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Genome-wide characterization of MADS-box genes and their roles in axillary bud development in tobacco.

A total of 118 NtMADS-box genes were identified in tobacco, revealing their potential roles in axillary bud development. Preliminary overexpression analysis indicated that NtMADS91 promotes axillary bud development. MADS-box transcription factors are core regulators of plant development, but their functions in axillary bud development in Nicotiana tabacum L. have not been systematically elucidated. In this study, 118 NtMADS-box genes were identified from the tobacco genome. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into type I (comprising the Mα and Mγ subfamilies) and type II (comprising the MIKC* and MIKCC clades). Promoter analysis revealed that cis-acting elements were predominantly associated with light and hormone responses. RNA-seq analysis of axillary buds after topping identified 60 differentially expressed NtMADS-box genes, from which 12 candidate genes with significant expression changes were selected. Tissue-specific qRT-PCR revealed that seven of these genes were preferentially expressed in axillary buds, with members of the SOC1 and SVP subfamilies accounting for the majority. Exogenous application of abscisic acid and the strigolactone analog GR24 significantly suppressed the expression of most candidate genes, including NtMADS91. The preliminary overexpression analysis suggested that NtMADS91 may promote axillary bud growth, increasing both the number and length of axillary buds. This study lays a foundation for future dissection of the regulatory mechanisms of the NtMADS-box gene family in axillary bud development and provides promising candidate genes for research related to tobacco axillary bud development.

Nicotiana↗

Differential response of buddleia (Buddleia davidii Franch.) to ozone.

Five cultivars of buddleia, Buddleia davidii Franch., were exposed to sub-ambient, ambient, and twice-ambient levels of ozone in open-top chambers for 8 weeks (June-August) during 1995: Plants were evaluated for foliar injury, growth index, and inflorescence characteristics during and following exposure. Destructive harvests were conducted at the end of the exposure period to determine dry weights of both above- and below-ground plant components. All cultivars had symptoms of visible injury in the twice-ambient treatment at both three and eight weeks after exposures began. No visible symptoms were observed at ambient ozone concentrations. At three weeks of exposure, 'Pink Delight' had the highest percentage of the leaves injured (PLI), 46.2%, followed by 'Opera' with a PLI of 23.3%. The other three cultivars had similar PLIs of less than 15%. After eight weeks of exposure, visible injury was equally severe on all cultivars with a mean PLI of 50.2% and mean Horsfall-Barratt rating of 5.4, indicating 12 to 25% of the leaf area was injured. No ozone x cultivar interaction was found for any growth variable measured. Across cultivars, growth index was reduced by 6%, total dry weight by 35%, and the number of developing floral buds and inflorescences by 29% for plants in twice-ambient ozone concentrations compared to ambient ozone concentrations. Percent biomass allocated to inflorescences was significantly greater for plants exposed to sub-ambient levels compared to those exposed to ozone at either ambient or twice-ambient concentrations. Results indicate that ozone levels similar to those in large urban areas in the southeastern United States have the potential to reduce growth and flowering of this important landscape plant.

Journal Article↗

[The dynamics of calcium distribution in stigma and style of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) before and after pollination].

Potassium antimonite was used to deposit calcium in the stigma and style of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) before and after pollination. The stigma of lettuce is two splits. Abundant calcium granules are displayed in the wall of papillae on the receptive surface of stigma before and after pollination, which may facilitate pollen germination. However, a few calcium granules in the wall of epidermis cell on no-receptive surface. Calcium distribution in style presents a gradient in transmitting tissue and parenchyma cells from the top to the base of the style before pollination. After pollination, calcium in transmitting tissue distinctly increased and its gradient distribution became more evident. Pollen tubes grow in the intercellular gaps of transmitting tissue. When pollen tubes grew into transmitting tissue, calcium granules in parenchyma around transmitting tissue decreased, suggesting a calcium movement was controlled by pollen tubes. The calcium gradient distribution also appeared in the trachea of vascular bundle of style. In general, calcium in style displays a feature of time-special distribution: transmitting tissue doesn't need much more calcium that is only stored in the parenchyma before pollination. However, calcium in parenchyma cells may be transported to transmitting tissue and make the latter contain more calcium to form an evident calcium gradient and meet the requirement of pollen tubes directionally growing after pollination. This is the second sample of calcium gradient existing in style, which was found by using potassium antimonite method.

