Protoplasma最新文献

The unique mating behavior of Bittacidae has been extensively studied, yet the mechanisms underlying internal sperm transport and temporary storage before mating remain enigmatic. Herein, we aim to elucidate these mechanisms by investigating the fine structure of the ejaculatory duct, which serves for sperm transport and temporary storage. The ultrastructure of the ejaculatory duct of Terrobittacus implicatus (Mecoptera: Bittacidae) was examined by light and transmission electron microscopy for the first time in this study. The ejaculatory duct is composed of a median duct and a pair of symmetrical accessory sacs. In the proximal fifth portion, the two accessory sacs encompass the median duct in two loose layers. In the remaining distal portion, the median duct remains centrally positioned, and two accessory sacs symmetrically enclose its lateral and ventral surfaces. The distal median duct consists of a basal lamina, an unevenly arranged epithelium, a large subcuticular cavity, and a narrow inner cuticle. The distal accessory sac can be divided into three areas with distinct ultrastructural features. The ejaculatory duct exhibits conspicuous secretory activity, and given the absence of an ectodermal accessory gland in males, it is possible that the ejaculatory duct may fulfill additional glandular function. The narrow lumen and the reduced muscular sheath of the ejaculatory duct may be associated with the unique mechanism of ejaculation and mating.

In this work, we propose a possible correlation between carbohydrate content in hazelnut pollen (wild type) and viability/germinability, also in a perspective of adaptation to climate variability. Samples from four different cultivation fields in Italy showed values of pollen viability characterized by high levels, ranging between 77.3 and 98.4% and a unique trend during the flowering period for each accession. When subjected to dehydration in controlled environment, pollen reduced the levels of viability to almost zero but recovered the initial values when rehydrated. The presence of anomalous pollen was found to be not significant, always below 4% in all accessions. The analysis on starch content gave negative results both when it was determined biochemically and detected by histological staining. Sucrose content resulted always higher than glucose and fructose in all the accessions analyzed. Its concentration throughout the dispersal phases reflected the trend of both pollen viability and germinability. These data seem to suggest a direct involvement of sucrose in the protection of plasma membranes from dehydration and the maintenance of pollen viability and germinability. This study demonstrates the sensitivity of hazelnut pollen to climatic fluctuations, particularly to air dry condition, stressing a significant role of sucrose in maintaing viablity and germinabilty during all dispersal period.

Autophagy is a highly conserved metabolic process that regulates cellular homeostasis and energy supply by degrading dysfunctional and excess cell constituents and reserve materials into products that are reused in metabolic and biosynthetic pathways. Macroautophagy is the best studied form of autophagy in invertebrates. Starvation is a common stress factor triggering autophagy in overwintering animals. In arachnids, the midgut diverticula cells perform many vital metabolic functions and are therefore critically involved in the response to starvation. Here we studied macroautophagy in three species which apply different modes for overwintering in caves: the harvestmen Gyas annulatus in diapause, Amilenus aurantiacus with ongoing ontogenesis under fasting conditions, and the spider Meta menardi, which feeds opportunistically even in winter. The main goal was to find eventual qualitative and quantitative differences in autophagic processes by inspecting TEM micrographs. In all three species, the rates of midgut epithelial cells with autophagic structures gradually increased during overwintering, but were significantly lower in G. annulatus in the middle and at the end of overwintering than in the other two species, owing to metabolic activity having been more suppressed. Decomposition of mitochondria and glycogen took place in autophagic structures in all three species. Moreover, spherite disintegration in A. aurantiacus and a special form of lipid disintegration through "lipid bubbly structures" in M. menardi indicate the crucial involvment of selective autophagy, while no specific autophagy was observed in G. annulatus. We conclude that autophagic activities support overwintering in different ways in the species studied.

Phosphorus (P) is a macronutrient that plays a crucial role in critical plant functions. Phosphate transporters (PHTs) ensure the acquisition and translocation of Pi in the plant, thereby playing a key role in maintaining normal plant growth under Pi deficiency conditions. In Brachypodium distachyon, the grass model system, the function of individual PHT genes, remains largely unknown. Here, we identified the complete PHT gene family in B. distachyon, for the first time, and analyzed their expression profiles under Pi deficiency. Overall, 25 PHT genes in B. distachyon (BdPHTs) were identified, which were divided into four clades (PHT1-4). BdPHT genes were found to be unevenly distributed across the five chromosomes. Both segmental and tandem duplication events contributed to PHT gene expansion in B. distachyon which underwent a strong purifying selection. Moreover, exon-intron organization and motif composition were conserved within each PHT group consolidating the classification of the phylogenetic tree. Motif composition differs among the four PHT groups, indicating their functional divergence. Gene expression analysis using real-time quantitative PCR revealed that two BdPHT1 genes (BdPHT1.9 and BdPHT1.10) were upregulated in leaves, and seven (BdPHT1.9, BdPHT1.8, BdPHT1.7, BdPHT1.11, BdPHT1.12, BdPHT1.5, and BdPHT1.13) in roots under P deficiency suggesting their involvement in P uptake and translocation. Therefore, these results lay the foundation for future functional analyses in B. distachyon to improve P deficiency tolerance in B. distachyon and other cereals.

