There is now growing evidence that membrane vesicle trafficking proteins, especially of the superfamily of SNAREs, are critical for cellular signalling in plants. Work from this laboratory first demonstrated that a so...There is now growing evidence that membrane vesicle trafficking proteins, especially of the superfamily of SNAREs, are critical for cellular signalling in plants. Work from this laboratory first demonstrated that a soluble, inhibitory （dominant-negative） fragment of the SNARE NtSyp121 blocked K^＋ and CI^- channel responses to the stress-related hormone abscisic acid （ABA）, but left open a question about functional impacts on signal intermediates, especially on Ca^2＋-mediated signalling events. Here, we report one mode of action for the SNARE mediated directly through alterations in Ca^2＋ channel gating and its consequent effects on cytosolic-free [Ca^2＋] （[Ca^2＋]i） elevation. We find that expressing the same inhibitory fragment of NtSyp121 blocks ABA-evoked stomatal closure, but only partially suppresses stomatal closure in the presence of the NO donor, SNAP, which promotes [Ca^2＋]i elevation independently of the plasma membrane Ca^2＋ channels. Consistent with these observations, Ca^2＋ channel gating at the plasma membrane is altered by the SNARE fragment in a manner effective in reducing the potential for triggering a rise in [Ca^2＋]i, and we show directly that its expression in vivo leads to a pronounced suppression of evoked [Ca^2＋]i transients. These observations offer primary evidence for the functional coupling of the SNARE with Ca^2＋ channels at the plant cell plasma membrane and, because [Ca^2＋]i plays a key role in the control of K^＋ and CI^- channel currents in guard cells, they underscore an important mechanism for SNARE integration with ion channel regulation during stomatal closure.展开更多
To defend themselves against herbivore attack, plants produce secondary metabolites, which are variously inducible and constitutively deployed, presumably to optimize their fitness benefits in light of their fitness c...To defend themselves against herbivore attack, plants produce secondary metabolites, which are variously inducible and constitutively deployed, presumably to optimize their fitness benefits in light of their fitness costs. Three phytohormones, jasmonates （JA） and their active forms, the JA-isoleucine （JA-Ile） and ethylene （ET）, are known to play central roles in the elicitation of induced defenses, but little is known about how this mediation changes over ontogeny. The Optimal Defense Theory （ODT） predicts changes in the costs and benefits of the different types of defenses and has been usefully extrapolated to their modes of deployment. Here we studied whether the herbivore-induced accumulation of JA, JA-Ile and ET changed over ontogeny in Nicotiana attenuata, a native tobacco in which inducible defenses are particularly well studied. Herbivore-elicited ET production changed dramatically during six developmental stages, from rosette through flowering, decreasing with the elongation of the first corollas during flower development. This decrease was largely recovered within a day after flower removal by decapitation. A similar pattern was found for the herbivore-induced accumulation of JA and JA-Ile. These results are consistent with ODT predictions and suggest that the last steps in floral development control the inducibility of at least three plant hormones, optimizing defense-growth tradeoffs.展开更多
Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a recently developed technique for characterizing the function of plant genes by gene transcript suppression and is increasingly used to generate transient loss-of-function assay...Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a recently developed technique for characterizing the function of plant genes by gene transcript suppression and is increasingly used to generate transient loss-of-function assays. Here we report that the 2mDNA1, a geminivirus satellite vector, can induce efficient gene silencing in Nicotiana tabacum with Tobacco curly shoot virus. We have successfully silenced the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene in GUS transgenic N. tabacum plants and the sulphur desaturase (Su) gene in five different N. tabacum cultivars. These pronounced and severe silencing phenotypes are persistent and ubiquitous. Once initiated in seedlings, the silencing phenotype lasted for the entire life span of the plants and silencing could be induced in a variety of tissues and organs including leaf, shoot, stem, root, and flower, and achieved at any growth stage. This system works well between 18-32°C. We also silenced the NtEDS1 gene and demonstrated that NtEDS1 is essential for N gene mediated resistance against Tobacco mosaic virus in N. tabacum. The above results indicate that this system has great potential as a versatile VIGS system for routine functional analysis of genes in N. tabacum.展开更多
