No abstract

D1 protein in the PSII reaction center is the major target of photodamage, and it exhibits the highest turnover rate among all the thylakoid proteins. In this paper, rice psf (premature senescence of flag leaves) mutant and its wild type were used to investigate the genotype-dependent alteration in PSII photo-damage and D1 protein turnover during leaf senescence and its relation to ABA accumulation in senescent leaves. The symptom and extent of leaf senescence of the psf mutant appeared to be sunlight-dependent under natural field condition. The psf also displayed significantly higher levels of ABA accumulation in senescent leaves than the wild type. However, the premature senescence lesion of psf leaves could be alleviated by shaded treatment, concomitantly with the strikingly suppressed ABA level in the shaded areas of flag leaves. The change in ABA concentration contributed to the regulation of shade-delayed leaf senescence. The participation of ABA in the timing of senescence initiation and in the subsequent rate of leaf senescence was closely associated with PSII photodamage and D1 protein turnover during leaf senescence, in which the transcriptional expression of several key genes (psbA, psbB, psbC and OsFtsH2) involved in D1 protein biosynthesis and PSII repair cycle was seriously suppressed by the significantly increased ABA level. This response resulted in the low rate of D1 protein synthesis and impaired repair recovery in the presence of ABA. The psf showed evidently decreased D1 protein amount in the senescent leaves. Both the inhibition of de novo synthesized D1 protein and the slow rate of proteolytic removal for the photodamaged D1 protein was among the most crucial steps for the linkage between light-dependent leaf senescence and the varying ABA concentration in psf mutant leaves. OsFtsH2 transcriptional expression possibly played an important role in the regulation of D1 protein turnover and PSII repair cycle in relation to ABA mediated leaf senescence.

The growing use of metallic nanoparticles in industry has resulted in their accumulation in agricultural land, which poses a serious threat to the yield and quality of crops worldwide.

The translocation of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) from leaf sheaths to filling grains after anthesis contributed greatly to the grain yield of cereal crops. In this study, the effect of nitrogen (N) supply levels on the accumulation and translocation of NSC in leaf sheath tissues and its relationship with the initiation and progression of leaf senescence during grain filling was investigated using two rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes, namely, premature flag leaf senescence mutant (psf) and its wild‐type. Three N treatment levels were used to examine N‐supply induced alteration in the activities of several key enzymes involved in NSC translocation and N assimilation in different leaf sheaths. The results show that the NSC translocation rate in leaf sheaths under low nitrogen (LN) treatment was significantly higher than those under normal nitrogen (NN) and high nitrogen (HN) treatments. However, the positive effect of LN on the NSC translocation in leaf sheath was closely associated with its negative effect on grain yield, due to accelerated leaf senescence and shortened leaf longevity. Comparatively, the upper‐positional sheath had a lower NSC amount and higher NSC translocation rate than the lower‐leaf sheaths after heading. High N suppressed sucrose‐phosphate synthase (SPS) activity in leaf sheaths, but enhanced the activity of key enzymes involving in N assimilation in leaf sheaths. The upper sheath had higher activity of sucrose‐metabolizing enzymes and lower activity of N‐assimilating enzymes. Hence, the upper‐leaf sheath had a relatively weak N assimilation and stronger NSC translocation than the lower‐leaf sheaths.

Effect of high temperature (HT) on anthocyanin (ANS) accumulation and its relationship with reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in color rice kernel was investigated by using a black kernel mutant (9311bk) and its wildtype (WT). 9311bk showed strikingly higher ANS content in the kernel than WT. Just like the starch accumulation in rice kernels, ANS accumulation in the 9311bk kernel increased progressively along with kernel development, with the highest level of ANS at kernel maturity. HT exposure evidently decreased ANS accumulation in 9311bk kernel, but it increased ROS and MDA concentrations. The extent of HT-induced decline in kernel starch accumulation was genotype-dependent, which was much larger for WT than 9311bk. Under HT exposure, 9311bk had a relatively lower increase in ROS and MDA contents than its WT. This occurrence was just opposite to the genotype-dependent alteration in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT and APX) in response to HT exposure, suggesting more efficiently ROS detoxification and relatively stronger heat tolerance for 9311bk than its WT. Hence, the extent of HT-induced declines in grain weight and kernel starch content was much smaller for 9311bk relative to its WT. HT exposure suppressed the transcripts of OsCHS, OsF3’H, OsDFR and OsANS and impaired the ANS biosynthesis in rice kernel, which was strongly responsible for HT-induced decline in the accumulation of ANS, C3G, and P3G in 9311bk kernels. These results could provide valuable information to cope with global warming and achieving high quality for color rice production.