Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L.) Rootstock Improves the Heat Tolerance of Cucumber by Regulating Photosynthetic and Antioxidant Defense Pathways.

High temperature is considered a critical abiotic stressor that is increasing continuously, which is severely affecting plant growth and development. The use of heat-resistant rootstock grafting is a viable technique that is practiced globally to improve plant resistance towards abiotic stresses. In this experiment, we explored the efficacy of bitter melon rootstock and how it regulates photosynthesis and the antioxidant defense system to alleviate heat stress (42 °C/32 °C) in cucumber. Our results revealed that bitter-melon-grafted seedlings significantly relieved heat-induced growth inhibition and photoinhibition, maintained better photosynthesis activity, and accumulated a greater biomass than self-grafted seedlings. We measured the endogenous polyamine and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents to determine the inherent mechanism responsible for these effects, and the results showed that heat stress induced a transient increase in polyamines and H2O2 in the inner courtyard of grafted seedlings. This increment was greater and more robust in bitter-melon-grafted seedlings. In addition, the use of polyamine synthesis inhibitors MGBG (methylglyoxal bis-guanylhydrazone) and D-Arg (D-arginine), further confirmed that the production of H2O2 under heat stress is mediated by the accumulation of endogenous polyamines. Moreover, compared with other treatments, the bitter-melon-grafted seedlings maintained high levels of antioxidant enzyme activity under high temperature conditions. However, these activities were significantly inhibited by polyamine synthesis inhibitors and H2O2 scavengers (dimethylthiourea, DMTU), indicating that bitter melon rootstock not only maintained better photosynthetic activity under conditions of high temperature stress but also mediated the production of H2O2 through the regulation of the high level of endogenous polyamines, thereby boosting the antioxidant defense system and comprehensively improving the heat tolerance of cucumber seedlings. Taken together, these results indicate that grafting with a resistant cultivar is a promising alternative tool for reducing stress-induced damage.

Characterization of the CsPNG1 gene from cucumber and its function in response to salinity stress.

Peptide: N-glycanase (PNGase; EC 3.5.1.52) is a deglycosylation enzyme that is responsible for deglycosylating misfolded glycoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. However, the role of PNGase in plants is largely unknown. Here, we cloned and characterized the function of peptide: N-glycanase (CsPNG1) from cucumber. The amino acid encoded by CsPNG1 gene contained a typical transglutaminase (TGase) catalytic triad domain and belonged to the "TGase superfamily". Subcellular localization showed that CsPNG1 was located in the cell membrane and nucleus. Promoter sequence analysis and qPCR tests showed that CsPNG1 could respond to a variety of abiotic stresses and hormone treatments. Yeast one-hybrid assays revealed the interaction between the transcription factor CsGT-3b and CsPNG1 promoter. Importantly, overexpression of CsPNG1 in tobacco increased the tolerance to salt stress of transgenic plants. In addition, CsPNG1 interacted with CsRAD23 family proteins and the C-terminal UBA domain of CsRAD23 protein was responsible for binding to CsPNG1, indicating that CsPNG1 was involved in the ER-associated degradation pathway (ERAD). Taken together, our study demonstrated that CsPNG1 plays a positive role in improving plant salt tolerance, and these findings might provide a basis for further functional analysis of CsPNG1 genes in abiotic stress and ERAD.

Isolation and characterization of S-Adenosylmethionine synthase gene from cucumber and responsive to abiotic stress.

S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS) catalyzes methionine and ATP to generate S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). In plants, accumulating SAMS genes have been characterized and the majority of them are reported to participate in development and stress response. In this study, two putative SAMS genes (CsSAMS1 and CsSAMS2) were identified in cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.). They displayed 95% similarity and had a high identity with their homologous of Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum. The qRT-PCR test showed that CsSAMS1 was predominantly expressed in stem, male flower, and young fruit, whereas CsSAMS2 was preferentially accumulated in stem and female flower. And they displayed differential expression profiles under stimuli, including NaCl, ABA, SA, MeJA, drought and low temperature. To elucidate the function of cucumber SAMS, the full-length CDS of CsSAMS1 was cloned, and prokaryotic expression system and transgenic materials were constructed. Expressing CsSAMS1 in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) improved the growth of the engineered strain under salt stress. Overexpression of CsSAMS1 significantly increased MDA content, H2O2 content, and POD activity in transgenic lines under non-stress condition. Under salt stress, however, the MDA content of transgenic lines was lower than that of the wild type, the H2O2 content remained high, the polyamine and ACC synthesis in transgenic lines exhibited a CsSAMS1-expressed dependent way. Taken together, our results suggested that both CsSAMS1 and CsSAMS2 were involved in plant development and stress response, and a proper increase of expression level of CsSAMS1 in plants is benificial to improving salt tolerance.

