Pretreatment of lower H2O2 doses （0.05, 0.5 and 5 mM） for 24 h was able to dose-dependently attenuate lipid peroxidation in wheat seedling leaves mediated by further oxidative damage elicited by higher dose of H2O2 （150 mM） for 6 h, with 0.5 mM H2O2 being the most effective concentrations. Further results illustrated that 0.5 mM H2O2 pretreatment triggered the biphasic production of H2O2 during a 24 h period. We also noticed that only peak Ⅰ （0.25 h） rather than peak Ⅱ （4 h） was approximately consistent with the enhancement of heme oxygenase （HO） activity, HO-1 gene expression. Meanwhile, enhanced superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity, Mn-SOD and Cu, Zn-SOD transcripts might be a potential source of peak Ⅰ of endogenous H2O2. Further results confirmed that 0.5 mM H2O2 treatment for 0.5 h was able to upregulate HO gene expression, which was detected by enzyme activity determination, semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Meanwhile, the application of N,N＇-dimethylthiourea, a trap for endogenous H2O2, not only blocked the upregulation of HO, but also reversed the corresponding oxidation attenuation. Together, the above results suggest that endogenous H2O2 production （peak Ⅰ） plays a positive role in the induction of HO by enhancing its mRNA level and protein expression, thus leading to the acclimation to oxidative stress.
Stacked（insect and herbicide resistant） transgenic rice T1c-19 with cry1C＊/bar genes, its receptor rice Minghui 63（herein MH63） and a local two-line hybrid indica rice Fengliangyou Xiang 1（used as a control） were compared for agronomic performance under field conditions without the relevant selection pressures. Agronomic traits（plant height, tiller number, and aboveground dry biomass）, reproductive ability（pollen viability, panicle length, and filled grain number of main panicles, seed set, and grain yield）, and weediness characteristics（seed shattering, seed overwintering ability, and volunteer seedling recruitment） were used to assess the potential weediness without selection pressure of stacked transgene rice T1c-19. In wet direct-seeded and transplanted rice fields, T1c-19 and its receptor MH63 performed similarly regarding vegetative growth and reproductive ability, but both of them were significantly inferior to the control. T1c-19 did not display weed characteristics; it had weak overwintering ability, low seed shattering and failed to establish volunteers. Exogenous insect and herbicide resistance genes did not confer competitive advantage to transgenic rice T1c-19 grown in the field without the relevant selection pressures.
In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of exogenous heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1 EC 1.14.99.3） inducer hematin against mercury-induced oxidative damage in the roots of Alfalfa （Medicago sativa L.）. Plants exposed to mercury （HgCl2） exhibited a significant increase of lipid peroxidation, as well as inhibition of root elongation. However, hematin （50 μM） supplementation to HgCl2 （100 μmol/L） treated plants effectively reduced the lipid peroxidation and partially increased the root elongation. These responses were mimicked by the application of aqueous solution of carbon monoxide （CO） with 50% saturation. Also, treatment with hematin could result in the potent induction of HO-1 transcript in the root tissues, as detected 12h following treatment. Moreover, the activation of anti-oxidant enzyme, including glutathione reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase and superoxide dismutase activities, and the decrease of lipoxygenase activity, were induced by hematin at 12h or 24h, which was further confirmed by histochemical staining for the detection of lipid peroxidation and loss of membrane integrity. Whereas, ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase isozyme activities or their transcripts were reduced, respectively, indicating that hydrogen peroxide might act as a signal to mediate Hg- tolerance at the beginning of treatment. The ameliorating effects of hematin were specific, since the CO scavenger hemoglobin differentially reversed the above actions. Taken together, our results suggested that hematin exhibits a vital role in protecting the plant against Hg-induced oxidative damage.
Yi Han Wei Xuan Tian Yu Wen-Bing Fang Tian-Ling Lou Yin Gao Xiao-Yue Chen XiaoXiao Wen-Biao Shen
Although studies argue that invasive species can cause biotic differentiation, some cases show that biological invasions actually decrease biodiversity through biotic homogenization. The concept of biotic homogenization through the invasion of a certain serious invasive plant species merit more studies. Hence, we used field surveys to quantitatively compare invasive populations of Solidago canadensis （SC） in China with the control sites （adjacent sites to SC present sites yet without the species） and SC native populations in the USA. We found that plant communities in SC invaded habitats shared similarities with those in SC native ranges. Bray-Curtis similarity clearly showed that the composition of plant communities in SC invaded habitats were similar to those in SC native ranges. Both in the native and introduced range, plant communities with SC present were characterized by SC being dominant, significantly lower species richness, or-diversity and p-diversity, as well as a decrease in the correlation coefficient between geographic distance and floristic similarities. SC favors fertile and moist loam habitat, while it dominated in various habitats in China, where more than 20 different dominants should have occurred. In conclusion, serious invasive species can quickly remodel and homogenize diverse communities by dominating them.
CHEN Guo-qiZHANG Chao-binMA LingQIANG ShengJohn ASilanderLi Li Qi