The relationships between chemical components and quality indexes were studied in the tobacco leaves with different aromatic styles. A total of 16 chemical components, 4 quality indexes, and 6 smoking quality indexes ...The relationships between chemical components and quality indexes were studied in the tobacco leaves with different aromatic styles. A total of 16 chemical components, 4 quality indexes, and 6 smoking quality indexes from 366 tobacco leaf samples with 4 different types of aroma from Guizhou Province, China, were subjected to principal component analysis and stepwise regression analysis. The tobacco leaves with different types of aroma showed remarkable difference in the contents of chemical components, quality indexes, and smoking quality indexes. The first principal factors （carbohydrates and nitrogen-containing compounds） of the chemical composition of the leaf were similar among different types of aroma, which showed that the quality of the leaf was mainly influenced by carbohydrates and nitrogen-containing compounds and their ratios. The factors for the second through the seventh principal components varied largely among varioUs aromatic types, suggesting the contribution of other chemical components to the leaf quality. In addition, the smoking quality of four different aromatic leaves showed significant correlation with the different chemical components. The quality of tobacco leaves with different types of aroma was influenced by multiple factors, especially ecological conditions and culture techniques, which may provide guidance for directive cultivation of high-quality tobacco leaves.展开更多
Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that functions as a protectant in the stabilization of biological structures and enhances the tolerance of organisms to abiotic stress. In the present study, we repo...Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that functions as a protectant in the stabilization of biological structures and enhances the tolerance of organisms to abiotic stress. In the present study, we report on the expression of the Grifola frondosa Fr. Trehalose synthase (Tsase) gene for manipulating abiotic stress tolerance in tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum L.). The expression of the transgene was under the control of two tandem copies of the CaMV3 5 S promoter and was transferred into tobacco by Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105. Compared with non-transgenic plants, transgenic plants were able to accumulate high levels of products of trehalose, which were increased up to 2.126–2.556 mg/g FW, although levels were undetectable in non-transgenic plants. This level of trehalose in transgenic plants was 400-fold higher than that of transgenic tobacco plants cotransformed with Escherichia coli TPS and TPP on independent expression cassettes, twofold higher than that of transgenic rice plants transformed with a bi functional fusion gene (TPSP) of the trehalose-6-phosphate (T-6-P) synthase (TPS) and T-6-P phosphatase (TPP) of E. coli, and 12-fold higher than that of transgenic tobacco plants transformed the yeast TPS1 gene. It has been reported that transgenic plants with E. coli TPS and/or TPP were severely stunted and had morphological alterations of their roots. Interestingly, our transgenic plants have obvious morphological changes, including thick and deep-coloured leaves, but show no growth inhibition; moreover, these morphological changes can restore to normal type in T2 progenies. Trehalose accumulation in 35S–35S:Tsase plants resulted in increased tolerance to drought and salt, as shown by the results of tests on drought, salt tolerance, and drought physiological indices, such as water content in excised leaves, malondialdehyde content, chlorophyll a and b contents, and the activity of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase in excised leaves. These results suggest that transgenic plants transformed w展开更多
It is believed that the nicotine concentration in tobacco is closely correlated with the amount of nitrogen （N） supplied. On the other hand, N uptake mainly occurs at the early growth stage, whereas nicotine concent...It is believed that the nicotine concentration in tobacco is closely correlated with the amount of nitrogen （N） supplied. On the other hand, N uptake mainly occurs at the early growth stage, whereas nicotine concentration increases at the late growth stage, especially after removing the shoot apex. To identify the causes of the increased nicotine concentration in tobacco plants, and to compare the effects of different ways of mechanical wounding on nicotine concentration, field experiments were carried out in Fuzhou, Fujian Province in 2003 and 2004. Excision of the shoot apex had almost no influence on N content in the plant; however, it caused dramatic increases in nicotine concentration in leaves, especially in the middle and upper leaves. An additional increase of the nicotine concentration was obtained by removal of axillary buds. The wounding caused by routine leaf harvests, however, did not change the leaf nicotine concentration, and neither did reducing leaf harvest times. The present results revealed no direct relationship between N supply and nicotine concentration in tobacco leaves, and indicate that not all kinds of mechanical wounding were capable of stimulating nicotine synthesis in tobacco plants. Since nicotine production is highly dependent on the removal of apical meristems and hence on the major sources of auxin in the plant, and application of 1-naphthylacetic acid onto the cut surface of the stem after removing the shoot apex markedly decreased the nicotine concentration in different leaves and the total nicotine content in the plant, the results suggest that decreased auxin supply caused by removal of the shoot apex as a kind of mechanical wounding might regulate nicotine synthesis in the roots of tobacco plants.展开更多
