered the plant tolerance to salt stress. Arabidopsis ectopically expressing TaSOD5 possessed a superior resistance to oxidative stress...
Proline metabolism-related gene expression in four potato genotypes in response to drought stress
Y. LIU, L. WANG, Y. LI, X. LI, J. ZHANG
Biologia Plantarum 63: 757-764, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.153
Drought severely limits potato yield. The aim of this work was to study a response of plantlets of four potato genotypes to polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000)-induced drought stress in both physiological and molecular levels. The drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive genotypes were identified based on plantlet growth, chlorophyll content, lipid peroxidation, free proline content, and proline metabolism-related gene expressions. We found that PEG-induced stress increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline content, and drought-tolerant plantlets exhibited lower MDA and proline content than sensitive genotypes. In addition, PEG up-regulated ∆-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate...
Transcriptome sequencing flower petals reveals insights into regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in Osmanthus fragrans
Y.J. HAN*, M.F. DONG, H.Y. WANG, X.D. WANG, K. LI, F.D. SHANG*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 765-775, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.146
Osmanthus fragrans Lour., one of the top 10 most popular flowers in China, is known for both its beauty and fragrance. It is rich in flavonoids, a class of secondary metabolites with significant neuroprotective, free-radical scavenging, and anti-oxidant activity. To understand the mechanisms regulating flavonoid biosynthesis, we conducted transcriptome sequencing O. fragrans flowers to analyze gene expressions during the full flowering stage. The RNA was isolated separately from petals of cvs. Yingui and Dangui, which were treated or not with jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, or abscisic acid. A total of 142 029 unigenes were denovo assembled,...
An overexpression of the AP2/ERF transcription factor from Iris typhifolia in Arabidopsis thaliana confers tolerance to salt stress
J. WU, J. ZHANG, X. LI, J. LIU, Z. NIU, L. WANG*
Biologia Plantarum 63: 776-784, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.082
The roles of ethylene responsive factors (ERFs) and their positive and negative regulations of abiotic stress tolerance have been widely reported. This study reports the characterization of ItERF from Iris typhifolia Kitag with respect to molecular and functional properties. The 867 bp cDNA fragment of ItERF was cloned by reverse transcription PCR from I. typhifolia. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that ItERF expression was induced in the roots, stems, and leaves of I. typhifolia after NaCl treatment, and that ItERF expressions were significantly higher in the leaves and roots than in the stems....
Promoter activity of genes encoding the Specific Tissue protein family in the reproductive organs of Medicago truncatula
L. ALBORNOS, I. MARTÍN, E. LABRADOR*, B. DOPICO
Biologia Plantarum 63: 785-796, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.111
The "Specific Tissue" (ST) are proteins of unknown function present only in some plant families, mainly Fabaceae and Asteraceae. They are included in the PF10950 protein family and characterized by the presence of at least one domain of unknown function (DUF)2775. In this work we studied the involvement of the six members of the Medicago truncatula ST family (ST1 to ST6) in the development of flowers, fruits, and seeds by analysing the activity of their promoters (pST) after the construction of M. truncatula transgenic plants expressing the b-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene under the control of the six pSTs....
A methyl jasmonate induced defensin like protein from Panax notoginseng confers resistance against Fusarium solani in transgenic tobacco
Q. WANG, B.L. QIU, S. LI, Y.P. ZHANG, X.M. CUI, F. GE, D.Q. LIU
Biologia Plantarum 63: 797-807, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.123
Plant defensins and defensin like protein (DEFL) form a large family of small cysteine-rich proteins. They are major components of plant immune systems, being involved in host defenses against biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, a novel defensin like protein (DEFL) gene PnDEFL1 was isolated from Panax notoginseng, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. The expression patterns of PnDEFL1 after treatment with methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, ethephon, and H2O2, as well as during Fusarium solani infection, were analyzed using reverse transcription qPCR. The up-regulated expression of PnDEFL1...
Brief Communications
Effect of NaCl on the photosynthetic pathways of halophytic leaf succulent Sedum uniflorum
C.E. Martin, J.-M. Chiang, T.-C. Lin
Biologia Plantarum 63: 33-37, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.004
The effect of NaCl on the photosynthetic pathways of the only halophytic subtropical species Sedum uniflorum was examined in the field in northern Taiwan and in the laboratory. Plants growing in the field exhibited CAM-cycling regardless of salt content in their tissues. In contrast, NaCl treatment in the laboratory induced CAM photosynthesis, while control plants exhibited a C3-CAM intermediacy. This high level of photosynthetic pathway variablility matches that of other Sedum species.
