Journal of Plant Research 

About: Journal of Plant Research is an academic journal published by Springer Science+Business Media. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Biology. It has an ISSN identifier of 0918-9440. Over the lifetime, 3101 publications have been published receiving 66963 citations. The journal is also known as: Shokubutsugaku zasshi & Journal of plant research (Print).

ABA-mediated transcriptional regulation in response to osmotic stress in plants

Abstract: The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a pivotal role in a variety of developmental processes and adaptive stress responses to environmental stimuli in plants. Cellular dehydration during the seed maturation and vegetative growth stages induces an increase in endogenous ABA levels, which control many dehydration-responsive genes. In Arabidopsis plants, ABA regulates nearly 10% of the protein-coding genes, a much higher percentage than other plant hormones. Expression of the genes is mainly regulated by two different families of bZIP transcription factors (TFs), ABI5 in the seeds and AREB/ABFs in the vegetative stage, in an ABA-responsive-element (ABRE) dependent manner. The SnRK2-AREB/ABF pathway governs the majority of ABA-mediated ABRE-dependent gene expression in response to osmotic stress during the vegetative stage. In addition to osmotic stress, the circadian clock and light conditions also appear to participate in the regulation of ABA-mediated gene expression, likely conferring versatile tolerance and repressing growth under stress conditions. Moreover, various other TFs belonging to several classes, including AP2/ERF, MYB, NAC, and HD-ZF, have been reported to engage in ABA-mediated gene expression. This review mainly focuses on the transcriptional regulation of ABA-mediated gene expression in response to osmotic stress during the vegetative growth stage in Arabidopsis.

The Structure and Distribution of the Flavonoids in Plants

Abstract: -C3-C6 skeleton, have been found in plants, and are divided into several classes, i.e., anthocyanins, flavones, flavonols, flavanones, dihydroflavonols, chalcones, aurones, flavan and proanthocyanidins, isoflavonoids, biflavonoids, etc. In this review, the chemical structures of the reported flavonoid classes are introduced and their distribution in nature are described. Additionally, some recent chemotaxonomical examples using the flavonoids are also given.

Interspecific difference in the photosynthesis-nitrogen relationship: patterns, physiological causes, and ecological importance.

Abstract: The photosynthesis-nitrogen relationship is significantly different among species. Photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf nitrogen, termed as photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE), has been considered an important leaf trait to characterise species in relation to their leaf economics, physiology, and strategy. In this review, I discuss (1) relations between PNUE and species ecology, (2) physiological causes and (3) ecological implications of the interspecific difference in PNUE. Species with a high PNUE tend to have high growth rates and occur in disturbed or high productivity habitats, while those with a low PNUE occur in stressful or low productivity habitats. PNUE is an important leaf trait that correlates with other leaf traits, such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and leaf life span, irrespective of life form, phylogeny, and biomes. Various factors are involved in the interspecific difference. In particular, nitrogen allocation within leaves and the mesophyll conductance for CO(2) diffusion are important. To produce tough leaves, plants need to allocate more biomass and nitrogen to make thick cell walls, leading to a reduction in the mesophyll conductance and in nitrogen allocation to the photosynthetic apparatus. Allocation of biomass and nitrogen to cell walls may cause the negative relationship between PNUE and LMA. Since plants cannot maximise both PNUE and leaf toughness, there is a trade-off between photosynthesis and persistence, which enables the existence of species with various leaf characteristics on the earth.

Role of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase in auxin-induced elongation growth: historical and new aspects

Abstract: This article will cover historical and recent aspects of reactions and mechanisms involved in the auxin-induced signalling cascade that terminates in the dramatic elongation growth of cells and plant organs Massive evidence has accumulated that the final target of auxin action is the plasma membrane H+-ATPase, which excretes H+ ions into the cell wall compartment and, in an antiport, takes up K+ ions through an inwardly rectifying K+ channel The auxin-enhanced H+ pumping lowers the cell wall pH, activates pH-sensitive enzymes and proteins within the wall, and initiates cell-wall loosening and extension growth These processes, induced by auxin or by the "super-auxin" fusicoccin, can be blocked instantly and specifically by a voltage inhibition of the H+-ATPase due to removal of K+ ions or the addition of K+-channel blockers Vice versa, H+ pumping and growth are immediately switched on by addition of K+ ions Furthermore, the treatment of segments either with auxin or with fusicoccin (which activates the H+-ATPase irreversibly) or with acid buffers (from outside) causes an identical transformation and degradation pattern of cell wall constituents during cell-wall loosening and growth These and other results described below are in agreement with the acid-growth theory of elongation growth However, objections to this theory are also discussed

Structure and function of cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase genes of maize, rice, Arabidopsis and other species

Abstract: Cytokinin oxidases/dehydrogenases (CKX) catalyze the irreversible degradation of the cytokinins isopentenyladenine, zeatin, and their ribosides in a single enzymatic step by oxidative side chain cleavage. To date the sequences of 17 fully annotated CKX genes are known, including two prokaryotic genes. The CKX gene families of Arabidopsis thaliana and rice comprise seven and at least ten members, respectively. The main features of CKX genes and proteins are summarized in this review. Individual proteins differ in their catalytic properties, their subcellular localization and their expression domains. The evolutionary development of cytokinin-catabolizing gene families and the individual properties of their members indicate an important role for the fine-tuned control of catabolism to assure proper regulation of cytokinin functions. The use of CKX genes as a tool in studies of cytokinin biology and biotechnological applications is discussed.