Calcium-dependent protein kinases （CDPKs, EC 2.7.1.37） comprise a large family of Ser/Thr kinases in plants and play an important role in plant Ca^2＋ signal transduction. A full-length CDPK gene, NtCDPK12 （GenBank...Calcium-dependent protein kinases （CDPKs, EC 2.7.1.37） comprise a large family of Ser/Thr kinases in plants and play an important role in plant Ca^2＋ signal transduction. A full-length CDPK gene, NtCDPK12 （GenBank accession number GQ337420）, was isolated from common tobacco （Nicotiana tabacum） leaves by rapid amplification of eDNA ends （RACE）. The NtCDPK12 eDNA is 1 816 bp length and contains an open reading frame （ORF） of 1 461 bp encoding 486 amino acids. Sequence alignments indicated that NtCDPK12 contains all conserved regions found in CDPKs and shows a high level of sequence similarity to many other plant CDPKs. The results of real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR （qRT- PCR） showed that NtCDPK12 was highly expressed in stems and increased in roots treated with high-salt or subjected to drought stress, which indicates that NtCDPK12 was induced by high-salt and drought stresses.展开更多
Recent reports suggest that exposure to stress is capable of influencing the frequency and pattern of inherited changes in various parts of the genome. In this review, we will discuss the influence of viral pathogens ...Recent reports suggest that exposure to stress is capable of influencing the frequency and pattern of inherited changes in various parts of the genome. In this review, we will discuss the influence of viral pathogens on somatic and meiotic genome stability of Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants infected with a compatible pathogen generate a systemic recombination signal that precedes the spread of pathogens and results in changes in the somatic and meiotic recombination frequency. The progeny of infected plants exhibit changes in global and locusspecific DNA methylation patterns, genomic rearrangements at transgenic reporter loci and resistance gene-like-loci, and even tolerance to pathogen infection and abiotic stress. Here, we will discuss the contribution of environmental stresses to genome evolution and will focus on the role of heritable epigenetic changes in response to pathogen infection.展开更多
The purpose of this study is to investigate the function of a novel potassium transporter gene (NrHAK1) isolated from Nicotiana rustica roots using yeast complement and real-time PCR technique. The complementary DNA (...The purpose of this study is to investigate the function of a novel potassium transporter gene (NrHAK1) isolated from Nicotiana rustica roots using yeast complement and real-time PCR technique. The complementary DNA (cDNA) of NrHAK1, 2 488 bp long, contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 2 334 bp encoding a protein of 777 amino acids (87.6 kDa) with 12 predicted transmembrane domains. The NrHAK1 protein shows a high sequence similarity to those of high-affinity potassium transporters in Mesembryanthemum, Phytolacca acinosa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and so on. We found that the NrHAK1 gene could complement the yeast-mutant defect in K+ uptake. Among several tissues surveyed, the expression level of NrHAK1 was most abundant in the root tip and was up-regulated when exposed to potassium starvation. Moreover, the transcript accumulation was significantly reduced by adding 5 mmol/L NH4+ to the solution. These results suggest that NrHAK1 plays an important role in potassium absorption in N. rustica.展开更多
Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana are widely used models in plant biology research.However,genomic studies of these species have lagged.Here we report the chromosome-level reference genome assemblies for N.b...Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana are widely used models in plant biology research.However,genomic studies of these species have lagged.Here we report the chromosome-level reference genome assemblies for N.benthamiana and N.tabacum with an estimated 99.5%and 99.8%completeness,respec-tively.Sensitive transcription start and termination site sequencing methods were developed and used for accurate gene annotation in N.tabacum.Comparative analyses revealed evidence for the parental origins and chromosome structural changes,leading to hybrid genome formation of each species.Interestingly,theantiviral silencinggenesRDR1,RDR6,DCL2,DCL3,andAGO2were lost from one or both subgenomes in N.benthamiana,while both homeologs were kept in N.tabacum.Furthermore,the N.benthamiana genome encodes fewer immune receptors and signaling components than that of N.tabacum.These find-ings uncover possible reasons underlying the hypersusceptible nature of N.benthamiana.We developed the user-friendly Nicomics(http:/lifenglab.hzau.edu.cn/Nicomics/)web server to facilitate better use of Nicotiana genomic resources as well as gene structure and expression analyses.展开更多
