Nucleic Acids Res , IF:16.971 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac501
AtNusG, a chloroplast nucleoid protein of bacterial origin linking chloroplast transcriptional and translational machineries, is required for proper chloroplast gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China.; Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.; School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng Henan 475004, China.
In Escherichia coli, transcription-translation coupling is mediated by NusG. Although chloroplasts are descendants of endosymbiotic prokaryotes, the mechanism underlying this coupling in chloroplasts remains unclear. Here, we report transcription-translation coupling through AtNusG in chloroplasts. AtNusG is localized in chloroplast nucleoids and is closely associated with the chloroplast PEP complex by interacting with its essential component PAP9. It also comigrates with chloroplast ribosomes and interacts with their two components PRPS5 (uS5c) and PRPS10 (uS10c). These data suggest that the transcription and translation machineries are coupled in chloroplasts. In the atnusg mutant, the accumulation of chloroplast-encoded photosynthetic gene transcripts, such as psbA, psbB, psbC and psbD, was not obviously changed, but that of their proteins was clearly decreased. Chloroplast polysomic analysis indicated that the decrease in these proteins was due to the reduced efficiency of their translation in this mutant, leading to reduced photosynthetic efficiency and enhanced sensitivity to cold stress. These data indicate that AtNusG-mediated coupling between transcription and translation in chloroplasts ensures the rapid establishment of photosynthetic capacity for plant growth and the response to environmental changes. Therefore, our study reveals a conserved mechanism of transcription-translation coupling between chloroplasts and E. coli, which perhaps represents a regulatory mechanism of chloroplast gene expression. This study provides insights into the underlying mechanisms of chloroplast gene expression in higher plants.
PMID: 35736138
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2022 May doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac137
Natural variation in the bZIP68 promoter modulates cold tolerance and was targeted during maize domestication.
State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, Center for Crop Functional Genomics and Molecular Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, National Maize Improvement Center, Center for Crop Functional Genomics and Molecular Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Maize (Zea mays) originated in tropical areas and is thus susceptible to low temperatures, which pose a major threat to maize production. Our understanding of the molecular basis of cold tolerance in maize is limited. Here, we identified bZIP68, a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor, as a negative regulator of cold tolerance in maize. Transcriptome analysis revealed that bZIP68 represses the cold-induced expression of DREB1 transcription factor genes. The stability and transcriptional activity of bZIP68 are controlled by its phosphorylation at the conserved Ser250 residue under cold stress. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the bZIP68 locus was a target of selection during early domestication. A 358-bp insertion/deletion (Indel-972) polymorphism in the bZIP68 promoter has a significant effect on the differential expression of bZIP68 between maize and its wild ancestor teosinte. This study thus uncovered an evolutionary cis-regulatory variant that could be used to improve cold tolerance in maize.
PMID: 35543494
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1111/nph.18304
Two AT-Hook proteins regulate A/NINV7 expression to modulate sucrose catabolism for cold tolerance in Poncirus trifoliata.
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.; Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria.; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, 430070, China.
Invertase (INV)-mediated sucrose (Suc) hydrolysis, leading to the irreversible production of glucose (Glc) and fructose (Frc), plays an essential role in abiotic stress tolerance of plants. However, the regulatory network associated with the Suc catabolism in response to cold environment remains largely elusive. Herein, a cold-induced alkaline/neutral INV gene (PtrA/NINV7) of trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) was shown to function in cold tolerance via mediating the Suc hydrolysis. Meanwhile, a nuclear matrix-associated region (MAR) containing A/T-rich sequences within its promoter was indispensable for the cold induction of PtrA/NINV7. Two AT-Hook Motif Containing Nuclear Localized (AHL) proteins, PtrAHL14 and PtrAHL17, were identified as upstream transcriptional activators of PtrA/NINV7 by interacting with the A/T-rich motifs. PtrAHL14 and PtrAHL17 function positively in the cold tolerance by modulating PtrA/NINV7-mediated Suc catabolism. Furthermore, both PtrAHL14 and PtrAHL17 could form homo- and hetero-dimers between each other, and interacted with two histone acetyltransferases (HATs), GCN5 and TAF1, leading to elevated histone3 acetylation level under the cold stress. Taken together, our findings unraveled a new cold-responsive signaling module (AHL14/17-HATs-A/NINV7) for orchestration of Suc catabolism and cold tolerance, which shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying Suc catabolism catalyzed by A/NINVs under cold stress.
PMID: 35695205
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac267
A natural antisense RNA improves chrysanthemum cold tolerance by regulating the transcription factor DgTCP1.
Department of Ornamental Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, People's Republic of China.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, but their mechanism of action in response to cold stress in plants remains unclear. Here, we found an lncRNA transcribed from the antisense strand of DgTCP1 (class I Teosinte branched1/Cycloidea/Proliferating [TCP] transcription factor) of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), named DglncTCP1. During the response of chrysanthemum to cold stress, overexpression of DgTCP1 improved the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum, while the DgTCP1 editing line (dgtcp1) showed decreased tolerance to cold stress. Overexpression of DglncTCP1 also increased the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum, while the DglncTCP1 amiRNA lines (DglncTCP1 amiR-18/38) also showed decreased tolerance to cold stress. Additionally, the overexpression of DglncTCP1 upregulated the expression of DgTCP1. This indicated that DglncTCP1 may play a cis-regulatory role in the regulatory process of DgTCP1 in cold tolerance. DglncTCP1 acts as a scaffold to recruit the histone modification protein DgATX (ARABIDOPSIS TRITHORAX from chrysanthemum) to DgTCP1 to enhance H3K4me3 levels, thereby activating DgTCP1 expression. Moreover, DgTCP1 can directly target DgPOD (peroxidase gene from chrysanthemum) to promote its expression and reduce reactive oxygen species accumulation, thereby improving the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum. In conclusion, these results suggest that natural antisense lncRNA plays a key role in improving the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum.
PMID: 35728057
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 May doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac208
Osa-miR1320 targets the ERF transcription factor OsERF096 to regulate cold tolerance via JA-mediated signaling.
Crop Stress Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, 163319, China.; Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.
MicroRNAs play key roles in abiotic stress response. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) miR1320 is a species-specific miRNA that contributes to miR168-regulated immunity. However, it is still unknown whether miR1320 is involved in rice response to abiotic stress. In this study, we illustrated that the miR1320 precursor generated two mature miR1320s, miR1320-3p and miR1320-5p, and they both displayed decreased expression under cold stress. Genetic evidence showed that miR1320 overexpression resulted in increased cold tolerance, while miR1320 knockdown reduced cold tolerance. Furthermore, an AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor) transcription factor OsERF096 was identified as a target of miR1320 via 5'-RACE and dual luciferase assays. OsERF096 expression was altered by miR1320 overexpression and knockdown and exhibited an opposite pattern to that of miR1320 in different tissues and under cold stress. Consistently, OsERF096 negatively regulated cold stress tolerance. Furthermore, we suggested that OsERF096 could bind to the GCC and DRE cis-elements and act as a transcriptional activator in the nucleus. Based on RNA-seq and targeted metabolomics assays, we found that OsERF096 modified hormone content and signaling pathways. Finally, phenotypic and RT-qPCR assays showed that MeJA application recovered the cold-sensitive phenotype and JA-activated expression of three DREB (Dehydration Responsive Element Binding) genes in the OsERF096-OE line. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that the miR1320-OsERF096 module regulates cold tolerance by repressing the JA-mediated cold signaling pathway.