[Effects of exogenous spermidine and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant growth of cucumber]. / äºšç²¾èƒºå’Œä¸›æžèŒæ ¹çœŸèŒå¯¹é»„ç“œç”Ÿé•¿çš„å½±å“.

Effects of spermidine (Spd) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the growth and photosynthesis of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L., cv. Jinchun 2) seedlings, fruit yield and quality, microorganism and enzymatic activity in rhizosphere were investigated. The results showed that combined Spd and AMF addition significantly promoted the growth of cucumber seedlings, increased the root activity, fruit production and quality, enhanced nutrients absorption of seedlings. Net photosynthetic rate, actual photochemical efficiency, light quantum efficiency, carboxylation efficiency and light respiration rate of cucumber seedlings were increased by combined addition of Spd and AMF. The abundance of bacteria and actinomycetes in the rhizosphere of cucumber seedlings were increased, but that of fungi was decreased. The activities of enzymes, including sucrase, neutral phosphatase, catalase, and urease, were enhanced. These results suggested that the light utilization efficiency of cucumber seedlings was improved by combined addition of Spd and AMF. The growth substrate has been changed from a low-fertility type caused by fungi to a high-fertility one caused by bacteria. The decomposition and transformation of organic phosphorus and nitrogen in substrate were increased by combined addition of Spd and AMF, and thus could provide more N and P for the growth and development of cucumber, which further led to enhanced seedling growth, higher yield and quality of fruits. Moreover, Spd could increase the infection rate of AMF in cucumber roots, and together they had a synergistic effect on the growth of cucumber. Our results suggest that it is an effective method to enhance the infection rate of AMF by using Spd.

24-Epibrassinolide-induced alterations in the root cell walls of Cucumis sativus L. under Ca(NO3)2 stress.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) can effectively alleviate the oxidative stress caused by Ca(NO3)2 in cucumber seedlings. The root system is an essential organ in plants due to its roles in physical anchorage, water and nutrient uptake, and metabolite synthesis and storage. In this study, 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) was applied to the cucumber seedling roots under Ca(NO3)2 stress, and the resulting chemical and anatomical changes were characterized to investigate the roles of BRs in alleviating salinity stress. Ca(NO3)2 alone significantly induced changes in the components of cell wall, anatomical structure, and expression profiles of several lignin biosynthetic genes. Salt stress damaged several metabolic pathways, leading to cell wall reassemble. However, EBL promoted cell expansion and maintained optimum length of root system, alleviating the oxidative stress caused by Ca(NO3)2. The continuous transduction of EBL signal thickened the secondary cell wall of casparian band cells, thus resisting against ion toxicity and maintaining water transport.