Solanesol is an important secondary metabolite in Nicotiana tabacum. Distribution of solanesol in Nicotiana tabacum was investigated by High Performance Liquid Chromatography （HPLC） method. The quantitative distribu...Solanesol is an important secondary metabolite in Nicotiana tabacum. Distribution of solanesol in Nicotiana tabacum was investigated by High Performance Liquid Chromatography （HPLC） method. The quantitative distribution of solanesol in various organs and tissues of N. tabacum showed that solanesol content, obviously different in all organs, was 6.8, 18.3, 27.5, 45.8, and 68.0 times higher in leaves than that in the stalks, flowers, seeds, fruits and roots, respectively. The contents of solanesol in various parts of leaf, stalk and flower were determined. The content of solanesol in top leaf, middle leaf and bottom leaf gradually decreased （6.124, 5.813 and 5.687 mg.g^-1, respectively） and the content of solanesol in various leaf-parts （leaf apex, leaf middle and leaf base） also gradually decreased. The content of solanesol in top stalk was 1.19 times and 1.92 times higher than that in the middle stalk and the bottom stalk, respectively. The content of solanesol in various tissues of stalk （epidermis, cortex and stele） dramatically decreased. The sepal contained higher concentration of solanesol （1.192 mg·g^-1） compared to any other parts in flower. The study will provide the base data for the regulation and control of solanesol, moreover, it will provide the scientific evidences for the rational development and utilization of N. tabacum resources.展开更多
Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses in crop plants each year.(E)-β-farnesene(EβF) is the main or only component of an alarm pheromone involved in chemical communication within aph...Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses in crop plants each year.(E)-β-farnesene(EβF) is the main or only component of an alarm pheromone involved in chemical communication within aphid species and particularly in the avoidance of predation. EβF also occurs in the essential oil of some plant species, and is catalyzed by EβF synthase. By using oligonucleotide primers designed from the known sequence of an EβF synthase gene from black peppermint(Mentha × piperita), two cDNA sequences, MaβFS1 and MaβFS2, were isolated from Asian peppermint(Mentha asiatica). Expression pattern analysis showed that the MaβFS1 gene exhibited higher expression in flowers than in roots, stems and leaves at the transcriptional level. Overexpression of MaβFS1 in tobacco plants resulted in emission of pure EβF ranging from 2.62 to 4.85 ng d-1g-1of fresh tissue. Tritrophic interactions involving peach aphids(Myzus persicae), and predatory lacewing(Chrysopa septempunctata) larvae demonstrated that transgenic tobacco expressing MaβFS1 had lower aphid infestation. This result suggested that the EβF synthase gene from Asian peppermint could be a good candidate for genetic engineering of agriculturally important crop plants.展开更多
Coding sequences (CDS) are commonly used for transient gene expression, in yeast two-hybrid screening, to verify protein interactions and in prokaryotic gene expression studies. CDS are most commonly obtained using co...Coding sequences (CDS) are commonly used for transient gene expression, in yeast two-hybrid screening, to verify protein interactions and in prokaryotic gene expression studies. CDS are most commonly obtained using complementary DNA (cDNA) derived from messenger RNA (mRNA) extracted from plant tissues and generated by reverse transcription. However, some CDS are difficult to acquire through this process as they are expressed at extremely low levels or have specific spatial and/or temporal expression patterns in vivo. These challenges require the development of alternative CDS cloning technologies. In this study, we found that the genomic intron-containing gene coding sequences (gDNA) from Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Brassica napus, and Glycine max can be correctly transcribed and spliced into mRNA in Nicotiana benthamiana. In contrast, gDNAs from Triticum aestivum and Sorghum bicolor did not function correctly. In transient expression experiments, the target DNA sequence is driven by a constitutive promoter. Theoretically, a sufficient amount of mRNA can be extracted from the N. benthamiana leaves, making it conducive to the cloning of CDS target genes. Our data demonstrate that N. benthamiana can be used as an effective host for the cloning CDS of plant genes.展开更多
Virus-induced gene silencing （VIGS） is a powerful genetic tool for rapid assessment of plant gene functions in the post-genomic era. Here, we successfully implemented a Tobacco Rattle Virus （TRV）-based VlGS system...Virus-induced gene silencing （VIGS） is a powerful genetic tool for rapid assessment of plant gene functions in the post-genomic era. Here, we successfully implemented a Tobacco Rattle Virus （TRV）-based VlGS system to study functions of genes involved in either primary or secondary cell wall formation in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. A 3-week post- VIGS time frame is sufficient to observe phenotypic alterations in the anatomical structure of stems and chemical composition of the primary and secondary cell walls. We used cell wall glycan-directed monoclonal antibodies to demonstrate that alteration of cell wall polymer synthesis during the secondary growth phase of VIGS plants has profound effects on the extractability of components from woody stem cell walls. Therefore, TRV-based VlGS together with cell wall component profiling methods provide a high-throughput gene discovery platform for studying plant cell wall formation from a bioenergy perspective.展开更多
Nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat receptors (NBS-LRR/NLRs) are crucial intracellular immune proteins in plants. Previous article reported a novel NLR protein SUT1 (SUPPRESSORS OF TOPP4-1, 1), which is involv...Nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat receptors (NBS-LRR/NLRs) are crucial intracellular immune proteins in plants. Previous article reported a novel NLR protein SUT1 (SUPPRESSORS OF TOPP4-1, 1), which is involved in autoimmunity initiated by type one protein phosphatase 4 mutation (topp4-1) in Arabidopsis, however, its role in planta is still unclear. This study employed Nicotiana benthamiana, a model platform, to conduct an overall structural and functional analysis of SUT1 protein. The transient expression results revealed that SUT1 is a typical CNL (CC-NBS-LRR) receptor, both fluorescence data and biochemical results showed the protein is mainly anchored on the plasma membrane due to its N-terminal acylation site. Further truncation experiments announced that its CC (coiled-coil) domain possessed cell-death-inducing activity. The outcomes of point mutations analysis revealed that not only the CC domain, but also the full-length SUT1 protein, whose function and subcellular localization are influenced by highly conserved hydrophobic residues. These research outcomes provided favorable clues for elucidating the activation mechanism of SUT1.展开更多
文摘There is now growing evidence that membrane vesicle trafficking proteins, especially of the superfamily of SNAREs, are critical for cellular signalling in plants. Work from this laboratory first demonstrated that a soluble, inhibitory （dominant-negative） fragment of the SNARE NtSyp121 blocked K^＋ and CI^- channel responses to the stress-related hormone abscisic acid （ABA）, but left open a question about functional impacts on signal intermediates, especially on Ca^2＋-mediated signalling events. Here, we report one mode of action for the SNARE mediated directly through alterations in Ca^2＋ channel gating and its consequent effects on cytosolic-free [Ca^2＋] （[Ca^2＋]i） elevation. We find that expressing the same inhibitory fragment of NtSyp121 blocks ABA-evoked stomatal closure, but only partially suppresses stomatal closure in the presence of the NO donor, SNAP, which promotes [Ca^2＋]i elevation independently of the plasma membrane Ca^2＋ channels. Consistent with these observations, Ca^2＋ channel gating at the plasma membrane is altered by the SNARE fragment in a manner effective in reducing the potential for triggering a rise in [Ca^2＋]i, and we show directly that its expression in vivo leads to a pronounced suppression of evoked [Ca^2＋]i transients. These observations offer primary evidence for the functional coupling of the SNARE with Ca^2＋ channels at the plant cell plasma membrane and, because [Ca^2＋]i plays a key role in the control of K^＋ and CI^- channel currents in guard cells, they underscore an important mechanism for SNARE integration with ion channel regulation during stomatal closure.
文摘To defend themselves against herbivore attack, plants produce secondary metabolites, which are variously inducible and constitutively deployed, presumably to optimize their fitness benefits in light of their fitness costs. Three phytohormones, jasmonates （JA） and their active forms, the JA-isoleucine （JA-Ile） and ethylene （ET）, are known to play central roles in the elicitation of induced defenses, but little is known about how this mediation changes over ontogeny. The Optimal Defense Theory （ODT） predicts changes in the costs and benefits of the different types of defenses and has been usefully extrapolated to their modes of deployment. Here we studied whether the herbivore-induced accumulation of JA, JA-Ile and ET changed over ontogeny in Nicotiana attenuata, a native tobacco in which inducible defenses are particularly well studied. Herbivore-elicited ET production changed dramatically during six developmental stages, from rosette through flowering, decreasing with the elongation of the first corollas during flower development. This decrease was largely recovered within a day after flower removal by decapitation. A similar pattern was found for the herbivore-induced accumulation of JA and JA-Ile. These results are consistent with ODT predictions and suggest that the last steps in floral development control the inducibility of at least three plant hormones, optimizing defense-growth tradeoffs.
基金supported by the National Science and Technology Major Projects of China (No. 2009ZX08009-026B)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 20090461375)the National Basic Research Program (973) of China (No. 2006CB101903)
文摘Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a recently developed technique for characterizing the function of plant genes by gene transcript suppression and is increasingly used to generate transient loss-of-function assays. Here we report that the 2mDNA1, a geminivirus satellite vector, can induce efficient gene silencing in Nicotiana tabacum with Tobacco curly shoot virus. We have successfully silenced the β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene in GUS transgenic N. tabacum plants and the sulphur desaturase (Su) gene in five different N. tabacum cultivars. These pronounced and severe silencing phenotypes are persistent and ubiquitous. Once initiated in seedlings, the silencing phenotype lasted for the entire life span of the plants and silencing could be induced in a variety of tissues and organs including leaf, shoot, stem, root, and flower, and achieved at any growth stage. This system works well between 18-32°C. We also silenced the NtEDS1 gene and demonstrated that NtEDS1 is essential for N gene mediated resistance against Tobacco mosaic virus in N. tabacum. The above results indicate that this system has great potential as a versatile VIGS system for routine functional analysis of genes in N. tabacum.
