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Members of the zinc-finger homeodomain (ZF-HD) family play a key role in the control of plant growth and development, which are involved in plant responses to stress. Although many functional studies of this gene family have been performed in different plants, the features of this family in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) remain unknown. In this study, we identified 22 ZF-HD genes in the tomato genome and classified them into seven groups located on six chromosomes. Expression of 15 ZF-HD genes in tomato was studied in different tissues to identify their putative functions in many aspects of plant growth and development. Based on previous phylogenetic analyses in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), our results showed that some tomato SL-ZH (S. lycopersicum zinc-finger homeodomain) genes cluster into the same neighbor-joining (NJ) branch as arabidopsis, indicating that these genes may share similar structures and functions in these plants. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that the tomato ZF-HD gene may be involved in abiotic stress responses, the SL-ZH13 gene in cold stress and the SL-ZH15 gene in drought stress; almost all tomato ZF-HD genes were responsive to salt stress, except for SL-ZH7, -ZH8, and -ZH22. However, the structures and functions of unknown groups require further research. In conclusion, this study identified tomato ZF-HD genes and analyzed their gene structures, subfamily distribution, and expression characteristics. These experiments combined with previous research findings reveal significant information and insight for future studies on the agronomic features and stress resistance in tomato.
BRI1-EMS-suppressor 1 (BES1) is a transcription factor (TF) that functions as a master regulator of brassinosteroid (BR)-regulated gene expression. Here, we provide a complete overview of Solanum lycopersicum BES1 (SLB) genes, including phylogeny, gene structure, protein motifs, chromosome locations and expression characteristics. Through bioinformatic analysis, we compared the sequences of SLB genes, arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genes, and chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis) genes. All of the gene sequences were divided into three groups by cluster analysis. SLB genes were mapped to the eight tomato (S. lycopersicum) chromosomes. Bioinformatic analysis showed that SLB genes shares similarities with the proteins from other plants, though different species exhibit specific features. The expression patterns of SLB genes in various tissues and under different abiotic conditions were analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. SLB genes were found to be induced by multiple stresses, particularly salt stress, indicating that SLB genes may have important roles in the response to unfavorable environmental changes. This study provides insight into the evolution of SLB genes and may aid in the further functional identification of BES1 proteins and the response of tomato plants to different stresses.
Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPSs) are common adverse reactions to antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of edible horticultural therapy (EHT) on EPSs in schizophrenic patients. This study assessed the changes in psychopathological symptoms and extrapyramidal symptoms in patients with schizophrenia before and after participating in a six-session EHT. Forty schizophrenic patients, recruited from Wuhan Wudong Hospital, were randomly assigned to the EHT group (average age: 45.40 ± 13.960 years) or the control group (average age: 49.30 ± 12.516 years). The EHT program held weekly sessions from May 2020 to June 2020. A psychiatrist assessed the psychopathological symptoms and extrapyramidal symptoms of schizophrenic patients in both groups with the Chinese version of the Positive and Negative Syndromes Scale (PANSS) and the Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects (RSESE). After six courses of horticultural therapy, the terms of positive, negative, and general symptoms on the PANSS significantly improved in the EHT group. Moreover, the EPSs were also significantly improved in the EHT group. However, there was no change in the PANSS and RSESE scores in the control group. This study shows that EHT has the potential to improve not only psychopathological symptoms but also EPSs in psychiatric patients. This adds new evidence for EHT as an adjunct to treatment for schizophrenia.
Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) is a typical climacteric fruit, and its ripening is closely associated with ethylene. In this study, we present evidence that H2S alleviated ethylene-induced ripening and senescence of kiwifruit. Kiwifruit were fumigated with ethylene released from 0.4 g·L−1 ethephon solution or H2S with 1 mm sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) as the donor or in combination. Fumigation with ethylene was found to accelerate kiwifruit ripening and H2S treatment effectively alleviated ethylene-induced fruit softening in parallel with attenuated activity of polygalacturonase (PG) and amylase. Ethylene + H2S treatment also maintained higher levels of ascorbic acid, titratable acid, starch, soluble protein, and reducing sugar compared with ethylene group, whereas suppressed the increase in chlorophyll and carotenoid. Kiwifruit ripening and senescence under ethylene treatment was accompanied by elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, including H2O2 and superoxide anion and malondialdehyde (MDA), but combined treatment of ethylene plus H2S alleviated oxidative stress in fruit. Furthermore, the activities of antioxidative enzymes catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were increased by ethylene + H2S treatment in comparison with ethylene alone, whereas the activities of lipoxygenase (LOX) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were attenuated by H2S treatment. Further investigations showed that H2S repressed the expression of ethylene synthesis-related genes AdSAM, AdACS1, AdACS2, AdACO2, and AdACO3 and cysteine protease genes, such as AdCP1 and AdCP3. Taken together, our findings suggest that H2S alleviates kiwifruit ripening and senescence by antagonizing the effect of ethylene through reduction of oxidative stress and inhibition of ethylene synthesis pathway.
Colors of flower and seedcoat are interesting traits of asparagus bean, a cultivated subspecies of cowpea grown throughout Asia for its tender, long green pods. Little is known about the inheritance of these traits including their genome location. We report here the genetic analysis and mapping of the genes governing flower and seedcoat color in asparagus bean based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Analysis of the F1 and F7:8 generation of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) population showed a monogenetic inheritance of both traits. Purple flower and brown seedcoat are dominant over white flower and cream seedcoat, respectively. We further show that genes governing flower color and seedcoat color are tightly linked on LG8, ≈0.4 cM apart. Synteny analysis showed that the gene controlling seedcoat color in our study is syntenic to the soybean T locus. The use of the mapping information in asparagus bean breeding is discussed.
Zinc finger-homeodomains (ZF-HDs) are considered transcription factors that are involved in a variety of life activities in plants, but their function in regulating plant salt stress tolerance is unclear. The SL-ZH13 gene is significantly upregulated under salt stress treatment in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves, per our previous study. In this study, to further understand the role that the SL-ZH13 gene played in the response process of tomato plants under salt stress, the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method was applied to down-regulate SL-ZH13 expression in tomato plants, and these plants were treated with salt stress to analyze the changes in salt tolerance. The silencing efficiency of SL-ZH13 was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. SL-ZH13-silenced plants wilted faster and sooner than control plants under the same salt stress treatment condition, and the main stem bending angle of SL-ZH13-silenced plants was smaller than that of control plants. Physiological analysis showed that the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and proline content in SL-ZH13-silenced plants were lower than those in control plants at 1.5 and 3 hours after salt stress treatment. The malondialdehyde content of SL-ZH13-silenced plants was higher than that in control plants at 1.5 and 3 hours after salt stress treatment; H2O2 and O2 - accumulated much more in leaves of SL-ZH13-silenced plants than in leaves of control plants. These results suggested that silencing of the SL-ZH13 gene affected the response of tomato plants to salt stress and decreased the salt stress tolerance of tomato plants.