Soluble protein and acid phosphatase exuded by ectomycorrhizal fungi and seedlings in response to excessive Cu and Cd

Fungi and their symbionts can alleviate heavy metal stress by exuding soluble proteins and enzymes. This study examined the role of soluble protein and acid phosphatase （APase） exuded by Xerocomus chrysenteron, an ectomycorrhizal fungus, and the seedlings of its symbiont, Chinese pine （Pinus tabulaeformis）, under conditions of excessive Cu and Cd. The growth type showed that this poorly studied ectomycorrhizal fungus was capable of tolerating high concentrations of Cu, and may be useful in phytoremediation. X. chrysenteron grew well at 80 mg/L Cu, and the EC50 for Cd was 17.82 mg/L. X. chrysenteron also showed enhanced exudation of soluble protein in both isolated and inoculated cultivations under the influence of Cu and Cd. Soluble protein exudation, however, differed under Cu and Cd stress in isolates. In mediums containing Cu, soluble protein exudation increased with concentration, but in mediums containing Cd the content of soluble protein increased to a comparable level at all concentrations. This study demonstrated that soluble protein was related to heavy metal tolerance, although the different ions played different roles. While APase activity in exudates of fungi and seedlings decreased under Cu and Cd stress in comparison to the control, the APase activity in seedlings was maintained by inoculation. Thus, X. chrysenteron facilitated the ability of plant to maintain a normal nutrient uptake, and therefore to protect it from heavy metal toxicity.

Relationship Between Soluble Protein,Chlorophyll and ATP in Drought-Resistant Sweet Potato Under Water Stress

Some indices concerning the metabolism of substance and energy in sweet potato leaves under water stress were studied. The results showed an obvious increase in soluble protein content. Compared with control, Chl a, Chl b, total Chl contents and the ratio of Chl a to Chl b all decreased to some extent. ATP content increased in some varieties and decreased in others, but the stronger the drought resistance of the variety , the higher the ATP content. The correlation coefficient(r)of the soluble protein content, ratio of Chl a to Chl b and ATP content as a percentage of the drought-resistant sweet potato control variety are 0. 8968, - 0. 8509 and 0. 8200, respectively, P<0. 01. So these indices can be used to evaluate the drought resistance of different sweet potato varieties.

The Relationship Between Developmental Accumulation of Leaf Soluble Proteins and Vernalization Response of Wheat(Triticum aestivum L.em. Thell)

The relationship between vernalization requirement and quantitative and qualitative changes in total leaf soluble proteins were determined in one spring （cv. Kohdasht） and two winter （cvs. Sardari and Norstar） cultivars of wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） exposed to 4℃. Plants were sampled on days 2, 14, 21 and 35 of exposure to 4℃. The final leaf number （FLN） was determined throughout the vernalization periods （0, 7, 14, 24, and 35 d） at 4℃. The final leaf number decreased until days 24 and 35 in Sardari and Norstar eultivars, respectively, indicating the vernalization saturation at these times. No clear changes were detected in the final leaf number of Kohdash cultivar, verifying no vernalization requirement for this spring wheat cultivar. Comparing with control, clear cold-induced 2-fold increases in proteins quantity occurred after 48 h following the 4℃-treatment in the leaves of the both winter wheat cultivars but, such response was not detected in the spring cultivar. However, the electrophoretic protein patterns showed between-cultivar and between-temperature treatment differences. With increasing exposure time to 4℃, the winter cultivars tended to produce more HMW polypeptides than the spring cultivar. Similar proteins were induced in both Sardari and Norstar winter wheat cultivars, however, the long vernalization requirement in Norstar resulted in high level and longer duration of expression of cold-induced proteins compared to Sardari with a short vernalization requirement. These observations indicate that vernalization response regulates the expression of low temperature （LT） tolerance proteins and determines the duration of expression of LT- induced proteins.

Analysis of SSLP and Soluble Protein Contents in Leaves of Mutants Induced by High Pressure in Rice (Oryza sativa)

Rice variety Yuexiangzhan and its mutants induced by high pressure were studied using microsatcllite markers and soluble protein content analyses. Eleven of the 88 microsatellite primer pairs showed evident polymorphisms repeatedly, and the polymorphic frequencies were 3.4-11.3% between the mutants and Yuexiangzhan. The polymorphic markers were randomly located on chromosomes. The more similar the plant types of the mutants like their original variety, the less polymorphic loci were detected. In addition, there was variation in the soluble protein contents among the leaves of mutants, and the contents were significantly lower than those of the original variety.

