The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of elevated (550 ± 17 μmol mol-1) CO2 concentration ([CO2]) on leaf ultrastructure, leaf photosynthesis and seed yield of two soybean cultivars [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Zhonghuang 13 and cv. Zhonghuang 35] at the Free-Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (FACE) experimental facility in North China. Photosynthetic acclimation occurred in soybean plants exposed to long-term elevated [CO2] and varied with cultivars and developmental stages. Photosynthetic acclimation occurred at the beginning bloom (R1) stage for both cultivars, but at the beginning seed (R5) stage only for Zhonghuang 13. No photosynthetic acclimation occurred at the beginning pod (R3) stage for either cultivar. Elevated [CO2] increased the number and size of starch grains in chloroplasts of the two cultivars. Soybean leaf senescence was accelerated under elevated [CO2], determined by unclear chloroplast membrane and blurred grana layer at the beginning bloom (R1) stage. The different photosynthesis response to elevated [CO2] between cultivars at the beginning seed (R5) contributed to the yield difference under elevated [CO2]. Elevated [CO2] significantly increased the yield of Zhonghuang 35 by 26% with the increased pod number of 31%, but not for Zhonghuang 13 without changes of pod number. We conclude that the occurrence of photosynthetic acclimation at the beginning seed (R5) stage for Zhonghuang 13 restricted the development of extra C sink under elevated [CO2], thereby limiting the response to elevated [CO2] for the seed yield of this cultivar., X. Y. Hao ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In this study, we chose apple leaf as plant material and studied effects of GeO2 on operation of photosynthetic apparatus and antioxidant enzyme activities under strong light. When exogenous GeO2 concentration was below 5.0 mg L-1, maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSII and actual quantum yield of PSII photochemistry increased significantly compared with the control under irradiances of 800 and 1,600 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1. Photosynthetic electron transport chain capacity between QA-QB, QA-PSI acceptor, and QB-PSI acceptor showed a trend of rising up with 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mg(GeO2) L-1 and declining with 10.0 mg(GeO2) L-1. On the other hand, dissipated energy via both ΔpH and xanthophyll cycle decreased remarkably compared with the control when GeO2 concentration was below 5.0 mg L-1. Our results suggested that low concentrations of GeO2 could alleviate photoinhibition and 5.0 mg(GeO2) L-1 was the most effective. In addition, we found, owing to exogenous GeO2 treatment, that the main form of this element in apple leaves was organic germanium, which means chemical conversion of germanium happened. The organic germanium might be helpful to allay photoinhibition due to its function of scavenging free radicals and lowering accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which was proven by higher antioxidant enzyme activities., Z. B. Wang, Y. F. Wang, J. J. Zhao, L. Ma, Y. J. Wang, X. Zhang, Y. T. Nie, Y. P. Guo, L. X. Mei, Z. Y. Zhao., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Species composition and photosynthetic characteristics of dominant species of ungrazed plot (UG), overgrazed plot (OG), and restored grazed plot (RG) were determined in the Xilin River Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. Both heavily grazing and restoration significantly affected the composition of different species and life forms. Leymus chinensis, Stipa grandis, and Cleistogenes polyphylla, three dominant perennial grasses in UG plot, contributed 58.9 % aboveground biomass to that of whole community, and showed higher net photosynthetic rate (PN), transpiration rate (E), and intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUE). In OG plot, relative biomass of L. chinensis and S. grandis significantly decreased, while relative biomass of three shrubs/sub-shrubs, Caragana microphylla, Artemisia frigida, and Kochia prostrata, obviously increased. Heavy grazing significantly decreased PN, E, and WUE of L. chinensis and S. grandis, while shrubs/sub-shrubs showed significantly higher photosynthetic activity and WUE than the grasses. After 18-year restoration, photosynthetic activities of L. chinensis and S. grandis were significantly higher than those in the OG plot. The proportion of L. chinensis, S. grandis, and C. microphylla significantly increased, and relative biomass of C. polyphylla, A. frigida, and K. prostrata markedly declined in RG plot. We found close relationships between physiological properties of species and their competitive advantage in different land use types. Higher photosynthetic capability means more contribution to total biomass. The variations in physiological characteristics of plants could partly explain the changes in species composition during degrading and restoring processes of Inner Mongolia typical steppes. and S. P. Chen ... [et al.].
The ecophysiological function(s) and consequences of guttation, a phenomenon by which water is exuded by and accumulated as droplets along the leaf margins under high humidity in many plants that grow in wet soil, has been poorly studied and remains largely unknown. Thus, leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence were examined, using two experimental approaches, in Alchemilla mollis plants under conditions that promoted guttation and those that prevented this phenomenon. Although results were variable, depending on the experimental approach, prevention of guttation effected reductions in photosynthesis and transpiration, as well as photochemical activity measured with fluorescence techniques. These findings lend partial support for a previously hypothesized function of guttation: prevention of excess water in leaves, yet they contradict those of several other studies. More work is required in order to adequately understand the function of guttation., Y.-C. Chen, T.-C. Lin, C. E. Martin., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The protein secondary structure and pigments' microenvironment in photosystem 1 (PS1) complexes were studied in the temperature range of 25-80 °C using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, respectively. Quantitative analysis of the component bands of the amide I band (1 700-1 600 cm-1) showed no significant change below 50 °C. However, apparent conformational changes occurred at 60 °C and further continued at 70 and 80 °C accompanied with transitions of secondary structure mainly from α-helix to the β-sheet structures. CD analysis demonstrated that the regular arrangement, viz. protein microenvironment of pigments of PS1 complexes, was destroyed by heat treatment which might come from the changes of protein secondary structure of PS1. The CD signals at 645 nm contributed by chlorophyll (Chl) b of light-harvesting complex 1 (LHC1) were easily destroyed at the beginning of heat treatment (25-60 °C). When temperature reached 70 and 80 °C, the CD signals at 478 nm contributed mainly by Chl b of LHC1 and 498 nm contributed by carotenoids decreased most rapidly, indicating that LHC1 was more sensitive to high temperature than core complexes. In addition, the oxygen uptake rate decreased by 90.81 % at 70 °C and was lost completely at 80 °C showing that heat treatment damaged the regular function of PS1 complexes. This may be attributed to heat-induced changes of pigment microenvironment and protein secondary structure, especially transmembrane α-helix located in PsaA/B of PS1. and Z.-H. Hu ... [et al.].