文摘The relationships between chemical components and quality indexes were studied in the tobacco leaves with different aromatic styles. A total of 16 chemical components, 4 quality indexes, and 6 smoking quality indexes from 366 tobacco leaf samples with 4 different types of aroma from Guizhou Province, China, were subjected to principal component analysis and stepwise regression analysis. The tobacco leaves with different types of aroma showed remarkable difference in the contents of chemical components, quality indexes, and smoking quality indexes. The first principal factors （carbohydrates and nitrogen-containing compounds） of the chemical composition of the leaf were similar among different types of aroma, which showed that the quality of the leaf was mainly influenced by carbohydrates and nitrogen-containing compounds and their ratios. The factors for the second through the seventh principal components varied largely among varioUs aromatic types, suggesting the contribution of other chemical components to the leaf quality. In addition, the smoking quality of four different aromatic leaves showed significant correlation with the different chemical components. The quality of tobacco leaves with different types of aroma was influenced by multiple factors, especially ecological conditions and culture techniques, which may provide guidance for directive cultivation of high-quality tobacco leaves.
文摘Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that functions as a protectant in the stabilization of biological structures and enhances the tolerance of organisms to abiotic stress. In the present study, we report on the expression of the Grifola frondosa Fr. Trehalose synthase (Tsase) gene for manipulating abiotic stress tolerance in tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum L.). The expression of the transgene was under the control of two tandem copies of the CaMV3 5 S promoter and was transferred into tobacco by Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105. Compared with non-transgenic plants, transgenic plants were able to accumulate high levels of products of trehalose, which were increased up to 2.126–2.556 mg/g FW, although levels were undetectable in non-transgenic plants. This level of trehalose in transgenic plants was 400-fold higher than that of transgenic tobacco plants cotransformed with Escherichia coli TPS and TPP on independent expression cassettes, twofold higher than that of transgenic rice plants transformed with a bi functional fusion gene (TPSP) of the trehalose-6-phosphate (T-6-P) synthase (TPS) and T-6-P phosphatase (TPP) of E. coli, and 12-fold higher than that of transgenic tobacco plants transformed the yeast TPS1 gene. It has been reported that transgenic plants with E. coli TPS and/or TPP were severely stunted and had morphological alterations of their roots. Interestingly, our transgenic plants have obvious morphological changes, including thick and deep-coloured leaves, but show no growth inhibition; moreover, these morphological changes can restore to normal type in T2 progenies. Trehalose accumulation in 35S–35S:Tsase plants resulted in increased tolerance to drought and salt, as shown by the results of tests on drought, salt tolerance, and drought physiological indices, such as water content in excised leaves, malondialdehyde content, chlorophyll a and b contents, and the activity of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase in excised leaves. These results suggest that transgenic plants transformed w
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30370842)Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team inUniversity (IRT0511)
文摘It is believed that the nicotine concentration in tobacco is closely correlated with the amount of nitrogen （N） supplied. On the other hand, N uptake mainly occurs at the early growth stage, whereas nicotine concentration increases at the late growth stage, especially after removing the shoot apex. To identify the causes of the increased nicotine concentration in tobacco plants, and to compare the effects of different ways of mechanical wounding on nicotine concentration, field experiments were carried out in Fuzhou, Fujian Province in 2003 and 2004. Excision of the shoot apex had almost no influence on N content in the plant; however, it caused dramatic increases in nicotine concentration in leaves, especially in the middle and upper leaves. An additional increase of the nicotine concentration was obtained by removal of axillary buds. The wounding caused by routine leaf harvests, however, did not change the leaf nicotine concentration, and neither did reducing leaf harvest times. The present results revealed no direct relationship between N supply and nicotine concentration in tobacco leaves, and indicate that not all kinds of mechanical wounding were capable of stimulating nicotine synthesis in tobacco plants. Since nicotine production is highly dependent on the removal of apical meristems and hence on the major sources of auxin in the plant, and application of 1-naphthylacetic acid onto the cut surface of the stem after removing the shoot apex markedly decreased the nicotine concentration in different leaves and the total nicotine content in the plant, the results suggest that decreased auxin supply caused by removal of the shoot apex as a kind of mechanical wounding might regulate nicotine synthesis in the roots of tobacco plants.
