Lignin Synthesis, Affected by Sucrose in Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Seedlings, Was Involved in Regulation of Root Formation in the Arabidopsis thanliana.

Adventitious roots (ARs) have an unmatched status in plant growth and metabolism due to the degeneration of primary roots in lotuses. In the present study, we sought to assess the effect of sucrose on ARs formation and observed that lignin synthesis was involved in ARs development. We found that the lignification degree of the ARs primordium was weaker in plants treated with 20 g/L sucrose than in 50 g/L sucrose treatment and control plants. The contents of lignin were lower in plants treated with 20 g/L sucrose and higher in plants treated with 50 g/L sucrose. The precursors of monomer lignin, including p-coumaric acid, caffeate, sinapinal aldehyde, and ferulic acid, were lower in the GL50 library than in the GL20 library. Further analysis revealed that the gene expression of these four metabolites had no novel difference in the GL50/GL20 libraries. However, a laccase17 gene (NnLAC17), involved in polymer lignin synthesis, had a higher expression in the GL50 library than in the GL20 library. Therefore, NnLAC17 was cloned and the overexpression of NnLAC17 was found to directly result in a decrease in the root number in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. These findings suggest that lignin synthesis is probably involved in ARs formation in lotus seedlings.

Genome Wide Identification of Respiratory Burst Oxidase Homolog (Rboh) Genes in Citrus sinensis and Functional Analysis of CsRbohD in Cold Tolerance.

Respiratory burst oxidase homologs (Rbohs) are critical enzymes involved in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play an important role in plant growth and development as well as various biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Thus far, there have been few reports on the characterization of the Rboh gene family in Citrus. In this study, seven Rboh genes (CsRbohA~CsRbohG) were identified in the Citrus sinensis genome. The CsRboh proteins were predicted to localize to the cell membrane. Most CsRbohs contained four conserved domains, an EF-hand domain, and a transmembrane region. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the CsRbohs were divided into five groups, suggesting potential distinct functions and evolution. The expression profiles revealed that these seven CsRboh genes displayed tissue-specific expression patterns, and five CsRboh genes were responsive to cold stress. Fourteen putative cis-acting elements related to stress response, hormone response, and development regulation were present within the promoters of CsRboh genes. The in-silico microRNA target transcript analyses indicated that CsRbohE might be targeted by csi-miR164. Further functional and physiological analyses showed that the knockdown of CsRbohD in trifoliate orange impaired resistance to cold stress. As a whole, our results provide valuable information for further functional studies of the CsRboh genes in response to cold stress.

Transcriptome profiling reveals an IAA-regulated response to adventitious root formation in lotus seedling.

Adventitious roots (ARs) of lotus (Nelumbonucifera Gaertn.) play a critical role in water and nutrient uptake. We found that exogenously applied 10-µM indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) promoted the formation of ARs, while 150-µM IAA significantly inhibited the emergence of ARs. However, little is known about these different responses to various concentrations of IAA at the molecular level. This study, therefore, examined the gene expression profiling in four libraries treated with 10- and 150-µM IAA based on the high-throughout tag sequencing technique. Approximately 2.4×107 clean tags were obtained after the removal of low-quality tags from each library respectively, among which about 10% clean tags were unambiguous tag-mapped genes to the reference genes. We found that some genes involved in auxin metabolism showed a similar tendency for expression in the A/CK and C/CK libraries, while three genes were enhanced their expression only in the A/CK libraries. Two transcription factors including B3 domain-containing protein At2g36080-like and trihelix transcription factor were up-regulated for transcriptional level in the A/C libraries. The expressions of six important genes related to AR formation were significantly different in the A/CK and C/CK libraries. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of gene expression regulated by IAA involved in AR formation in lotus.

Transcriptome Analysis of Gene Expression during Chinese Water Chestnut Storage Organ Formation.