NaCl stress induces CsSAMs gene expression in Cucumis sativus by mediating the binding of CsGT-3b to the GT-1 element within the CsSAMs promoter.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The CsSAMs promoter is a salt-stress-inducible promoter containing three GT-1 elements that are sufficient for the salt-stress response. The transcription factor CsGT-3b was found to bind to the GT-1 element. The S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthase (SAMs) gene is among the functional genes induced during environmental stress. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism and upstream regulators of this salt-inducible gene in cucumber plants. Thus, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the SAMs gene by analyzing its promoter and transcription factors. In this study, we isolated and functionally analyzed a 1743-bp flanking fragment of the CsSAMs gene from Cucumis sativus. To examine promoter activity, the full-length promoter, as well as different promoter fragments, were fused to the ß-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and introduced into the tobacco genome. The full-length promoter displayed maximal promoter activity, whereas the P4 promoter, containing 321 bp of upstream sequence, showed no basal promoter activity. In addition, the CsSAMs promoter exhibited stress-inducible regulation rather than tissue-specific activity in transgenic tobacco. Histochemical analysis revealed strong GUS staining in leaves, stems, and roots, especially in the veins of leaves, the vascular bundle of stems, and root tip zones following NaCl stress. A transient expression assay confirmed that the 242-bp region (-1743 to -1500) was sufficient for the NaCl-stress response. Yeast one-hybrid assays further revealed interaction between the NaCl-response protein CsGT-3b and the GT-1 (GAAAAA) element within the 242-bp region. Taken together, we revealed the presence of four salt-stress-responsive elements (GT-1 cis-elements) in the CsSAMs promoter and identified a transcription factor, CsGT-3b, that specifically binds to this sequence. These results might help us better understand the intricate regulatory network of the cucumber SAMs gene.

NO accumulation alleviates H2 O2 -dependent oxidative damage induced by Ca(NO3 )2 stress in the leaves of pumpkin-grafted cucumber seedlings.

Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), two important signaling molecules, are stimulated in plants by abiotic stresses. In this study, we investigated the role of NO and its interplay with H2 O2 in the response of self-grafted (S-G) and salt-tolerant pumpkin-grafted (Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata) cucumber seedlings to 80 mM Ca(NO3 )2 stress. Endogenous NO and H2 O2 production in S-G seedlings increased in a time-dependent manner, reaching maximum levels after 24 h of Ca(NO3 )2 stress. In contrast, a transient increase in NO production, accompanied by H2 O2 accumulation, was observed at 2 h in rootstock-grafted plants. Nw -Nitro-l-Arg methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), tungstate, an inhibitor of nitrate reductase (NR), and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethy-limidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO), a scavenger of NO, were found to significantly inhibit NO accumulation induced by salt stress in rootstock-grafted seedlings. H2 O2 production was unaffected by these stress conditions. Ca(NO3 )2 stress-induced NO accumulation was blocked by pretreatment with an H2 O2 scavenger (dimethylthiourea, DMTU) and an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase (diphenyleneiodonium, DPI). In addition, maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm), as well as the activities and transcript levels of antioxidant enzymes, were significantly decreased by salt stress in rootstock grafted seedlings after pretreatment with these above inhibitors; antioxidant enzyme transcript levels and activities were higher in rootstock-grafted seedlings compared with S-G seedlings. These results suggest that rootstock grafting could alleviate the oxidative damage induced by Ca(NO3 )2 stress in cucumber seedlings, an effect that may be attributable to the involvement of NO in H2 O2 -dependent antioxidative metabolism.

Proteomics analysis of compatibility and incompatibility in grafted cucumber seedlings.

Graft compatibility between rootstock and scion is the most important factor influencing the survival of grafted plants. In this study, we used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) to investigate differences in leaf proteomes of graft-compatible and graft-incompatible cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)/pumpkin (Cucurbita L.) combinations. Cucumber seedlings were used as the scions and two pumpkin cultivars with strongly contrasting grafting compatibilities were used as the rootstocks. Non-grafted and self-grafted cucumber seedlings served as control groups. An average of approximately 500 detectable spots were observed on each 2-DE gel. A total of 50 proteins were differentially expressed in response to self-grafting, compatible-rootstock grafting, and incompatible-rootstock grafting and were all successfully identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. The regulation of Calvin cycle, photosynthetic apparatus, glycolytic pathway, energy metabolism, protein biosynthesis and degradation, and reactive oxygen metabolism will probably contribute to intensify the biomass and photosynthetic capacity in graft-compatible combinations. The improved physiological and growth characteristics of compatible-rootstock grafting plants are the result of the higher expressions of proteins involved in photosynthesis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, and protein metabolism. At the same time, the compatible-rootstock grafting regulation of stress defense, amino acid metabolism, and other metabolic functions also plays important roles in improvement of plant growth.

[Effects of exogenous 24-epibrassinolde on leaf morphology and photosynthetic characteristics of tomato seedlings under low light stress].