Trends of Superoxide Dismutase and Soluble Protein of Aquatic Plants in Lakes of Different Trophic Levels in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

A limnological study was carried out to determine the responses of superoxide dismutase （SOD） activities and soluble protein （SP） contents of 11 common aquatic plants to eutrophication stress. Field investigation in 12 lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was carried out from March to September 2004. Our results indicated that non- submersed （emergent and floating-leafed） plants and submersed plants showed different responses to eutrophication stress. Both SOD activities of the non-submersed and submersed plants were negatively correlated with their SP contents （P 〈 0.000 1）. SP contents of non-submersed plants were significantly correlated with all nitrogen variables in the water （P 〈 0.05）, whereas SP contents of submersed plants were only significantly correlated with carbon variables as well as ammonium and Secchi depth （SD） in water （P 〈 0.05）. Only SOD activities of submersed plants were decreased with decline of SD in water （P 〈 0.001）. Our results indicate that the decline of SOD activities of submersed plants were mainly caused by light limitation, this showed a coincidence with the decline of macrophytes in eutrophic lakes, which might imply that the antioxidant system of the submersed plants were impaired under eutrophication stress.

Restoration of Brain Acid Soluble Protein 1 Inhibits Proliferation and Migration of Thyroid Cancer Cells

Background： Brain acid soluble protein 1 （BASPI） is identified as a novel potential tumor suppressor in several cancers. However, its role in thyroid cancer has not been investigated yet. In the present study, the antitumor activities of BASP1 against the growth and migration of thyroid cancer cells were evaluated. Methods： BASP1 expression in thyroid cancer tissues and normal tissues were examined by immunohistochemical staining and the association between its expression and prognosis was analyzed, pcDNA-BASP 1 carrying full length of BASP1 cDNA was constructed to restore the expression of BASP1 in thyroid cancer cell lines （BHT- I 01 and KMH-2）. The cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo was evaluated by WST-1 assay and xenografl tumor models, respectively. Cell cycle distribution after transfection was analyzed using flow cytometry. Cell apoptosis after transfection was examined by annexin V/propidium iodide assay. The migration was examined using transwell assay. Results： BASP1 expression was abundant in normal tissues while it is significantly decreased in cancer tissues （P = 0.000）. pcDNA-BASP1 restored the expression of BASPI and significantly inhibited the growth of BHT-101 and KMH-2 cells as well as xenograft tumors in nude mice （P = 0.000）. pcDNA-BASPI induced G1 arrest and apoptosis in BHT-101 and KMH-2 cells. In addition, pcDNA-BASP1 significantly inhibited the cell migration. Conclusions： Downregulation of BASP1 expression may play a role in the tumorigenesis of thyroid cancer. Restoration of BASPI expression exerted extensive antitumor activities against growth and migration of thyroid cancer cells, which suggested that BASPI gene might act as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of thyroid cancer.

Dynamic Effects of Cerium on Syntheses of Soluble Protein and Taxol in Suspension Culture of Taxus Chinensis Var. Mairei Cells

The dynamic effects of Ce4+ on the syntheses of soluble protein and taxol in suspension cultures of Taxus chinensis var. mairei cells were studied. The phenomena of 'partition' and 'bifurcation' were observed in studying the dynamic effect of Ce4+ on soluble protein synthesis and cell activity. That is, Ce4+ of low concentration improves the soluble protein synthetic strength and cell activity, while Ce4+ of high concentration is harmful to protein synthesis and cell activity. In addition, Ce4+ of appropriate concentration enhances taxol synthesis.

The Key Factors Affecting Tuber Development of Potato in vitro and the Relation with Protein Fractions

According to previous analysis, some properties bounding up with tuber yield were investigated. The results showed that tuber average weight, plastid Mg2 + -ATPase activity, plastid Ca2 + -ATPase activity, mitochondria Mg2 + -ATPase activity, total soluble protein content, tuber average diameter, and Q-enzyme activity were important factors determining the tuber yield. The linear regression equation was:Y = 0.5211 + 0.0595X(1)+0.8389X(2) +0.0882X(3) -0.0073X(4) +0.1449X(5) +0.3510X(6) +0.0031X(7) -0.00003X(8) + 0.3412X(9) + 0.0127X(10) + 0.2904X(ll) + 0.0570X(12) + 0.0159X(13) + 0.3585X(14) + 0.0134X(15) - 0.1012X(16). At the same time, the relation between several important properties and soluble protein fractions were analyzed.