基金supported in part by the Special Grand Science and Technology Projects for China National Tobacco Corporation (110200701022,110200902036),Chinathe open subject from the State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry (PPB08004)
文摘Calcium-dependent protein kinases （CDPKs, EC 2.7.1.37） comprise a large family of Ser/Thr kinases in plants and play an important role in plant Ca^2＋ signal transduction. A full-length CDPK gene, NtCDPK12 （GenBank accession number GQ337420）, was isolated from common tobacco （Nicotiana tabacum） leaves by rapid amplification of eDNA ends （RACE）. The NtCDPK12 eDNA is 1 816 bp length and contains an open reading frame （ORF） of 1 461 bp encoding 486 amino acids. Sequence alignments indicated that NtCDPK12 contains all conserved regions found in CDPKs and shows a high level of sequence similarity to many other plant CDPKs. The results of real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR （qRT- PCR） showed that NtCDPK12 was highly expressed in stems and increased in roots treated with high-salt or subjected to drought stress, which indicates that NtCDPK12 was induced by high-salt and drought stresses.
文摘Recent reports suggest that exposure to stress is capable of influencing the frequency and pattern of inherited changes in various parts of the genome. In this review, we will discuss the influence of viral pathogens on somatic and meiotic genome stability of Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana. Plants infected with a compatible pathogen generate a systemic recombination signal that precedes the spread of pathogens and results in changes in the somatic and meiotic recombination frequency. The progeny of infected plants exhibit changes in global and locusspecific DNA methylation patterns, genomic rearrangements at transgenic reporter loci and resistance gene-like-loci, and even tolerance to pathogen infection and abiotic stress. Here, we will discuss the contribution of environmental stresses to genome evolution and will focus on the role of heritable epigenetic changes in response to pathogen infection.
基金(No. 110200101008) supported by the State Tobacco Mo-nopoly Administration, China
文摘The purpose of this study is to investigate the function of a novel potassium transporter gene (NrHAK1) isolated from Nicotiana rustica roots using yeast complement and real-time PCR technique. The complementary DNA (cDNA) of NrHAK1, 2 488 bp long, contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 2 334 bp encoding a protein of 777 amino acids (87.6 kDa) with 12 predicted transmembrane domains. The NrHAK1 protein shows a high sequence similarity to those of high-affinity potassium transporters in Mesembryanthemum, Phytolacca acinosa, Arabidopsis thaliana, and so on. We found that the NrHAK1 gene could complement the yeast-mutant defect in K+ uptake. Among several tissues surveyed, the expression level of NrHAK1 was most abundant in the root tip and was up-regulated when exposed to potassium starvation. Moreover, the transcript accumulation was significantly reduced by adding 5 mmol/L NH4+ to the solution. These results suggest that NrHAK1 plays an important role in potassium absorption in N. rustica.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32272491,32061143022,32202250)Work in Barbara Baker's laboratory is supported by USDA ARS CRIS 2030-22000-009-00D and 2030-22000-034-00Dby an Innovative Genomics Institute(2017)Aaward.
文摘Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana are widely used models in plant biology research.However,genomic studies of these species have lagged.Here we report the chromosome-level reference genome assemblies for N.benthamiana and N.tabacum with an estimated 99.5%and 99.8%completeness,respec-tively.Sensitive transcription start and termination site sequencing methods were developed and used for accurate gene annotation in N.tabacum.Comparative analyses revealed evidence for the parental origins and chromosome structural changes,leading to hybrid genome formation of each species.Interestingly,theantiviral silencinggenesRDR1,RDR6,DCL2,DCL3,andAGO2were lost from one or both subgenomes in N.benthamiana,while both homeologs were kept in N.tabacum.Furthermore,the N.benthamiana genome encodes fewer immune receptors and signaling components than that of N.tabacum.These find-ings uncover possible reasons underlying the hypersusceptible nature of N.benthamiana.We developed the user-friendly Nicomics(http:/lifenglab.hzau.edu.cn/Nicomics/)web server to facilitate better use of Nicotiana genomic resources as well as gene structure and expression analyses.
基金This paper was supported by Special fund of technological innovation talents in Harbin city, China (No. 2006RFQXN003)
文摘Solanesol is an important secondary metabolite in Nicotiana tabacum. Distribution of solanesol in Nicotiana tabacum was investigated by High Performance Liquid Chromatography （HPLC） method. The quantitative distribution of solanesol in various organs and tissues of N. tabacum showed that solanesol content, obviously different in all organs, was 6.8, 18.3, 27.5, 45.8, and 68.0 times higher in leaves than that in the stalks, flowers, seeds, fruits and roots, respectively. The contents of solanesol in various parts of leaf, stalk and flower were determined. The content of solanesol in top leaf, middle leaf and bottom leaf gradually decreased （6.124, 5.813 and 5.687 mg.g^-1, respectively） and the content of solanesol in various leaf-parts （leaf apex, leaf middle and leaf base） also gradually decreased. The content of solanesol in top stalk was 1.19 times and 1.92 times higher than that in the middle stalk and the bottom stalk, respectively. The content of solanesol in various tissues of stalk （epidermis, cortex and stele） dramatically decreased. The sepal contained higher concentration of solanesol （1.192 mg·g^-1） compared to any other parts in flower. The study will provide the base data for the regulation and control of solanesol, moreover, it will provide the scientific evidences for the rational development and utilization of N. tabacum resources.
