Comparative transcriptomic analysis of genes involved in stem lignin biosynthesis in woody and herbaceous Paeonia species.

Paeonia is recognized globally due to its ornamental value. However, the mechanisms behind the formation of distinct levels of lignification in Paeonia stems remain largely unknown. In this study, we selected three representative Paeonia species, namely P. ostii (shrub), P. lactiflora (herb), and P. × 'Hexie' (semi-shrub), to evaluate and contrast their respective anatomical structure, phytochemical composition and transcriptomic profile. Our results showed that the degree of lignin deposition on the cell wall, along with the total amount of lignin and its monomers (especially G-lignin) were higher in P. ostii stems compared to the other two species at almost all development stages except 80 days after flowering. Furthermore, we estimated a total number of unigenes of 60,238 in P. ostii, 43,563 in P. × 'Hexie', and 40,212 in P. lactiflora from stem transcriptome. We then built a co-expression network of 25 transcription factors and 21 enzyme genes involved in lignin biosynthesis and identified nine key candidate genes. The expression patterns of these genes were positively correlated with the transcription levels of PAL, C4H, 4CL2, CCR, and COMT, as well as lignin content. Moreover, the highest relative expression levels of CCR, 4CL2, and C4H were found in P. ostii. This study provides an explanation for the observed differences in lignification between woody and herbaceous Paeonia stems, and constitutes a novel reference for molecular studies of stem-specific lignification process and lignin biosynthesis that can impact the ornamental industry.

Ecotopic over-expression of PoCHS from Paeonia ostii altered the fatty acids composition and content in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Chalcone synthase (CHS) is the key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway and has been studied in many plants, but the function of the CHS gene has not been well characterized in Paeonia ostii. In this study, we obtained a CHS homolog gene from P. ostii, which possessed the putative conserved amino acids of chalcone synthase by multiple alignment analysis and demonstrated the highest expression in developing seeds. In vitro assays of the recombinant PoCHS protein confirmed enzymatic activity using malonyl-CoA and 4-coumaroyl-CoA as substrates, and the optimal pH and reaction temperature were 7.5 and 40 °C, respectively. Furthermore, ectopic over-expression of PoCHS in Arabidopsis up-regulated the expression levels of genes involved in seed development (ABI), glycolysis (PKp2, PDH-E1a, and SUS2/3), and especially fatty acid biosynthesis (BCCP2, CAC2, CDS2, FatA, and FAD3). This resulted in an increased unsaturated fatty acid content, especially α-linolenic acid, in transgenic Arabidopsis seeds. In this study, we examined the functions of CHS homolog of P. ostii and demonstrated its new function in seed fatty acid biosynthesis.

[Enhancing effect of Tween 80 on degradation of triphenyltin by Bacillus thuringiensis].

So far, the information regarding enhanced degradation and biodegradation mechanisms of TPhT, an endocrine disruptor, is severely limited. Whether dearylation during TPhT degradation occurs successively or synchronously is not revealed clearly. To deal with these problems, this study focused on the biodegradation of TPhT and its metabolites by Bacillus thuringiensis through the acceleration of Tween 80. The results showed that Tween 80 obviously increased the TPhT solubility. After degradation by cells in the presence of 80 mg L-1 Tween 80 for 2 d, the residual TPhT at 1 mg L-1 initially was decreased to 48.4%. During the biodegradation process, Tween 80 significantly reduced intracellular Na+, NH+4: and Mg2+ release, and increased extracellular Cl- , PO(3-)4 and K+ utilization. Metabolites analysis revealed that phenyltin biodegradation initially proceeded by cleaving the aromatic ring, not by splitting the covalent bonds between the benzene rings and tin atom. Ring-cleavage reactions in the benzenes of TPhT occurred individually and synchronously, producing diphenyltin, monophenyltin and tin accordingly.