Effect of high salinity on cell growth and protein production of Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L

Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L can survive and thrive in Antarctic sea ice.In this study,Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L could survive at the salinity of 132‰ NaCl.SDS-PAGE showed that the density of 2 bands（26 and 36 kD） decreased obviously at the salinity of 99‰ NaCl compared to at the salinity of 33‰ NaCl.The soluble proteins in Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L grown under salinity of 33‰ and 99% NaCl were compared by 2-D gel electrophoresis.After shocking with high salinity,8 protein spots were found to disappear,and the density of 28 protein spots decreased.In addition,19 protein spots were enhanced or induced,including one new peptide（51 kD）.The changes of proteins might be correlated with the resistance for Chlamydomonas sp.ICE-L to high salinity.

In Vitro Protein Expression Profile of Campylobacter jejuni Strain NCTC11168 by Two-dimensional Gel Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry

Objective To investigate the protein expression profiles of the major food‐borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168.Methods Membrane and soluble cellular proteins were extracted from the genome‐sequenced C.jejuni strain NCTC11168.Protein expression profiles were determined using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis（2‐DE）.All the detected spots on the 2‐DE map were subjected to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry（MALDI‐TOF/TOF） analysis.Results A total of 537 and 333 spots were detected from the whole cell and membrane‐associated proteins of C.jejuni NCTC11168 cultured on Columbia agar medium at 42 ℃ by 2‐DE and Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining,respectively.Analyses of whole cell and membrane‐associated proteins included 399 and 133 spots,respectively,which included 182 and 53 functional proteins identified by MALDI‐TOF/TOF analysis.Conclusion The comprehensive expression protein profiles of C.jeuni NCTC11168 obtained in this study will be useful for elucidating the roles of these proteins in further pathogenesis investigation.

Inhibitory Function of Tregs via Soluble FGL2 in Chronic Hepatitis B

CD4 + CD25 + CD127 dim/regulatory T cells(Tregs) have been implicated in suppressing T cell immune responses to hepatitis B virus(HBV),but the inhibition mechanism has not being clear yet.This study investigated the effects of soluble FGL2(sFGL2) secreted by Tregs on immune suppression in chronic HBV-infected patients.We verified that sFGL2 protein and mRNA were highly expressed in Tregs.The separated Tregs by using magnetic beads from peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) in 20 patients with chronic hepatitis B were co-cultured with PBMCs at a ratio of 1:3 with anti-CD3 stimulating antibody or FGL2 blocking antibody.The proliferation index of CD8 + T cells after blocking FGL2 was higher than that in blank group(3.58±0.18 vs.3.28±0.17,P=0.034) in 18 of 20 samples,and lower than that in CD3 stimulation group(3.82±0.19,P=0.026) in 16 of 20 samples.The IFN-γ secreted in the mixed culture in the absence of Tregs was higher than that in the culture in the presence of Tregs,but it could be abolished by FGL2 blocking antibody.These results suggest that sFGL2 protein secreted by Tregs suppresses the proliferation and function of CD8 + T cells in chronic hepatitis B.

Joint effects of cadmium and lead on seedlings of four Chinese cabbage cultivars in northeastern China

In northeastern China, large area of vegetable land has been simultaneously polluted by cadmium （Cd） and lead （Pb）. Joint effects of Cd and Pb on Chinese cabbage （Brassica pekinensis L.） were investigated using the seed germination and sand culture method. Four Chinese cabbage cultivars including Kangbingjinchun （KB）, Dongyangchunxia （DY）, Qinglvwang （QL） and Qiangshi （QS） from Shenyang in northeastern China were adopted in this study. The results showed that there were positive linear relationships between the inhibitory rate of biomass, root and shoot elongation and the concentrations of Cd and Pb. In particular, root elongation was more sensitive to joint stress of Cd and Pb. The activity of superoxide dismutase and the content of malondialdehyde （MDA）, soluble protein （SP） and proline （PRO） changed significantly with increasing exposure concentration of Cd and Pb. The decrement in the activity of antioxidative enzymes, the content of SP and accumulation of MDA were relatively low in KB and QS. PRO played an important role in resisting Cd and Pb stress.

