Over-expression of an Arabi-dopsisd δ-OAT gene enhances salt and drought tolerance in transgenic rice

δ-OAT, ornithine-δ-aminotransferase, is the key enzyme involved in proline biosynthesis. In this study the Arabidopsis δ-OAT gene was transferred into rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp japonica cv. Zhongzuo 321), whose successful integration was demonstrated by PCR and Southern blot analysis. The over-expression of the gene in transgenic rice was also confirmed. Biochemical analysis showed that, under salt or drought stress conditions, proline contents in the leaves and roots in transgenic rice plants were 5- to 15-fold of those in non-transgenic controls. Under stress conditions, germinating rate of transgenic lines is higher than that of controls. Although the growth of rice plants tested were more and more retarded with the increasing of NaCI concentration, the transgenic plants grow faster compared to the controls under the same stress condition. Meanwhile, the resistance to KCl and MgSO4 stresses was also found enhanced in transgenie rice. Furthermore, the over-expression of δ-OAT also improved the yield of transgenic plants under stress conditions. The average yield per plant of transgenic lines increases about 12%--41% more than that of control line sunder 0.1 mol/L NaCI stress. These data indicated that the over-expression of δ-OAT, with the accumulation of proline, resulted in the enhancement of salt and drought tolerance and an increase of rice yield, which is of significance in agriculture.     

SRO1 regulates heavy metal mercury stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Heavy metals in the environment are harmful limiting factors for the normal growth and development of plants. Here, we isolated and identified an Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA insertion mutant, named srol-1, which showed a hyper-sensitive response to HgCl2. The SRO1 protein contains a WWE domain that mediates proteinprotein interactions. Under HgCl2 treatment, when compared with the wild-type plants, the growth of srol-1 was repressed dramatically and the number of true leaves was reduced and etiolated. The electrolyte leakage rates showed that cell membrane integrity in srol-1 was damaged more severely than in the wild type. DAB （3,5-diaminobenzidine） staining and confocal microscopy showed that Hg2＋ stress induced more hydrogen peroxide accumulation in srol-1 than in the wild type. The qRT-PCR results indicated that the expression of some abiotic stress-induced genes, such as L-ascorbate peroxidase （APX1）, was reduced under oxidative or Hg2＋ stress. Transgenic plants containing a GFP：：SRO1 fusion protein showed that SRO1 was localized in the nucleus of the cells. SRO1 was shown to be expressed in various tissues, and was most highly expressed in the vigorous tissues. Our results suggest thatSRO1 may play an important role in the stress response of A. thaliana to heavy metals.     

Functional characterization and mapping of two MADS box genes from peach （Prunus persica）

Previously an AGAMOUS gene homologue PpMADS4 and a FRUITFULL gene homologue PpMADS6 were isolated from peach （Prunus persica）, and both genes were shown to express in the developing floral and fruits. To gain insight into their function, the two genes were constitutively expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and their effects on plant growth and floral organ development were studied in this work. The transgenic plants all displayed early flowering and conversion of inflorescence to floral meristem. However, the two genes had different effects on the floral organ structures in A. thaliana. The transgenic plants overexpressing PpMADS4 displayed homeotic conversion of floral organs, and particularly the perianth abscission was inhibited. The plants overexpressing PpMADS6 showed early flowering, produced higher number of carpels, petals, and stamens than nontransgenic plants, and pod shatter was prevented; significantly, the transgenic plants yielded more than one siliques from a single flower. A SSR molecular marker was developed for PpMADS4, and it was then assigned into the G5 linkage group of Prunus sp. Both PpMADS4 and PpMADS6 genes were located at the same region in the G5 linkage group. Our results showed the potential application of these two MADS box genes for crop and fruit tree improvement.     