PMID: 35522026
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 May doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac211
The Transcription Factor MdMYB2 Influences Cold Tolerance and Anthocyanin Accumulation by Activating SUMO E3 Ligase MdSIZ1 in Apple.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, National Research Center for Apple Engineering and Technology, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai-An, Shandong 271018, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.; College of Food Science and Biological Engineering, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin, 300384, China.
Conjugation of the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) peptide to target proteins is an important post-translational modification. SAP AND MIZ1 DOMAIN- CONTAINING LIGASE1 (MdSIZ1) is an apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) SUMO E3 ligase that mediates sumoylation of its targets during plant growth and development under adverse environmental conditions. However, it is unclear how MdSIZ1 senses the various environmental signals and whether sumoylation is regulated at the transcriptional level. In this study, we analyzed the MdSIZ1 promoter and found that it contained an MBS (MYB Binding Site) motif that was essential for the response of MdSIZ1 to low temperature and drought. Subsequently, we used yeast one-hybridization screening to demonstrate that a MYB transcription factor, MdMYB2, directly bound to the MBS motif in the MdSIZ1 promoter. Phenotypic characterization of MdMYB2 and MdSIZ1 suggested that the expression of both MdMYB2 and MdSIZ1 substantially improved cold tolerance in plants. MdMYB2 was induced by low temperature and further activated the expression of MdSIZ1, thereby promoting the sumoylation of MdMYB1, a key regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple. MdMYB2 promoted anthocyanin accumulation in apple fruits, apple calli, and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in an MdSIZ1-dependent manner. In addition, the interaction of MdMYB2 and the MdSIZ1 promoter substantially improved plant tolerance to cold stress. Taken together, our findings reveal an important role for transcriptional regulation of sumoylation and provide insights into plant anthocyanin biosynthesis regulation mechanisms and stress response.
PMID: 35522008
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2022 Jun , V45 (6) : P1682-1697 doi: 10.1111/pce.14313
Genetically-determined variations in photosynthesis indicate roles for specific fatty acid species in chilling responses.
MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; Cell & Molecular Biology Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.; Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming in the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Using a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) cowpea (Vigna unguiculata. L. Walp), we tested for co-linkages between lipid contents and chilling responses of photosynthesis. Under low-temperature conditions (19 degrees C/13 degrees C, day/night), we observed co-linkages between quantitative trait loci intervals for photosynthetic light reactions and specific fatty acids, most strikingly, the thylakoid-specific fatty acid 16:1(Delta3trans) found exclusively in phosphatidylglycerol (PG 16:1t). By contrast, we did not observe co-associations with bulk polyunsaturated fatty acids or high-melting-point-PG (sum of PG 16:0, PG 18:0 and PG 16:1t) previously thought to be involved in chilling sensitivity. These results suggest that in cowpea, chilling sensitivity is modulated by specific lipid interactions rather than bulk properties. We were able to recapitulate the predicted impact of PG 16:1t levels on photosynthetic responses at low temperature using mutants and transgenic Arabidopsis lines. Because PG 16:1t synthesis requires the activity of peroxiredoxin-Q, which is activated by H2 O2 and known to be involved in redox signalling, we hypothesise that the accumulation of PG 16:1t occurs as a result of upstream effects on photosynthesis that alter redox status and production of reactive oxygen species.
PMID: 35297062
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1093/jxb/erac274
The C2H2-type zinc finger protein PhZFP1 regulates cold stress tolerance by modulating galactinol synthesis in Petunia hybrida.
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.; Key Laboratory of Huazhong Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.; National R&D Center for Citrus Preservation, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China.
The C2H2 zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) play essential roles in regulating cold stress responses. Similarly, raffinose accumulation contributes to freezing stress tolerance. However, the relationship between C2H2 functions and raffinose synthesis in cold tolerance remain uncertain. Here, we report the characterization of the cold-induced C2H2-type zinc finger protein PhZFP1 in Petunia hybrida. PhZFP1 was found to be predominantly localized in the nucleus. Overexpression of PhZFP1 conferred enhanced cold tolerance in transgenic petunia lines. In contrast, RNAi mediated suppression of PhZFP1 led to increased cold susceptibility. PhZFP1 regulated the expression of a range of abiotic stress responsive-genes including genes encoding proteins involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and raffinose metabolism. The accumulation of galactinol and raffinose, and the levels of PhGolS1-1 transcripts were significantly increased in PhZFP1-overexpressing plants and decreased in PhZFP1- RNAi plants under cold stress. Moreover, the galactinol synthase (GolS)-encoding gene, PhGolS1-1 was identified as a direct target of PhZFP1. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PhZFP1 functions in cold stress tolerance by modulation of galactinol synthesis via regulation of PhGolS1-1. This study also provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying C2H2 zinc finger protein-mediated cold stress tolerance, and has identified a candidate gene for improving cold stress tolerance.
PMID: 35726094
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2022 May doi: 10.1093/jxb/erac195
Genetic basis and adaptive implications of temperature-dependent and temperature-independent effects of drought on chickpea reproductive phenology.
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide.; South Australian Research and Development Institute, Australia.; Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Kingaroy, Australia.
Water deficit often hastens flowering of pulses partially because droughted plants are hotter. Separating temperature-independent and temperature-dependent effects of drought is important to understand, model and manipulate phenology. We define a new trait, drought effect on phenology (DEP = difference in flowering time between irrigated and rainfed crops), and use FST genome scanning to probe for genomic regions under selection for this trait. Owing to the negligible variation in daylength, variation in phenology with sowing date was attributed to temperature and water; hence, genomic regions overlapping for early- and late-sown crops would associate with temperature-independent effects and non-overlapping genomic regions would associate with temperature-dependent effects. Thermal time to flowering was shortened with increasing water stress quantified with carbon isotope composition. Genomic regions on chromosomes 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were under selection for DEP. An overlapping region for early and late sowing on chromosome 8 revealed a temperature-independent effect with four candidate genes: BAM1, BAM2, HSL2 and ANT. The non-overlapping regions included six candidate genes: EMF1, EMF2, BRC1/TCP18, BZR1, NPGR1 and ERF1. Modelling showed DEP reduces the likelihood of drought and heat stress at the expense of cold stress. Accounting for DEP would improve genetic and phenotypic models of phenology.
PMID: 35526198
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2022 May , V73 (10) : P3138-3156 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erac045
Can we improve the chilling tolerance of maize photosynthesis through breeding?
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK.
Chilling tolerance is necessary for crops to thrive in temperate regions where cold snaps and lower baseline temperatures place limits on life processes; this is particularly true for crops of tropical origin such as maize. Photosynthesis is often adversely affected by chilling stress, yet the maintenance of photosynthesis is essential for healthy growth and development, and most crucially for yield. In this review, we describe the physiological basis for enhancing chilling tolerance of photosynthesis in maize by examining nine key responses to chilling stress. We synthesize current knowledge of genetic variation for photosynthetic chilling tolerance in maize with respect to each of these traits and summarize the extent to which genetic mapping and candidate genes have been used to understand the genomic regions underpinning chilling tolerance. Finally, we provide perspectives on the future of breeding for photosynthetic chilling tolerance in maize. We advocate for holistic and high-throughput approaches to screen for chilling tolerance of photosynthesis in research and breeding programmes in order to develop resilient crops for the future.
PMID: 35143635
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1111/tpj.15872
mRNA N(6) -methyladenosine is critical for cold tolerance in Arabidopsis.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.; Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.; Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services, Stuttgart, AR, 72160, USA.