Wild pomegranate is a potent medicinal plant known for its medicinal and nutritional attributes. Despite its healing and curative properties, the genome of this wild species remains elusive, thus limiting our understanding on the genetic processes involved in the biosynthesis of functional molecules. This study presents the annotation of a de novo genome assembly of wild pomegranate, with a genome size of 279.0 Mb. From the assembly, 34.8 GB of the data was retained, encompassing 72,055 scaffolds. A total of 49,178 genes were predicted, with an average of 5.36 exons per gene and a GC content of 49%. About 14,400 genes were annotated in biological, cellular and molecular processes related mostly to carbohydrate metabolism, intracellular signal transduction, mRNA binding and DNA helicase activity. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed maximum number of genes associated with biosynthesis of secondary metabolites mainly phenypropanoid pathway, followed by ribosome and plant hormone signal transduction. From the identified functional genes, 230 genes scaffolds encoded for transcription factors belonging to 25 families with highest recorded for MYB gene family. Study of annotated transposable elements unveiled the existence of long terminal repeats and retrotransposons. Additionally, our investigation involves the comparative analysis and identification of orthologous genes among the genomes of wild and cultivated species of Punica granatum and also across selected five plant species Eucalyptus grandis, Vitis vinifera, Jatropha curcas, Theobroma cacao and Gossypium raimondii, revealing the functional and evolutionary dynamics across species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the genome assembly, annotation and gene prediction in wild pomegranate. Also, information regarding the terpenoid pathway genes has been unravelled for the first time in the present study. Inclusively, the current study offers thorough details on important aspects of the wild pomegranate genome that would be useful in comprehending its genetics and will facilitate discovery of genes against various biotic and abiotic stresses.

Powdery mildew caused by Leveillula taurica adversely affects the development and growth of pepper plants. However, there have been few reports on the fine mapping and quantitative trait locus (QTLs) gene cloning of resistance genes to powdery mildew in pepper. Herein, an F₂ segregating population was constructed using the high resistance material "NuMex Suave Red" and the extremely susceptible material "c89" for bulked segregant analysis and DNA re-sequencing (BSA-seq). Molecular markers were used to achieve fine mapping, followed by expression verification. A major QTL located on chromosome 5 (Chr5, 7.20-11.75 Mb) that is associated with resistance to powdery mildew in pepper was mapped using BSA-seq. A narrow interval of 64.86 kb encompassing five genes was refined using InDel and KSAP molecular markers developed from the QTL region. Among them, the expression of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 gene, Capana05g000392, was significantly upregulated in multiple resistant materials. In addition, there was a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of A/G in the 241st position of the CDS sequence of Capana05g000392, which in turn leads to an amino acid polymorphism of M/V between susceptible parent and resistant parent. Overall, these results indicate that the Capana05g000392 gene may serve as a robust potential factor against powdery mildew in pepper. These findings further elucidate the genetic mechanism of resistance to powdery mildew in pepper and facilitate molecular marker-assisted breeding.

While UV-B radiation is beneficial to plant growth, it can also cause adverse effects. The pollen tube, a key component of plant reproduction with a tip growth mechanism, is an excellent cellular model for understanding how environmental stressors such as UV-B radiation affect plant cell growth. This research investigated the effect of UV-B on olive pollen both before and after germination. Pollen grains were hydrated and exposed to UV-B radiation for 1 h. Pollen tube germination was then evaluated 4 and 24 h after exposure. To study the effect of UV-B radiation on developing pollen tubes, pollen was germinated for 4 h prior to 1 h of UV-B exposure. Pollen tube growth was evaluated by assessing the distribution of cell wall components, the distance between callose plugs and nuclei, and the distance between the male germ unit and the pollen tube tip. We also examined the accumulation of callose synthase. The results showed that UV-B radiation significantly inhibited the growth of pollen tubes, thereby preventing successful fertilization. The effect of UV-B exposure on pollen tube growth was mainly due to the alteration of position of callose plugs and the level of callose synthase in the pollen tube, potentially affecting its growth. In addition, UV-B radiation affected the movement and integrity of the male germ unit, a critical element for successful fertilization. This research sheds light on how UV-B radiation affects the growth of pollen tubes and highlights the need for further research into the effects of UV-B radiation on plant cells and plant reproduction.

