Potato diseases caused by soft rot erwinias: an overview of pathogenesis

Three soft rot erwinias, Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora , E. carotovora ssp. atroseptica and E. chrysanthemi are associated with potatoes causing tuber soft rot and blackleg (stem rot). Latent infection of tubers and stems is widespread. As opportunistic pathogens, the bacteria tend to cause disease when potato resistance is impaired. Pathogenesis or disease development in potato tubers and stems is discussed in terms of the interaction between pathogen, host and environment, microbial competition and recent findings on the molecular basis of pathogenicity. Emphasis is placed on the role of free water and anaerobiosis in weakening tuber resistance and in providing nutrient for erwinias to multiply. Blackleg symptoms are expressed when erwinias predominate in rotting mother tubers, invade the stems and multiply in xylem vessels under favourable weather conditions. Soft rot erwinias tend to out-compete other bacteria in tuber rots because of their ability to produce larger quantities of a wider range of cell wall-degrading enzymes. However, despite extensive studies on their induction, regulation and secretion, little is known about the precise role of the different enzymes in pathogenesis. The putative role of quorum-sensing regulation of these enzymes in disease development is evaluated. The role certain pathogenicity-related characters, including motility, adhesion, siderophores, detoxifying systems and the hrp gene complex, common to most bacteria including symbionts and saprophytes, could play in latent and active infections is also discussed.     

Comparison of viral RNA populations of pathogenically distinct isolates of Citrus tristeza virus : application to monitoring cross-protection

The population of sequence variants of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) isolates of different geographic origins and pathogenicity properties was characterized by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of cDNA of the genes p18, p13, p20 and p23. The mild isolates analysed here usually yielded a SSCP profile with two DNA bands, suggestive of a predominant sequence variant, whereas the SSCP profile of the most virulent isolates contained more than two DNA bands, indicating that their viral populations are likely to be more complex. The set of SSCP profiles of the four genes allowed identification of individual isolates, but no profile characteristic of a geographic area or a biogroup was found. Sweet orange plants singly inoculated with a mild or with a severe isolate yielded the SSCP profile characteristic of each isolate, whereas the SSCP profile of plants successively inoculated with both isolates was a composite of the two individual profiles. The SSCP profile of plants singly inoculated remained constant, but the profile of doubly inoculated plants varied with time. Plants in which the SSCP profile of the severe isolate became predominant showed stem pitting, and those in which the predominant profile corresponded to the mild isolate remained symptomless. The results indicate that SSCP analysis can be used to study changes in RNA populations of doubly inoculated plants and to monitor cross-protection between mild and severe isolates.     

Genetic analyses of resistance of the wheat differential cultivars Carstens V and Spaldings Prolific to two races of Puccinia striiformis

Genetic analysis of resistance of wheat seedlings to two races of Puccinia striiformis was conducted on F₁, F₂ and F₃ generations from crosses Carstens V (CV) × Lee, Spaldings Prolific (SPA) × Lee and CV × SPA. F₂ generations from crosses of CV and SPA with Strubes Dickkopf (SD) were also studied. The plants were classified into six resistance classes and analysed by factorial correspondence analysis and nonhierarchical classification. The two P. striiformis isolates tested were a French isolate of race 43E138 and a Lebanese isolate of race 2E16, selected for the differences in their virulence spectra for the common differential cultivars Strubes Dickkopf and Nord Desprez. Resistance of CV and SPA was recessive and dominant to races 43E138 and 2E16, respectively. CV possessed three or four resistance genes, one of them being expressed with both races. Two genes of CV had a cumulative effect for resistance to 43E138 and two or three gave dominant resistance to 2E16. SPA had three resistance genes, all of which gave resistance to 2E16 and two of which also gave resistance to 43E138. SPA had one gene in common with CV for resistance to both races. Furthermore, the gene for resistance to race 2E16 in CV and SPA was allelic with a gene in SD, and was probably Yr25 .     

苹果紧凑型品种和矮化砧木内源激素的变化

 以不同矮化程度的苹果品种、砧木和嫁接植株为试材, 研究了春梢旺长期茎尖和春梢停长期叶片的内源激素变化。结果表明, 与普通型品种相比, 紧凑型品种茎尖和叶片中的赤霉素(GA₁₊₃) 含量显著降低而细胞分裂素(CTKs) 含量显著升高, 紧凑型品种的CTKs/ GA₁₊₃约是普通型品种的4. 78～6. 24 倍。不同矮化程度的砧木间相比, 春梢停长期叶片中, M9 的IAA 含量比平邑甜茶降低了53. 7 %。以M26作中间砧, 显著降低了接穗叶片和基砧新根中的IAA 含量; 但以新红星作中间砧则影响较小。将M26中间砧与紧凑型品种组合, 与乔砧普通型植株相比, 春梢停长期叶片和新根中IAA 含量分别下降了46. 1 %和33. 3 %,CTKs/ GA₁₊₃是其2. 8～3. 6 倍, 其变化幅度大于单一应用矮化砧、紧凑型品种的植株。因此, 紧凑型、矮化砧具有不同的激素调节机制, GA、CTK在紧凑型品种矮化中起重要作用, 而矮砧的矮化可能与IAA 密切相关。     

