JAZ2 Negatively Regulates Drought Tolerance in Barley by Modulating PLT2 Expression.

Drought is an important abiotic factor constricting crop production globally. Although the roles of JAZ proteins in regulating jasmonic acid signalling and plant responses to environmental stress are well documented, their specific functions and underlying mechanisms remain little known. In this study, JAZ proteins in barley were thoroughly analyzed, revealing a total of 11 members classified into three phylogenetic subgroups.

Breeding for low cadmium barley by introgression of a Sukkula-like transposable element.

Barley is the fourth most produced cereal crop in the world and one of the major dietary sources of cadmium (Cd), which poses serious threats to human health. Here, we identify a gene that encodes a P-type heavy metal ATPase 3 (HvHMA3) responsible for grain Cd accumulation in barley. HvHMA3 from the high Cd barley variety Haruna Nijo in Japan and the low Cd variety BCS318 in Afghanistan shared 97% identity at the amino acid level.

Advances in studies on ion transporters involved in salt tolerance and breeding crop cultivars with high salt tolerance.

Soil salinity is a global major abiotic stress threatening crop productivity. In salty conditions, plants may suffer from osmotic, ionic, and oxidative stresses, resulting in inhibition of growth and development. To deal with these stresses, plants have developed a series of tolerance mechanisms, including osmotic adjustment through accumulating compatible solutes in the cytoplasm, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging through enhancing the activity of anti-oxidative enzymes, and Na/K homeostasis regulation through controlling Na uptake and transportation.

Variation in β-amylase activity and thermostability in Tibetan annual wild and cultivated barley genotypes.

β-Amylase activity (BAA) and thermostability (BAT) are important traits for malt quality. In this study, 138 Tibetan annual wild barley accessions and 20 cultivated genotypes differing in BAA were planted and analyzed in 2009 and 2012. Significant differences were detected among genotypes in BAA and BAT.

[Progress of research on preparation and application of praziquantel].

Praziquantel remains the drug of choice for schistosomiasis, but it has the low bioavailability and single dosage form. This paper reviews the properties of praziquantel in vivo and in vitro, the pathogenic characteristics of schistosomiasis, and the progress of research on the formation of praziquantel, so as to enhance the efficiency of praziquantel against schistosomiasis and provide consults for relevant drug researches.

[Theoretical and experimental studies on solubility parameters of multiple components for traditional Chinese materia medica with HPLC].

Objective: To establish the theories and methods to determine solubility parameters of multiple components for the traditional Chinese material medica (TCMM) with HPLC.

Method: The mathematical expresses to determin the solubility parameters were established according to chromatographic and Hildebrand-Scatchard theories, The HPLC experiments were carried out at 40 degrees C on an Alltech Apollo C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) eluted with acetone and water in gradient mode.