The product organ (storage organ; corm) of the Chinese water chestnut has become a very popular food in Asian countries because of its unique nutritional value. Corm formation is a complex biological process, and extensive whole genome analysis of transcripts during corm development has not been carried out. In this study, four corm libraries at different developmental stages were constructed, and gene expression was identified using a high-throughput tag sequencing technique. Approximately 4.9 million tags were sequenced, and 4,371,386, 4,372,602, 4,782,494, and 5,276,540 clean tags, including 119,676, 110,701, 100,089, and 101,239 distinct tags, respectively, were obtained after removal of low-quality tags from each library. More than 39% of the distinct tags were unambiguous and could be mapped to reference genes, while 40% were unambiguous tag-mapped genes. After mapping their functions in existing databases, a total of 11,592, 10,949, 10,585, and 7,111 genes were annotated from the B1, B2, B3, and B4 libraries, respectively. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in B1/B2, B2/B3, and B3/B4 libraries showed that most of the DEGs at the B1/B2 stages were involved in carbohydrate and hormone metabolism, while the majority of DEGs were involved in energy metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism at the B2/B3 and B3/B4 stages. All of the upregulated transcription factors and 9 important genes related to product organ formation in the above four stages were also identified. The expression changes of nine of the identified DEGs were validated using a quantitative PCR approach. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of gene expression during corm formation in the Chinese water chestnut.

Activity and expression of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase during rhizome formation in lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.).

BACKGROUND: Lotus root is a traditional and popular aquatic vegetable in China. Starch is an important component of the rhizome and directly affects the quality of processed products. ADP -glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) is a rate-limiting enzyme associated with starch biosynthesis in plants. Therefore, in the present study, AGPase activity and NnAGP expression during rhizome development of lotus were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 15 cultivars analyzed, the contents of amylose and total starch in the rhizome were highest in 'Mei Ren Hong'. 'Su Zhou' and 'Zhen Zhu' showed the lowest amylose, amylopectin and total starch contents. In the rhizome, activity of AGPase was highest at the middle swelling stage of development, and higher activity was observed in the 'Hou ba' leaf and terminational leaf at the same stage. Three AGPase genes, comprising two large subunit genes (NnAGPL1 and NnAGPL2) and one small subunit gene (NnAGPS), were isolated and identified. The deduced amino acid sequences showed 40.5 % similarity among the three genes. Full-length genomic DNA sequences of NnAGPL1, NnAGPL2, and NnAGPS were 4841, 11,346 and 4169 bp, respectively. Analysis of the temporal and spatial expression patterns revealed that the transcription levels of NnAGPL1 and NnAGPS were higher in the rhizome, followed by the 'Hou ba' leaf, whereas NnAGPL2 was significantly detected in the 'Hou ba' leaf and terminational leaf. The initial swelling stage of rhizome development was accompanied by the highest accumulation of mRNAs of NnAGPL1, whereas expression of NnAGPL2 was not detected during rhizome development. The transcript level of NnAGPS was highest at the initial swelling stage compared with the other rhizome developmental stages. Transcription of NnAGPL1, NnAGPL2, and NnAGPS was induced within 24 h after treatment with exogenous sucrose. The mRNA level of NnAGPL1 and NnAGPS was increased by exogenous ABA, whereas transcription of NnAGPL2 was not affected by ABA. CONCLUSIONS: The three AGPase genes display marked differences in spatial and temporal expression patterns. Regulation of AGPase in relation to starch synthesis in lotus is indicated to be complex.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes Relevant to Rhizome Formation in Lotus Root (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn).

Lotus root is a popular wetland vegetable which produces edible rhizome. At the molecular level, the regulation of rhizome formation is very complex, which has not been sufficiently addressed in research. In this study, to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in lotus root, four libraries (L1 library: stolon stage, L2 library: initial swelling stage, L3 library: middle swelling stage, L4: later swelling stage) were constructed from the rhizome development stages. High-throughput tag-sequencing technique was used which is based on Solexa Genome Analyzer Platform. Approximately 5.0 million tags were sequenced, and 4542104, 4474755, 4777919, and 4750348 clean tags including 151282, 137476, 215872, and 166005 distinct tags were obtained after removal of low quality tags from each library respectively. More than 43% distinct tags were unambiguous tags mapping to the reference genes, and 40% were unambiguous tag-mapped genes. From L1, L2, L3, and L4, total 20471, 18785, 23448, and 21778 genes were annotated, after mapping their functions in existing databases. Profiling of gene expression in L1/L2, L2/L3, and L3/L4 libraries were different among most of the selected 20 DEGs. Most of the DEGs in L1/L2 libraries were relevant to fiber development and stress response, while in L2/L3 and L3/L4 libraries, major of the DEGs were involved in metabolism of energy and storage. All up-regulated transcriptional factors in four libraries and 14 important rhizome formation-related genes in four libraries were also identified. In addition, the expression of 9 genes from identified DEGs was performed by qRT-PCR method. In a summary, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of gene expression during the rhizome formation in lotus root.

