Hydrogen peroxide pretreatment alters the activity of antioxidant enzymes and protects chloroplast ultrastructure in heat-stressed cucumber leaves

To elucidate the physiological mechanism of heat stress mitigated by exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) further, seedlings of Cucumis sativus cv Lvfeng no. 6 were subjected to two temperatures (42/38 and 25/18 °C) after pretreatment with 1.5 mM H₂O₂. We investigated whether exogenous H₂O₂ could protect chloroplast ultrastructure under heat stress (42/38 °C) and whether the protective effect was associated with the regulation of antioxidant enzymes. The heat condition disintegrated the membranes of 71.4% chloroplasts in the leaf cells and resulted in the elevated levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and endogenous H₂O₂. When H₂O₂ pretreatment was combined with the heat stress, the abnormal chloroplasts occurred at a rate of 33.3%, and the contents of MDA and endogenous H₂O₂ were decreased. Heat stress and exogenous H₂O₂ both increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, EC 1.11.1.9), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1), monodehydroascorbate reducatase (MDHAR, EC 1.6.5.4), and glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2). The combined effect of heat stress and H₂O₂ pretreatment led to higher activity of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), GSH-Px, DHAR, MDHAR and GR in comparison to the heat treatment alone. We propose that exogenous H₂O₂ increases antioxidant enzyme activities in cucumber leaves, decreases lipid peroxidation, and thus protects the ultrastructure of chloroplasts under heat stress.     

NaCl和PEG6000胁迫下枣组培苗中ZjAPX的表达

为了探索枣树遭遇盐、干旱胁迫时抗坏血酸过氧化物酶基因(ZjAPX)在抗氧化系统中的响应,以枣树组织培养植株为试材,进行了NaCl和PEG6000(模拟干旱)胁迫,观察受胁迫后植株外观形态变化,并从植株叶片中提取RNA进行反转录。根据ZjAPX的cDNA序列设计特异性引物,以反转录产物为模板,对ZjAPX基因在胁迫条件下的表达情况进行了定量分析。结果表明,ZjAPX基因受NaCl和PEG6000诱导表达,而且在一定浓度和时间范围内,随着浓度的增大和胁迫时间的延长表达量增高,说明ZjAPX基因参与了植株抵抗盐和干旱带来的伤害。     

Effects of Zinc on Root Morphology and Antioxidant Adaptations of Cadmium-Treated Sedum alfredii H.

ABSTRACT

The study demonstrated S. alfredii is an excellent cadmium (Cd)/zinc (Zn) hyperaccumulator as Cd and Zn concentrations in leaves reached 2,183 and 13,799 mg kg^?1 DW, respectively. There was a significant increase in root morphological parameters induced by 50 and 500 μM Zn supplement; however, a sharp decrease in these parameters occurred when treated with 100 μM Cd +1000 μM Zn. The inhibited root dehydrogenase activity in 100 μM Cd treated plants was restored to control levels when supplemented with 500 μM Zn. Moderate Zn supplement did not produce significant changes in (malondialdehyde) MDA concentrations as compared with those treated with Cd alone. Variations of the antioxidative enzymes proved an ineffective role in coping with metal-stress in S. alfredii. Combined Cd and Zn treatment significantly enhanced ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione (GSH) contents in leaves of S. alfredii, as compared with those treated with Cd alone. Thus, Zn may rely on the involvement of GSH in detoxification and tolerance.     

Continuous Spectrophotometric Assay and Properties of Ascorbic Acid Oxidising Factors in Wheat

A continuous spectrophotometric assay was developed to measure ascorbic acid oxidation in crude Na₂SO₄ extracts of flour. The rate of ascorbic acid oxidation in flour extracts measured using this method was similar to the rate in flour-water suspensions and 2–4 fold less than the rate in dough measured using an indophenol-xylene extraction method. Flour extracts appeared to contain two ascorbic acid oxidising factors; one with optimal activity at pH 6·3 and 30 °C and the other with optimal activity at pH 10 and 40 °C. The pH 6·3 factor had properties similar to those of ascorbate oxidase (EC 1·10·3·3) in its pH and temperature stability, strong inhibition by NaN₃, KCN and diethyldithiocarbamate, inactivation by proteases, and greater stereospecificity towards -ascorbic acid than -isoascorbic acid. The pH 6·3 factor was most concentrated in the pollard milling fraction of wheat and was lowest in flour. The pH 10 factor had several properties indicating non-enzymic oxidation of ascorbic acid; it was not inactivated by proteases, it was inhibited poorly or not at all by the above ascorbate oxidase inhibitors, and it had low specificity for stereoisomers of ascorbic acid.     

