To elucidate the photosynthetic physiological characteristics and the physiological inherited traits of rice (Oryza sativa L.) hybrids and their parents, physiological indices of photosynthetic CO2 exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured in leaves of the maize phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) transgenic rice as the male parent, sp. japonica rice cv. 9516 as the female parent, and the stable JAAS45 pollen line. The results revealed that the PEPC gene could be stably inherited and trans- ferred from the male parent to the JAAS45 pollen line. Moreover, the JAAS45 pollen line exhibited high levels of PEPC activity, manifesting higher saturated photosynthetic rates, photosynthetic apparent quantum yield (AQY), photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and photochemical and non-photochemical quenching, which indicated that the JAAS45 pollen line has a high tolerance to photo-inhibition/photooxidation under strong light and high temperature. Furthermore, JAAS45 was confirmed to still be a C3 plant by δ^13C carbon isotope determination and was demonstrated to have a limited photosynthetic C4 microcycle by feeding with exogenous C4 primary products, such as oxaloacetate or malate, or phosphoenolpyruvate. The present study explains the physiological inherited properties of PEPC transgenic rice and provides an expectation for the integration of traditional breeding and biological technology.
The effects of exogenous spermidine (Spd) on lipid peroxidation, relative plasma membrane permeability, photosystem Ⅱ (PSII) gene expression and PSII photochemical activity in water-stressed wheat seedlings were investigated. The decrease in relative water content (RWC), Chl content, and 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCIP) photoreduction of PSII, and increases in electrolyte leakage of plasma membranes and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) in water-stressed leaves was alleviated by Spd pretreatment. Furthermore, Western and Northern blot analysis showed that decreases in the PSll major proteins D1, D2 and LHCII and the transcripts of corresponding genes psbA, psbD and cab were also alleviated by Spd pretreatment under water stress. These results suggest that the application of exogenous Spd protects PSII against water stress at both the transcriptional level and the translational level, and allows PSII to retain a higher activity level during water stress. The protective role of Spd in the photosynthetic apparatus also is discussed.
Hui-Guo DuanShu YuanWen-Juan LiuDe-Hui XiDong-Hong QingHou-Guo LiangHong-Hui Lin