Effects of IBA on the rooting of branch cuttings of Chinese jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill.) and changes to nutrients and endogenous hormones

‘Zhongqiusucui’ jujube secondary shoots were treated with 3-indolebutyric acid(IBA) at three concentrations, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/L. Results show that IBA could significantly enhance rooting and root characteristics of cuttings and were best with IBA at 1500 mg/L. In the rooting process, the formation of adventitious roots was related to the consumption and accumulation of nutrients(soluble sugars and proteins) and the changes in endogenous hormones in phloem, leaf tips and leaf bases. The rooting of cuttings had a positive correlation with the consumption of soluble sugars during the period of callus formation and with the accumulation of soluble sugars during adventitious root formation and growth. Rooting was positively related to the breakdown of soluble proteins in the phloem when the callus formed, and had a positive correlation with its accumulation during adventitious root formation and growth. Leaf tips and leaf bases showed a reverse trend in changes of soluble protein. However, together with the phloem, leaf tips and leaf bases regulated and controlled the formation and development of adventitious roots. The main activities of soluble proteins exist in the leaf tips as this was the main source of soluble proteins. The relation between rooting and IAA(indole-3-acetic acid) content in phloem was positive and thus a high concentration of IAA could benefit the induction and formation of adventitious roots. However, rooting was negatively related with ABA(abscisic acid) and GA(gibberellic acid) and a high concentration of both could inhibit the induction and formation of adventitious roots. Rooting had a positive correlation with phloem IAA/ABA ratios, and higher ratios could improve rooting. Low concentrations of ZR(zeatin riboside) triggered the induction of adventitious roots, while higher concentrations promoted root growth.Endogenous hormones in leaf tips and bases had an impact on rooting. The activities of endogenous hormones mainly existed in leaf tips because they play a major role in the production and consumption of IAA and its ABA content increased during rooting. The ZR in leaf tips influenced the rooting of cuttings, especially in the callus formation and rooting stage. Leaf tips were the main source of GA.

Changes in Nutritive Materials in Off-season Mango in Flower Bud Differentiation Stage

Under off-season production mode, change laws of nutritive materials in leaves of fruiting mother branches of mango in flowering process induced by dif- ferent agents were investigated. The results showed that the flowering time of manga trees in the potassium nitrate treatment was earlier than the ethephon treatment by 7 d, and changes trends of materials in leaves of the potassium nitrate and ethephon treatments were substantially the same. The nutritive materials in leaves showed trends of increasing at first and decreasing then. In early flower bud differentiation stage, soluble sugar and starch in leaves increased rapidly, and content of soluble protein also increased rapidly and showed its their peak values, thereby providing energy substances and structural substances demanded by flower bud formation. With flower bud differentiation going on, soluble sugar, starch and soluble protein decreased gradually. It was indicated that the accumulation of soluble sugar, starch and soluble protein is beneficial to flower bud differentiation.

Atmospheric pressure gliding arc discharge plasma treatments for improving germination, growth and yield of wheat

Wheat （Triticum aestivum） seeds were treated with atmospheric pressure gliding arc discharge plasmas to investigate the effects on water absorption, seed germination rate, seedling growth and yield in wheat. The surface architectures and functionalities of the seeds were found to modify due to plasma treatments. 6 rain treatment was provided 95%-100% germination rate. For the treatment duration of 3 and 9 rain the growth activity, dry matter accumulation, leaves chlorophyll contents, longest spikes, number of spikes/spikelet and total soluble protein content in shoots were improved. The grain yield of wheat was increased ,--20% by 6 min treatment with H2O/O2 plasma with respect to control.

Effect of Rare Earth on Physiological-Chemical Characteristics and Its Growth of Aloe in Tissue Culture

In adopting tissue culture, effects of rare earth on Physiological and chemical characteristics, proliferation and rootage in aloe were studied. The results indicate that suitable concentration treatment of rare earth increases content of reducing sugar and protein, enhances activity intensity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) isozymes and stripes of POD isozymes in the leaves. It also increases rate of proliferation and rootage respectively. The appropriate concentration of rare earth is 20～40 mg·L -1 in proliferation and rootage of aloe.