This study investigated the effects of exogenous 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on the leaf morphology and photosynthetic characteristics of tomato seedlings (cv. Jiersi) cultured hydroponically under low light stress. The results showed that low light stress induced adaptive changes in the leaf morphology of tomato seedling. Low light stress significantly increased the leaf area, specific leaf area, angle between stem and leaf, vertical angle and cable bent, but significantly decreased the dry mass of leaf. Low light stress also significantly decreased the maximum net photosynthetic rate,. apparent quantum yield, dark respiration rate, carboxylation efficiency and Rubisco large subunit content. The light compensation point and carbon dioxide compensation point were dramatically enhanced under low light stress. However, foliar spraying EBR significantly increased the leaf area, leaf dry mass, angle between stem and leaf, vertical angle by 14.1%, 57.1%, 12.3% and 7.7% under low light stress, respectively. EBR significantly decreased the specific leaf area and cable bent by 30.5% and 10.6% in low light stressed plants. In addition, EBR significantly enhanced the apparent quantum yield, dark respiration rate and carboxylation efficiency by 20.4%, 17.9% and 9.3%, respectively, but significantly reduced the light compensation point and carbon dioxide compensation point by 21.9% and 4.3% under low light stress. Moreover, EBR also significantly increased the Rubisco large subunit content in low light stressed leaves. These results suggested that application of exogenous EBR could effectively alleviate the inhibition of photosynthesis induced by low light stress via improving the apparent quantum yield, dark respiration rate, carboxylation efficiency and Rubisco content, and maintaining the stability of leaf morphology, thus low light tolerance of tomato seedlings.

Effects of grafting with pumpkin rootstock on carbohydrate metabolism in cucumber seedlings under Ca(NO3)2 stress.

This study investigated the effects of grafting on the carbohydrate status and the enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in self-grafted and grafted cucumber seedlings using the salt-tolerant pumpkin rootstock 'Qingzhen 1' (Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata) under 80 mM Ca(NO3)2 stress for 6 d. The growth of self-grafted seedlings was significantly inhibited after the treatment of Ca(NO3)2 stress, whereas the inhibition of growth was alleviated in pumpkin rootstock-grafted seedlings. Ca(NO3)2 stress increased the contents of the total soluble sugar, sucrose and fructose, but decreased the starch content in rootstock-grafted leaves. However, compared with self-grafted plants, rootstock-grafted seedlings were observed with a higher content of sucrose and total soluble sugar (TSS) under salt stress. Rootstock-grafted seedlings exhibited higher activities of acid invertase (AI), neutral invertase (NI) and phosphate sucrose synthase (SPS) of sucrose metabolism in leaves than that of self-grafted seedlings under salinity. Moreover, the activities of fructokinase (FK), hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK) and pyruvate kinase (PK) of glycolysis were maintained at a higher level in leaves of rootstock-grafted seedlings after Ca(NO3)2 stress. Additionally, rootstock-grafting decrease the high percentage enhancement of key enzymes gene expression in glycolysis in the scion leaves of cucumber seedlings induced by salt stress. These results suggest that the rootstock-grafting improved salt tolerance, which might play a role in elevated sucrose metabolism and a glycolytic pathway regulated by the pumpkin rootstock.

Effects of exogenous spermine on chlorophyll fluorescence, antioxidant system and ultrastructure of chloroplasts in Cucumis sativus L. under salt stress.

The effects of exogenous spermine (Spm) on plant growth, chlorophyll fluorescence, ultrastructure and anti-oxidative metabolism of chloroplasts were investigated in Cucumis sativus L. under NaCl stress. Salt stress significantly reduced plant growth, chlorophylls content and F(v)/F(m). These changes could be alleviated by foliar spraying with Spm. Salt stress caused an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide anion [Formula: see text] generation rate in chloroplasts. Application of Spm significantly increased activities of superoxidase dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11) which decreased the levels of [Formula: see text] and MDA in the salt-stressed chloroplasts. Salt stress decreased the activities of dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1) and glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2) in the chloroplasts and reduced the contents of dehydroascorbate (DAsA) and glutathione (GSH), but increased monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR, EC 1.6.5.4) activity. On the other hand, Spm significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and levels of antioxidants in the salt-stressed chloroplasts. Further analysis of the ultrastructure of chloroplasts indicated that salinity induced destruction of the chloroplast envelope and increased the number of plastoglobuli with aberrations in thylakoid membranes. However, Spm application to salt-stressed plant leaves counteracted the adverse effects of salinity on the structure of the photosynthetic apparatus. These results suggest that Spm alleviates salt-induced oxidative stress through regulating antioxidant systems in chloroplasts of cucumber seedlings, which is associated with an improvement of the photochemical efficiency of PSII.