Arabidopsis KIN gamma subunit 1 has a potential to regulate activity of sucrose nonfermenting 1-related protein kinase 2s (SnRK2s) in vitro
M. Punkkinen, K. Denessiouk, H. Fujii
Biologia Plantarum 63: 54-58, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.007
Plants must precisely regulate their signalling pathways to respond to environmental changes promptly. Sucrose non fermenting1 (SNF1)-related protein kinases (SnRK) 2 are essential kinases in abiotic stress responses, including responses to abscisic acid. Although homologs of SnRKs in yeast require a γ-subunit for full activation, it has been unclear whether SnRK2s in higher plants are affected by γ-subunits. In this report, we aimed to show the effect of Arabidopsis KIN γ-subunit 1 (KING1), which is a potential γ-subunit, on the activity of SnRK2. A recombinant KING1 bound to SnRK2.6 and functionally inhibited its activity...
Cassava microRNAs and storage root development
O. Patanun, U. Viboonjun, N. Punyasuk, S. Thitamadee, M. Seki, J. Narangajavana
Biologia Plantarum 63: 193-199, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.022
Cassava storage roots serve as an outstanding source of starch that is commonly utilized for nourishment and industrial applications. Despite the extensive studies, which indicated diverse important roles of miRNAs as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, the potential contribution of microRNAs to storage root development in cassava are sparse. Here, we characterized the key miRNAs and auxin content in two main types of cassava roots, fibrous roots and storage roots. The differential expression pattern of miRNAs and their mRNA targets, miR164/NAC and miR167/ARF6, ARF8, revealed the correlation in storage root development....
Application of sucrose modulates the expressions of genes involved in proline and polyamine metabolism in maize seedlings exposed to drought
C. Altuntaş, A. Sezgin, M. Demiralay, R. Terzi, A. Sağlam, A. Kadioğlu
Biologia Plantarum 63: 247-252, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.028
Sucrose, proline, and polyamines are compatible solutes accumulating in plant tissues and increasing cellular osmolarity under environmental stresses. These compatible solutes and hydrogen peroxide can function as signaling molecules in plants. There has been very little evidence how the supply of sucrose changes the biosynthesis of compatible solutes. This study aimed to assess the cross-talk among sucrose, H2O2, and compatible solutes on the expression of genes encoding key enzymes in the pathways of proline and polyamine metabolism in drought stressed maize seedlings. Drought stress (induced by polyethylene glycol solution)...
Cerium nitrate improves salt tolerance of wheat seedlings by regulating the antioxidant capacity of chloroplasts
X.D. Chen, C.J. Shan
Biologia Plantarum 63: 323-327, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.037
The effects of Ce(NO3)3 on the antioxidant capacity in the chloroplasts of salt-stressed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings were investigated. The results showed that salt stress (40, 80, 120, or 160 mM NaCl) significantly increased the activities of ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), but significantly reduced the ratios of reduced ascorbate (AsA) to dehydroascorbate (DHA) and reduced glutathione to oxidizided glutathione (GSH/GSSG), the content of chlorophylls...
Application of abscisic acid prevents leaf senescence at decreased irradiance
W. Kupis, E. Tomal, E. Niewiadomska
Biologia Plantarum 63: 405-410, 2019 | DOI: 10.32615/bp.2019.052
Several lines of evidence suggest that plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and the activity of alternative respiratory pathway are somehow interrelated. In this paper, we tested how an application of ABA affects the alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway and leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Different effects of ABA application on the AOX activity were observed under high irradiance (HI) and low irradiance (LI). The expression of AOX1D gene was stimulated, whereas the expression of senescence marker gene WRKY53 was decreased due to ABA treatment. We also noticed that changes of AOX genes AOX1A and AOX1D,...
Obituary
RNDr. Bohdan Slavík, DrSc.
J. Krekule
Biologia Plantarum 63: iii, 2019
A leading figure in the field of plant physiology RNDr. Bohdan Slavík, DrSc. passed away on 1st August 2018 at the age of 93.
RNDr. Tomáš Gichner, DrSc.
Diana Stavreva
Biologia Plantarum 63: iv-v, 2019
A leading figure in the field of plant genetics RNDr. Tomáš Gichner, DrSc. passed away on 6th January 2019 at the age of 83.