Hypertension is a major health problem throughout the world because of its high prevalence and its association with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Two independent studies discovered a locus conferring susceptibility to essential hypertension on chromosome 2, in the 2p25 region, but the causative gene remains unknown. Grainyhead-like 1 (GRHL1) is one of the genes located in this region. Our experiments determined that the Grhl1-null mice, when fed standard diet, have the same blood pressure as their wild type littermate controls. However, we discovered that blood pressure of these mice increases following high sodium diet and decreases when they are fed low sodium diet, and similar effect s were not observed in the control wild type littermates. This suggests that the Grhl1-null mice are sensitive to the development of salt-sensitive hypertension. Thus it is possible that the GRHL1 gene is involved in the regulation of blood pressure, and it may be the causative gene for the locus of susceptibility to essential hypertension in the 2p25 region., A. Walkowska, M. Pawlak, S. M. Jane, E. Kompanowska-Jezierska, T. Wilanowski., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Temperature dependence (25-50 °C) of chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence induction, far-red radiation (FR)-induced relaxation of the post-irradiation transient increase in apparent F0, and the trans-thylakoid proton gradients (ΔpH) was examined in maize leaves. Temperatures above 30 °C caused an elevation of F0 level and an enhancement of F0 quenching during actinic irradiation. Millisecond delayed light emission (ms-DLE), which reflects the magnitude of ΔpH, decreased strikingly above 35 °C, and almost disappeared at 50 °C. It indicates that the heat-enhanced quenching of F0 under actinic irradiation could not be attributed mainly to the mechanism of ΔpH-dependent quenching. The relaxation of the post-irradiation transient increase in apparent F0 upon FR irradiation could be decomposed into two exponential components (τ1 = 0.7-1.8 s, τ2 = 2.0-9.9 s). Decay times of both components increased with temperature increasing from 25 to 40-45 °C. The bi-phasic kinetics of FR-induced relaxation of the post-irradiation transient increase in apparent F0 and its temperature dependence may be related to plastoquinone (PQ) compartmentation in the thylakoid membranes and its re-organisation at elevated temperature. and Ming-Xian Jin, De-Yao Li, Hualing Mi.
To assess the possible involvement of mast cells and/or their mediators in inflammatory bowel diseases, the effect of the histamine H1 antagonist Dithiaden was studied on a model of acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. Dithiaden pretreatment by intracolonic administration was found to reduce the extent of acute inflammatory colonic injury. This was manifested by a decrease in the score of gross mucosal injury, by lowered colonic wet weight and by diminished myeloperoxidase activity reflecting reduced leukocyte infiltration. Vascular permeability and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity, elevated by acetic acid exposure, were decreased after Dithiaden pretreatment. The results indicate that locally administered Dithiaden may protect the colonic mucosa against an acute inflammatory attack by interfering with the action of the major mast cell mediator histamine., V. Nosáľová, O. Ondrejičková, J. Pečivová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Water is a limited resource and is likely to become even more restricted with climate change. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic acid (HA) applications on photosynthesis efficiency of rapeseed plants under different watering conditions. Water stress strongly increased electron transport flux, probability that trapped excitation can move an electron into the electron transport chain beyond QA, and quantum yield of reduction of end electron acceptors at the PSI acceptor side. Application of HA decreased the values of these parameters to be similar to those of non-stress conditions. We found that, the application of HA improved plants net photosynthesis under water stress via increasing the rate of gas exchange and electron transport flux in plants., R. Lotfi, H. M. Kalaji, G. R. Valizadeh, E. Khalilvand Behrozyar, A. Hemati, P. Gharavi-Kochebagh, A. Ghassemi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Toxic influence of high oxygen concentration on pulmonary function and structures has been known for many years. However, the influence of high oxygen concentration breathing on defensive respiratory reflexes is still not clear. In our previous experiments, we found an inhibitory effect of 100 % oxygen breathing on cough reflex intensity in healthy guinea pigs. The present study was designed to detect the effects of hyperoxia on cough reflex in guinea pigs with allergic airway inflammation. In the first phase of our experiment, the animals were sensitized with ovalbumin. Thirty-two sensitized animals were used in two separate experiments according to oxygen concentration breathing: 100 % or 50 % oxygen for 60 h continuously. In each experiment, one group of animals was exposed to hyperoxia, another to ambient air. The cough reflex was induced both by aerosol of citric acid before sensitization, then in sensitized animals at 24 h and 60 h of exposition to oxygen/air in awake animals, and by mechanical stimulation of airway mucosa in anesthetized animals just after the end of the experiment. In contrast to 50 % oxygen, 100 % oxygen breathing leads to significant decrease in chemically induced cough in guinea pigs with allergic inflammation. No significant changes were present in cough induced by mechanical stimulation of airways., M. Brozmanová, J. Hanáček, M. Tatár, A. Strapková, P. Szépe., and Obsahuje bibliografii