Molecular cloning and characterization of a ferritin gene upregulated by cold stress in Chorispora bungeana.

The ability of iron to accept and donate electrons makes it important for plant growth, but it can also damage plants when they are under environmental stress. Ferritin, a protein encoded by the gene Fer, catalyzes the oxidation of Fe(2+) and subsequent storage of Fe(3+) within the mineral core. Ferritin may reduce the adverse effects of iron on Chorispora bungeana Fisch. & C.A. May during the course of cold stress. C. bungeana is a rare alpine subnival plant species that is highly resistant to a freezing environment. We have isolated and characterized the ferritin cDNA (CbFer) from C. bungeana. It is 975 bp in length with an open reading frame of 260 amino acids, corresponding to a protein of predicted molecular mass of 29.17 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.44. Amino acid analysis of the polypeptides indicated that CbFer codes for a ferritin subunit plus a chloroplast-targeting transit peptide. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that CbFer was a tissue-specific gene since the expression could only be detected in leaves. The gene expression patterns were investigated in relation to cold stress (4 degrees C and -4 degrees C) and to various exogenous signals, including excessive iron, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and nitrogen monoxidum (NO). The amount of CbFer mRNA increased in response to low temperatures and gene expression at -4 degrees C was both more distinct and quicker than that at 4 degrees C. Two exogenous signals, excessive iron and H(2)O(2), upregulated the expression of the CbFer gene, but NO had no effect. The CbFer gene may play an important role in response to cold stress, while the expression of the gene during stress may be influenced by major and minor factors such as iron and H(2)O(2), respectively.

Effect of lanthanum ions (La3+) on ferritin-regulated antioxidant process under PEG stress.

The physiological effects of lanthanum(III) ions on the ferritin-regulated antioxidant process were studied in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings under polyethylene glycol (PEG) stress. Treatment with 0.1 mM La3+ resulted in increased levels of chlorophyll, carotenoid, proline, ascorbate, and reduced glutathione. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, and peroxidase were also increased after La3+ treatment. Treatment with La3+ seems to enhance the capacity of the reactive oxygen species scavenging system, affect the Fe2+ and Fe3+ electron-transfer process in ferritin, and restrain the formation of hydroxyl radical (OH.), alleviating the oxidative damage induced by PEG stress.

Effects of europium ions (Eu3+) on the distribution and related biological activities of elements in Lathyrus sativus L roots.

Scanning electron microscopic and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses were used to study the distributions of different types of elements in the epidermis, exodermis, endodermis, and vascular cylinder of the fracture face in the Lathyrus sativus L. roots in the presence or absence of Eu3+. Some index of the biological activity related to the elements binding with protein were determined also. The results showed that the tissular distributions of elements in the fracture face are different in the presence and absence of Eu3+. The atomic percentages of P, S, Ca, and Mn were influenced more than those of other elements. Eu3+ promoted the biological activities of various kinds of element. The one possible mechanism changing the biological activities was that the reaction of Eu3+ +e--> Eu2+ would influence the electron capture or transport in elements of binding protein. Another mechanism was that CaM-Ca2+ becoming CaM-Eu3+ through Eu3+ instead of Ca2+ would affect the biological activity of elements by regulating the Ca2+ level in the plant cell.

Effect of rare earth element europium on amaranthin synthesis in Amarathus caudatus seedlings.

Considering the resemblances between Eu3+ and Ca2+ in their atomic radius and structures of the valence electron, the effects of Eu3+ on amaramthin synthesis in Amarathus caudatus seedling were studied. Eu3+ had both promoting and inhibiting effects on amaramthin synthesis. The optimum promoting concentration and half inhibiting concentration of Eu3+ to synthesis of amaranthin were 0.4 mmol/L and 2.5 mmol/L, respectively. In the dark, A23187 (ions carrier) could carry Eu3+ into cells through the Ca2+ channel. When Ca2+ was chelated with EGTA, the synthesis of amaranthin could be partly retrieved by Eu3+. Eu3+ treatment could also activate Ca2+- ATPase on plasma membrane. Moreover, the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis patterns of total proteins from the plants treated by Eu3+ and Ca2+ were similar but slightly different in the contents. It suggested that the effects of Eu3+ and Ca2+ on amaranthin synthesis were similar. After being treated by Eu3+ or Ca2+, the outside Ca2+ could enter into cells to promote synthesis of amaranthin. The results above indicated that Eu3+ might replace Ca2+ in the calcium/calmidulindependent phytochrome signal transduction system and play important roles in plant development by promoting calcium transportation across plasma membrane.

Effect of lanthanum ions (La3+) on the reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes in wheat leaves.

Physiological effects of lanthanum ions on the activities of the enzymes in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system in leaves of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings were studied. Wheat leaves treated in Hogland solution with 0.1 mM LaCl(3) for 48 h showed increased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate-specific peroxidase (AsA-POD), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR). However, a minor effect was observed on the levels of monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR) and glutathione reductase (GR), which regulate the release of energy required by the ROS scavenging system. The whole system was linked up by H(+) transmission. Our results indicated that the activities of the enzymes that function directly to remove ROS were elevated by La(3+) treatment, which is consistent with the observations that La(3+)-treated plants had increased tolerance to environmental stresses. The remaining levels of MDAR and GR suggested that these two enzymes might be regulated differently from that of the other four enzymes studied.

Research of the entry of rare earth elements Eu3+ and La3+ into plant cell.

Whether rare earth elements can enter into plant cells remains controversial. This article discusses the ultracellular structural localization of lanthanum (La(3+)) and europium (Eu(3+)) in the intact plant cells fed by rare earth elements Eu(3+) and La(3+). Eu-TTA fluorescence analysis of the plasmalemma, cytoplast, and mitochondria showed that Eu(3+) fluorescence intensities in such structures significantly increased. Eu(3+) can directly enter or be carried by the artificial ion carrier A23187 into plant cells through the calcium ion (Ca(2+)) channel and then partially resume the synthesis of amaranthin in the Amaranthus caudatus growing in the dark. Locations of rare earth elements La(3+) and Eu(3+) in all kinds of components of cytoplasmatic organelles were determined with transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The results of energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis indicated that Eu(3+) and La(3+) can be absorbed into plant cells and bind to the membranes of protoplasm, chloroplast, mitochondrion, cytoplast, and karyon. These results provide experimental evidence that rare earth elements can be absorbed into plant cells, which would be the basis for interpreting physiological and biochemical effects of rare earth elements on plant cells.