Mutation Enhances Salt Tolerance by Suppressing ROS Accumulation, Maintaining Na/K Homeostasis, and Promoting ABA Biosynthesis.

World-wide, rice ( L.) is an important food source, and its production is often adversely affected by salinity. Therefore, to ensure stable rice yields for global food security, it is necessary to understand the salt tolerance mechanism of rice.

E2Fs co-participate in cadmium stress response through activation of MSHs during the cell cycle.

Cadmium is one of the most common heavy metal contaminants found in agricultural fields. MutSα, MutSβ, and MutSγ are three different MutS-associated protein heterodimer complexes consisting of MSH2/MSH6, MSH2/MSH3, and MSH2/MSH7, respectively. These complexes have different mismatch recognition properties and abilities to support MMR.

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a new bilin lyase: the cpcT gene encoding a bilin lyase responsible for attachment of phycocyanobilin to Cys-153 on the β-subunit of phycocyanin in Arthrospira platensis FACHB314.

To study the assembly of phycocyanin β subunit, the gene cpcT was first cloned from Arthrospira platensis FACHB314. To explore the function of cpcT, the DNA of phycocyanin β subunit and cpcT were transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 with the plasmid pET-hox1-pcyA, which contained the genes hemeoxygenase 1 (Hox1) and ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PcyA) needed to produce phycocyanobilin. The transformed strains showed specific phycocyanin fluorescence, and the fluorescence intensity was stronger than the strains with only phycocyanin β subunit, indicating that CpcT can promote the assembly of phycocyanin to generate fluorescence.

Tunicamycin-induced cell death in the trigeminal ganglion is suppressed by nerve growth factor in the mouse embryo.

The effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) on tunicamycin (Tm)-treated neurons in the trigeminal ganglion was investigated by use of caspase-3 immunohistochemistry. In intact embryos at embryonic day 16.5, only a few caspase-3-immunoreactivity were detected in the ganglion neurons.

Relationship between grain yield and leaf photosynthetic rate in super hybrid rice.

In order to explore the relationship between grain yield and photosynthesis, the yield composition and leaf photosynthetic rate in some super hybrid rices and ordinary hybrid rice 'Shanyou 63' as control were measured in 2000-2005. The results were as follows. (1) The yield levels of the four super hybrid rices, 'Pei'ai 64S/E32', 'P88S/0293', 'Jin23A/611' and 'GD-1S/RB207', were significantly higher, being 108%-120% of 'Shanyou 63'.