Ground-level ozone (O₃) is well recognized as a secondary air pollutant with detrimental effects on plant growth and biochemistry. In a field study, Andrographis paniculata (King of Bitter) was exposed to ambient O₃ and elevated O₃ (AO + 20 ppb) at three growth stages [45, 90, and 135 days after treatment, (DAT)] using open-top chambers. Elevated O₃ stress negatively impacted plant growth, increased cell damage, and induced foliar injuries. However, elevated O₃ also boosted antioxidant production such as proline, phenol, and enzymatic antioxidants, as well as certain secondary metabolites such as tannins, phytosterols, saponins, and alkaloids. This may enhance the plant's medicinal properties, including compounds limonene dioxide, phytol, palmitic acid, and androstadiene. While, certain metabolites like Citronellol, Khusenol, and tocopherol displayed an adverse reaction under elevated O₃ exposure. The novel detection of acrodiene, squalene, and neophytadiene under O₃ stress emphasizes their medicinal significance. Notably, an important bioactive compound andrographolide in A. paniculata showed increased synthesis under elevated O₃ at 45 and 90 DAT, suggesting that O₃ exposure could enhance the plant's pharmaceutical value.

I present here a rebuttal to an article in this volume wherein Kingsland and Taiz (2024) cast aspersions about an article I have written concerning Sir Jagadis Chandra Bose (Minorsky PV, in Plant Signal Behav 16:1818030, 2021) a brilliant Bengali scientist who was a pioneer not only in physics (microwaves and semi-conductors), but also in elucidating the electrophysiological responses of plants to environmental stimuli. The charge of racism that I have levelled at Bose's most powerful and well-connected botanical adversary in the 1920s, Daniel T. MacDougal, is irrefutable: MacDougal was a racist, his racism extended to South Asians, and he used racist epithets in referring to Bose. MacDougal offered no cogent arguments against Bose's electrophysiological measurements but attacked Bose with the racist trope that South Asians were "mystics." MacDougal wielded his political and editorial clout to publicize faulty research in opposition to Bose while ignoring a sizable body of contemporaneous evidence in support of Bose's ideas. Unfortunately, given MacDougal's stature as the General Secretary of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the racist tenor of the time, many Western scientists were too ready to accept uncritically MacDougal's proclamations that Bose was a fraud, an incompetent, and a "Hindoo" mystic. Bose was one of the greatest minds to ever contemplate plant function. It is high time that we, in the West, redress this historical wrong, and acknowledge Bose's enormous and revolutionary contributions to plant physiology.

Forskolin, a diterpenoid found in the roots of Coleus forskohlii, has generated significant interest in the medical field due to its various therapeutic uses. This study aimed to establish an effective system for regenerating C. forskohlii plants, ensuring a year-round supply of plant material and forskolin production. We tested different concentrations of cytokinins, either alone or combined with auxin, to see their impact on shoot multiplication and growth. We found that a medium supplemented with 1.5 mg L^-1 of meta-topolin (mT) resulted in the highest number of shoots (~ 12.66) and leaves (~ 20) within about 5 days. When mT (1 mg L^-1) was combined with a low amount of auxin (0.05 mg L^-1 NAA), we obtained an even greater number of leaves (~ 23). The shoot regeneration capacity was consistent over five subculture passages, showing minimal variation in mean shoot length and number. During acclimatization, around 91% of the plantlets grown in vermiculite + sand survived. The photosynthetic pigment concentration in the plantlets modestly increased in the first 10 days and reached its highest level after 30 days. Genetic fidelity assays using inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) confirmed the similarity between the in vitro derived plantlets and the mother plant. Micro-morphological features of in vitro and ex-vitro acclimated plantlets also matched those of the mother plant, further confirming genetic accuracy. Histochemical staining with vanillin confirmed the presence of forskolin in the in vitro roots, indicated by the violet coloration in the cells. Forskolin quantification was also validated by HPLC where in vitro derived roots were documented to undergo an almost ~ 1.8-fold in comparison to that of the mother plant. This established protocol can effectively address resource scarcity for commercial-scale forskolin production and sustainable conservation techniques.