Plants respond to low temperatures by altering the mRNA abundance for thousands of genes contributing to numerous physiological and metabolic processes that allow them to adapt. At the post-transcriptional level, these cold stress-responsive transcripts undergo alternative splicing, microRNA-mediated regulation and alternative polyadenylation among others. Recently, m(6) A, m(5) C and other mRNA modifications that can affect the regulation and stability of RNA was discovered, thus revealing another layer of post-transcriptional regulation that plays an important role in modulating the gene expression. The importance of m(6) A in plant growth and development has been appreciated but its significance under stress conditions is still underexplored. To assess the role of m(6) A modifications during cold stress responses, MeRIP-seq was performed in Arabidopsis seedlings esposed to low temperature stress (4(o) C) for 24 h. This transcriptome-wide m(6) A analysis revealed large-scale shifts in this modification in response to low temperature stress. Because m(6) A is known to affect transcript stability/degradation and translation, we investigated these possibilities. Interestingly, we found that cold-enriched m(6) A-containing transcripts displayed the largest increases in transcript abundance coupled with increased ribosome occupancy under cold stress. The significance of the m(6) A epitranscriptome on plant cold tolerance was further assessed using the mta mutant in which the major m(6) A methyltransferase gene was mutated. Compared to the wild-type, along with the differences in CBFs and COR gene expression levels, the mta mutant exhibited hypersensitivity to cold treatment as determined by primary root growth, biomass and ROS accumulation. Furthermore, and most importantly, both non-acclimated and cold-acclimated mta mutant displayed hypersensitivity to freezing tolerance. Taken together, these findings suggest a critical role for the epitranscriptome in cold tolerance of Arabidopsis.
PMID: 35710867
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1111/tpj.15870
Cold-Adaptive Evolution at the Reproductive Stage in Geng/Japonica Subspecies Reveals the role of OsMAPK3 and OsLEA9.
State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
Cold stress at the reproductive stage severely affects production and geographic distribution of rice. The Geng/japonica subpopulation gradually developed stronger cold adaptation than the Xian/indica subpopulation during the long-term domestication of cultivated rice. However, the evolutionary path and natural alleles underlying the cold adaptability of intra-Geng subspecies remain largely unknown. Here, we identified MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE 3 (OsMAPK3) and LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT PROTEIN 9 (OsLEA9) as two important regulators for cold adaptation of Geng subspecies from a combination of transcriptome analysis and genome-wide association study. Transgenic validation showed that OsMAPK3 and OsLEA9 confer cold tolerance at the reproductive stage. Selection and evolution analysis suggested that the Geng version of OsMAPK3 (OsMAPK3(Geng) ) directly evolved from Chinese O. rufipogon III and was largely retained in high-latitude and high-altitude regions with low temperatures during domestication. Later, the functional nucleotide polymorphism (FNP-776) in the KMXBG & LJXHG version of OsLEA9 (OsLEA9(KL) ) promoter originated from novel variation of intra-Geng was selected and predominantly retained in temperate Geng to improve the adaptation of Geng together with OsMAPK3(Geng) to colder climatic conditions in high-latitude areas. Breeding potential analysis suggested that pyramiding of OsMAPK3(Geng) and OsLEA9(KL) enhanced the cold tolerance of Geng and promote the expansion of cultivated rice to colder regions. This study not only highlights the evolutionary path taken by the cold-adaptive differentiation of intra-Geng, but also provides new genetic resources for rice molecular breeding in low-temperature areas.
PMID: 35706359
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2022 May doi: 10.1111/tpj.15807
The miR164a-NAM3 module confers cold tolerance by inducing ethylene production in tomato.
Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth and Development, Agricultural Ministry of China, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Because of a high sensitivity to cold, both the yield and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are severely restricted by cold stress. The NAC transcription factor (TF) family has been characterized as an important player in plant growth, development, and the stress response, but the role of NAC TFs in cold stress and their interaction with other post-transcriptional regulators such as microRNAs in cold tolerance remains elusive. Here, we demonstrated that SlNAM3, the predicted target of Sl-miR164a/b-5p, improved cold tolerance as indicated by a higher maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), lower relative electrolyte leakage, and less wilting in SlNAM3-overexpression plants compared to wild-type. Further genetic and molecular confirmation revealed that Sl-miR164a/b-5p functioned upstream of SlNAM3 by inhibiting the expression of the latter, thus playing a negative role in cold tolerance. Interestingly, this role is partially mediated by an ethylene-dependent pathway because either Sl-miR164a/b-5p silencing or SlNAM3 overexpression improved cold tolerance in the transgenic lines by promoting ethylene production. Moreover, silencing of the ethylene synthesis genes, SlACS1A, SlACS1B, SlACO1, and SlACO4, resulted in a significant decrease in cold tolerance. Further experiments demonstrated that NAM3 activates SlACS1A, SlACS1B, SlACO1, and SlACO4 transcription by directly binding to their promoters. Taken together, the present study identified the miR164a-NAM3 module conferring cold tolerance in tomato plants via the direct regulation of SlACS1A, SlACS1B, SlACO1, and SlACO4 expression to induce ethylene synthesis.
PMID: 35569132
Antioxidants (Basel) , IF:6.312 , 2022 May , V11 (5) doi: 10.3390/antiox11050969
Photosynthesis Mediated by RBOH-Dependent Signaling Is Essential for Cold Stress Memory.
Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.; Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education for Horticultural Crops Breeding and Propagation, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.; College of Life Science, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou 341000, China.
Cold tolerance is improved by cold stress acclimation (CS-ACC), and the cold tolerance level is 'remembered' by plants. However, the underlying signaling mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, the CS memory mechanism was studied by bioinformation, plant physiological and photosynthetic parameters, and gene expression. We found that CS-ACC induced the acquisition of CS memory and enhanced the maintenance of acquired cold tolerance (MACT) in cucumber seedlings. The H2O2 content and NADPH oxidase activity encoded by CsRBOH was maintained at higher levels during recovery after CS-ACC and inhibition of RBOH-dependent signaling after CS-ACC resulted in a decrease in the H2O2 content, NADPH oxidase activity, and MACT. CsRBOH2, 3, 4, and 5 showed high expression during recovery after CS-ACC. Many BZR-binding sites were identified in memory-responsive CsRBOHs promoters, and CsBZR1 and 3 showed high expression during recovery after CS-ACC. Inhibition of RBOH-dependent signaling or brassinosteroids affected the maintenance of the expression of these memory-responsive CsRBOHs and CsBZRs. The photosynthetic efficiency (PE) decreased but then increased with the prolonged recovery after CS-ACC, and was higher than the control at 48 h of recovery; however, inhibition of RBOH-dependent signaling resulted in a lower PE. Further etiolated seedlings experiments showed that a photosynthetic capacity was necessary for CS memory. Therefore, photosynthesis mediated by RBOH-dependent signaling is essential for CS memory.
PMID: 35624833
Antioxidants (Basel) , IF:6.312 , 2022 May , V11 (5) doi: 10.3390/antiox11050977
Integrative Comparative Assessment of Cold Acclimation in Evergreen and Deciduous Iris Species.
