The Dynamics of Some Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism Enzymes in Daytime in Various Wheat Genotypes during Drought

PEPC plays a pivotal role in various metabolic processes in C3 plants including by providing intermediates for the Krebs cycle, maintaining intracellular pH and osmotic pressure, regulating the movement of stomatal guard cells, refixing CO2 formed by respiration, forming a carbon skeleton for lipid synthesis during grain development and nitrogen assimilation. Aspartate aminotransferase is essential to primary nitrogen assimilation, the transportation of reducing equivalents and the exchange of carbon and nitrogen resources among cellular subcompartments. Durum (Barakatli 95 and Garagylchyg 2) and bread wheat genotypes (Gobustan and Tale 38) cultivated in the experimental field of the Research Institute of Crop Husbandry were used as study materials. The high level of activity of PEPC and NAD-MDH during morning hours and a positive correlation between them in daytime suggest that, functioning mutually, these enzymes participate in the biosynthesis of malic acid

Changes in protein quantities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and Rubisco activase in various wheat genotypes

In early seedlings of wheat genotypes two isoforms of Rubisco activase with molecular weights of 42 and 46 kDa are expressed. Amounts of both isoforms significantly increase in early seedlings of the durum wheat genotype Barakatli-95 exposed to salt stress. But at the beginning of the tillering stage, the changes in quantities of both RCA isoforms are different in durum and bread wheat genotypes subjected to a 3-day drought stress. In the leaves of the early seedlings of the studied wheat genotypes exposed to drought stress quantities of PEPC subunits increase compared to the control but they remain relatively stable in early roots and germinating seeds. However, quantities of its subunits decrease sharply in roots and germinating seeds of early seedlings under the influence of 100 mM NaCl. In flag leaves and ear elements of the Barakatli-95 genotype grown under normal water supply conditions protein quantities of PEPC subunits change differently depending on time. Changes in protein quantities of RCA, PEPC and Rubisco enzymes have been studied comparatively in ear elements and flag leaves after the fourth day of anthesis

Detection of 'Candidatus Phytoplasma brasiliense' in a new geographic region and existence of two genetically distinct dnaK genotypes

In September 2007, a peach tree (Prunus persica) displaying yellowing symptoms indicative of phytoplasma infection was sampled in Quba region of Azerbaijan. A phytoplasma was detected in the diseased peach tree by nested PCR amplification of its 16Sr DNA with universal primers for phytoplasmas. Phylogenetic analyses of the amplified 16S rDNA showed that the phytoplasma infecting peach tree corresponded to 'Candidatus Phytoplasma brasiliense', a phytoplasma not previously reported in the Euro-Mediterranean area. To set up a detection assay, cloning of a 'Ca. P. brasiliense' DNA fragment was undertaken by comparative RAPD. The amplified dnaK-dnaJ genetic locus was used to design a nested PCR assay able to amplify all 'Ca. P. brasiliense' strains of the subgroup 16SrXV-A without amplifying the related members of the group 16SrII. The use of this assay also confirmed detection for the first time of 'Ca. P. brasiliense' in diseased basil collected in south Lebanon