Short Exogenous Peptides Regulate Expression of CLE, KNOX1, and GRF Family Genes in Nicotiana tabacum.

Exogenous short biologically active peptides epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), bronchogen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu), and vilon (Lys-Glu) at concentrations 10-7-10-9 M significantly influence growth, development, and differentiation of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) callus cultures. Epitalon and bronchogen, in particular, both increase growth of calluses and stimulate formation and growth of leaves in plant regenerants. Because the regulatory activity of the short peptides appears at low peptide concentrations, their action to some extent is like that of the activity of phytohormones, and it seems to have signaling character and epigenetic nature. The investigated peptides modulate in tobacco cells the expression of genes including genes responsible for tissue formation and cell differentiation. These peptides differently modulate expression of CLE family genes coding for known endogenous regulatory peptides, the KNOX1 genes (transcription factor genes) and GRF (growth regulatory factor) genes coding for respective DNA-binding proteins such as topoisomerases, nucleases, and others. Thus, at the level of transcription, plants have a system of short peptide regulation of formation of long-known peptide regulators of growth and development. The peptides studied here may be related to a new generation of plant growth regulators. They can be used in the experimental botany, plant molecular biology, biotechnology, and practical agronomy.

[Abnormal floral meristem development in transgenic tomato plants do not depend on the expression of genes encoding defense-related PR-proteins and antimicrobial peptides].

In this study, the morphological and cytoembryological analyses of the tomato plants transformed with the genes encoding chitin-binding proteins (ac and RS-intron-Shir) from Amaranthus caudatus L. andA. retroflexus L., respectively, as well as the gene amp2 encoding hevein-like antimicrobial peptides from Stellaria media L., have been performed. The transgenic lines were adapted to soil and grown the greenhouse. The analysis of putative transgenic tomato plants revealed several lines that did not differ phenotypically from the wild type plants and three lines with disruption in differentiation of the inflorescence shoot and the flower, as well as the fruit formation (modified plants of each line were transformed with a single gene as noted before). Abnormalities in the development of the generative organs were maintained for at least six vegetative generations. These transgenic plants were shown to be defective in the mail gametophyte formation, fertilization, and, consequently, led to parthenocarpic fruits. The detailed analysis of growing ovules in the abnormal transgenic plants showed that the replacement tissue was formed and proliferated instead of unfertilized embryo sac. The structure of the replacement tissue differed from both embryonic and endosperm tissue of the normal ovule. The formation of the replacement tissue occurred due to continuing proliferation of the endothelial cells that lost their ability for differentiation. The final step in the development of the replacement tissue was its death, which resulted in the cell lysis. The expression of the genes used was confirmed by RT-PCR in all three lines with abnormal phenotype, as well as in several lines that did not phenotypically differ from the untransformed control. This suggests that abnormalities in the organs of the generative sphere in the transgenic plants do not depend on the expression of the foreign genes that were introduced in the tomato genome. Here, we argue that agrobacterial transformation affects, directly or indirectly, expression of genes encoding for transcription factors that can activate a gene cascade responsible for the normal plant development.

[Influence of genotype, explant type and component of culture medium on in vitro callus induction and shoot organogenesis of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)].

The influence of explant type as well as of the type of growth regulators and concentration on callus induction processes and somatic organogenesis of shoots was studied in vitro on four tomato genotypes of Russian breeding. Cytological study of callus tissue was conducted. It was established that tomato varieties possess a substantially greater ability to indirect shoot organogenesis compared with the F1 hybrid. The highest frequency of somatic organogenesis of shoots, as well as their number per explant, was observed for most of the genotypes studied during the cultivation of cotyledons on Murashige-Skoog culture medium containing 2 mg/l of zeatin in combination with 0.1 mg/l of 3-indoleacetic acid. An effective protocol of indirect somatic organogenesis of shoots from different explants of tomato varieties with a frequency of more than 80% was developed.

[The effect of the parameters of biolistic transformation of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) on the level of transient expression of GFP reporter gene].

The effect of the parameters of biolistic transformation (rupture disk pressure of helium, vacuum pressure, stopping screen to target tissue distance, material (gold or tungsten) and size of particles, and duration of explant culturing before bombardment) on the level of transient expression of GFP reporter gene was studied in barley embryos. The highest transient expression was observed after explant preincubation for 12-14 days and bombardment with 1 microm gold particles at the helium pressure of 61.24-74.85 atm, vacuum pressure of 0.064 atm, and distance to target of 9 cm.