Genomics and Genetic Engineering Laboratory of Ornamental Plants, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Cold acclimation (CA) is a strategy which plants have evolved to increase freezing tolerance. Global climate change could obstruct CA and raise the probability of winter injury, especially for evergreens. Hence, understanding the regulatory mechanism of CA is crucial to improve freezing tolerance in evergreen plants. A comparative study on a pair of closely related evergreen and deciduous iris species in response to cold through CA was conducive to uncovering and complementing the knowledge of CA. We investigated morphological, physiological and biochemical changes, as well as the expression of associated genes in the functional leaves of both iris species from natural CA to deacclimation. Briefly, fast and strong CA in the evergreen iris might cause early expressions of BAM1, NCED3, GPX6, etc., which leads to strong enzyme activity of starch degradation, abscisic acid biosynthesis and reactive oxygen species scavenging. Additionally, genes belonging to the antioxidant system were mainly induced during deacclimation. These results suggest that interspecies differences in the leaf freezing tolerance of irises are associated with the rate and degree of CA, which activates multiple signaling networks with complex interactions and induces the transcription of cold-responsive genes. Moreover, the ICE-CBF-COR signaling cascade may integrate and initiate diverse cold-responsive pathways during CA of the evergreen iris. The findings of this study provide valuable insight to further research on CA mechanisms and implicate genes which could support breeding strategies in herbaceous perennials under climate changes.
PMID: 35624841
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Jun , V23 (12) doi: 10.3390/ijms23126683
Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Cold-Tolerant and Cold-Sensitive Pepper Species Reveal Key Genes and Essential Metabolic Pathways Involved in Response to Cold Stress.
Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.; Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute of Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China.; Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources of Hainan Province, College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.
Cold stress, triggered by particularly low temperatures, is one of the most severe forms of abiotic stress in pepper plants and a major constraint to the global pepper industry, threatening crop production and food security. To acclimatize to extreme conditions, the plant undergoes numerous modifications, including genetic and metabolic modulations. A thorough study of both the genetic and metabolic alterations of plants in response to cold stress is vital to understanding and developing the cold stress resistance mechanism. This study implemented transcriptome and metabolome analyses to evaluate the cold stress response in cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive pepper species. The weighted gene co-expression network revealed three significant modules related to cold stress tolerance in Capsicum pubescens. We identified 17 commonly enriched genes among both species at different time points in 10 different comparisons, including the AP2 transcription factor, LRR receptor-like serine, hypersensitivity-related 4-like protein, and uncharacterized novel.295 and novel.6172 genes. A pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were mainly associated with the MAPK signaling pathway, hormone signaling pathway, and primary and secondary metabolism. Additionally, 21 significantly differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified in both species after 6 h of cold stress. A transcriptome and metabolome integrated analysis revealed that 54 genes correlated with metabolites enriched in five different pathways. Most genes and metabolites involved in carbohydrate metabolism, the TCA cycle, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were upregulated in cold-tolerant plants under cold stress. Together, the results of this study provide a comprehensive gene regulatory and metabolic network in response to cold stress and identified some key genes and metabolic pathways involved in pepper cold tolerance. This study lays a foundation for the functional characterization and development of pepper cultivars with improved cold tolerance.
PMID: 35743127
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Jun , V23 (12) doi: 10.3390/ijms23126493
Integrative Proteome and Phosphoproteome Profiling of Early Cold Response in Maize Seedlings.
College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.; State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, Institute of Virology and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China.
Cold limits the growth and yield of maize in temperate regions, but the molecular mechanism of cold adaptation remains largely unexplored in maize. To identify early molecular events during cold shock, maize seedlings were treated under 4 degrees C for 30 min and 2 h, and analyzed at both the proteome and phosphoproteome levels. Over 8500 proteins and 19,300 phosphopeptides were quantified. About 660 and 620 proteins were cold responsive at protein abundance or site-specific phosphorylation levels, but only 65 proteins were shared between them. Functional enrichment analysis of cold-responsive proteins and phosphoproteins revealed that early cold response in maize is associated with photosynthesis light reaction, spliceosome, endocytosis, and defense response, consistent with similar studies in Arabidopsis. Thirty-two photosynthesis proteins were down-regulated at protein levels, and 48 spliceosome proteins were altered at site-specific phosphorylation levels. Thirty-one kinases and 33 transcriptional factors were cold responsive at protein, phosphopeptide, or site-specific phosphorylation levels. Our results showed that maize seedlings respond to cold shock rapidly, at both the proteome and phosphoproteome levels. This study provides a comprehensive landscape at the cold-responsive proteome and phosphoproteome in maize seedlings that can be a significant resource to understand how C4 plants respond to a sudden temperature drop.
PMID: 35742945
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Jun , V23 (12) doi: 10.3390/ijms23126426
Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of the NF-Y Transcription Factor Family Reveal Its Potential Roles in Salt Stress in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).
School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.; Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor that plays an important role in various biological processes in plants, such as flowering regulation, drought resistance, and salt stress. However, few in-depth studies investigated the alfalfa NF-Y gene family. In this study, in total, 60 MsNF-Y genes, including 9 MsNF-YAs, 26 MsNF-YBs, and 25 MsNF-YCs, were identified in the alfalfa genome. The genomic locations, gene structures, protein molecular weights, conserved domains, phylogenetic relationships, and gene expression patterns in different tissues and under different stresses (cold stress, drought stress, and salt stress) of these NF-Y genes were analyzed. The illustration of the conserved domains and specific domains of the different subfamilies of the MsNF-Y genes implicates the conservation and diversity of their functions in alfalfa growth, development, and stress resistance. The gene expression analysis showed that 48 MsNF-Y genes (7 MsNF-YAs, 22 MsNF-YBs, and 19 MsNF-YCs) were expressed in all tissues at different expression levels, indicating that these genes have tissue expression specificity and different biological functions. In total, seven, seven, six, and eight MsNF-Y genes responded to cold stress, the ABA treatment, drought stress, and salt stress in alfalfa, respectively. According to the WGCNA, molecular regulatory networks related to salt stress were constructed for MsNF-YB2, MsNF-YB5, MsNF-YB7, MsNF-YB15, MsNF-YC5, and MsNF-YC6. This study could provide valuable information for further elucidating the biological functions of MsNF-Ys and improving salt tolerance and other abiotic stress resistance in alfalfa.
PMID: 35742869
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Jun , V23 (12) doi: 10.3390/ijms23126398
Metabolic Profiling of Terpene Diversity and the Response of Prenylsynthase-Terpene Synthase Genes during Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Dendrobium catenatum.
Institute of Biopharmaceuticals, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, China.; Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310000, China.; Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Hangzhou 310000, China.; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310000, China.
Dendrobium catenatum is a widely cultivated Chinese orchid herb rich in abundant secondary metabolites, such as terpenes. However, terpene distribution and characterization of terpene biosynthesis-related genes remain unknown in D. catenatum. In this study, metabolic profiling was performed to analyze terpene distribution in the root, stem, leaf, and flower of D. catenatum. A total of 74 terpene compounds were identified and classified. Clustering analysis revealed that terpene compounds exhibited a tissue-specific accumulation, including monoterpenes in the flowers, sesquiterpenes in the stems, and triterpenes in the roots. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the 'terpenoid backbone biosynthesis' pathway was only significantly enriched in root vs. flower. The expression of terpene biosynthesis-related genes was spatiotemporal in the flowers. Prenylsynthase-terpene synthases (PS-TPSs) are the largest and core enzymes for generating terpene diversity. By systematic sequence analysis of six species, 318 PS-TPSs were classified into 10 groups and 51 DcaPS-TPSs were found in eight of them. Eighteen DcaPS-TPSs were regulated by circadian rhythm under drought stress. Most of the DcaPS-TPSs were influenced by cold stress and fungi infection. The cis-element of the majority of the DcaPS-TPS promoters was related to abiotic stress and plant development. Methyl jasmonate levels were significantly associated with DcaTPSs expression and terpene biosynthesis. These results provide insight into further functional investigation of DcaPS-TPSs and the regulation of terpene biosynthesis in Dendrobium.
PMID: 35742843
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Jun , V23 (11) doi: 10.3390/ijms23116334
A Comprehensive Identification and Expression Analysis of VQ Motif-Containing Proteins in Sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum L.) under Phytohormone Treatment and Cold Stress.