基金funded by the Research Initiative on Development of Transgenic Wheat Plants supported by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (2011ZX08002-001)the Natural Science Foundation of China (31171618)the Chinese State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insects (SKLOF201307)
文摘Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses in crop plants each year.(E)-β-farnesene(EβF) is the main or only component of an alarm pheromone involved in chemical communication within aphid species and particularly in the avoidance of predation. EβF also occurs in the essential oil of some plant species, and is catalyzed by EβF synthase. By using oligonucleotide primers designed from the known sequence of an EβF synthase gene from black peppermint(Mentha × piperita), two cDNA sequences, MaβFS1 and MaβFS2, were isolated from Asian peppermint(Mentha asiatica). Expression pattern analysis showed that the MaβFS1 gene exhibited higher expression in flowers than in roots, stems and leaves at the transcriptional level. Overexpression of MaβFS1 in tobacco plants resulted in emission of pure EβF ranging from 2.62 to 4.85 ng d-1g-1of fresh tissue. Tritrophic interactions involving peach aphids(Myzus persicae), and predatory lacewing(Chrysopa septempunctata) larvae demonstrated that transgenic tobacco expressing MaβFS1 had lower aphid infestation. This result suggested that the EβF synthase gene from Asian peppermint could be a good candidate for genetic engineering of agriculturally important crop plants.
文摘Coding sequences (CDS) are commonly used for transient gene expression, in yeast two-hybrid screening, to verify protein interactions and in prokaryotic gene expression studies. CDS are most commonly obtained using complementary DNA (cDNA) derived from messenger RNA (mRNA) extracted from plant tissues and generated by reverse transcription. However, some CDS are difficult to acquire through this process as they are expressed at extremely low levels or have specific spatial and/or temporal expression patterns in vivo. These challenges require the development of alternative CDS cloning technologies. In this study, we found that the genomic intron-containing gene coding sequences (gDNA) from Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Brassica napus, and Glycine max can be correctly transcribed and spliced into mRNA in Nicotiana benthamiana. In contrast, gDNAs from Triticum aestivum and Sorghum bicolor did not function correctly. In transient expression experiments, the target DNA sequence is driven by a constitutive promoter. Theoretically, a sufficient amount of mRNA can be extracted from the N. benthamiana leaves, making it conducive to the cloning of CDS target genes. Our data demonstrate that N. benthamiana can be used as an effective host for the cloning CDS of plant genes.
文摘Virus-induced gene silencing （VIGS） is a powerful genetic tool for rapid assessment of plant gene functions in the post-genomic era. Here, we successfully implemented a Tobacco Rattle Virus （TRV）-based VlGS system to study functions of genes involved in either primary or secondary cell wall formation in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. A 3-week post- VIGS time frame is sufficient to observe phenotypic alterations in the anatomical structure of stems and chemical composition of the primary and secondary cell walls. We used cell wall glycan-directed monoclonal antibodies to demonstrate that alteration of cell wall polymer synthesis during the secondary growth phase of VIGS plants has profound effects on the extractability of components from woody stem cell walls. Therefore, TRV-based VlGS together with cell wall component profiling methods provide a high-throughput gene discovery platform for studying plant cell wall formation from a bioenergy perspective.
文摘Nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat receptors (NBS-LRR/NLRs) are crucial intracellular immune proteins in plants. Previous article reported a novel NLR protein SUT1 (SUPPRESSORS OF TOPP4-1, 1), which is involved in autoimmunity initiated by type one protein phosphatase 4 mutation (topp4-1) in Arabidopsis, however, its role in planta is still unclear. This study employed Nicotiana benthamiana, a model platform, to conduct an overall structural and functional analysis of SUT1 protein. The transient expression results revealed that SUT1 is a typical CNL (CC-NBS-LRR) receptor, both fluorescence data and biochemical results showed the protein is mainly anchored on the plasma membrane due to its N-terminal acylation site. Further truncation experiments announced that its CC (coiled-coil) domain possessed cell-death-inducing activity. The outcomes of point mutations analysis revealed that not only the CC domain, but also the full-length SUT1 protein, whose function and subcellular localization are influenced by highly conserved hydrophobic residues. These research outcomes provided favorable clues for elucidating the activation mechanism of SUT1.