Isolation and functional characterization of a salt responsive transcriptional factor, LrbZIP from lotus root (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn).

Basic leucine zipper transcription factor (bZIP) is involved in signaling transduction for various stress responses. Here we reported a bZIP transcription factor (accession: JX887153) isolated from a salt-resistant lotus root using cDNA-AFLP approach with RT-PCR and RACE-PCR method. Full-length cDNA which consisted of a single open reading frame encoded a putative polypeptide of 488 amino acids. On the basis of 78, 76, and 75 % sequence similarity with the bZIPs from Medicago truncatula (XP_003596814.1), Carica papaya (ABS01351.1) and Arabidopsis thaliana (NP_563810.2), we designed it as LrbZIP. Semi quantitative RT-PCR results, performed on the total RNA extracted from tips of lotus root, showed that LrbZIP expression was increased with 250 mM NaCl treatment for 18 h. Effects of low temperature on the expression of LrbZIP was also studied, and its expression was significantly enhanced with a 4 °C treatment for 12 h. In addition, LrbZIP expression was strongly induced by treatment with exogenous 100 µM ABA. To evaluate its function across the species, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) was transformed with LrbZIP in a binary vector construct. Transgenic plants exhibited higher resistance as compared with the control according to the results of the root growth, chlorophyll content and electrolyte leakage when exposed to NaCl treatment. In addition, LrCDPK2, LrLEA, and TPP also showed enhanced expression in the transgenic plants. Overall, expression of LrbZIP was probably very important for salt-resistant lotus root to survive through salt stress.

Identification of differentially expressed genes relevant to corm formation in Sagittaria trifolia.

Sagittaria trifolia is a good model of wetland plants to elucidate the formation of corm. However, few studies have been conducted to uncover the complexity of gene expression involved in corm formation. In this study, high-throughput tag-sequencing based on Solexa Genome Analyzer Platform was applied to monitor the changes in gene expression with three libraries of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (C1 library: stolon stage, C2 library: initial swelling stage and C3 library: swelling stage) during corm formation in Sagittaria trifolia. Approximately 6.0 million tags were sequenced, and 5854021, 5983454, and 5761079 clean tags including 138319, 116804, and 101739 distinct tags were obtained after removal of low quality tags from each library, respectively. About 46% distinct tags were unambiguous tags mapping to the reference genes, and 33% were unambiguous tag-mapped genes. Totally, 20575, 19807, and 18438 were annotated in C1, C2, and C3 libraries, respectively, after mapping their functions in existing databases. In addition, we found that profiling of gene expression in C1/C2 and C2/C3 libraries were different among most of the selected 20 DEGs. Most DEGs in C1/C2 libraries were relevant to hormone synthesis and response; energy metabolism and stress response, while most of the genes in C2/C3 libraries were involved in carbohydrate metabolism. All up-regulated transcriptional factors and 16 important genes relevant to corm formation in three libraries were also identified. To further analyze the expression of 9 genes, from the results of tag-sequencing, qRT-PCR was applied. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of gene expression, during the formation of corm in Sagittaria trifolia.

Structure and physicochemical properties of starches in lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) rhizome.