Hunan Key Laboratory of Economic Crops Genetic Improvement and Integrated Utilization, School of Life Science, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China.; Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of the Pests and Diseases on Horticultural Crops in Hunan Province/Key Laboratory of Ecological Remediation and Safe Utilization of Heavy Metal-Polluted Soils, College of Hunan Province, Xiangtan 411201, China.; College of Agriculture, Yulin Normal University, Yulin 537000, China.; Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture/National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, Ministry of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.; Crop Research Institute, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha 410000, China.
The VQ motif-containing proteins play a vital role in various processes such as growth, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and development. However, there is currently no report on the VQ genes in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Herein, 78 VQ genes in Saccharum spontaneum were identified and classified into nine subgroups (I-IX) by comparative genomic analyses. Each subgroup had a similar structural and conservative motif. These VQ genes expanded mainly through whole-genome segmental duplication. The cis-regulatory elements (CREs) of the VQ genes were widely involved in stress responses, phytohormone responses and physiological regulation. The RNA-seq data showed that SsVQ gene expression patterns in 10 different samples, including different developmental stages, revealed distinct temporal and spatial patterns. A total of 23 SsVQ genes were expressed in all tissues, whereas 13 SsVQ genes were not expressed in any tissues. Sequence Read Archive (SRA) data showed that the majority of SsVQs responded to cold and drought stress. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the SsVQs were variously expressed under salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), abscisic acid (ABA) and cold treatment. This study conducted a full-scale analysis of the VQ gene family in sugarcane, which could be beneficial for the functional characterization of sugarcane VQ genes and provide candidate genes for molecular resistance breeding in cultivated sugarcane in the future.
PMID: 35683012
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Jun , V23 (11) doi: 10.3390/ijms23116291
The Minus-End-Directed Kinesin OsDLK Shuttles to the Nucleus and Modulates the Expression of Cold-Box Factor 4.
Molecular Cell Biology, Botanical Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.; Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP), University of Tubingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 32, D-72076 Tubingen, Germany.
The transition to terrestrial plants was accompanied by a progressive loss of microtubule minus-end-directed dynein motors. Instead, the minus-end-directed class-XIV kinesins expanded considerably, likely related to novel functions. One of these motors, OsDLK (Dual Localisation Kinesin from rice), decorates cortical microtubules but moves into the nucleus in response to cold stress. This analysis of loss-of-function mutants in rice indicates that OsDLK participates in cell elongation during development. Since OsDLK harbours both a nuclear localisation signal and a putative leucin zipper, we asked whether the cold-induced import of OsDLK into the nucleus might correlate with specific DNA binding. Conducting a DPI-ELISA screen with recombinant OsDLKT (lacking the motor domain), we identified the Opaque2 motif as the most promising candidate. This motif is present in the promoter of NtAvr9/Cf9, the tobacco homologue of Cold-Box Factor 4, a transcription factor involved in cold adaptation. A comparative study revealed that the cold-induced accumulation of NtAvr9/Cfp9 was specifically quelled in transgenic BY-2 cells overexpressing OsDLK-GFP. These findings are discussed as a working model, where, in response to cold stress, OsDLK partitions from cortical microtubules at the plasma membrane into the nucleus and specifically modulates the expression of genes involved in cold adaptation.
PMID: 35682970
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 May , V23 (11) doi: 10.3390/ijms23115957
HDACs Gene Family Analysis of Eight Rosaceae Genomes Reveals the Genomic Marker of Cold Stress in Prunus mume.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. However, the pattern of how they are expressed in response to cold stress in the ornamental woody plant Prunus mume is poorly understood. Here, we identify 121 RoHDACs from eight Rosaceae plants of which 13 PmHDACs genes are from P. mume. A phylogenetic analysis suggests that the RoHDACs family is classified into three subfamilies, HDA1/RPD3, HD2, and SIR2. We identify 11 segmental duplication gene pairs of RoHDACs and find, via a sequence alignment, that the HDACs gene family, especially the plant-specific HD2 family, has experienced gene expansion and contraction at a recent genome evolution history. Each of the three HDACs subfamilies has its own conserved domains. The expression of PmHDACs in mei is found to be tissue-specific or tissue-wide. RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR experiments in cold treatments suggest that almost all PmHDACs genes-especially PmHDA1/6/14, PmHDT1, and PmSRT1/2-significantly respond to cold stress. Our analysis provides a fundamental insight into the phylogenetic relationship of the HDACs family in Rosaceae plants. Expression profiles of PmHDACs in response to cold stress could provide an important clue to improve the cold hardiness of mei.
PMID: 35682633
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 May , V23 (10) doi: 10.3390/ijms23105724
Full-Length Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals the Impact of Cold Stress on Alternative Splicing in Quinoa.
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress, Life Science College, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China.; CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
Quinoa is a cold-resistant and nutrient-rich crop. To decipher the cold stress response of quinoa, the full-length transcriptomes of the cold-resistant quinoa variety CRQ64 and the cold-sensitive quinoa variety CSQ5 were compared. We identified 55,389 novel isoforms and 6432 novel genes in these transcriptomes. Under cold stress, CRQ64 had more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially alternative splicing events compared to non-stress conditions than CSQ5. DEGs that were specifically present only in CRQ64 were significantly enriched in processes which contribute to osmoregulation and ROS homeostasis in plants, such as sucrose metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. More genes with differential alternative splicing under cold stress were enriched in peroxidase functions in CRQ64. In total, 5988 transcription factors and 2956 long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) were detected in this dataset. Many of these had altered expression patterns under cold stress compared to non-stress conditions. Our transcriptome results demonstrate that CRQ64 undergoes a wider stress response than CSQ5 under cold stress. Our results improved the annotation of the quinoa genome and provide new insight into the mechanisms of cold resistance in quinoa.
PMID: 35628539
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 May , V23 (10) doi: 10.3390/ijms23105615
Unveiling Molecular Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide-Induced Low-Temperature Tolerance in Cucumber by Transcriptome Profiling.
Key Laboratory of Special Fruits and Vegetables Cultivation Physiology and Germplasm Resources Utilization of Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China.; College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.; College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is one of the most popular cultivated vegetable crops but it is intrinsically sensitive to cold stress due to its thermophilic nature. To explore the molecular mechanism of plant response to low temperature (LT) and the mitigation effect of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) on LT stress in cucumber, transcriptome changes in cucumber leaves were compared. The results showed that LT stress regulated the transcript level of genes related to the cell cycle, photosynthesis, flavonoid accumulation, lignin synthesis, active gibberellin (GA), phenylalanine metabolism, phytohormone ethylene and salicylic acid (SA) signaling in cucumber seedlings. Exogenous NO improved the LT tolerance of cucumber as reflected by increased maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and decreased chilling damage index (CI), electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and altered transcript levels of genes related to phenylalanine metabolism, lignin synthesis, plant hormone (SA and ethylene) signal transduction, and cell cycle. In addition, we found four differentially expressed transcription factors (MYB63, WRKY21, HD-ZIP, and b-ZIP) and their target genes such as the light-harvesting complex I chlorophyll a/b binding protein 1 gene (LHCA1), light-harvesting complex II chlorophyll a/b binding protein 1, 3, and 5 genes (LHCB1, LHCB3, and LHCB5), chalcone synthase gene (CSH), ethylene-insensitive protein 3 gene (EIN3), peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene (PAL), DNA replication licensing factor gene (MCM5 and MCM6), gibberellin 3 beta-dioxygenase gene (GA3ox), and regulatory protein gene (NPRI), which are potentially associated with plant responses to NO and LT stress. Notably, HD-ZIP and b-ZIP specifically responded to exogenous NO under LT stress. Taken together, these results demonstrate that cucumber seedlings respond to LT stress and exogenous NO by modulating the transcription of some key transcription factors and their downstream genes, thereby regulating photosynthesis, lignin synthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, phenylalanine metabolism, cell cycle, and GA synthesis. Our study unveiled potential molecular mechanisms of plant response to LT stress and indicated the possibility of NO application in cucumber production under LT stress, particularly in winter and early spring.
