Author: engeladmin

Author: Lorkovic, Z.J. Description: RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in eukaryotes have crucial roles in all aspects of post-transcriptional gene regulation. They are important governors of diverse developmental processes by modulating expression of specific transcripts. The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome encodes for more than 200 different RBPs, most of which are plant specific and are therefore likely to perform plant-specific functions. Indeed, recent identification and analysis of plant RBPs clearly showed that, in addition to the important role in diverse developmental processes, they are also involved in adaptation of plants to various…

Author: Liu, P.F.; Wang, Y.K.; Chang, W.C.; Chang, H.Y.; Pan, R.L. Description: Ku, a heterodimeric protein consisting of 70- and 80-kDa subunits, is involved in many cellular processes, such as DNA replication, cell cycle regulation and heat shock response. Moreover, the expression of Arabidopsis thaliana Ku genes (AtKu) is modulated by certain plant hormones through several signal transduction pathways. This study investigated how AtKu are regulated by heat stress. AtKu expression in 3-week-old young seedlings was down-regulated by heat stress in a time-dependent manner, as examined using real-time quantitative PCR,…

Author: Kotak, S.; Larkindale, J.; Lee, U.; von Koskull-Doring, P.; Vierling, E.; Scharf, K.-D. Description: Plants have evolved a variety of responses to elevated temperatures that minimize damage and ensure protection of cellular homeostasis. New information about the structure and function of heat stress proteins and molecular chaperones has become available. At the same time, transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis has revealed the involvement of factors other than classical heat stress responsive genes in thermotolerance. Recent reports suggest that both plant hormones and reactive oxygen species also contribute to heat stress…

Author: Kosova, K.; Vitamvas, P.; Prasil, I.T.; Renaut, J. Description: Plant acclimation to stress is associated with profound changes in proteome composition. Since proteins are directly involved in plant stress response, proteomics studies can significantly contribute to unravel the possible relationships between protein abundance and plant stress acclimation. In this review, proteomics studies dealing with plant response to a broad range of abiotic stress factors–cold, heat, drought, waterlogging, salinity, ozone treatment, hypoxia and anoxia, herbicide treatments, inadequate or excessive light conditions, disbalances in mineral nutrition, enhanced concentrations of heavy metals,…

Author: Kim, D.S.; Cho, D.S.; Park, W.-M.; Na, H.J.; Nam, H.G. Description: Light critically affects the physiology of plants. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we used a proteomics approach to analyze the responses of Arabidopsis thaliana to red (660 nm), far-red (730 nm) and blue (450 nm) light, which are utilized by type II and type I phytochromes, and blue light receptors, respectively. Under specific light treatments, the proteomic profiles of 49 protein spots exhibited over 1.8-fold difference in protein abundance, significant at p <0.05. Most of these proteins were metabolic…

Author: Ghars, M.A.; Parre, E.; Debez, A.; Bordenave, M.; Richard, L.; Leport, L.; Bouchereau, A.; Savoure, A.; Abdelly, C. Description: The eco-physiology of salt tolerance, with an emphasis on K(+) nutrition and proline accumulation, was investigated in the halophyte Thellungiella halophila and in both wild type and eskimo-1 mutant of the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana, which differ in their proline accumulation capacity. Plants cultivated in inert sand were challenged for 3 weeks with up to 500mM NaCl. Low salinity significantly decreased A. thaliana growth, whereas growth restriction was significant only at…

Author: Burgos, A.; Szymanski, J.; Seiwert, B.; Degenkolbe, T.; Hannah, M.A.; Giavalisco, P.; Willmitzer, L. Description: Although the influence of temperature, particularly cold, on lipid metabolism is well established, previous studies have focused on long-term responses and have largely ignored the influence of other interacting environmental factors. Here, we present a time-resolved analysis of the early responses of the glycerolipidome of Arabidopsis thaliana plants exposed to various temperatures (4, 21 and 32 degrees C) and light intensities (darkness, 75, 150 and 400 mumol m(-2) s(-1)), including selected combinations. Using a…

Author: Rayburn, J.R.; DeYoung, D.J.; Bantle, J.A.; Fort, D.J.; McNew, R. Description: Many aquatic bioassays rely on chemical solvents to solubilize water-insoluble test materials. Interactions between solvents and test materials can lead to false positive or negative results. For this reason, tests for interactions between solvents and test materials were performed. The Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay–Xenopus (FETAX) was chosen because of its capacity to assess three different endpoints; mortality, malformation and embryo growth. Three solvents–dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), acetone and triethylene glycol (TG)–were tested with two teratogens–methylmercury chloride (MMC) and trichloroethylene (TCE)….

Author: Peng, Y.; Yang, P.-H.; Ng, S.S.M.; Lum, C.T.; Kung, H.-F.; Lin, M.C. Description: Accumulated evidence indicates that maternal alcohol consumption causes fetal enteric damage and growth retardation. In this study, we investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms in a Xenopus model of fetal alcohol exposure. We established a condition of transient alcohol exposure that produces tadpoles with delayed gut maturation and decreased body length. We then investigated the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) by microinjecting plasmids expressing catalase and peroxiredoxin 5 (PRDX5) into two-cell…

Author: Peng, Y.; Yang, P.-H.; Guo, Y.; Ng, S.S.M.; Liu, J.; Fung, P.C.W.; Tay, D.; Ge, J.; He, M.-L.; Kung, H.-F.; Lin, M.C. Description: PURPOSE: To study the molecular mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced ocular anomalies in Xenopus embryos. METHODS: Xenopus embryos were exposed to various concentrations (0.1%-0.5%) of alcohol, and the subsequent effects in eye development and in eye marker gene expression were determined. To investigate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)-associated ocular injury, two antioxidant enzymes, catalase and peroxiredoxin…