银杏实生树不同发育阶段个体内源激素含量的变化

以不同年龄银杏实生树为试材,研究芽尖和叶片中内源激素赤霉素(GA3)、玉米素(ZT)、吲哚乙酸(IAA)和脱落酸(ABA)含量与个体发育阶段的关系。结果表明,7龄期和13龄期银杏实生树芽尖和叶片中上述4种内源激素含量无明显差别,同时与13龄期首次开花的雄株接近,但却和3龄期有显著差异。可见实生树在7龄期前后树高2.5～3.0m已处转变期;随后树体继续生长增高到12～13m,在13龄期前后首次出现雄花和雌花开始进入成年期。芽尖中上述4种内源激素水平不是转变期进入成年期的惟一控制因子。转变期长可能是实生树迟果的原因之一。     

香蕉束顶病毒(BBTV)侵染对寄主内源激素的影响

 本试验用ELISA方法测定了香蕉感染束顶病毒(BBTV)后植株体内的3种内源激素,赤霉素(GA₃)、玉米素类(iPAs)和脱落酸(ABA)的变化。结果表明,感株的GA₃水平在侵染过程中虽有微弱增加,但含量和增长速度显著低于健株对照;iPAs在接种BBTV第14天后明显下降,并维持较低水平;ABA在BBTV侵染后被大量诱导增加并不断积累,在接种后第35天测定含量最高,为对照的3.34倍。试验还同时检测了BBTV在侵染过程中的运转。用间接ELISA测定的接种叶和顶叶的BBTV含量显示:接种21天后BBTV在接种叶和顶叶中还大量增殖,呈系统性分布。但寄主的症状在接种35天后才逐渐在顶叶表现。以上结果表明:香蕉束顶病的症状表现似乎主要与病株中的内源激素的失调有关,而与BBTV在体内的运转并不直接相关     

动物生物钟基因研究进展

昼夜节律生物钟是一种以近似24小时为周期的自主维持的振荡器,由输人通路、中央振荡器和输出通路三部分组成的。生物钟机制的研究已深入到分子水平。生物钟相关基因相继被分离鉴定,它们及其编码的蛋白质产物构成的自主调节的转录和翻译反馈环是生物钟运转的分子机制。本文介绍了果蝇和小鼠主要生物钟基因的发现以及其突变体对生物昼夜节律的影响,展望了揭示生物钟调节机制在遗传学上的重要意义。     

DNA甲基化与基因组印记

综合论述了DNA甲基化与基因组印记的最新研究进展,论述了它们的生物学意义,并阐述了两者的关系.     

AtSOS基因在紫花苜蓿中的表达及其耐盐性研究

本研究采用基因工程技术改良紫花苜蓿耐盐性,通过种植转基因耐盐紫花苜蓿达到改良土壤的目的。以紫花苜蓿子叶节为外植体,通过农杆菌介导法将来源于拟南芥的AtSOS1-AtSOS2-AtSOS3多基因表达载体导入阿尔冈金紫花苜蓿中,经PCR检测、抗除草剂筛选和RT-PCR鉴定,获得了能稳定表达的转基因株系。以转基因的紫花苜蓿和野生型紫花苜蓿为材料进行盐处理,每个处理重复3次,测定其生理生化指标、株高、Na⁺和K⁺含量、细胞膜透性、叶绿素含量。结果显示,在不同盐浓度处理下,所有植株的株高均有所增长,但在100和200 mmol·L^-1的NaCl处理下,转基因植株的长势显著高于野生型植株;随着处理时间的增加,所有植株的叶绿素含量均呈先上升后下降的趋势,且野生型植株叶绿素含量均低于转基因植株;在100和200 mmol·L^-1的NaCl处理下,转基因植株的细胞膜透性、超氧化物歧化酶活性和脯氨酸含量的增加量均小于野生型植株,而过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶活性和可溶性糖含量的增加量均大于野生型;各植株中丙二醛含量均下降,且野生型植株下降的更为明显;盐处理后,转基因植株根系中Na⁺的积累比野生型植株少,而K⁺的吸收多于野生型植株。转AtSOS基因的紫花苜蓿通过发挥AtSOS途径的作用,促进了植物体将细胞内的Na⁺外排,从而减轻盐胁迫对植物体的伤害,提高了转基因植株的耐盐性。