AbstractChloride (Cl–) is pervasive in saline soils, and research on its influence on plants has mainly focused on its role as an essential nutrient and its toxicity when excessive accumulation occurs. However, the possible functions of Cl– in plants adapting to abiotic stresses have not been well documented. Previous studies have shown that the salt tolerance of the xerophytic species Pugionium cornutum might be related to high Cl– accumulation. In this study, we investigated the Cl–-tolerant characteristics and possible physiological functions of Cl– in the salt tolerance and drought resistance of P. cornutum. We found that P. cornutum can accumulate a large amount of Cl– in its shoots, facilitating osmotic adjustment and turgor generation under saline conditions. Application of DIDS (4,4´-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2´-disulfonic acid), a blocker of anion channels, significantly inhibited Cl– uptake, and decreased both the Cl– content and its contribution to leaf osmotic adjustment, resulting in the exacerbation of growth inhibition in response to NaCl. Unlike glycophytes, P. cornutum was able to maintain NO3– homeostasis in its shoots when large amounts of Cl– were absorbed and accumulated. The addition of NaCl mitigated the deleterious effects of osmotic stress on P. cornutum because Cl– accumulation elicited a strong osmotic adjustment capacity. These findings suggest that P. cornutum is a Cl–-tolerant species that can absorb and accumulate Cl– to improve growth under salt and drought stresses.
Selenium (Se) is a dietary essential trace element for humans with various physiological functions and it could also be accumulated by some plant species, like Astragalus bisulcatus, Stanleya pinnata, and Cardamine hupinshanensis. A novel Gram‐stain‐negative, facultatively anaerobic, selenite‐tolerant bacterium, designated strain YLX‐1T, was isolated from the rhizosphere of a Se hyperaccumulating plant, Cardamine hupingshanensis in Enshi, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16 S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain YLX‐1T is a potential new species in the genus Wautersiella. Strain YLX‐1T could grow in the temperature range of 4–37°C (optimally at 28°C) and in the pH range of 5–9 (optimum pH 7), which also could tolerate Se up to 6000 mg Se/L via producing extracellular red nano‐Se with 100–300 nm size. However, it could predominantly accumulate selenocystine (SeCys2) in the cell under lower Se stress (1.5 mg Se/L). These results would help broaden our knowledge about the Se accumulation and transformation mechanism involved in rhizosphere bacteria like strain YLX‐1T in C. hupingshanensis. Based on polyphasic data, we propose the creation of the new species Wautersiella enshiensis sp. nov., strain YLX‐1T ( = CCTCC M 2013671) which will be promising to produce nano‐Se as fertilizer, food additives or medicine.
IntroductionBroccoli sprouts have great health and commercial value because they are rich in sulforaphane, a special bioactive compound that helps to prevent chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to increase the levels of active substances in broccoli sprouts and understand their metabolic mechanisms.MethodologyMetabolomics based on liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and transcriptome analysis were combined to analyse the enrichment of metabolites in broccoli sprouts treated with cold plasma.ResultsAfter 2 min of cold plasma treatment, the contents of sulforaphane, glucosinolates, total phenols, and flavonoids, as well as myrosinase activity, were greatly improved. Transcriptomics revealed 7460 differentially expressed genes in the untreated and treated sprouts. Metabolomics detected 6739 differential metabolites, including most amino acids, their derivatives, and organic acids. Enrichment analyses of metabolomics and transcriptomics identified the 20 most significantly differentially expressed metabolic pathways.ConclusionsOverall, cold plasma treatment can induce changes in the expression and regulation of certain metabolites and genes encoding active substances in broccoli sprouts.
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