秋茄硫氧还蛋白调控活性氧平衡增强烟草耐盐机制研究

硫氧还蛋白(Trxs)能调控细胞的氧化还原状态,在木本植物中Trxs与耐盐性的关系尚未研究。本文克隆了非泌盐红树秋茄的硫氧还蛋白基因KcTrxf,并研究KcTrxf在植物耐盐性中的作用。qRT-PCR结果显示,秋茄在盐胁迫下KcTrxf表达量上调,并且叶片中的非蛋白巯基(NPTs)的含量上升。KcTrxf基因的开放阅读框(ORF)长585 bp,编码194个氨基酸,是一类定位于叶绿体中的f类硫氧还蛋白。将重组的35S:KcTrxf表达载体转入模式植物烟草中进行耐盐性分析,结果表明,KcTrxf提高了烟草的耐盐性。 NaCl处理下,野生型烟草叶片中膜质氧化,并且积累大量活性氧,使叶绿素含量以及叶绿素a/b比值明显下降。转基因烟草一方面通过提高过氧化氢酶(CAT)以及抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)的活性来清除H2O2,另一方面通过调节抗坏血酸-谷胱甘肽循环中(AsA-GSH cycle)的关键酶单脱氧抗坏血酸还原酶(MDAR)以及谷胱甘肽还原酶(GR)的活性来增加还原型谷胱甘肽水平,同时,还增加了叶片中非蛋白巯基的含量,进而清除活性氧,减少盐害引起氧化胁迫。因此,盐胁迫下转基因烟草中的叶绿素含量以及叶绿素a/b维持较高水平,从而维持较高的光合速率和生长状态。      

Purification and Characterisation of Ascorbate Oxidase from Flour and Immature Wheat Kernels

White flour from wheat was shown to contain basic-ascorbate oxidase (AOX) enzymes (pI 7·6–9·6) and acidic-AOX enzymes (pI 5·1–6·6) in a ratio of 0·4:1, based on chromatography data. Immature wheat kernels (two weeks post-anthesis) contained about 12 times more AOX activity (units/g dry weight) than flour from mature grain, and the ratio of basic- to acidic-AOX was 5:1. Acidic-AOX was purified 90-fold from flour by hydrophobic interaction, gel filtration and anion exchange chromatography. Basic-AOX was purified 20 000-fold from immature wheat by hydrophobic interaction, anion exchange, cation exchange and gel filtration chromatography in a yield of 5%. The acid-AOX had a M of 140 k, was optimally active at pH 6·3 and 40 °C, and was stable in the pH range 5–9 and at 30 °C for 0·5 h at pH 6·2. The Km values were 0·26 m for L-ascorbic acid and 0·93 m for D-iso ascorbic acid. The basic-AOX had a M of 139 k and subunit M of 72 k. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 6·2 and 50 °C, and was stable in the pH range 5–9 and at 40 °C for 0·5 h at pH 6·2. The Km values were 0·30 m for L-ascorbic acid and 0·53 m for D-iso ascorbic acid. The absorption spectrum of basic-AOX had absorption maxima at 280 nm and 607 nm of similar magnitude to those measured in AOX fromCucurbita species (squash). This indicates that wheat AOX contains protein-bound copper similar to other plant AOX.     

Responses of antioxidant enzymes in the needles of hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) seedlings to nutrient solutions containing various calcium/aluminum ratios

An attempt was made to examine the possible connection between the various ratios of calcium/aluminum (Ca/Al) in the nutrient solution of plant cultures and the active oxygen scavenging system of hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) seedlings. The hinoki cypress seedlings were transferred to nutrient solutions containing 5 mM AlCl₃ together with various concentrations of Ca(NO₃)₂ in pots containing glass beads and Teflon tips. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) in the needles were estimated at several stages during the 7-day treatment. The samples treated with the lower Ca/Al solutions show the highest SOD activities. The activities of APX and GR, both of them involved in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle, showed the same tendency with decrease to higher Ca/Al ratio. These results indicate that rhizospheric Ca might compete with Al and ameliorate Al toxicity on and in the roots, the Al stress is not transformed to the needles after a few days, and the ascorbate-glutathione cycle in the hinoki cypress needles might fluctuate and be suppressed by the rhizospheric Al stress during the 7 days. This work was supported in part by funding from the Japan Science & Technology Corporation, the CREST program 1996–2001, and the Center for Forest Decline Studies.     

草酸诱导黄瓜抗炭疽病的机理研究

 本文进一步证明草酸能显著诱导黄瓜对炭疽病的系统抗性,同时发现硫酸亚铁亦具有显著的诱抗效果。草酸能诱导局部叶片及系统叶片中壁共价键结合态、壁离子键结合态和可溶态过氧化物酶(POD)活性提高,其中离子键结合态POD活性提高量最大,共价键结合态POD活性提高倍数最大。草酸处理后还原型抗坏血酸(AsA)与氧化型抗坏血酸(DHAsA)的比值和亚铁离子(Fe²⁺)与三价铁离子(Fe³⁺)的比值均明显增加。对壁结合态POD、Fe²⁺、As A在草酸诱导抗病性中的作用进行了较深入的讨论。     

Identification of potential molecular markers for flower sex determination in Vernicia fordii

Vernicia fordii is cultivated as an important woody oil tree, with a long history in China. It is a monoecious and diclinous species. Altering the sex ratio to increase the number of female flowers would lead to better yields. The mechanism of flower development is, however, not yet clear. In this study, the proteins that are differentially expressed between male and female flowers were isolated using a combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS). A proteomic analysis led to the identification of 14 proteins, of which two were expressed specifically in male flowers and 10 in female flowers. Among the 10 female-specific proteins, aspartic proteinase, ascorbate peroxidase, and cyclophilin were thought to be involved in stamen abortion and gynoecium formation during the development of female flowers. Further results suggested that these proteins might be the sex-related proteins that are the potential molecular markers for flower sex determination in V. fordii.