Arsenic Uptake and Translocation in Plants
Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic metalloid that is classified as a non-threshold class-1 carcinogen. Millions of people worldwide suffer from As toxicity due to the intake of As-contaminated drinking water and food. Reducing the As concentration in drinking water and food is thus of critical importance. Phytoremediation of soil contaminated with As and the reduction of As contamination in food depend on a detailed understanding of As uptake and transport in plants. As transporters play essential roles in As uptake, translocation and accumulation in plant cells. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of As tra...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - January 21, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Li, N., Wang, J., Song, W.-Y. Tags: Mini Reviews Source Type: research
ALCOdb: Gene Coexpression Database for Microalgae
In the era of energy and food shortage, microalgae have gained much attention as promising sources of biofuels and food ingredients. However, only a small fraction of microalgal genes have been functionally characterized. Here, we have developed the Algae Gene Coexpression database (ALCOdb; http://alcodb.jp), which provides gene coexpression information to survey gene modules for a function of interest. ALCOdb currently supports two model algae: the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae. Users can retrieve coexpression information for genes of interest through three unique data pages...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - January 21, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Aoki, Y., Okamura, Y., Ohta, H., Kinoshita, K., Obayashi, T. Tags: Special Online Collection - Database Papers Source Type: research
The Vigna Genome Server, 'VigGS: A Genomic Knowledge Base of the Genus Vigna Based on High-Quality, Annotated Genome Sequence of the Azuki Bean, Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & Ohashi
The genus Vigna includes legume crops such as cowpea, mungbean and azuki bean, as well as >100 wild species. A number of the wild species are highly tolerant to severe environmental conditions including high-salinity, acid or alkaline soil; drought; flooding; and pests and diseases. These features of the genus Vigna make it a good target for investigation of genetic diversity in adaptation to stressful environments; however, a lack of genomic information has hindered such research in this genus. Here, we present a genome database of the genus Vigna, Vigna Genome Server (‘VigGS’, http://viggs.dna.affrc.go.jp)...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - January 21, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Sakai, H., Naito, K., Takahashi, Y., Sato, T., Yamamoto, T., Muto, I., Itoh, T., Tomooka, N. Tags: Special Online Collection - Database Papers Source Type: research
OryzaGenome: Genome Diversity Database of Wild Oryza Species
The species in the genus Oryza, encompassing nine genome types and 23 species, are a rich genetic resource and may have applications in deeper genomic analyses aiming to understand the evolution of plant genomes. With the advancement of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, a flood of Oryza species reference genomes and genomic variation information has become available in recent years. This genomic information, combined with the comprehensive phenotypic information that we are accumulating in our Oryzabase, can serve as an excellent genotype–phenotype association resource for analyzing rice functional and str...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - January 21, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Ohyanagi, H., Ebata, T., Huang, X., Gong, H., Fujita, M., Mochizuki, T., Toyoda, A., Fujiyama, A., Kaminuma, E., Nakamura, Y., Feng, Q., Wang, Z.-X., Han, B., Kurata, N. Tags: Special Online Collection - Database Papers Source Type: research
Editorial: Plant and Cell Physiologys 2016 Online Database Issue
(Source: Plant and Cell Physiology)
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - January 21, 2016 Category: Cytology Authors: Ohyanagi, H., Obayashi, T., Yano, K. Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Functional Characterization and Substrate Promiscuity of UGT71 Glycosyltransferases from Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa)
Glycosylation determines the complexity and diversity of plant natural products. To characterize fruit ripening-related UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) functionally in strawberry, we mined the publicly available Fragaria vesca genome sequence and found 199 putative UGT genes. Candidate UGTs whose expression levels were strongly up-regulated during fruit ripening were cloned from F.xananassa and six were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and biochemically characterized. UGT75T1 showed very strict substrate specificity and glucosylated only galangin out of 33 compounds. The other recombinant enzymes exhibi...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Song, C., Gu, L., Liu, J., Zhao, S., Hong, X., Schulenburg, K., Schwab, W. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Identification of a Cyanobacterial RND-Type Efflux System Involved in Export of Free Fatty Acids
An RND (resistance–nodulation–division)-type transporter having the capacity to export free fatty acids (FFAs) was identified in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus strain PCC 7942 during characterization of a mutant strain engineered to produce FFAs. The basic strategy for construction of the FFA-producing mutant was a commonly used one, involving inactivation of the endogenous acyl-acyl carrier protein synthetase gene (aas) and introduction of a foreign thioesterase gene (‘tesA), but a nitrate transport mutant NA3 was used as the parental strain to achieve slow, nitrate-limited growth in batch cu...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Kato, A., Takatani, N., Use, K., Uesaka, K., Ikeda, K., Chang, Y., Kojima, K., Aichi, M., Ihara, K., Nakahigashi, K., Maeda, S.-i., Omata, T. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Root ABA Accumulation in Long-Term Water-Stressed Plants is Sustained by Hormone Transport from Aerial Organs
In conclusion, accumulation of ABA in roots after long-term WS periods largely relies on the aerial organs, suggesting a reduced ability of the roots to synthesize ABA from carotenoids. Furthermore, plants are able to transport ABA basipetally to sustain high hormone levels in roots. (Source: Plant and Cell Physiology)
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Manzi, M., Lado, J., Rodrigo, M. J., Zacarias, L., Arbona, V., Gomez-Cadenas, A. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