Functional characterization and mapping of two MADS box genes from peach (Prunus persica)

Previously an AGAMOUS gene homologue PpMADS4 and a FRUITFULL gene homologue PpMADS6 were isolated from peach (Prunus persica), and both genes were shown to express in the developing floral and fruits. To gain insight into their function, the two genes were constitutively expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and their effects on plant growth and floral organ development were studied in this work. The transgenic plants all displayed early flowering and conversion of inflorescence to floral meristem. However, the two genes had different effects on the floral organ structures in A. thaliana. The transgenic plants overexpressing PpMADS4 displayed homeotic conversion of floral organs, and par- ticularly the perianth abscission was inhibited. The plants overexpressing PpMADS6 showed early flowering, produced higher number of carpels, petals, and stamens than nontransgenic plants, and pod shatter was prevented; significantly, the transgenic plants yielded more than one siliques from a single flower. A SSR molecular marker was developed for PpMADS4, and it was then assigned into the G5 linkage group of Prunus sp. Both PpMADS4 and PpMADS6 genes were located at the same region in the G5 linkage group. Our results showed the potential application of these two MADS box genes for crop and fruit tree improvement.     

Achyranthes bidentata Blume extract promotes neuronal growth in cultured embryonic rat hippocampal neurons

We have prepared an aqueous extract of Achyranthes bidentata Blume, a commonly prescribed Chinese medicinal herb, and reported, in previous studies, that A. bidentata extract benefits nerve growth and prevents neuron apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the actions of A. bidentata extract on survival and growth of primarily cultured rat hippocampal neurons. The morphological observation revealed that neurite growth from hippocampal neurons was significantly enhanced by A. bidentata extract with similar effects to those induced by nerve growth factor (NGF), and the greatest neurite growth appeared on treatment with A. bidentata extract at 1 μg/ml for 24 h. DNA microarray analysis indicated that there were 25 upregulated genes and 47 downregulated genes exhibiting significantly differential expression in hippocampal neurons treated with A. bidentata extract at 1 μg/ml for 6 h when compared to those in untreated hippocampal neurons. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of growth-associated protein-43 in hippocampal neurons was upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels after treatment with A. bidentata extract, and the optimal dosage of the extract was also 1 μg/ml. These data confirm that A. bidentata extract could promote in vitro hippocampal neuronal growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner.     

Characterization of Arabidopsis calreticulin mutants in response to calcium and salinity stresses

As an important calcium-binding protein, calreticulin plays an important role in regulating calcium homeostasis in endoplasmic reticulum （ER） of plants. Here, we identified three loss-of-function mutants of calreticulin genes in Arabidopsis to demonstrate the function of calreticulin in response to calcium and salinity stresses. There are three genes encoding calreticulin in Arabidopsis, and they are named AtCRT1, 2, and 3, respectively. We found that both single mutant of crt3 and double mutant of crtl crt2 were more sensitive to low calcium environment than wild-type Arabidopsis. Moreover, crt3 mutant showed more sensitivity to salt treatment at germination stage, but tolerance to salt stress at later stage compared with wild-type plant. However, there was no obvious growth difference in the mutant crtl and crt2 compared with wild-type Arabidopsis under calcium and salt stresses. These results suggest that calreticulin functions in plant responses to calcium and salt stresses.     

Genetic diversity of rice cultivars （Oryza sativa L.） in China and the temporal trends in recent fifty years

Public concern is often expressed at cultivars because the domestication and modern plant breeding have led to a reduction in the genetic diversity of crops and loss of genes, which could result in crops' genetic vulnerability to changes in the spectrum of pestssity of varieties in this zone is very important to the whole rice production in China. REZV, a important japonica rice production areas with more than 278 thousands ha rice which was about 71% of rice area in north China, accounted fo…     

Proteomic analysis of a toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella under different growth phases and conditions