PMID: 35628425
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P887103 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.887103
Light Quality Modulates Plant Cold Response and Freezing Tolerance.
Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.; Laboratory of Hormonal Regulations in Plants, Institute of Experimental Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia.; Central European Institute of Technology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czechia.; Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia.
The cold acclimation process is regulated by many factors like ambient temperature, day length, light intensity, or hormonal status. Experiments with plants grown under different light quality conditions indicate that the plant response to cold is also a light-quality-dependent process. Here, the role of light quality in the cold response was studied in 1-month-old Arabidopsis thaliana (Col-0) plants exposed for 1 week to 4 degrees C at short-day conditions under white (100 and 20 mumol m(-2)s(-1)), blue, or red (20 mumol m(-2)s(-1)) light conditions. An upregulated expression of CBF1, inhibition of photosynthesis, and an increase in membrane damage showed that blue light enhanced the effect of low temperature. Interestingly, cold-treated plants under blue and red light showed only limited freezing tolerance compared to white light cold-treated plants. Next, the specificity of the light quality signal in cold response was evaluated in Arabidopsis accessions originating from different and contrasting latitudes. In all but one Arabidopsis accession, blue light increased the effect of cold on photosynthetic parameters and electrolyte leakage. This effect was not found for Ws-0, which lacks functional CRY2 protein, indicating its role in the cold response. Proteomics data confirmed significant differences between red and blue light-treated plants at low temperatures and showed that the cold response is highly accession-specific. In general, blue light increased mainly the cold-stress-related proteins and red light-induced higher expression of chloroplast-related proteins, which correlated with higher photosynthetic parameters in red light cold-treated plants. Altogether, our data suggest that light modulates two distinct mechanisms during the cold treatment - red light-driven cell function maintaining program and blue light-activated specific cold response. The importance of mutual complementarity of these mechanisms was demonstrated by significantly higher freezing tolerance of cold-treated plants under white light.
PMID: 35755673
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P888710 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.888710
Low Temperature Stress Tolerance: An Insight Into the Omics Approaches for Legume Crops.
Proteomics Laboratory, Division of Plant Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, India.; Department of Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, India.; Department of Life Sciences, Rabindranath Tagore University, Bhopal, India.; Deparment of Microbiology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.; Division of Animal Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.; Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.; Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and Environment, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
The change in climatic conditions is the major cause for decline in crop production worldwide. Decreasing crop productivity will further lead to increase in global hunger rate. Climate change results in environmental stress which has negative impact on plant-like deficiencies in growth, crop yield, permanent damage, or death if the plant remains in the stress conditions for prolonged period. Cold stress is one of the main abiotic stresses which have already affected the global crop production. Cold stress adversely affects the plants leading to necrosis, chlorosis, and growth retardation. Various physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses under cold stress have revealed that the cold resistance is more complex than perceived which involves multiple pathways. Like other crops, legumes are also affected by cold stress and therefore, an effective technique to mitigate cold-mediated damage is critical for long-term legume production. Earlier, crop improvement for any stress was challenging for scientific community as conventional breeding approaches like inter-specific or inter-generic hybridization had limited success in crop improvement. The availability of genome sequence, transcriptome, and proteome data provides in-depth sight into different complex mechanisms under cold stress. Identification of QTLs, genes, and proteins responsible for cold stress tolerance will help in improving or developing stress-tolerant legume crop. Cold stress can alter gene expression which further leads to increases in stress protecting metabolites to cope up the plant against the temperature fluctuations. Moreover, genetic engineering can help in development of new cold stress-tolerant varieties of legume crop. This paper provides a general insight into the "omics" approaches for cold stress in legume crops.
PMID: 35720588
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P920195 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.920195
Small RNA and Degradome Deep Sequencing Reveals the Roles of microRNAs in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Cold Response.
Institute of Industrial Crops, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, China.; State Key Laboratory of Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, China.; Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.; Laboratory of Bio-interactions and Crop Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China.
Cold stress is a major environmental factor that affects plant growth and development, as well as fruit postharvest life and quality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding small RNAs that play crucial roles in various abiotic stresses. Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.), one of the most important grain legumes and source of edible oils and proteins, are cultivated in the semi-arid tropical and subtropical regions of the world. To date, there has been no report on the role of miRNAs in the response to cold stress in cultivated peanuts. In this study, we profiled cold-responsive miRNAs in peanuts using deep sequencing in cold-sensitive (WQL20) alongside a tolerant variety (WQL30). A total of 407 known miRNAs and 143 novel peanut-specific miRNAs were identified. The expression of selected known and novel miRNAs was validated by northern blotting and six known cold-responsive miRNAs were revealed. Degradome sequencing identified six cold-responsive miRNAs that regulate 12 target genes. The correlative expression patterns of several miRNAs and their target genes were further validated using qRT-PCR. Our data showed that miR160-ARF, miR482-WDRL, miR2118-DR, miR396-GRF, miR162-DCL, miR1511-SRF, and miR1511-SPIRAL1 modules may mediate cold stress responses. Transient expression analysis in Nicotiana benthamiana found that miR160, miR482, and miR2118 may play positive roles, and miR396, miR162, and miR1511 play negative roles in the regulation of peanut cold tolerance. Our results provide a foundation for understanding miRNA-dependent cold stress response in peanuts. The characterized correlations between miRNAs and their response to cold stress could serve as markers in breeding programs or tools for improving cold tolerance of peanuts.
PMID: 35720560
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P905275 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.905275
Comparative Transcriptomics and Metabolites Analysis of Two Closely Related Euphorbia Species Reveal Environmental Adaptation Mechanism and Active Ingredients Difference.
State Key Laboratory of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.; Mongolian Medicine College, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, China.; Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan Xinhua Hospital, Huainan, China.; Hulunbeier Mongolian Medical Hospital, Hulunbeier, China.
Roots of Euphorbia fischeriana and Euphorbia ebracteolata are recorded as the source plant of traditional Chinese medicine "Langdu," containing active ingredients with anticancer and anti-AIDS activity. However, the two species have specific patterns in the graphic distribution. Compared with E. ehracteolata, E. fischeriana distributes in higher latitude and lower temperature areas and might have experienced cold stress adaptation. To reveal the molecular mechanism of environmental adaptation, RNA-seq was performed toward the roots, stems, and leaves of E. fischeriana and E. ehracteolata. A total of 6,830 pairs of putative orthologs between the two species were identified. Estimations of non-synonymous or synonymous substitution rate ratios for these orthologs indicated that 533 of the pairs may be under positive selection (Ka/Ks > 0.5). Functional enrichment analysis revealed that significant proportions of the orthologs were in the TCA cycle, fructose and mannose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and terpenoid biosynthesis providing insights into how the two closely related Euphorbia species adapted differentially to extreme environments. Consistent with the transcriptome, a higher content of soluble sugars and proline was obtained in E. fischeriana, reflecting the adaptation of plants to different environments. Additionally, 5 primary or secondary metabolites were screened as the biomarkers to distinguish the two species. Determination of 4 diterpenoids was established and performed, showing jolkinolide B as a representative component in E. fischeriana, whereas ingenol endemic to E. ebracteolate. To better study population genetics, EST-SSR markers were generated and tested in 9 species of Euphorbia. A total of 33 of the 68 pairs were screened out for producing clear fragments in at least four species, which will furthermore facilitate the studies on the genetic improvement and phylogenetics of this rapidly adapting taxon. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed the evolution of genes related to cold stress tolerance, biosynthesis of TCA cycle, soluble sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids, consistent with the molecular strategy that genotypes adapting to environment. The key active ingredients of the two species were quantitatively analyzed to reveal the difference in pharmacodynamic substance basis and molecular mechanism, providing insights into rational crude drug use.
