Effects of ion beams pretreatment on damage of UV-B radiation on seedlings of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Ionizing Radiation: Effective Physical Agents for Economic Crop Seed Priming and the Underlying Physiological Mechanisms

To overcome various factors that limit crop production and to meet the growing demand for food by the increasing world population. Seed priming technology has been proposed, and it is considered to be a promising strategy for agricultural sciences and food technology. This technology helps to curtail the germination time, increase the seed vigor, improve the seedling establishment, and enhance the stress tolerance, all of which are conducive to improving the crop yield. Meanwhile, it can be used to reduce seed infection for better physiological or phytosanitary quality. Compared to conventional methods, such as the use of water or chemical-based agents, X-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, proton beams, and heavy ion beams have emerged as promising physics strategies for seed priming as they are time-saving, more effective, environmentally friendly, and there is a greater certainty for yield improvement. Ionizing radiation (IR) has certain biological advantages over other seed priming methods since it generates charged ions while penetrating through the target organisms, and it has enough energy to cause biological effects. However, before the wide utilization of ionizing priming methods in agriculture, extensive research is needed to explore their effects on seed priming and to focus on the underlying mechanism of them. Overall, this review aims to highlight the current understanding of ionizing priming methods and their applicability for promoting agroecological resilience and meeting the challenges of food crises nowadays.

TaPCNA plays a role in programmed cell death after UV-B exposure in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Ultraviolet (UV)-B is a component of sunlight and shows a significant effect on DNA damage, which can be regulated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The role of TaPCNA in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) programmed cell death (PCD) under UV-B has not been investigated previously. Here, we explored the function of TaPCNA in wheat exposed to UV-B utilising Barley Stripe Mosaic Virus-virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). The results showed that the expression of TaPCNA was downregulated, and curly wheat leaves with several spots were determined by VIGS. The growth rate and mesophyll cell length were significantly inhibited after TaPCNA was silenced. The activity of superoxide dismutase and the contents of soluble sugar and soluble protein decreased, whereas the activities of peroxidase and catalase and malondialdehyde content increased in TaPCNA-silenced and UV-B treatment groups. DNA laddering and propidium iodide staining results showed that DNA fragments and micronucleus accumulated after TaPCNA silencing with or without UV-B. Thus, TaPCNA participates in plant growth and DNA damage and PCD under UV-B. This study suggests an idea for the exploration of the function of certain genes in such complex wheat genomes and offers a theoretical basis to improve wheat agronomic traits.

A systematic investigation of key factors of nucleic acid precipitation toward optimized DNA/RNA isolation

Nucleic acid precipitation is important for virtually all molecular biology investigations. However, despite its crucial role, a systematic study of the influence factors of nucleic acid precipitation has not been reported. In the present work, via rational experimental design, key factors of nucleic acid precipitation, including the type of nucleic acid, temperature and time of incubation, speed and time of centrifugation, volume ratio of ethanol/isopropanol to nucleic acid solution, type of cation-containing salt solution and type of coprecipitator, were comprehensively evaluated in an attempt to maximize the efficiency of nucleic acid precipitation. Our results indicate that the optimal conditions of each influence factor of nucleic acid precipitation may vary in accordance with the chemistry, structure and length of nucleic acids.

Cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe-QDs) and enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation trigger antioxidant enzyme metabolism and programmed cell death in wheat seedlings

Nanoparticles (NPs) are becoming increasingly widespread in the environment. Free cadmium ions released from commonly used NPs under ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation are potentially toxic to living organisms. With increasing levels of UV-B radiation at the Earth’s surface due to the depletion of the ozone layer, the potential additive effect of NPs and UV-B radiation on plants is of concern. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effect of CdTe quantum dots (CdTe-QDs), a common form of NP, and UV-B radiation on wheat seedlings. Graded doses of CdTe-QDs and UV-B radiation were tested, either alone or in combination, based on physical characteristics of 5-day-old seedlings. Treatments of wheat seedlings with either CdTe-QDs (200 mg/L) or UV-B radiation (10 KJ/m²/d) induced the activation of wheat antioxidant enzymes. CdTe-QDs accumulation in plant root cells resulted in programmed cell death as detected by DNA laddering. CdTe-QDs and UV-B radiation inhibited root and shoot growth, respectively. Additive inhibitory effects were observed in the combined treatment group. This research described the effects of UV-B and CdTe-QDs on plant growth. Furthermore, the finding that CdTe-QDs accumulate during the life cycle of plants highlights the need for sustained assessments of these interactions.