[Effects of brassinolide on the leaf mitochondria and chloroplast ultrastructure and photosynthesis of cucumber seedlings under hypoxia stress].

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on the leaf mitochondria and chloroplast ultrastructure and photosynthesis of cucumber seedlings under hypoxia stress. Under the stress, the apparent quantum yield (AQY) and carboxylation efficiency (CE) decreased significantly, while the light compensation point (LCP), dark breathing rate (R(d)), and CO2 compensation point (CCP) had a significant increase. The application of EBR increased the CE significantly by 29.4%, and decreased the LCP and R(d) significantly by 15.0% and 14.4%, respectively. The light response curve (P(n)-PPFD) and CO2 response curve (P(n)-C(i)) indicated that under hypoxia stress, the increment of net photosynthetic rate (P(n)) decreased, while EBR addition enhanced the increment of the P(n). Hypoxia stress damaged the mitochondria and chloroplast ultrastructure, while EBR could alleviate the damages in chloroplast and mitochondria under hypoxia stress, and keep the leaves in a higher photosynthetic performance.

[Salt stress tolerance of cucumber-grafted rootstocks].

Taking 4 different Cucurbita maxima x C. moschata rootstocks for cucumber (Cucumis sativus) as test materials, a solution culture experiment was conducted to study their growth and antioxidative enzyme activities under the stresses of Ca(NO3)2 and NaCl, with the salt stress tolerance of the rootstocks evaluated by subordinate function. At 30 mmol x L(-1) of Ca (NO3)2 or 45 mmol x L(-1) of NaCl, the growth of the rootstock seedlings was improved; but at 60 and 120 mmol x L(-1) of Ca(NO3)2 or 90 and 180 mmol x L(-1) of NaCl, the growth and the antioxidative systems of the seedlings were inhibited, and the salt injury index of 'Qingzhen No. 1' was the smallest, with the decrement of biomass and SOD, POD and CAT activities and the increment of relative conductance being significantly lower than those of the others. Under the stress of high concentration Ca(NO3)2, the SOD, POD and CAT activities of test rootstocks were higher, and the salt injury index and relative conductance were lower, as compared with those under high concentration NaCl, suggesting that the damage of Ca(NO3)2 stress to cucumber-grafted rootstock were smaller than that of NaCl stress. Among the 4 rootstocks, 'Qingzhen No. 1' had the strongest salt stress tolerance, followed by 'Zuomu Nangua', 'Fengyuan Tiejia', and 'Chaoba Nangua'.

[Effects of exogenous 24-epibrassinolide on the leaf photosynthetic characteristics and polyamines content of cucumber seedlings under hypoxia stress].

A water culture experiment with 1/2 Hoagland solution was carried out to study the effects of exogenous 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on the leaf photosynthetic characteristics and polyamines (PAs) content of cucumber seedlings under hypoxia stress. Under the stress, the leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (g(s)), transpiration rate (Tr), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) decreased significantly while the chlorophyll content was in adverse, and the seedling growth was inhibited. Hypoxia stress increased the leaf Put, Spd, and Spm contents and Put/PAs ratio significantly, but decreased the (Spd+Spm)/Put. Under the stress, exogenous EBR not only increased the Pn, g(s), Tr, and chlorophyll content significantly, but also increased the contents of free Spm, conjugated Spd and Spm, and bound Put, Spd, and Spm significantly. Meanwhile, the PAs content and (Spd + Spm)/Put ratio were further increased, and the Put/PAs ratio decreased. The results suggested that exogenous EBR could regulate the formation and form transformation of PAs in cucumber seedling leaf, made the leaf keep a higher photosynthetic performance, promote the increase of leaf area and dry mass, and alleviate the damage of hypoxia stress.

