Programmed cell death of Ulmus pumila L. seeds during aging

Abstract

The programmed cell death (PCD) characteristics of Ulmus pumila L. seeds were investigated. The seeds were treated at a high temperature of 37uC and 100% relative humidity for six days. DAPI (4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining revealed that the aging treatment induced condensation and margination of chromatin, as well as the formation of apoptotic bodies. DNA electrophoresis results of U. pumila seeds on an agarose gel showed a characteristic ''ladder'' pattern. Levels of electrolyte leakage of seed cells showed that membranes retained their integral form during almost the entire aging time. There was an immediate increase in the production rate of superoxide anion (O 2 2 ) and in the amount of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), which remained at a mmol level. All of these common characteristics indicate that seed aging can be classified as PCD.

Evaluation of cold resistance of ornamental species for planting as urban rooftop greening

“…It is estimated that no tissue can recover normal life when 50% of its cells are dead. Therefore, 50% of electrolyte leakage conductivity was taken as the physiological index of semi-lethal temperatures (Wang, 1987;Duan et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2008). Under similarly low temperatures, higher electrolyte conductivity of plants demonstrates weaker capacity of cold resistance.…”