PMID: 35712557
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P898256 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.898256
Evolutionary and Regulatory Pattern Analysis of Soybean Ca(2+) ATPases for Abiotic Stress Tolerance.
Central Laboratory, State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China.; Taizhou Seed Administration Station, Taizhou, China.; College of Agriculture and Food Science, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China.; School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.; Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
P2-type Ca(2+) ATPases are responsible for cellular Ca(2+) transport, which plays an important role in plant development and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the role of P2-type Ca(2+) ATPases in stress response and stomatal regulation is still elusive in soybean. In this study, a total of 12 P2-type Ca(2+) ATPases genes (GmACAs and GmECAs) were identified from the genome of Glycine max. We analyzed the evolutionary relationship, conserved motif, functional domain, gene structure and location, and promoter elements of the family. Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging analysis showed that vegetable soybean leaves are damaged to different extents under salt, drought, cold, and shade stresses. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis demonstrated that most of the GmACAs and GmECAs are up-regulated after drought, cold, and NaCl treatment, but are down-regulated after shading stress. Microscopic observation showed that different stresses caused significant stomatal closure. Spatial location and temporal expression analysis suggested that GmACA8, GmACA9, GmACA10, GmACA12, GmACA13, and GmACA11 might promote stomatal closure under drought, cold, and salt stress. GmECA1 might regulate stomatal closure in shading stress. GmACA1 and GmECA3 might have a negative function on cold stress. The results laid an important foundation for further study on the function of P2-type Ca(2+) ATPase genes GmACAs and GmECAs for breeding abiotic stress-tolerant vegetable soybean.
PMID: 35665149
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P852511 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.852511
Analysis of the Expression and Function of Key Genes in Pepper Under Low-Temperature Stress.
College of Horticulture, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China.; Longping Branch, Graduate School of Hunan University, Changsha, China.; ERC for Germplasm Innovation and New Variety, Breeding of Horticultural Crops, Changsha, China.; Key Laboratory for Vegetable Biology of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.
The mechanism of resistance of plants to cold temperatures is very complicated, and the molecular mechanism and related gene network in pepper are largely unknown. Here, during cold treatment, we used cluster analysis (k-means) to classify all expressed genes into 15 clusters, 3,680 and 2,405 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed in the leaf and root, respectively. The DEGs associated with certain important basic metabolic processes, oxidoreductase activity, and overall membrane compositions were most significantly enriched. In addition, based on the homologous sequence alignment of Arabidopsis genes, we identified 14 positive and negative regulators of the ICE-CBF-COR module in pepper, including CBF and ICE, and compared their levels in different data sets. The correlation matrix constructed based on the expression patterns of whole pepper genes in leaves and roots after exposure to cold stress showed the correlation between 14 ICE-CBF-COR signaling module genes, and provided insight into the relationship between these genes in pepper. These findings not only provide valuable resources for research on cold tolerance, but also lay the foundation for the genetic modification of cold stress regulators, which would help us achieve improved crop tolerance. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the relationship between positive and negative regulators related to the ICE-CBF-COR module, which is of great significance to the study of low-temperature adaptive mechanisms in plants.
PMID: 35599873
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P867503 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.867503
Genome-Wide Identification of Wild Soybean Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Family Genes and Their Responses to Cold and Carbonate Alkaline Stresses.
Crop Stress Molecular Biology Laboratory, College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China.; Key Laboratory of Soybean Biology of Chinese Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), as an important component of the Ca(2+) channel uniporter complex, plays a regulatory role in intracellular Ca(2+) signal transduction. However, only a few studies to date have investigated plant MCU genes. In this study, we identified the MCU family genes in wild soybean and investigated their expression under cold and carbonate alkaline stresses. Eleven Glycine soja MCU genes (GsMCUs) were identified and clustered into two subgroups (subgroups I and II), and subgroup II could be further divided into two branches (MCU5 and MCU6). A total of 21 pairs of GsMCUs were characterized as duplicated genes, and displayed a similar exon-intron architecture. All GsMCU proteins contained one conserved MCU domain, within which two transmembrane domains were found. An analysis of the conserved motifs further supported that the GsMCUs showed high conservation in protein sequence and structure. Moreover, we found that all GsMCUs were expressed ubiquitously in different tissues and organs, and GsMCUs from the same subgroup displayed varied tissue expression profiles. In addition, based on RNA-seq and qRT-PCR assays, six and nine GsMCUs were differentially expressed under cold and carbonate alkaline stress, respectively. Promoter analysis also uncovered the existence of two canonical cold-related cis-acting elements, LTR and DRE/CRT, as well as stress-related phytohormone-responsive elements. Our results provide valuable information about the MCU family in soybean responses to cold and carbonate alkaline stress, which will be helpful in further characterizing their biological roles in response to abiotic stress.
PMID: 35592573
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P893495 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.893495
Identification of Reference Genes for Reverse Transcription-Quantitative PCR Analysis of Ginger Under Abiotic Stress and for Postharvest Biology Studies.
College of Horticulture and Gardening, Spice Crops Research Institute, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.; Institute of Economic Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China.; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China.
Gene expression analysis largely improves our understanding of the molecular basis underpinning various plant biological processes. Stable reference genes play a foundational role during the normalization of gene expression levels. However, until now, there have been few reference genes suitable for ginger reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) research. In this study, 29 candidate reference genes with stable expression patterns across multiple ginger tissues and 13 commonly used reference genes were selected to design RT-qPCR primers. After amplification specificity validation, 32 candidates were selected and further evaluated by RT-qPCR using samples from various organs subjected to NaCl, drought, heat, waterlogging, and chilling stress. Four strategies, including delta-CT, BestKeeper, geNorm, and NormFinder, were used to rank the stability of reference genes, and the ranks produced by these four strategies were comprehensively evaluated by RefFinder to determine the final rank. Overall, the top three stability reference genes indicated by RefFinder were RBP > ATPase > 40S_S3. Their expression pattern correlation analysis showed that the coefficients among each pair of RBP, ATPase, and 40S_S3 were larger than 0.96, revealing consistent and stable expression patterns under various treatments. Then, the expression of three pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and seven MYB genes in rhizomes during postharvest storage and subjected to pathogen infection was normalized by RBP, ATPase, 40S_S3, RBP and ATPase, ATPase and 40S-S3, and RBP and 40S-S3. The results showed that PR and MYB genes were induced by postharvest deterioration and pathogen infection. The correlation coefficients of RBP/ATPase, RBP/40S_S3, ATPase/40S_S3, RBP and ATPase/ATPase and 40S-S3, RBP and ATPase/RBP and 40S-S3, and ATPase and 40S-S3/RBP and 40S-S3 were 0.99, 0.96, 0.99, 0.99, 1.00, and 1.00, respectively, which confirmed the stability of these three reference genes in postharvest biology studies of ginger. In summary, this study identified appropriate reference genes for RT-qPCR in ginger and facilitated gene expression studies under biotic and abiotic stress conditions.