[Effects of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) on the plant growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality of cucumber under salt stress].

By adopting organic substrate culture, and salt-sensitive cucumber variety 'Jinchun No. 2' was used as test material, this paper studied the effects of inoculating arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) on the plant growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality of cucumber under salt stress. AMF-inoculation could effectively promote the plant growth and nutrient uptake, and improve the fruit yield and fruit nutrient quality, compared with ordinary cultivation. Under salt stress, the plant growth was inhibited, and the plant N, P, K, Cu, and Zn contents and K+/Na+ ratio, fruit yield, and fruit soluble protein, total sugar, vitamin C, and nitrate contents decreased, while inoculation with AMF could mitigate the inhibitory effect of salt stress on the plant growth, made the plant N, P, K, Cu, and Zn contents increased by 7.3%, 11.7%, 28.2%, 13.5%, and 9.9%, respectively, and made the plant K+/Na+ ratio, fruit yield, and fruit soluble protein, total sugar, and vitamin C contents have an obvious increase and the fruit nitrate content have a significant decrease. It was suggested that AMF could promote the plant growth and nutrient uptake of cucumber under salt stress, increase the plant salt-tolerance, and improve the fruit yield and its nutrient quality.

Effects of salt stress on the structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus in Cucumis sativus and its protection by exogenous putrescine.

With the objective to clarify the physiological significance of polyamines (PAs) in the photosynthetic apparatus, the present study investigated the effects of salt stress with and without foliar application of putrescine (Put) on the structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus in cucumber. Salt stress at 75 mM NaCl for 7 days resulted in a severe reduction of photosynthesis. The fast chlorophyll afluorescence transient analysis showed that salt stress inhibited the maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (F(v)/F(m)), mainly due to damage at the receptor side of PSII. In addition, salt stress decreased the density of active reaction centers and the structure performance. The microscopic analysis revealed that salt stress-induced destruction of the chloroplast envelope and increased the number of plastoglobuli along with aberrations in thylakoid membranes. Besides, salt stress caused a decrease in the content of endogenous PAs, conjugated and bound forms of spermidine and spermine in particular, in thylakoid membranes. However, applications of 8 mM Put alleviated the salt stress-mediated decrease in net photosynthetic rates (Pn) and actual efficiency of PSII(Φ(PSII)). Put increased PAs in thylakoid membranes and overcame the damaging effects of salt stress on the structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus in salt-stressed plant leaves. Put application to control plants neither increased PAs in thylakoid membranes nor affected photosynthesis. These results indicate that PAs in chloroplasts play crucial roles in protecting the thylakoid membranes against the deleterious influences of salt stress. In addition, the present results point to the probability that the salt-induced dysfunction of photosynthesis is largely attributable to the loss of PAs in the photosynthetic apparatus.

[Thermal dissipation pathway in cucumber seedling leaves under hypoxia stress].

A water culture experiment was conducted to study the relationship between photosynthetic thermal dissipation and xanthophyll cycle in cucumber seedling leaves under hypoxia stress (the dissolved oxygen concentration in nutrient solution was 0.9-1.1 mg x L(-1)). Under the hypoxia stress, there was a significant decrease in the quantum yield of PS II photochemistry rate (phi(PS II)), net photosynthetic rate (Pn) under saturation light intensity, quanta yield (AQY), and maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), suggesting that the photoinhibition of the seedling leaves was induced. Meanwhile, the thermal dissipation (NPQ) and the allocation of dissipation energy (D) by antenna increased, but the photochemical quenching apparent (q(p)) decreased, suggesting the enhancement of thermal dissipation in cucumber leaves under hypoxia stress. A positive correlation was observed between NPQ and xanthophyll de-epoxidation state (DEPS), and both of them were promoted by ascorbic acid (AsA) and inhibited by 1,4-dithiothreitol (DTT), suggesting that xanthophyll cycle was the major pathway of photosynthetic thermal dissipation in cucumber seedling leaves under hypoxia stress.