Calcium↗

Floral nectar production and nectary anatomy and ultrastructure of Echinacea purpurea (Asteraceae).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In spite of the impressive species diversity in the Asteraceae and their widespread appeal to many generalist pollinators, floral-nectary ultrastructure in the family has rarely been investigated. To redress this, a study using Echinacea purpurea, a plant of horticultural and nutraceutical value, was undertaken. Nectar secretion of disc florets was compared with floral nectary ultrastructure taking into account nectar's potential impact upon the reproductive success of this outcrossing species. METHODS: Micropipette collections of nectar in conjunction with refractometry were used to determine the volume and nectar-sugar quantities of disc florets throughout their phenology, from commencement of its production to cessation of secretion. Light, scanning-electron and transmission-electron microscopy were utilized to examine morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of nectaries of the disc florets. KEY RESULTS: Florets were protandrous with nectar being secreted from anthesis until the third day of the pistillate phase. Nectar production per floret peaked on the first day of stigma receptivity, making the two innermost whorls of open florets most attractive to foraging visitors. Modified stomata were situated along the apical rim of the collar-like nectary, which surrounds the style base and sits on top of the inferior ovary. The floral nectary was supplied by phloem only, and both sieve elements and companion cells were found adjacent to the epidermis; the latter participated in the origin of some of the precursor cells that yielded these specialized cells of phloem. Companion cells possessed wall ingrowths (transfer cells). Lobed nuclei were a key feature of secretory parenchyma cells. CONCLUSIONS: The abundance of mitochondria suggests an eccrine mechanism of secretion, although dictyosomal vesicles may contribute to a granulocrine process. Phloem sap evidently is the main contributor of nectar carbohydrates. From the sieve elements and companion cells, an apoplastic route via intercellular spaces and cell walls, leading to the pores of modified stomata, is available. A symplastic pathway, via plasmodesmata connecting sieve elements to companion, parenchyma and epidermal cells, is also feasible. Uncollected nectar was reabsorbed, and the direct innervation of the nectary by sieve tubes potentially serves a second important route for nectar-sugar reclamation. Microchannels in the outer cuticle may facilitate both secretion and reabsorption.

Carbohydrates↗

The Biochemical Response of Electrical Signaling in the Reproductive System of Hibiscus Plants.

Stimulation of the stigma of Hibiscus flowers by pollen, wounding (heat), or cold shock (4[deg]C) evokes electrical potential changes in the style, which propagate toward the ovary with a speed of 1.3 to 3.5 cm s-1. Potential changes were measured intracellularly by microelectrodes inserted in the style. The resting potential ranged from -90 to -112 mV (n = 20) in cells of the vascular tissue and from -184 to -220 mV (n = 22) in cells of the pollen-transmitting tissue. The amplitude of the potential changes was between 40 and 150 mV, depending on the kind of stimulus. Self- as well as cross-pollination hyperpolarized the resting potential after 50 to 100 s, followed by a series of 10 to 15 action potentials. In contrast, cooling of the stigma caused a single action potential with a different shape and duration, whereas wounding generated a strong depolarization of the membrane potential with an irregular form and a lower transmission rate. To determine the physiological function of the different signals measured in the style, the gas exchange and metabolite concentrations were measured in the ovary before and 10 min after stimulation of the stigma. Self- and cross-pollination caused a transient increase of the ovarian respiration rate by 12%, which was measured 3 to 5 min after the stigma was stimulated. Simultaneously, the levels of ATP, ADP, and starch increased significantly. In contrast, both cold shock and wounding of the stigma caused a spontaneous decrease of the CO2 content in the measuring chamber, as well as reduced metabolite concentrations in the ovary. Since the transport of labeled auxin from the top to the base of the style lasts at least 45 min, the influence of a chemical substance transmitted within 10 min is unlikely. Thus, our results strongly support the view that different, stimulus-dependent electrical signals cause specific responses of the ovarian metabolism.

Journal Article↗

Determination of St. John's wort components in dietary supplements and functional foods by liquid chromatography.

St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) preparations, a top-selling botanical dietary supplement used primarily as an antidepressant, has recently been used as an ingredient in some food products sold as functional foods. A rapid extraction technique followed by a liquid chromatographic (LC) method was developed to determine 4 characteristic bioactive compounds (pseudohypericin, hypericin, hyperforin, and adhyperforin) from St. John's wort in dietary supplements and functional foods to which it was added. Solid samples, including dried leaf/flower mixture, dietary supplement capsules, tea bags, puff and snack bar, were extracted with methanol by sonication. Noncarbonated, fruit-flavored drinks were centrifuged and mixed with methanol. Compounds were then determined by isocratic, reversed-phase LC with UV detection at 2 wavelengths and further identified or confirmed by photodiode array spectra and LC/mass spectrometry. Within-laboratory method variations (% RSD) were satisfactory. Very low amounts, if any, of the 4 components were found in drink and puff samples, and none was found in the snack bar. The methods developed provide a useful means for the determination of St. John's wort components in dietary supplements and functional foods.

Algorithms↗

Effects of VOCs on herbaceous plants in an open-top chamber experiment.

A selection of herbaceous plants representing the ground flora around a typical chemical installation in the UK was exposed continuously for 7 weeks to a mixture of six VOCs (acetone, acetonitrile, dichloromethane, ethanol, methyl t-butyl ether and toluene) in open-top chambers. Exposure concentrations were based on predictions of atmospheric dispersion from a single source, at a distance of approximately 2 km. The effects of continuous exposure, representing a worst-case, were measured in terms of uncontrolled water loss from leaves, leaf wettability, chlorophyll content and fluorescence, dry matter production and detailed observations of changes in plant growth and phenology. There were significant effects of VOC exposure on seed production, leaf water content and photosynthetic efficiency in some plant species. Such effects may be detectable in vegetation close to major industrial point sources of VOCs, or as a result of an accidental release of material during manufacture or transport. Some of the species tested e.g. birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) seem to be promising as potential bioindicators for VOCs, but there may be other even more sensitive species waiting to be discovered. However, the most obvious and conveniently measured response to VOCexposure in the birdsfoot trefoil (premature senescence i.e. advanced timing of seed pod production) could easily be confused in the field with climatic influences. It is also uncertain at this stage whether any of the effects observed would lead to longer term ecological changes in natural plant communities, through biased competition between sensitive and more tolerant species.

Acetone↗