The type and content of starch are believed to be the most critical factors in determining the storage and processing quality of lotus rhizome species, and the intention of this study is to survey the structure and properties of starches isolated from rhizomes of two lotus cultivars using X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, and rapid viscosity analyzer (RVA). Starch in rhizome of cultivar Meirenhong exhibited C-type X-ray diffraction pattern, while starch in rhizome of cultivar Wawalian showed A-type pattern. (13)C cross-polarization magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance ((13)C CP-MAS NMR) also confirmed the polymorphs. The relative crystallinity of two starches was quantitatively estimated from two methods and compared. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) results indicated that the external regions of the starch granules had a great level of ordered structure. Starch granules in Meirenhong showed oval-shaped granules, while starch granules in Wawalian were elongated and oval in shape with relatively large size. Gelatinization temperatures of starch in Meirenhong and Wawalian were 330.5 and 342.4 K, respectively, and the gelatinization temperature range of Meirenhong was significantly wider than that of Wawalian. Starch in rhizome of cultivar Meirenhong showed lower pasting temperature, lower hot and cool viscosities, lower setback, and higher peak viscosity and breakdown than those of Wawalian in RVA pasting profiles at 6% starch concentration.

Effects of tannic acid on gluten protein structure, dough properties and bread quality of Chinese wheat.

BACKGROUND: The effects of tannic acid, which is present in many plants, on the structure of gluten proteins and the properties of dough and bread were studied. Tannic acid was added at levels of 0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 g kg(-1) during the dough-making process. RESULTS: The added tannic acid acted negatively on disulfide bond formation but interacted with gluten proteins via other covalent bonds, as detected by UV spectroscopy and dynamic rheometry. Rheological properties and texture of the bread were measured by farinograph, extensograph and texture profile analyser. Texture analysis indicated little change in adhesiveness and resilience of the bread at all three levels of tannic acid compared with the control, but changes in hardness and chewiness of the bread made with added tannic acid indicated that tannic acid could delay bread staling. CONCLUSION: The effect of tannic acid on flour and dough is different from that of other flour redox agents. It breaks down disulfide bonds but also has positive effects on dough properties and bread quality. Disulfide bonds are commonly considered to be the most important factor affecting changes in the quality of bread. However, this study presents the new concept that other covalent bonds can also improve the quality of flour and bread and uses this property to investigate new, safe and efficient flour additives.

[Changes of aquaporins 1 expression in the contused lung of rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression changes of aquaporins 1 (AQP1) in contused lung tissue of rats and its relationship with pulmonary edema. METHODS: SD rats were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The pulmonary contusion models were then prepared. The expression and distribution of AQP1 in lung tissue of the rats were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The lung tissue showed edema, hemorrhage, inflammatory cell infiltration 1 h, 3 h after pulmonary contusion, and the inflammatory response aggravated after 5 h. AQP1 expression at 1 h, 3 h and 5 h in the contusion group were significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.01). The expression of AQP1 continued to increase with time and aggravation of edema compared to the control group. AQP1 was mainly distributed in the capillary endothelial cells and interstitial cells of the bronchial and alveolar walls. Although there were no observed changes in AQP1 expression location in contused lung tissue, the intergrated optical density(IOD) showed significant statistical difference (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: There might exist an dysregulation of AQPs gene expression in contused lung tissue, leading to a large number of abnormal transmembrane water transportation and abnormal water accumulation, which may be one of the reasons for pulmonary edema in contused lung tissue.

GMCHI, cloned from soybean [Glycine max (L.) Meer.], enhances survival in transgenic Arabidopsis under abiotic stress.

Plants respond to cold stress by modifying the expression of a battery of cold-responsive genes. Using cDNA-AFLP techniques, GMCHI (G lycine m ax chilling-inducible) (accession no. EU699765) was isolated from the embryonic axis of a chilling-resistant cultivar of soybean seed imbibed at 4 degrees C for 24 h. The full-length GMCHI cDNA which consisted of a single open reading frame (ORF) encoded a putative polypeptide of 129 amino acids. Sequence analysis revealed neither significant similarity of GMCHI to known proteins, nor any conserved domains found. Soybean seed imbibed at 4 degrees C dramatically enhanced transcript level of GMCHI after 1 h, and reached a maximum at 18 h, while the expression was only detected in the embryonic axis. GMCHI expression was strongly induced by treatment with ABA and PEG, but weakly by 250 mM NaCl which suggests that GMCHI is probably regulated by ABA-dependent signal transduction pathway during cold acclimation. Overexpression of GMCHI in Arabidopsis under the control of CaMV35S promoter enhanced the tolerance to cold, drought and NaCl stresses. Therefore, GMCHI may play an important role in the adaptation of chilling-resistant soybean seed to chilling imbibition.

