Brassinosteroids play a significant role in the amelioration of various biotic and abiotic stresses. To investigate the effects of exogenously applied brassinosteroids on the thermotolerance of plants, reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant defense and methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification systems were examined in Ficus concinna seedlings with or without 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) application. Our results showed that EBR treatment reduced high temperature-induced increases in the levels of ROS, MG and lipid peroxidation. We also demonstrate that EBR attenuates high temperature-induced oxidative stress by simultaneously increasing non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant responses, as well as MG detoxification systems.

The semi-evergreen azalea, Rhododendron pulchrum, a valuable horticultural and medicinal plant species. Using next-generation sequencing, applying a combination of de novo and reference-guided assembly, we sequenced its complete chloroplast genome. Our study reveals that R. pulchrum have a typical cp genome of 136,249 bp in length, without inverted repeat regions. A total of 73 genes, 42 of which are protein coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes were identified. The GC content of the whole genome is 35.98%. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that R. pulchrum is closely related to the species of Vaccinium oldhamii and Vaccinium macrocarpon.

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) is a key enzyme involved in CO 2 assimilation during photosynthesis. Rubisco activation depends on the activity of Rubisco activase (RCA). We performed 3 0 /5 0 rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to amplify the 3 0 and 5 0 end sequences of RCA genes from hickory. We obtained two full-length gene sequences, designated CcRCAa and CcRCAb. The two corresponding cDNAs are divergent in both the translated and 3 0 untranslated regions. The analysis of the genomic DNA sequences suggested that the corresponding mRNAs are transcripts of two different genes and not the products of a single alternatively spliced pre-mRNA. We examined the expression of CcRCAa and CcRCAb in hickory leaves at various stages of development by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The results suggest that RCA genes play an important role in development and environmental responses. These results provide a basis for modulating RCA gene expression to improve the photosynthetic rate and plant growth in hickory.