Responses to drought and salinity in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Tokak) were monitored by microarray hybridization of 1463 DNA elements derived from cDNA libraries of 6 and 10 h drought-stressed plants. Functional identities indicated that many cDNAs in these libraries were associated with drought stress. About 38% of the transcripts were novel and functionally unknown. Hybridization experiments were analyzed for drought- and salinity-regulated sequences, with significant changes defined as a deviation from the control exceeding 2.5-fold. Responses of transcripts showed stress-dependent expression patterns and time courses. Nearly 15% of all transcripts were either up- or down-regulated under drought stress, while NaCl led to a change in 5% of the transcripts (24 h, 150 mM NaCl). Transcripts that showed significant up-regulation under drought stress are exemplified by jasmonate-responsive, metallothionein-like, late-embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) and ABA-responsive proteins. Most drastic down-regulation in a category was observed for photosynthesis-related functions. Up-regulation under both drought and salt stress was restricted to ESTs for metallothionein-like and LEA proteins, while increases in ubiquitin-related transcripts characterized salt stress. A number of functionally unknown transcripts from cDNA libraries of drought-stressed plants showed up-regulation by drought but down-regulation by salt stress, documenting how precisely transcript profiles report different growth conditions and environments.

We have developed a reproducible system for efficient direct somatic embryogenesis from leaf and internodal explants of Paulownia elongata. The somatic embryos obtained were subsequently encapsulated as single embryos to produce synthetic seeds. Several plant growth regulators [6-benzylaminopurine, indole-3-acetic acid, alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid, kinetin and thidiazuron (TDZ)] alone or in combination were tested for their capacity to induce somatic embryogenesis. The highest induction frequencies of somatic embryos were obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 3% sucrose, 0.6% Phytagel, 500 mg l(-1) casein hydrolysate and 10 mg l(-1) TDZ (medium MS10). Somatic embryos were induced from leaf (69.8%) and internode (58.5%) explants on MS10 medium after 7 days. Subsequent withdrawal of TDZ from the induction medium resulted in the maturation and growth of the embryos into plantlets on MS basal media. The maturation frequency of somatic embryos from leaf and internodal explants was 50.8% and 45.8%, respectively. Subculturing of mature embryos led to their germination on the same medium with a germination frequency of 50.1% and 29.8% from leaf and internode explants, respectively. Somatic embryos obtained directly on leaf explants were used for encapsulation in liquid MS medium containing different concentrations of sodium alginate with a 30-min exposure to 50 m M CaCl(2). A 3% sodium alginate concentration provided a uniform encapsulation of the embryos with survival and germination frequencies of 73.7% and 53.3%, respectively. Storage at 4 degrees C for 30 days or 60 days significantly reduced the survival and complete germination frequencies of both encapsulated and non-encapsulated embryos relative to those of non-stored somatic embryos. However, the survival and germination rates of encapsulated embryos increased following storage at 4 degrees C. After 30 days or 60 days of storage, the survival rates of encapsulated embryos were 67.8% and 53.5% and the germination frequencies were 43.2% and 32.4%, respectively. These systems could be useful for the rapid clonal propagation and dissemination of synthetic seed material of Paulownia elongata.

Homobrassinolide (HBR), which is one of the most biologically active forms of Brassinosteroids (BRs), was used to examine the potential effects of hormone on root germination, antioxidant system enzymes and cell division of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Seeds were germinated between filter papers in 0.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) transcribed from the eukaryotic genome play important roles in essential biological processes, transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation. LncRNAs act both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm, mostly in association with chromatin in the nucleus. LncRNAs appear to be important regulators of gene expression, gene regulation and genome stability. This review outlines the major types of plant lncRNAs, their genetic and epigenetic effects with a focus on plant lncRNA instances, and discusses the recent advances in our understanding of their mechanism of action. ARTICLE HISTORY

High frequency of plant regeneration from Paulownia elongata was obtained on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium and Woody Plant Medium (WPM), with appropriate supplements of growth regulators. Leaves, leaves with petioles, internodes and nodes excised from 3‐month‐old non‐aseptically grown P. elongata were used as explants. The highest shoot regeneration efficiency (93.7 %) was obtained from the nodes of P. elongata on MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/ml naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 1 mg/ml 6‐benzylaminopurine (BAP). The highest root formation efficiency (100 %) from the regenerated shoots was obtained on WPM supplemented with 1 mg/ml indolebutyric acid (IBA). Rooted plantlets were transplanted to soil with a survival efficiency of almost 100 %. The regeneration system reported here could be useful for rapid multiplication of elite genotypes of P. elongata in a short period of time.

Morphological, physiological and molecular changes were investigated in in vitro salt-stressed barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Tokak). Mature embryos were cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0 (control), 50 and 100 mM NaCl for 20 days. Both concentrations inhibited shoot growth, decreased fresh weight and protein content, and increased SOD (EC 1.15.1.1) activity in a dose-dependent manner. The lower concentration increased root growth. Salinity caused nucleotide variations in roots, but did not affect shoot DNAs. The higher concentration caused methylation changes, mainly hypermethylation in shoots. This is the first study on genetic and epigenetic effects of salinity in barley.

We used bulked segregant analysis (BSA) to identify microsatellite markers associated with water-stress tolerance in wheat. Two DNA pools (tolerant and sensitive) were established from the selected F2 individuals of crosses between water-stress-tolerant and -sensitive wheat parental genotypes on the basis of the paraquat (PQ) tolerance, leaf size, and relative water content. All three traits were previously shown to be associated with water-stress tolerance on segregating F2 progeny of the wheat crosses used in this study. Microsatellite analysis was then performed on the established DNA pools, using 35 primer pairs that included all of the chromosome group 5 (5A, 5B, 5D) markers, to detect microsatellite fragments that were present, absent, or both in the DNA pools and their parental lines. We identified one microsatellite fragment that was present in tolerant parent wheat and the tolerant bulk but absent in the sensitive parent wheat and sensitive bulk. We then followed the segregation of this marker in the tolerant F2 individuals. Use of this marker may significantly enhance the success of selection for PQ- and water-stress-tolerant genotypes in wheat breeding programs.

most common identified mutations are factor V Leiden (FV Leiden), prothrombin 20210G>A (FII G20210A), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 C>T (MTHFR C677T), and 1298A>C (MTHFR A1298C) (3-5). FV Leiden and FV Hong Kong mutations of FV gene can render FVa resistant to activated protein C because of a loss of 306 and 506 cleavage sites, respectively (6). FV Leiden predisposes the patient to thrombosis 7 ; however, the FV Hong Kong mutation is a substitution of A>G in the 1090th nucleotide of factor V gene (6) and is still a matter of contention. The transition at nucleotide position 20210 in 3 untranslated region of the factor II gene is associated with elevated Inherited disorders related to hemostatic system are known as risk factors for thromboembolic events such as myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism, pregnancy complications, and especially recurrent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (1,2). The