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Plant organ development to a specific size and shape is controlled by cell proliferation and cell expansion. Here, we identify a novel Myb-like Arabidopsis gene, Development Related Myb-like1 (DRMY1), which controls cell expansion in both vegetative and reproductive organs. DRMY1 is strongly expressed in developing organs and its expression is reduced by ethylene while it is induced by ABA. DRMY1 has a Myb-like DNA-binding domain, which is predominantly localized in the nucleus and does not exhibit transcriptional activation activity. The loss-of-function T-DNA insertion mutant drmy1 shows reduced organ growth and cell expansion, which is associated with changes in the cell wall matrix polysaccharides. Interestingly, overexpression of DRMY1 in Arabidopsis does not lead to enhanced organ growth. Expression of genes involved in cell wall biosynthesis/remodeling, ribosome biogenesis and in ethylene and ABA signaling pathways is changed with the deficiency of DRMY1. Our results suggest that DRMY1 plays an essential role in organ development by regulating cell expansion either directly by affecting cell wall architecture and/or cytoplasmic growth or indirectly through the ethylene and/or ABA signaling pathways.

The NITROGEN LIMITATION ADAPTATION (NLA) protein is a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays an essential role in the regulation of nitrogen and phosphate homeostasis. NLA is localized to two different subcellular sites (the plasma membrane and the nucleus), and contains four distinct domains: (i) a RING domain that mediates degradation of phosphate transporters at the plasma membrane; (ii) an SPX domain that facilitates NLA’s interaction with the phosphate transporters, and also exists in other proteins that regulate the nuclear transcription factors that control the phosphate starvation response pathway; (iii) a linker domain that lies between the RING and SPX domains; and (iv) a C-terminal domain, which, like the linker region, is of unknown function. Here we carried out a mutational analysis of NLA, which indicated that all the domains are not only essential for proper functioning of the protein, but also mediate its localization to the plasma membrane and (or) nucleus, as well as to different subdomains within the nucleus. Overall, the results provide new insights to the distinct protein motifs within NLA and the role(s) that this protein serves at different subcellular sites with respect to the regulation of nitrogen-dependent phosphate homeostasis as well as other possible physiological functions.

A one-pot base-mediated reaction of azides and β- or α-vinyl bromides has been reported. The effects of bases and solvents have been investigated in the process. A variety of 1,5-disubstituted triazoles were prepared in low to good yields. Further studies reveal that the corresponding alkynes were produced as intermediates via elimination reaction. Under the same reaction conditions, the reactions of alkyl alkynes with phenyl azide would give 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles.

Plants can survive a limiting nitrogen (N) supply by developing a set of N limitation adaptive responses. However, the Arabidopsis nla (nitrogen limitation adaptation) mutant fails to produce such responses, and cannot adapt to N limitation. In this study, the nla mutant was utilized to understand further the effect of NLA on Arabidopsis adaptation to N limitation. Grown with limiting N, the nla mutant could not accumulate anthocyanins and instead produced an N limitation-induced early senescence phenotype. In contrast, when supplied with limiting N and limiting phosphorus (Pi), the nla mutants accumulated abundant anthocyanins and did not show the N limitation-induced early senescence phenotype. These results support the hypothesis that Arabidopsis has a specific pathway to control N limitation-induced anthocyanin synthesis, and the nla mutation disrupts this pathway. However, the nla mutation does not affect the Pi limitation-induced anthocyanin synthesis pathway. Therefore, Pi limitation induced the nla mutant to accumulate anthocyanins under N limitation and allowed this mutant to adapt to N limitation. Under N limitation, the nla mutant had a significantly down-regulated expression of many genes functioning in anthocyanin synthesis, and an enhanced expression of genes involved in lignin production. Correspondingly, the nla mutant grown with limiting N showed a significantly lower production of anthocyanins (particularly cyanidins) and an increase in lignin contents compared with wild-type plants. These data suggest that NLA controls Arabidopsis adaptability to N limitation by channelling the phenylpropanoid metabolic flux to the induced anthocyanin synthesis, which is important for Arabidopsis to adapt to N limitation.

The sorption of aqueous lead on carbonate-hydroxyapatite (CHAp) is a complicated non-homogeneous solid/water reaction, which from the kinetic point of view has two stages. In the first stage, the reaction rate is so fast and the kinetic pathway so intricate that further research is required. In the second stage, the reaction rate slows down and the reaction process follows that of a first-order kinetic equation. Experimental results show that the relationship between the reaction rate constant k 1 and temperature T agrees with the Arrhenius equation, and that the activation energy of sorption ( E a ) is 11.93 kJ/mol and the frequency factor ( A ) is 2.51/s. The reaction rate constant k 1 increases with the Pb 2+ initial concentration and decreasing pH, but with increasing CHAp dosage. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersion spectrum (SEM-EDS) and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests indicate that the main sorption mechanism is dissolution-precipitation, in conjunction with surface sorption.

A one-pot base-mediated reaction of azides and β- or α-vinyl bromides has been reported. The effects of bases and solvents have been investigated in the process. A variety of 1,5-disubstituted triazoles were prepared in low to good yields. Further studies reveal that the corresponding alkynes were produced as intermediates via elimination reaction. Under the same reaction conditions, the reactions of alkyl alkynes with phenyl azide would give 1,5-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles.