Alexandrium is a widely spread dinoflagellate genus throughout many regions of the world,which not only causes the harmful algal blooms(HABs) but also results in the paralytic shellfish poisoning(PSP) throughout the world.This study compared protein profiles of A.catenella grown under different growth phases and conditions using a proteomic approach,and identified the differentially expressed proteins.The results showed that the expressions of proteins identified in three different regions of the gels,the groups 1,2 and 3 proteins,varied significantly with the growth phases and conditions.Group 1 proteins and six Group 2 proteins were highly expressed at the initial,exponential and stationary growth phases,eight Group 2 proteins were highly expressed only at the initial phase,and Group 3 proteins were highly expressed at the exponential and/or stationary phases.However,all these proteins were expressed at low levels or were barely visible at the dissipation phase.The expressions of groups 1 and 2 proteins were low or barely visible in various growth conditions except in continuous darkness they were highly expressed.Group 3 proteins,on the other hand,were overexpressed in continuous illumination and expressed at low levels or barely visible in continuous darkness or under nitrate-starvation.The data from MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry demonstrated that these differentially expressed proteins were associated with macromolecular biosynthesis,photosynthesis,tRNA synthesis and DNA stability,stress response and cell division regulation.Synthetase was the major component of the altered proteins.This is one of the first comprehensive proteomic study of a dinoflagellate,A.catenella,that provides a fundamental understanding of the proteins involved in A.catenella growth and response to environmental stresses,and potential physiological indicator proteins related to growth and environmental stress have been identified.     

巴西陆稻IAPAR9抗旱的根系性状

与其抗旱性呈极显著正相关;IAPAR9有中等发达程度的根系;干旱使根系内导管面积及数目大幅降低,但严重干旱（40%田间持水量）时,IAPAR9仍能维持一定生长量,因为IAPAR9根内导管面积较大,这是其抗旱性较好的物质基础之一.     

抗旱剂对粳稻幼苗生长和一些生理特性的影响

以粳稻合系22-2为材料,研究幼苗期干旱胁迫下喷施乙酰水杨酸和EDTA抗旱剂对幼苗生长和一些生理指标的影响。结果表明,幼苗期干旱胁迫下喷施乙酰水杨酸和EDTA有利于促进粳稻幼苗叶片和根系生长,增加叶片叶绿素和可溶性糖含量,降低脯氨酸含量,提高叶片渗透调节能力和保水能力,显著降低丙二醛含量,减少细胞膜伤害,有利于抗旱保苗。两种抗旱剂中乙酰水杨酸处理对提高粳稻幼苗抗旱能力的效果较EDTA强,浓度均以1g/L较佳。     

水分胁迫对水、旱稻幼苗POD活性的影响

以四种抗旱性不同的水、旱稻幼苗为材料,采用愈创木酚分光光度法测定了不同生长时期、水分胁迫以及水分胁迫处理后复水幼苗的POD活性,并与同样条件下水、早稻幼苗SOD活性变化进行比较。结果表明,不仅水、旱稻幼苗SOD活性在不同发育时期、不同水分条件发生有特定规律的变化,而且POD活性也具有类似或同步的变化,即抗旱性较强的旱稻品种在水分胁迫时POD活性上升幅度大于水稻,复水后旱稻POD活性下降的幅度也比水稻大.由于SOD和POD在生化功能上具有偶联作用以及实验结果的相似性.故可以认为,不同水分条件水、旱稻幼苗POD活性的变化和SOD一样能够反映品种间抗旱能力的差异.     

水稻花期干旱胁迫应答基因Os07g0422100启动子的克隆及鉴定

水稻作为需水量最大的作物之一,对于水分的胁迫异常敏感.对处于花期的水稻进行干旱胁迫处理,利用基因芯片技术筛选出在水稻花穗中特异性表达的应答干旱胁迫的基因Os07g0422100.在对该基因的研究中发现,该基因的表达图谱有较高的专一性,且该基因的启动子属于诱导型启动子,仅在受到干旱胁迫的水稻花穗中表达.利用Os07g04...     