[Apoptosis in myocardial cells after macleaya cordata total alkaloids poisoning in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe pathological changes and apoptosis in rats myocardial cells after Macleaya cordata total alkaloids poisoning, and to provide some references for Macleaya cordata total alkaloids poisoning detection. METHODS: An experimental model of Macleaya cordata total alkaloids poisoning was established, and the technology of TUNEL staining was used.The results were analyzed by computer image analysis competitive system. RESULTS: Quantities of apoptosis in myocardial cells in poisoning groups were much more than those in the control groups at different tages (P<0.01). In addition the quantities of apoptosis were different after different poisoning duration. CONCLUSION: Although clinical symptoms was not obvious and could not be detected by poison analysis. Pathological changes induced by Macleaya cordata total alkaloids could be found through the apoptosis detection.

[The expression of dystrophin in human viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy].

OBJECTIVE: In order to improve the accuracy and reliability in sudden cardiac death, the pathogenesis and relationship between the viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy were investigated. METHODS: Improved immunohistochemical technique was adopted to detect the expression of the dystrophin in myocardium from 25 viral myocarditis, 28 dilated cardiomyopathy and 17 control cases including normal, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease and hypertension heart disease as control. RESULTS: The positive rate of dystrophin protein expression in control group was 100%, that in viral myocarditis was 88%, and that in dilated cardiomyopathy was 57%, There were significant differences among three groups (P<0.05), and the correlation between viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy group (r = -0.526)were also found. CONCLUSION: The myocardial cytoskeletal protein is disrupted in viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy, and the dystrophin protein may be involved in the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. The viral infect and impair heart functions by cleaving host dystrophin proteins may ultimately contributes to the viral myocarditis to the converting from dilated cardiomyopathy.

[Experimental pathological study of acute intoxication by Chloranthus serratus Roem. Et Schalt].

OBJECTIVE: To find out the pathological change and the toxic mechanism of Chloranthus serratus Roem. et Schalt in mice. METHODS: Mice were intoxicated by oral administration with extracts of Chloranthus serratus Roem. et Schalt followed by pathological, serum biochemical, and coagulation mechanism examination. RESULTS: The LD50 in mice was 41.12 g/kg; All poisoned mice serum BUN and ALT increased markedly; Thrombocyte decreased and coagulation time increased; The organ index of liver, spleen and kidneys increased significantly; The cells of liver, kidney and heart were degeneration and necrosis, There were extensive hyperemia and hemorrhage in many organs. CONCLUSION: The experiment suggests that the target organs were liver, kidney, heart and blood vessels; The toxic mechanism was the damage on the mitochondrional, endoplasmic reticulum and coagulation system.

[Experimental pathological study of subacute intoxication by Dioscorea bulbifera L].

OBJECTIVE: To study the pathological change and the toxic mechanism of Dioscorea bulbifera L in mice. METHODS: Sixty ICR mice were randomly assigned to four groups poisoned respectively with 200% Dioscorea bulbifera L of 1/4 LD50, 1/10LD50, 1/30LD50 and a control group treated with distilled water by oral administration. All animals were pathologically examined with LM and some of them were examined with TEM when the mice died during the experiment or the survival mice were sacrificed after thirty days. RESULTS: The pathological changes showed fatty change and the increasing glycogen of liver cells; degeneration and necrosis of the epithelia of uriniferous tubules. The serum BUN and ALT of the experimental groups mice were higher than that of control group. Enzyme histochemical staining showed the decreasing activity of G-6-P and SDH in the liver cells in the experimental groups. CONCLUSION: The experiment suggests that the target organs were liver and kidney. The toxic mechanism of Dioscorea bublifera L was the damage of the mitochondrional and endoplasmic reticulum membrane directly. As a result, the activity of the SDH and G-6-P decreased, the metabolism was affected.