High-Level Accumulation of Triacylglycerol and Starch in Photoautotrophically Grown Chlamydomonas debaryana NIES-2212
Microalgae have the potential to produce triacylglycerol (TAG) and starch, which provide alternative sources of biofuel. A problem in using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model for TAG production has been that this alga lacks phosphatidylcholine (PC), which is thought to be important for TAG synthesis in plants. We found that C. debaryana is one of the rare species of Chlamydomonas having PC. Here we show that this strain, grown under complete photoautotrophic conditions, accumulated TAG and starch up to 20 and 250 pg per cell, respectively, during the stationary phase without nutrient deprivation. Addition of nutrients in...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Toyoshima, M., Sato, N. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
PtoMYB92 is a Transcriptional Activator of the Lignin Biosynthetic Pathway During Secondary Cell Wall Formation in Populus tomentosa
In this study, we describe the identification and characterization of a poplar MYB transcription factor PtoMYB92, a homolog of Arabidopsis MYB42 and MYB85, which is involved in the regulation of secondary cell wall biosynthesis. PtoMYB92 is specifically expressed in xylem tissue in poplar. Subcellular localization and transcriptional activation analysis suggest that PtoMYB92 is a nuclear-localized transcriptional activator. Overexpression of PtoMYB92 in poplar resulted in an increase in secondary cell wall thickness in stems and ectopic deposition of lignin in leaves. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that PtoMYB92 specifi...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Li, C., Wang, X., Ran, L., Tian, Q., Fan, D., Luo, K. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Overexpression of a Phytophthora Cytoplasmic CRN Effector Confers Resistance to Disease, Salinity and Drought in Nicotiana benthamiana
The Crinkler (CRN) effector family is produced by oomycete pathogens and may manipulate host physiological and biochemical events inside host cells. Here, PsCRN161 was identified from Phytophthora sojae based on its broad and strong cell death suppression activities. The effector protein contains two predicted nuclear localization signals and localized to nuclei of plant cells, indicating that it may target plant nuclei to modify host cell physiology and function. The chimeric gene GFP:PsCRN161 driven by the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter was introduced into Nicotiana benthamiana. The four independent PsCRN16...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Rajput, N. A., Zhang, M., Shen, D., Liu, T., Zhang, Q., Ru, Y., Sun, P., Dou, D. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
GmCOL1a and GmCOL1b Function as Flowering Repressors in Soybean Under Long-Day Conditions
CONSTANS (CO) has a central role in the photoperiod response mechanism in Arabidopsis. However, the functions of legume CO genes in controlling flowering remain unknown. Here, we analyze the expression patterns of E1, E2 and GmCOL1a/1b using near-isogenic lines (NILs), and we further analyze flowering-related genes in gmcol1b mutants and GmCOL1a-overexpressing plants. Our data showed that both E3 and E4 up-regulate E1 expression, with the effect of E3 on E1 being greater than the effect of E4 on E1. E2 was up-regulated by E3 and E4 but down-regulated by E1. GmCOL1a/1b were up-regulated by E1, E2, E3 and E4. Although the sp...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Cao, D., Li, Y., Lu, S., Wang, J., Nan, H., Li, X., Shi, D., Fang, C., Zhai, H., Yuan, X., Anai, T., Xia, Z., Liu, B., Kong, F. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
ABA Regulates Subcellular Redistribution of OsABI-LIKE2, a Negative Regulator in ABA Signaling, to Control Root Architecture and Drought Resistance in Oryza sativa
The phytohormone ABA is a key stress signal in plants. Although the identification of ABA receptors led to significant progress in understanding the Arabidopsis ABA signaling pathway, there are still many unsolved mysteries regarding ABA signaling in monocots, such as rice. Here, we report that a rice ortholog of AtABI1 and AtABI2, named OsABI-LIKE2 (OsABIL2), plays a negative role in rice ABA signaling. Overexpression of OsABIL2 not only led to ABA insensitivity, but also significantly altered plant developmental phenotypes, including stomatal density and root architecture, which probably caused the hypersensitivity to dr...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Li, C., Shen, H., Wang, T., Wang, X. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
OsSIZ1, a SUMO E3 Ligase Gene, is Involved in the Regulation of the Responses to Phosphate and Nitrogen in Rice
SIZ1-mediated SUMOylation regulates hormone signaling as well as abiotic and biotic stress responses in plants. Here, we investigated the expression profile of OsSIZ1 in rice using quantitative reverse transcription–PCR (qRT–PCR) and pOsSIZ1-GUS transgenic plants, and the function of OsSIZ1 in the responses to phosphate and nitrogen using a reverse genetics approach. OsSIZ1 is constitutively expressed throughout the vegetative and reproductive growth of rice, with stronger promoter activities in vascular bundles of culms. ossiz1 mutants had shorter primary roots and adventitious roots than wild-type plants, sug...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Wang, H., Sun, R., Cao, Y., Pei, W., Sun, Y., Zhou, H., Wu, X., Zhang, F., Luo, L., Shen, Q., Xu, G., Sun, S. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
Erianthus arundinaceus HSP70 (EaHSP70) Acts as a Key Regulator in the Formation of Anisotropic Interdigitation in Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid) in Response to Drought Stress
Plant growth during abiotic stress is a long sought-after trait especially in crop plants in the context of global warming and climate change. Previous studies on leaf epidermal cells have revealed that during normal growth and development, adjacent cells interdigitate anisotropically to form cell morphological patterns known as interlocking marginal lobes (IMLs), involving the cell wall–cell membrane–cortical actin continuum. IMLs are growth-associated cell morphological changes in which auxin-binding protein (ABP), Rho GTPases and actin are known to play important roles. In the present study, we investigated ...
Source: Plant and Cell Physiology - December 10, 2015 Category: Cytology Authors: Augustine, S. M., Cherian, A. V., Syamaladevi, D. P., Subramonian, N. Tags: Regular Papers Source Type: research
