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- Al-Khafaji, Alia Hussain, et al.
(author)
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Germination and stress tolerance of oats treated with pulsed electric field at different phases of seedling growth
- 2024
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In: Bioelectrochemistry. - 1567-5394 .- 1878-562X. ; 158
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study explores the impact of pulsed electric field (PEF) application on oat seedling growth and stress tolerance. PEF treatment (99 monopolar, rectangular pulses lasting 10 µs each, with a frequency of 13 Hz and a nominal electric field strength of 2250 V/cm) was applied at two growth stages: (i) when the seedlings had 0.2 cm roots emerging from the kernel, and (ii) when they had a 0.4 cm shoot emerging from the kernel. Post-treatment, the seedlings were hydroponically grown for 8 days. To induce stress, the hydroponic medium was augmented with PEG (15 %) to induce drought stress and NaCl (150 mM) to induce salinity stress. Results demonstrate that applying PEF improved the growth of the root and shoot of oat seedlings. This effect was more pronounced when applied to more developed seedlings. When PEF was applied during the later stage of germination, seedlings exposed to salinity stress showed enhanced shoot growth compared to the control. Under the studied conditions, the application of PEF had no impact on the growth of seedlings under drought stress.
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| 2. |
- Radha Sivarajan, Sajeevan
(author)
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Chlamydomonas as a model system for studying the relevance of plant genes for their involvement in multiple individual and combined stresses: a study unravelling PgCuZnSOD and PgAPX gene functions
- 2024
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In: Plant Physiology Reports. - 2662-253X .- 2662-2548. ; 29, s. 176–185-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide (O2-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and singlet oxygen (O2-), are the main molecules produced in excessive amounts under stress conditions, leading to cellular damage in plants. These ROS molecules should be effectively removed to impart stress tolerance. Enzymatic scavengers like superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidases plays a significant role in scavenging ROS molecules. However, the functional validation of such genes cloned from hardy crops are very much limited. The present research demonstrates the synergistic effect of co-expressing multiple antioxidant genes encoding copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase cloned from hardy crop Pennisetum glaucum to improve single and combined abiotic stress tolerance and also corroborates Chlamydomonas as a valuable model system for functional validation of multi genes, especially for understanding combined stress responses due to its rapid transformation process and molecular similarity to higher plants.
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| 3. |
- Radha Sivarajan, Sajeevan
(author)
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Transcriptome profiling of two Moringa species and insights into their antihyperglycemic activity
- 2022
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In: BMC Plant Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2229. ; 22
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundMoringa concanensis Nimmo (MC), a plant that resembles Moringa oleifera Lam. (MO), has less scientific information but has traditionally been used as a medicinal plant. Moringa species have long been known for their medicinal qualities, which include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antihyperglycemic effects. We investigated the antidiabetic potential of MC and MO species in this study by using transcriptome profiling, metabolite analysis, and in vitro assay studies.ResultsOur transcriptome analysis revealed the expression of enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of quercetin, chlorogenic acid, and benzylamine, all of which have previously been shown to have antidiabetic activity. We compared the expression patterns of five different tissues from MC and MO and it was found that the key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of these compounds were highly expressed in leaf tissue. The expression estimated by MC transcriptome data in different tissues was verified using RT-qPCR analysis. The amount of these compounds was further quantified in the crude leaf extract of both species and found that MC had a higher abundance of quercetin and chlorogenic acid than MO. The crude leaf extract from both MC and MO were further tested in vitro, and the results demonstrated strong inhibitory activity for α-glucosidase and DPP-IV enzymes. Our findings suggest that compounds in leaf tissue, such as quercetin, benzylamine, and chlorogenic acid, could play a significant role in this antidiabetic activity. In addition, when comparing MO plants, we found that MC had a slightly higher effect in expression, abundance, and inhibitory activity.ConclusionsThis study presents the first report of MC transcriptome data, as well as a comparison of its anti-diabetic activity to MO. Our analysis discussed the significance of leaf tissue in antidiabetic activity compared to other tissues of both species. Overall, this study not only provides transcriptome resources for Moringa species, but also sheds light on antidiabetic potential of both species.
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| 4. |
- Sajeevan, Radha Sivarajan, et al.
(author)
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Comprehensive transcriptome analysis of different potato cultivars provides insight into early blight disease caused by Alternaria solani
- 2023
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In: BMC Plant Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2229. ; 23:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Early blight, caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Alternaria solani, is an economically important disease affecting the tuber yield worldwide. The disease is mainly controlled by chemical plant protection agents. However, over-using these chemicals can lead to the evolution of resistant A. solani strains and is environmentally hazardous. Identifying genetic disease resistance factors is crucial for the sustainable management of early blight but little effort has been diverted in this direction. Therefore, we carried out transcriptome sequencing of the A. solani interaction with different potato cultivars with varying levels of early blight resistance to identify key host genes and pathways in a cultivar-specific manner. Results: In this study, we have captured transcriptomes from three different potato cultivars with varying susceptibility to A. solani, namely Magnum Bonum, Désirée, and Kuras, at 18 and 36 h post-infection. We identified many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these cultivars, and the number of DEGs increased with susceptibility and infection time. There were 649 transcripts commonly expressed between the potato cultivars and time points, of which 627 and 22 were up- and down-regulated, respectively. Interestingly, overall the up-regulated DEGs were twice in number as compared to down-regulated ones in all the potato cultivars and time points, except Kuras at 36 h post-inoculation. In general, transcription factor families WRKY, ERF, bHLH, MYB, and C2H2 were highly enriched DEGs, of which a significant number were up-regulated. The majority of the key transcripts involved in the jasmonic acid and ethylene biosynthesis pathways were highly up-regulated. Many transcripts involved in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, isoprenyl-PP, and terpene biosynthesis were also up-regulated across the potato cultivars and time points. Compared to Magnum Bonum and Désirée, multiple components of the photosynthesis machinery, starch biosynthesis and degradation pathway were down-regulated in the most susceptible potato cultivar, Kuras. Conclusions: Transcriptome sequencing identified many differentially expressed genes and pathways, thereby contributing to the improved understanding of the interaction between the potato host and A. solani. The transcription factors identified are attractive targets for genetic modification to improve potato resistance against early blight. The results provide important insights into the molecular events at the early stages of disease development, help to shorten the knowledge gap, and support potato breeding programs for improved early blight disease resistance.
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