γ-Glutamyl hydrolase (GGH, EC 3.4.19.9) catalyzes removal of the polyglutamyl tail from folyl and p-aminobenzoyl polyglutamates. Plants typically have one or a few GGH genes; Arabidopsis has three, tandemly arranged on chromosome 1, which encode proteins with predicted secretory pathway signal peptides. Two representative Arabidopsis GGH proteins, AtGGH1 and AtGGH2 (the At1g78660 and At1g78680 gene products, respectively) were expressed in truncated form in Escherichia coli and purified. Both enzymes were active as dimers, had low Km values (0.5–2 μm) for folyl and p-aminobenzoyl pentaglutamates, and acted as endopeptidases. However, despite 80% sequence identity, they differed in that AtGGH1 cleaved pentaglutamates, mainly to di- and triglutamates, whereas AtGGH2 yielded mainly monoglutamates. Analysis of subcellular fractions of pea leaves and red beet roots established that GGH activity is confined to the vacuole and that this activity, if not so sequestered, would deglutamylate all cellular folylpolyglutamates within minutes. Purified pea leaf vacuoles contained an average of 20% of the total cellular folate compared with ∼50 and ∼10%, respectively, in mitochondria and chloroplasts. The main vacuolar folate was 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, of which 51% was polyglutamylated. In contrast, the principal mitochondrial and chloroplastic forms were 5-formyl- and 5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate polyglutamates, respectively. In beet roots, 16–60% of the folate was vacuolar and was again mainly 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, of which 76% was polyglutamylated. These data point to a hitherto unsuspected role for vacuoles in folate storage. Furthermore, the paradoxical co-occurrence of GGH and folylpolyglutamates in vacuoles implies that the polyglutamates are somehow protected from GGH attack.

Two full-length cDNA, wSsI-I and wSsI-II, encoding wheat starch synthase I (wSSI; E.C. 2.4.1.21) were isolated from a wheat endosperm cDNA library. Both cDNA clones were able to complement a glycogen synthase mutation present in the E. coli strain, RH98, thus demonstrating that the cDNA clones encoded functional starch synthases. RNA gel-blot analysis revealed that wSsI transcripts were produced in leaf, stem, root, pre-anthesis floret, ovary, pollen and endosperm. In the endosperm, the amount of wSsI transcripts accumulated was higher at 5–10 days-post-anthesis (DPA) than at 15–25 DPA. During the endosperm development, the relative abundance of wSSI did not vary in starch granules, whereas, wSSI concentration in the endosperm soluble fractions was highest from ten to 15 DPA, and below detection levels at five DPA. On a per kernel basis, wSSI exhibited similar concentration from 15 to 25 DPA in endosperm soluble fractions, but at considerably higher concentrations in starch granules as compared to endosperm soluble fractions.

Mature wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) endosperm contains two types of starch granules: large A-type and small B-type. Two methods, microsieving or centrifugal sedimentation through aqueous solutions of sucrose, maltose, or Percoll were used to separate A- and B-type starch granules. Microsieving could not completely separate the two types of starch granules, while centrifuging through maltose and sucrose solutions gave a homogenous population for B-type starch granules only. Centrifuging through two Percoll solutions (70 and 100%, v/v) produced purified populations of both the A- and B-type starch granules. Analysis of starch granule size distribution in the purified A- and B-type granule populations and in the whole-starch granule population obtained directly from wheat endosperm confirmed that the purified A- and B-type starch granule populations represented their counterparts in mature wheat endosperm. Centrifugations through two Percoll solutions were used to purify A- and B-type starch granule...

Over the last several decades, increased agricultural production has been driven by improved agronomic practices and a dramatic increase in the use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers to maximize the yield potential of crops. To reduce input costs and to minimize the potential environmental impacts of nitrogen fertilizer that has been used to optimize yield, an increased understanding of the molecular responses to nitrogen under field conditions is critical for our ability to further improve agricultural sustainability. Using maize (Zea mays) as a model, we have characterized the transcriptional response of plants grown under limiting and sufficient nitrogen conditions and during the recovery of nitrogen-starved plants. We show that a large percentage (approximately 7%) of the maize transcriptome is nitrogen responsive, similar to previous observations in other plant species. Furthermore, we have used statistical approaches to identify a small set of genes whose expression profiles can quantitatively assess the response of plants to varying nitrogen conditions. Using a composite gene expression scoring system, this single set of biomarker genes can accurately assess nitrogen responses independently of genotype, developmental stage, tissue type, or environment, including in plants grown under controlled environments or in the field. Importantly, the biomarker composite expression response is much more rapid and quantitative than phenotypic observations. Consequently, we have successfully used these biomarkers to monitor nitrogen status in real-time assays of field-grown maize plants under typical production conditions. Our results suggest that biomarkers have the potential to be used as agronomic tools to monitor and optimize nitrogen fertilizer usage to help achieve maximal crop yields.

Two starch granule-bound proteins (SGP), SGP-140 and SGP-145, were preferentially associated with A-type starch granules (>10 μm) in developing and mature wheat (Triticum aestivum) kernels. Immunoblotting and N-terminal sequencing suggested that the two proteins were different variants of SBEIc, a 152-kD isoform of wheat starch-branching enzyme. Both SGP-140 and SGP-145 were localized to the endosperm starch granules but were not found in the endosperm soluble fraction or pericarp starch granules younger than 15 d post anthesis (DPA). Small-size starch granules (10 μm). In contrast, small-size starch granules harvested after 15 DPA contained only low amounts of SGP-140 and SGP-145 and developed mainly into B-type starch granules (

Clear visualization of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) microspore nuclei with common stains such as acetocarmine or DAPI is difficult, hindering cytological analyses. The addition of saturated aqueous ferric chloride solution to Carnoy's I fixative (30 μL·mL-1) resulted in clear visualization of nuclei. A distinct nucleus was observed in uninucleate cells and the vegetative and generative nuclei were clearly visible in binucleate microspores. This method can be used reliably for determination of asparagus microspore developmental stage. Chemical name used: 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-2HCL (DAPI).