Antagonistic effects of Bacillus cereus strain B-02 on morphology, ultrastructure and cytophysiology of Botrytis cinerea.

The study on antagonistic mechanism of biocontrol strains gives the premise and basis for efficient and stable biological control. This study aimes to overcome of biocontrol agent in aspects of complicated and diversified mode of action, short-lasting and unstable efficacy in the production processes. This study elucidated the antagonistic mechanism of Bacillus cereus strain B-02 on Botrytis cinerea by detecting changes in morphology, ultrastructure and physiology in affected hyphae of Botrytis cinerea. Which provided certain theoretical and practical significance for biological control of gray mould caused by B. cinerea. B. cereus strain B-02 isolated from tomato rhizosphere mightily suppressed gray mold in tomato caused by B. cinerea. Spore germination and hyphal growth of B. cinerea were inhibited by B. cereus strain B-02. Changes of cell morphology such as distortion, shrinking and swelling were observed by SEM. TEM observation further indicated the ultrastructural alterations of hyphae, including mitochondrion reduction, un-membranous inclusion in cytoplasm, considerable thickening of cell walls, and electronic density enhancement. LSCM observation revealed the fluorescence intensity of nucleus DNA, mitochondrion DNA and reactive oxygen radical in treated hyphae were all stronger than control and the difference was significant (P < 0.01). These results indicated that the antagonistic effects of B. cereus strain B-02 on B. cinerea were likely due to a combination of abnormal synthesis of nucleus DNA and mitochondrion DNA and multifarious ultrastructural alterations in hyphal cell.

Physiological effect of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles on Lemna minor.

Manufactured metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are being used on a large scale, and these particles will inevitably reach a body of water through wastewater and urban runoff. The ecotoxicological study of these NPs on hydrophyte is limited at present. Lemna minor was exposed to media with different concentrations of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) NPs or bulk TiO(2) for 7 d. The changes in plant growth, chlorophyll, antioxidant defense enzymes (peroxidase [POD], catalase [CAT], and superoxide dismutase [SOD] activities), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were measured in the present study. The particle size of TiO(2) NPs and the zeta potential of TiO(2) NPs and of bulk TiO(2) in the culture media were also analyzed to complementally study the toxicity of these materials on duckweed. The results showed that the effect of TiO(2) NPs on plant growth was more obvious than bulk TiO(2.) Titanium dioxide NPs stimulated plant growth in low concentrations, but inhibited plant growth at high concentrations. The POD, SOD, and CAT activity of Lemna minor increased when TiO(2) NP concentration was lower than 200 mg/L to eliminate accumulated reactive oxygen species in plant cells. The SOD activity decreased when the TiO(2) NP concentration was higher than 200 mg/L, and the plant cell membrane encountered serious damage from 500 mg/L TiO(2) NP concentration in the culture media.

Overexpression of a phytochrome-regulated tandem zinc finger protein gene, OsTZF1, confers hypersensitivity to ABA and hyposensitivity to red light and far-red light in rice seedlings.

UNLABELLED: Tandem zinc finger proteins (TZFs) in plants are involved in gene regulation, developmental responses, and hormone-mediated environmental responses in Arabidopsis. However, little information about the functions of the TZF family in monocots has been reported. Here, we investigated a cytoplasmic TZF protein, OsTZF1, which is involved in photomorphogenesis and ABA responses in rice seedlings. The OsTZF1 gene was expressed at relatively high levels in leaves and shoots, although its transcripts were detected in various organs. Red light (R)- and far-red light (FR)-mediated repression of OsTZF1 gene expression was attributed to phytochrome B (phyB) and phytochrome C (phyC), respectively. In addition, OsTZF1 expression was regulated by salt, PEG, and ABA. Overexpression of OsTZF1 caused a long leaf sheath relative to wild type (WT) under R and FR, suggesting that OsTZF1 probably acts as a negative regulator of photomorphogenesis in rice seedlings. Moreover, ABA-induced growth inhibition of rice seedlings was marked in the OsTZF1-overexpression lines compared with WT, suggesting the positive regulation of OsTZF1 to ABA responses. Genome-wide expression analysis further revealed that OsTZF1 also functions in other hormone or stress responses. Our findings supply new evidence on the functions of monocot TZF proteins in phytochrome-mediated light and hormone responses. KEY MESSAGE: OsTZF1 encodes a cytoplasm-localized tandem zinc finger protein and is regulated by both ABA and phytochrome-mediated light signaling. OsTZF1 functions in phytochrome-mediated light and ABA responses in rice.