[Effects of exogenous spermidine on lipid peroxidation and membrane proton pump activity of cucumber seedling leaves under high temperature stress].

Taking a relatively heat-resistant cucumber (Cucumis sativus) cultivar 'Jinchun No. 4' as test material, a sand culture experiment was conducted in growth chamber to investigate the effects of foliar spraying spermidine (Spd) on the lipid peroxidation, membrane proton pump activity, and corresponding gene expression of cucumber seedling leaves under high temperature stress. Compared with the control, foliar spraying Spd increased the plant height, stem diameter, dry and fresh mass, and leaf area significantly, and inhibited the increase of leaf relative conductivity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and lipoxygenase (LOX) activity effectively. Foliar spraying Spd also helped to the increase of leaf plasma membrane- and tonoplast H(+)-ATPase activity, but no significant difference was observed in the gene expression levels. These results suggested that exogenous Spd could significantly decrease the leaf lipid peroxidation and increase the proton pump activity, and thus, stabilize the leaf membrane structure and function, alleviate the damage induced by high temperature stress, and enhance the heat tolerance of cucumber seedlings.

Proteomic analysis of cucumber seedling roots subjected to salt stress.

To understand metabolic modifications in plants under salt stress, the physiological and biochemical responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Jinchun No. 2) seedlings to salt stress was investigated. The dry weight and fresh weight of cucumber seedling roots were significantly reduced by treatment with NaCl; Na(+) and Cl(-) were increased, while K(+) and K(+)/Na(+) ratio were decreased. To identify components of salt stress signaling, we compared the high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) protein profiles of control and NaCl-treated roots, and the intensity of 34 protein spots varied. Of these spots, the identities of 29 (21 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated protein spots induced after salt stress) were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography electro-spray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The majority of the proteins had functions related to metabolism, energy and transport, and are involved in regulating reactions and defending against stress. A semi-quantitative reverse transcriptional-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach based on peptide sequences was used to compare transcript and protein accumulation patterns for 10 candidate proteins. Of these proteins, 8 patterns of induced transcript accumulation were consistent with those of induced protein accumulation. It is therefore likely that the response of the plant's proteome to NaCl stress is complex, and that the identified proteins may play an important role in regulating adaptation activities following exposure to NaCl stress in order to facilitate ion homeostasis.

Effects of exogenous putrescine on gas-exchange characteristics and chlorophyll fluorescence of NaCl-stressed cucumber seedlings.

The effects of 10 mM putrescine (Put) treated by spraying on leaves on growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic gas-exchange characteristics, and chlorophyll fluorescence were investigated by growing cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L. cv. ChangChun mici) using hydroponics with or without 65 mM NaCl as a salt stress. Salt stress caused the reduction of growth such as leaf area, root volume, plant height, and fresh and dry weights. Furthermore, net photosynthesis rate (P(n)), stomatal conductance (g(s)), intercellular CO(2) concentration (C(i)), and transpiration rate (T(r)) were also reduced by NaCl, but water use efficiency (WUE; P(n)/T(r)) showed a tendency to be enhanced rather than reduced by NaCl. However, Put alleviated the reduction of P (n) by NaCl, and showed a further reduction of C (i) by NaCl. The reduction of g(s) and T(r) by NaCl was not alleviated at all. The enhancement of WUE by NaCl was shown to have no alleviation at day 1 after starting the treatment, but after that, the enhancement was gradually reduced till the control level. Maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (F(v)/F(m)) showed no effects by any conditions based on the combination of NaCl and Put, and in addition, kept constant values in plants grown in each nutrient solution during this experimental period. The efficiency of excitation energy capture by open photosystem II (PSII) (F(v)'/F(m)'), actual efficiency of PSII (Phi(PSII)), and the coefficient on photochemical quenching (qP) of plants with NaCl were reduced with time, and the reduction was alleviated till the control level by treatment with Put. The F(v)'/F(m)', Phi(PSII), and qP of plants without NaCl and/or with Put showed no variation during the experiment. Non-photochemical quenching of the singlet excited state of chlorophyll a (NPQ) showed quite different manner from the others as mentioned above, namely, continued to enhance during the experiment.