Rice plant growth and yield: foliar application of plasma activated water

Plasma activated water(PAW)was prepared for 10 min to be applied one tofive times as a foliar spray to rice plants,to investigate plant growth,yield and the concentrations of total soluble protein and sugar in the rice grains produced.The results reveal that(1)the plant height,stem diameter,dry weight,chlorophyll and total carotene concentrations were improved by∼15%,∼25%,∼24%,∼47%and∼45%,respectively,with respect to control,(2)defense mechanisms of the plants treated with PAW were improved,(3)concentrations of total soluble protein and sugar were enhanced in the rice grains of PAW treated plants and(4)yield was increased by∼14%.

Effects of Drought Stress and Re-watering on Osmotic Adjustment Ability and Yield of Soybean

In this experiment,the drought-tolerant soybean variety Heinong 44 and the sensitive soybean variety Heinong 65 were used as experimental materials to study the effects of drought stress and re-watering on the osmotic adjustment ability and yield of soybean.The results showed that given a normal water supply,the proline and soluble protein contents of Heinong 44 and Heinong65 showed an increasing trend during the growth process,while the soluble sugar content increased and then decreased.The contents of proline,soluble protein and soluble sugar increased significantly with increasing drought stress,and the magnitude of increase of Heinong 44 was higher than that of Heinong 65.The osmotic adjustment ability of the drought-tolerant variety was significantly higher than that of the sensitive variety and showed consistent performance at different stages.After re-watering,the proline and soluble sugar contents of the flowering and pod-setting stages and the soluble protein content of the seedling stage were restored to the control levels.Drought stress resulted in a decrease in the effective pod number,pod number per pod,100-grain weight and yield.Severe drought had the greatest impact by increasing stress and decreasing soybean yields,which were followed by the flowering,bulging and seedling stages.

Changes in Some Physiological Characteristics After Full Heading Stage in Flag Leaves of Super High-Yielding Inbred Rice

In a field experiment, rice cultivar Shanyou 63 was used as a check cultivar to investigate the changes in activity of peroxidase and contents of malondialdehyde and soluble protein after full heading stage in flag leaves of two super high-yielding inbred rice, including Shengtai 1 and Yuxiangyouzhan. The results showed that the peroxidase activities and soluble protein contents in the leaves of the three cultivars tended to increase gradually to peak values and thereafter descended during stage after full heading. Moreover, both the peroxidase activities and soluble protein contents of Shengtai 1 and Yuxiangyouzhan peaked at 8 days after full heading, which was compared with that of Shanyou 63 at 4 days later. Meanwhile, the malondialdehyde contents in the leaves of the three cultivars increased gradually after full heading stage. In addition, activities of peroxidase and contents of malondialdehyde and soluble protein in different cultivars were various at the same time. In general, for Shengtai 1 and Yuxiangyouzhan, the peroxidase activities and soluble protein contents were higher than those of Shanyou 63, whereas the malondialdehyde contents were lower compared with that of Shanyou 63. And these features could make the senescence of leaf become later and slower and photosynthetic product was more in Shengtai 1 and Yuxiangyouzhan than that in Shanyou 63.

Effects of Simulated Acid Rain on Main Nutritional Indicators of Three Leafy Vegetables

The purpose of this paper was to identify content changes in the main nutritional indicators of three common leafy vegetables, and to provide a theoretical basis for the protection of leafy vegetables from acid rain. The experiment investigated the effects of simulated acid rain on four main nutritional indicators, including soluble sugar, total free amino acid, soluble protein and vitamin C during the application of simulated acid rain(SAR) in pakchoi(Brassica rapa chinensis), rape(Brassica campestris L.) and lettuce(Lactuca sativa Linn. var. ramosa Hort). The vegetables were respectively exposed to SAR of pH=7.0, 5.6, 5.0, 4.0, 3.0 and a control level of pH=6.5. The concentrations of the four main nutritional indicators were determined at harvest. The results show that nutritional quality of the three leafy vegetable species decreased with the declining of pH values of SAR. The higher the acidity of SAR was, the more significant the inhibitions were. Nutritional quality of lettuce was the most affected by simulated acid rain, followed by pakchoi and rape. The change range of soluble protein content was higher than those of the other three indicators’ contents, which indicates that soluble protein is most sensitive to simulated acid rain.