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Patchoulol, a valuable compound belonging to the sesquiterpenoid family, is the primary component of patchouli oil produced by Pogostemon cablin ( P. cablin ). It has a variety of pharmacological and biological activities and is widely used in the medical and cosmetic industries. However, despite its significance, there is a lack of research on the transcriptional modulation of patchoulol biosynthesis. Salicylic acid (SA), is a vital plant hormone that serves as a critical signal molecule and plays an essential role in plant growth and defense. However, to date, no studies have explored the modulation of patchoulol biosynthesis by SA. In our study, we discovered that the application of SA can enhance the production of patchoulol. Utilizing transcriptome analysis of SA-treated P. cablin , we identified a crucial downstream transcription factor, PatWRKY71. The transcription level of PatWRKY71 was significantly increased with the use of SA. Furthermore, our research has revealed that PatWRKY71 was capable of binding to the promoter of PatPTS , ultimately leading to an increase in its expression. When PatWRKY71 was silenced by a virus, the expression of both PatWRKY71 and PatPTS was reduced, resulting in the down-regulation of patchoulol production. Through our studies, we discovered that heterologous expression of PatWRKY71 leads to an increase in the sensitivity of Arabidopsis to salt and Cd, as well as an outbreak of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, we uncovered the regulatory role of PatWRKY71 in both patchoulol biosynthesis and plant defense response. This discovery provided a theoretical basis for the improvement of the content of patchoulol and the resistance of P. cablin through genetic engineering.

As a strategic resource for both medicine and essential oil, the healthy development of the Pogostemon cablin industry is crucial for the traditional medicine and fragrance sectors. Bacterial wilt represents one of the most significant threats to patchouli cultivation; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying P. cablin ’s response to bacterial wilt remain unexplored. Here, we conducted transcriptome and metabolome analyses, revealing an increase in the expression of genes associated with lipid pathways and a corresponding rise in the concentration of lipid metabolites in P. cablin following infection by the bacterial wilt pathogen SY1 . Further lipidomics analysis demonstrated a significant upregulation of ceramide levels due to SY1 infection. Additionally, hormone analysis indicated that SY1 significantly induced an increase in abscisic acid (ABA) concentration, accompanied by the upregulation of genes involved in the ABA synthesis pathway and its downstream signaling pathways. Furthermore, we treated P. cablin seedlings with the ceramide synthase inhibitor FB1, which significantly reduced ceramide concentration in P. cablin . FB1 treatment also inhibited the expression of ABA-synthesizing genes, leading to a notable decrease in ABA concentration and downstream pathway genes. These data indicate that ceramides and ABA may participate in P. cablin ’s response to SY1 .

Ipomoea pes-caprae is a seashore halophytic plant and is therefore a good model for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying salt and stress tolerance in plant research. Here, we performed Full-length cDNA Over-eXpressor (FOX) gene hunting with a functional screening of a cDNA library using a salt-sensitive yeast mutant strain to isolate the salt-stress-related genes of I. pes-caprae (IpSR genes). The library was screened for genes that complemented the salt defect of yeast mutant AXT3 and could grow in the presence of 75 mM NaCl. We obtained 38 candidate salt-stress-related full-length cDNA clones from the I. pes-caprae cDNA library. The genes are predicted to encode proteins involved in water deficit, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, cellular vesicle trafficking, metabolic enzymes, and signal transduction factors. When combined with the quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses, several potential functional salt-tolerance-related genes were emphasized. This approach provides a rapid assay system for the large-scale screening of I. pes-caprae genes involved in the salt stress response and supports the identification of genes responsible for the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance.

Ipomoea pes-caprae L. is an extremophile halophyte with strong adaptability to seawater and drought. It is widely used in the ecological restoration of coastal areas or degraded islands in tropical and subtropical regions. In this study, a new abscisic acid, stressandripening (ASR) gene, IpASR, was reported, and is mainly associated with biological functions involved in salt and drought tolerance. Sequence analysis of IpASR showed that this protein contains an ABA/WDS (abscisic acid/water deficit stress) domain, which is a common feature of all plant ASR members. Overexpression of IpASR improved Escherichia coli growth performance compared with the control under abiotic stress treatment. The transgenic overexpressing IpASR Arabidopsis showed higher tolerance to salt and drought stress than the wild type and lower accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide (O2−) accompanied by increased antioxidant enzyme activity in vivo. IpASR exhibits transcription factor’s activity. Therefore, the overexpression of IpASR in Arabidopsis is supposed to influence the expression of some genes involved in anti-oxidative and abiotic stresses. The results indicate that IpASR is involved in the plant response to salt and drought and probably acts as a reactive oxygen species scavenger or transcription factor, and therefore influences physiological processes associated with various abiotic stresses in plants.

Objective： Chilling tolerance of salicylic acid （SA） in banana seedlings （Musa acuminata cv., Williams 8818） was investigated by changes in ultrastructure in this study. Methods： Light and electron microscope observation. Results： Pretreatment with 0.5 mmol/L SA under normal growth conditions （30/22 ℃） by foliar spray and root irrigation resulted in many changes in ultrastructure of banana cells, such as cells separation from palisade parenchymas, the appearance of crevices in cell walls, the swelling of grana and stromal thylakoids, and a reduction in the number of starch granules. These results implied that SA treatment at 30/22 ℃ could be a type of stress. During 3 d of exposure to 7 ℃ chilling stress under low light, however, cell ultrastructure of SA-pretreated banana seedlings showed less deterioration than those of control seedlings （distilled water-pretreated）. Conclusion： SA could provide some protection for cell structure of chilling-stressed banana seedling.

In this study we produced transgenic tobacco plants by overexpressing a serine proteinase inhibitor gene, SaPIN2a, from the American black nightshade Solanum americanum under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. SaPIN2a was properly transcribed and translated as indicated by Northern blot and Western blot analyses. Functional integrity of SaPIN2a in transgenic plants was confirmed by proteinase inhibitory activity assay. Bioassays for insect resistance showed that SaPIN2a-overexpressing transgenic tobacco plants were more resistant to cotton bollworm(Helicoverpa armigera) and tobacco cutworm(Spodoptera litura) larvae, two devastating pests of important crop plants, than the control plants. Interestingly, overexpression of SaPIN2a in transgenic tobacco plants resulted in a significant increase in glandular trichome density and a promotion of trichome branching, which could also provide an additional resistance mechanism in transgenic plants against insect pests. Therefore, SaPIN2a could be used as an alternative proteinase inhibitor for the production of insect-resistant transgenic plants.