Brassinosteroids (BRs) and polyamines, well-established growth regulators, play a key role in abiotic stress response in plants. In the present study, we examined the role of 24-epibrassinolide (EBL, an active BR) and/or putrescine (Put) in the salt-induced stress in cucumber. The 15-d-old plants were exposed to 100 mM NaCl and they were subsequently treated by exogenous EBL and/or Put. The salt stress reduced significantly plant growth and gas-exchange parameters, and increased proline content and electrolyte leakage in the leaves. Toxic effects induced by salt stress were completely overcome by the combination of EBL and Put. EBL and/or Put treatments improved the growth parameters of the NaCl-treated plants, such as shoot length, root length, fresh and dry mass. Our data also indicated that applications of EBL and Put upregulated the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase under salt stress., Q. Fariduddin, B. A. Mir, M. Yusuf, A. Ahmad., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The question was addressed whether short-term (4 hour) NO deficiency, inducing an increase in blood pressure in anaesthetized dogs, does influence proteosynthesis in the myocardium and coronary arteries. A potentially positive answer was to be followed by the study of the supporting role of ornithine decarboxylase for the polyamines pathway. NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) (50 mg/kg per hour) was administered i.v. to inhibit NO synthase. After the first L-NAME dose diastolic blood pressure increased from 131.8 ±2.0 to 149.4 ±3.9 mm Hg (p< 0.001) and was maintained at about this level till the end of the experiment. Systolic blood pressure only increased after the first dose (from 150.8 ±1.1 to 175.0 ±5.8 mm Hg, p<0.01), returning thereafter to the control level. Similarly, the heart rate declined only after the first dose (from 190.4±5.3 to 147.6±4.5 beats/min, p<0.01). Total RNA concentrations increased in the left cardiac ventricle (LV), the left anterior descending coronary artery (LADCA) and left circumflex coronary artery (LCCA) by 15.9 ±0.7, 29.7 ±1.3 and 17.6 ±1.0%, p<0.05, respectively. The same applied to [14C]leucine incorporation (by 86.5 ±5.0, 33.5 ±2.6, 29.3±4.1 %, p<0.05, respectively). The above parameters indicated an increase of proteosynthesis in the LV myocardium and both coronary arteries LADCA and LCCA after short-term NO deficiency. Surprisingly, the ornithine decarboxylase activity in the LV myocardium decreased significantly by 40.2± 1.6 % (p<0.01) but the changes were not significant in the coronary arteries. This unexpected finding makes the role of polyamines in increasing proteosynthesis during a pressure overload due to NO deficiency questionable.
The chlorophyll (Chl) and protein degradation during dark incubation of leaf discs was reduced by Sr2+, Ca^^, and spermine (Spm) treatments. Sr2+ inhibited most effectively the Chl degradation, which was remarkable 48 h after the treatment. The Chl degradation appeared in control discs within 24 h in the dark and Chl content decreased by about 50 % during 96 h. The proteins retained at least during 48 h of dark treatment in the presence of Sr2+, Ca2+, or Spm. The retardation effect of Sr2+, Ca2+ and Spm on the Chl loss and the disintegration of thylakoid membrane proteins may be due to a cationic protection of thylakoid membranes.
The retina is characterized by glycolysis under aerobic conditions, mediated by lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme-5 (LDH-5) as well as by the soluble isoenzyme of malate dehydrogenase. Bovine retina LDH and MDH isoenzymes and their activities were studied after polyamine treatment. Our results showed that LDH-5 isoenzyme presented the highest activity in untreated as well as in putrescine-treated retina. Decreased activity was present when the retina was treated with spermidine or spermine. It was demonstrated that retinic LDH-5 had a high affinity for lactate which enabled the isoenzyme to be more effective than the other LDH isoenzymes in the conversion of NADH to NAD. Therefore, the putrescine enhancing LDH-5 activity appeared to be capable of stimulating NAD-mediated rhodopsin regeneration. Putrescine induced a marked increase of both MDH isoenzymes - soluble (s-MDH) and mitochondrial (m-MDH), while spermine and spermidine mostly affected the soluble form of the enzyme. Putrescine induced a three-fold increase in s-MDH and m-MDH activities, while spermine and spermidine induced a four to five-fold increase in s-MDH. These results document the differential effects of polyamine treatment on LDH and MDH isoenzyme activities., I. Venza, A. Valenti, P. Ruggeri, L. Denaro, D. Teti., and Obsahuje bibliografii
NO concentration in the femoral artery and femoral vein of anesthetized dogs was found to be 154.2± 5.6 nM and 90.0± 12 nM, respectively. Inhibition of NO synthase (NOS) slightly decreased the basal NO concentration in femoral artery from 154.2± 5.6 to 137.2± 3.3 nM. Acetylcholine-induced increase in NO concentration was slightly but still significantly attenuated, suggesting that very probably L-NAME did not inhibit all sources of nitric oxide (NO). Local NOS inhibition in the posterior hypothalamus dose-dependently increased systemic blood pressure (BP) in rats. Short-term general NOS inhibition in anesthetized dogs increased diastolic BP but not systolic BP. The heart rate after one-hour down-fluctuation returned to initial values. Proteosynthesis in the myocardium and both branches of the left coronary artery increased, but this was not supported by polyamines, since the activity of ornithine decarboxylase declined. Long-term general NOS inhibition elicited a sustained BP increase, a decrease in heart rate, cardiac hypertrophy and an increase in wall thickness of the coronary and carotid artery. The results indicate that NO deficiency itself plays a role in proteosynthesis and cardiac hypertrophy, in spite of relatively small increase in diastolic blood pressure and no change in systolic blood pressure, at least after an acute L-NAME administration. The hypotension response to acetylcholine and bradykinin studied in anesthetized NO-compromised rats, was unexpectedly enhanced. The elucidation of this paradoxical phenomenon will require further experiments., M. Gerová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Salinised (150 mM NaCl for 15 d) roots excised from salt sensitive wheat cultivar Giza 163 showed about 15-fold increase in the ratio of Na/K while salt tolerant Sakha 92 exhibited only 7.5-fold increase compared to their control ratios. Root ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids was stimulated twice in the sensitive cultivar versus 1.7-fold increase in the tolerant ones. Salinity enhanced greatly the accumulation of spermine (Spm) and spermidine (Spd) contents associated with a decrease in putrescine (Put) content in both wheat cultivars. Higher ratios of Spm+Spd/Put associated with lower content of proline and low ethylene evolution were detected in shoots and roots of salt tolerant cultivar. Chlorophyll a/b ratio showed an increase from 1.3 in control of both cultivars to 1.6 and 1.4 in stressed Giza 163 and Sakha 92, respectively. A reduced Hill reaction activity (19 %) was observed in stressed chloroplasts isolated from leaves of the tolerant cultivar versus 40 % inhibition in the sensitive ones. Moreover, chloroplasts isolated from stressed leaves of the sensitive cultivar showed about 25 % reduction in fluorescence emission at 685 nm as well as shifts in the peaks in the visible region.