The Medicago truncatula R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene MtMYBS1 enhances salinity tolerance when constitutively expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana.

MYB-type proteins are known to participate in many stress responses, although their role in legumes is still less clear. Here, the isolation and characterization of MtMYBS1, an R2R3 MYB gene isolated from the model legume Medicago truncatula, is described. MtMYBS1 transcription was inducible by NaCl, polyethylene glycol or abscisic acid (ABA). When tested in yeast, its product was shown to have transactivational activity. The constitutive expression of MtMYBS1 in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings mitigated the restriction on root growth imposed by either salinity or osmotic stress and raised their sensitivity to ABA. It also resulted in the plants being able to overcome several growth constraints and promoted activity in both the ABA-dependent and -independent stress-responsive pathways. In particular, it enhanced the transcription of P5CS, a gene which encodes a component of proline synthesis. MtMYBS1 may prove to be a useful gene for manipulating the salinity tolerance of legumes.

[Photosynthetic functions and chlorophyll fast fluorescence characteristics of five Pinus species].

A comparative study was made on the needle morphological characteristics, photosynthetic rate, and chlorophyll fast fluorescence induction curves of five representative Pinus species P. parvifiora, P. armandii, P. bungeana, P. tabuliformis, and P. densiflora. Significant differences were observed in the needle morphological characteristics among the five species. P. tabuliformis had the longest needle length and highest needle density, whereas P. bungeana had the highest chlorophyll content. P. densiflora and P. parvifiora had the maximum and minimum photosynthetic rate, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance across the five species. The differences in the chlorophyll fast fluorescence induction curves of the five species were mainly manifested in J-step and I-step. Although the five species had similar values of Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo and Tfm, P. parviflora had significantly higher values of dV/dt(o), dVG/d(o), V and Vi, but lower energy flux ratio psi(o), phiEo and phiRo, compared with the other four species. The low PSII activity and efficiency of P. parviflora might relate to its smallest Sm, Sm/Tfm and N. P. densiflora and P. parvifiora had the maximum and minimum vitality indices PI(ABS/CSo/CSm) and DF, respectively, and there existed significant positive correlations between the PI(CSo) and PI(CSm) and the net photosynthetic rate of the five species, suggesting that PI(CSo) and PI(CSm) could be used to estimate the photosynthetic activity of Pinus trees.

[Effects of UV-B radiation on the growth and reproduction of Vicia angustifolia].

A simulation experiment with supplementation and exclusion of solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation was conducted to study the effects of enhanced and near ambient UV-B radiation on the growth and reproduction of alpine annual pasture Vicia angustifolia on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Enhanced UV-B decreased the plant height and biomass, biomass allocation to fruit, flower number, and 100-seed mass significantly, delayed flowering stage, increased the concentration degree of flowering and success rate of reproduction, but had little effect on seed yield. Near ambient UV-B radiation made the plant height increased after an initial decrease, decreased biomass allocation to fruit and 100-seed mass, but little affected flowering duration, flower number, and seed yield. Both enhanced and near ambient UV-B radiation could inhibit the growth and production of V. angustifolia, and the effect of enhanced UV-B radiation was even larger.