POD活性与水稻抗旱性的关系

以５种抗旱性不同的水、旱稻品种在水分胁迫条件下全生长期的叶为实验材料，采用愈创木酚法测定ＰＯＤ活性，探讨不同水稻品种生长期对水分胁迫的反应及其与抗旱性的关系．结果表明，受到水分胁迫的水、旱稻ＰＯＤ活性均高于对照；孕穗期和抽穗期是水分敏感期，在此期间，ＰＯＤ活性上升的幅度高于其它生长期；拔节期和成熟期是水早稻全生长期中ＰＯＤ活性较低的时期．可以认为，在水分胁迫时，ＰＯＤ活性变化与在大田种植的水、旱稻抗旱性有一定的相关性．通过测定水分胁迫条件下敏感期ＰＯＤ活性变化幅度，可作为某一品种抗旱能力的生物化学指标．     

逆境胁迫下水稻蛋白质组学研究进展

水稻在生长发育过程中要面对各种非生物胁迫如干旱、高盐、温度、重金属和生物胁迫如病虫害等,通过观察水稻在各种胁迫条件下的蛋白质组表达情况,动态分析水稻的蛋白质组变化,对新逆境相关蛋白质进行分离与功能鉴定,这不仅能揭示参与胁迫耐受的蛋白质翻译后调控机制,而且可以增进对耐受胁迫分子机理的认识.综述了水稻应答逆境胁迫蛋白质组学研究的最新研究进展,探讨了存在的主要问题.     

OsNAC2转录因子介导生长素代谢通路调节水稻早期根的发育

NAC家族是植物特有的一类转录因子,在植物的生长发育和逆境胁迫等方面具有重要的功能.研究发现,OsNAC2基因的过表达(ON11)和RNAi(RNAi31)转基因株系,早期主根的长度有显著变化的特征.与野生型日本晴水稻(WT)相比,ON11植株的主根变短,而RNAi31的主根变长.通过对早期OsNAC2pro∶∶GUS株系根尖染色结果表明OsNAC2在根尖具有时序性表达.不同激素诱导OsNAC2表达谱和OsNAC2pro∶∶GUS株系对激素响应结果显示OsNAC2受生长素显著性诱导.结合芯片数据和qRT-PCR分析,OsNAC2转基因株系中生长素合成代谢及信号通路相关基因表达量变化较为明显.同时,ON11根尖淀粉粒发育及其向重力性受到抑制.因此,推测OsNAC2可能通过抑制生长素的合成代谢及信号通路相关基因的表达,降低生长素含量,并参与生长素响应通路,最终影响水稻根的生长.     

水稻品种耐旱性鉴定的形态学评价指标研究

水稻耐早性鉴定是选育耐早水稻品种的前提。以22个水稻、陆稻和早稻品种为材料,研究了在干旱胁迫条件下,不同品种(组合)幼苗反复干旱存活率、播抽历期(日数)、株高、单穗重、着粒数、实粒数、结实率和千粒重等方面的变化趋势。苗期耐旱性鉴定中,采用幼苗反复干旱存活率,对苗期耐旱性进行评价,全生育期耐旱鉴定中,通过多重相关分析和产量结构分析,筛选出播抽历期(日数)、株高和单穗重3个与产量形成关系最密切因素的干旱胁迫指数,构成综合耐早指数,采用综合耐旱指数作为评价水稻品种全生育期耐旱性的指标,最后提出了苗期耐旱性鉴定和全生育期耐旱性鉴定的分级标准。     

欧美杨PdMODD基因克隆与表达特性分析

[目的]研究杨树重要胁迫响应新基因,为揭示杨树抗逆分子机制、培育优良抗逆杨树新品种提供理论依据.[方法]基于水稻MODD氨基酸序列,通过BLAST在美洲黑杨基因组中筛选得到3条基因(Podel.08G114100、Podel.10G158900和Podel.17G098500),并以其序列为参考,以'渤丰3号'杨cDN...