Ethylene responsive transcription factor ERF109 retards PCD and improves salt tolerance in plant

Semi-quantitative RT-PCR for tobacco VIGS lines of 13 knocked down TFs induced 2 h post oxalic acid treatment (20 mM) as compared to their WT and VIGS line with empty pTRV2 (V2) plants. Amplicon sizes of different genes and primers used are shown in Additional file 5: Table S3. The Nbactin gene was used as the house-keeping control. Gene codes refer to those indicated in Additional file 3: Table S2. (DOCX 684 kb

Transcriptomic and metabolic responses of Calotropis procera to salt and drought stress

Background: Calotropis procera is a wild plant species in the family Apocynaceae that is able to grow in harsh, arid and heat stressed conditions. Understanding how this highly adapted plant persists in harsh environments should inform future efforts to improve the hardiness of crop and forage plant species. To study the plant response to droμght and osmotic stress, we treated plants with polyethylene glycol and NaCl and carried out transcriptomic and metabolomics measurements across a time-course of five days. Results: We identified a highly dynamic transcriptional response across the time-course including dramatic changes in inositol signaling, stress response genes and cytokinins. The resulting metabolome changes also involved sharp increases of myo-inositol, a key signaling molecule and elevated amino acid metabolites at later times. Conclusions: The data generated here provide a first glimpse at the expressed genome of C. procera, a plant that is exceptionally well adapted to arid environments. We demonstrate, through transcriptome and metabolome analysis that myo-inositol signaling is strongly induced in response to drought and salt stress and that there is elevation of amino acid concentrations after prolonged osmotic stress. This work should lay the foundations of future studies in adaptation to arid environments

Analysis of transcriptional response to heat stress in Rhazya stricta

Clusters of assembled transcripts of R. stricta SRA in mature leaves (A5-L8) at different time points of the day (A, morning; F-H, midday & L, dusk). Grey lines indicate expression patterns of individual transcripts in a given cluster. Blue lines indicate overall expression pattern across different transcripts of a given cluster. (PDF 397 kb

Metabolomic Response of Calotropis procera Growing in the Desert to Changes in Water Availability

Water availability is a major limitation for agricultural productivity. Plants growing in severe arid climates such as deserts provide tools for studying plant growth and performance under extreme drought conditions. The perennial species Calotropis procera used in this study is a shrub growing in many arid areas which has an exceptional ability to adapt and be productive in severe arid conditions. We describe the results of studying the metabolomic response of wild C procera plants growing in the desert to a one time water supply. Leaves of C. procera plants were taken at three time points before and 1 hour, 6 hours and 12 hours after watering and subjected to a metabolomics and lipidomics analysis. Analysis of the data reveals that within one hour after watering C. procera has already responded on the metabolic level to the sudden water availability as evidenced by major changes such as increased levels of most amino acids, a decrease in sucrose, raffinose and maltitol, a decrease in storage lipids (triacylglycerols) and an increase in membrane lipids including photosynthetic membranes. These changes still prevail at the 6 hour time point after watering however 12 hours after watering the metabolomics data are essentially indistinguishable from the prewatering state thus demonstrating not only a rapid response to water availability but also a rapid response to loss of water. Taken together these data suggest that the ability of C. procera to survive under the very harsh drought conditions prevailing in the desert might be associated with its rapid adjustments to water availability and losses

Comparison of four DNA barcoding loci to distinguish between some Apiaceae family species

Abstract Background The Apiaceae family is among the most significant plant families because it contains both beneficial and poisonous plants. Due to their morphological similarity, these harmless and lethal species are frequently confounded. Cumin, fennel, and anise are the most prevalent members of the family Apiaceae in Egypt. Members of this family are routinely used as medical surrogates, so it is crucial that they are correctly identified and distinguished. DNA barcoding is a molecular technique used for identifying species and reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Results Six plants from this family were chosen for this study due to their medicinal importance, and four DNA barcoding loci (rbcL, matK, trnH-psaA, and ITS) were used to identify them. The amplicons were sequenced, and the comparative analysis was conducted between the sequences evaluated and the most significant Blast results. The DNA rbcL, trnH-psaA, and ITS barcodes exhibited similar amplicons among the six species of Apiaceae, while the trnH-psaA barcode exhibited different amplicons among the Apiaceae. Maximum likelihood approach was used to calculate the genetic distance between the sex species of Apiaceae. The most significant findings were that the one from four DNA barcoding was able to distinguish between distinct species and confirm their evolutionary belonging to this family. Conclusions The current study concludes that trnH-psbA and ITS DNA identifiers can be used to accurately identify, differentiate, and record Apiaceae species, while the rbcl DNA barcode appears to have fallen short of its intended purpose. So, the data that come from DNA barcodes could be used for the biodiversity assessment and the similarities between hazardous and commercial plants to resolve some of these deficiencies