PMID: 35734245
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P891488 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.891488
Acquisition of Freezing Tolerance in Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. Is a Multi-Factor Process Involving the Presence of an Ice Barrier at the Bud Base.
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Boston, MA, United States.; Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.; Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, USDA-ARS and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Bud freezing survival strategies have in common the presence of an ice barrier that impedes the propagation of lethally damaging ice from the stem into the internal structures of buds. Despite ice barriers' essential role in buds freezing stress survival, the nature of ice barriers in woody plants is not well understood. High-definition thermal recordings of Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. buds explored the presence of an ice barrier at the bud base in September, January, and May. Light and confocal microscopy were used to evaluate the ice barrier region anatomy and cell wall composition related to their freezing tolerance. Buds had a temporal ice barrier at the bud base in September and January, although buds were only freezing tolerant in January. Lack of functionality of vascular tissues may contribute to the impedance of ice propagation. Pith tissue at the bud base had comparatively high levels of de-methyl-esterified homogalacturonan (HG), which may also block ice propagation. By May, the ice barrier was absent, xylogenesis had resumed, and de-methyl-esterified HG reached its lowest levels, translating into a loss of freezing tolerance. The structural components of the barrier had a constitutive nature, resulting in an asynchronous development of freezing tolerance between anatomical and metabolic adaptations.
PMID: 35599888
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P851731 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.851731
Dehydration-Responsive Element Binding Protein 1C, 1E, and 1G Promote Stress Tolerance to Chilling, Heat, Drought, and Salt in Rice.
The State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.; Plant Biology Section, School of Integrated Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States.; Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Nanning, China.
The dehydration-responsive element binding protein 1 (DREB1)/C-repeat-binding factor (CBF) genes are key regulators of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in the chilling tolerant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we investigated the function of three members of the 10 rice DREB1 genes, OsDREB1C, E, and G, in the chilling sensitive rice plants. Their loss of function (LOF) mutants were each more chilling susceptible compared to the wild type, and the LOF mutants of all three genes, dreb1ceg, were more chilling susceptible than any of the single mutants. Strikingly, these mutants were capable of cold acclimation, indicating that these rice DREB1 genes are important for basal chilling tolerance but not cold acclimation. Transcriptome and physiology analyses suggest that the OsDREB1C/E/G genes are involved in reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and cell death regulation under chilling. Furthermore, these three rice DREB1 genes are found to promote tolerance to other abiotic stresses: the OsDREB1C/E/G genes are positive regulators of heat tolerance, OsDREB1C and OsDREB1G are positive regulators of salt tolerance, and OsDREB1G is a positive regulator of drought tolerance. These findings expand our knowledge of the roles of DREB1 proteins in plants, enhance our mechanistic understanding of abiotic stress tolerance and will facilitate the generation of stress-tolerant crop plants.
PMID: 35685002
Theor Appl Genet , IF:5.699 , 2022 May doi: 10.1007/s00122-022-04117-9
OsWRKY115 on qCT7 links to cold tolerance in rice.
Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.; National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.; Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.; National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China. liujun@caas.cn.; Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China. zoudtneau@126.com.
KEY MESSAGE: qCT7, a novel QTL for increasing seedling cold tolerance in rice, was fine-mapped to a 70.9-kb region on chromosome 7, and key OsWRKY115 was identified in transgenic plants. Cold stress caused by underground cold-water irrigation seriously limits rice productivity. We systemically measured the cold-responsive traits of 2,570 F2 individuals derived from two widely cultivated rice cultivars, Kong-Yu-131 and Dong-Nong-422, to identify the major genomic regions associated with cold tolerance. A novel major QTL, qCT7, was mapped on chromosome 7 associated with the cold tolerance and survival, using whole-genome re-sequencing with bulked segregant analysis. Local QTL linkage analysis with F2 and fine mapping with recombinant plant revealed a 70.9-kb core region on qCT7 encoding 13 protein-coding genes. Only the LOC_Os07g27670 expression level encoding the OsWRKY115 transcription factor on the locus was specifically induced by cold stress in the cold-tolerant cultivar. Moreover, haplotype analysis and the KASP8 marker indicated that OsWRKY115 was significantly associated with cold tolerance. Overexpression and knockout of OsWRKY115 significantly affected cold tolerance in seedlings. Our experiments identified OsWRKY115 as a novel regulatory gene associated with cold response in rice, and the Kong-Yu-131 allele with specific cold-induced expression may be an important molecular variant.
PMID: 35622122
Plant Methods , IF:4.993 , 2022 May , V18 (1) : P62 doi: 10.1186/s13007-022-00886-y
Overexpressing Arabidopsis thaliana ACBP6 in transgenic rapid-cycling Brassica napus confers cold tolerance.
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China.; School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia. paulwjt@unimelb.edu.au.
BACKGROUND: Rapid-cycling Brassica napus (B. napus-RC) has potential as a rapid trait testing system for canola (B. napus) because its life cycle is completed within 2 months while canola usually takes 4 months, and it is susceptible to the same range of diseases and abiotic stress as canola. However, a rapid trait testing system for canola requires the development of an efficient transformation and tissue culture system for B. napus-RC. Furthermore, effectiveness of this system needs to be demonstrated by showing that a particular trait can be rapidly introduced into B. napus-RC plants. RESULTS: An in-vitro regeneration protocol was developed for B. napus-RC using 4-day-old cotyledons as the explant. High regeneration percentages, exceeding 70%, were achieved when 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (0.10 mg/L), 6-benzylaminopurine (1.0 mg/L), gibberellic acid (0.01 mg/L) and the ethylene antagonist silver nitrate (5 mg/L) were included in the regeneration medium. An average transformation efficiency of 16.4% was obtained using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of B. napus-RC cotyledons using Agrobacterium strain GV3101 harbouring a plasmid with an NPTII (kanamycin-selectable) marker gene and the Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA encoding ACYL-COA-BINDING PROTEIN6 (AtACBP6). Transgenic B. napus-RC overexpressing AtACBP6 displayed better tolerance to freezing/frost than the wild type, with enhanced recovery from cellular membrane damage at both vegetative and flowering stages. AtACBP6-overexpressing B. napus-RC plants also exhibited lower electrolyte leakage and improved recovery following frost treatment, resulting in higher yields than the wild type. Ovules from transgenic AtACBP6 lines were better protected from frost than those of the wild type, while the developing embryos of frost-treated AtACBP6-overexpressing plants showed less freezing injury than the wild type. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that B. napus-RC can be successfully regenerated and transformed from cotyledon explants and has the potential to be an effective trait testing platform for canola. Additionally, AtACBP6 shows potential for enhancing cold tolerance in canola however, larger scale studies will be required to further confirm this outcome.
PMID: 35546678
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2022 Aug , V321 : P111314 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111314
Genome-wide analysis of the apple family 1 glycosyltransferases identified a flavonoid-modifying UGT, MdUGT83L3, which is targeted by MdMYB88 and contributes to stress adaptation.
The Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, PR China.; School of Pharmacy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 250000, PR China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, PR China.; Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, Jinan, Shandong 250100, PR China.; Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.; Science and Technology Development Center of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, PR China.; School of Pharmacy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 250000, PR China. Electronic address: jilusha@lcu.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong 271018, PR China. Electronic address: shizhong@sdau.edu.cn.
The plant family 1 UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are increasingly being investigated because of their contribution to plant secondary metabolism and other diverse biological roles. The apple (Malus domestica) is one of the most widely cultivated fruit trees with great economic importance. However, little is known regarding the apple UGTs. In this study, we identified 229 members of family 1 through a genome-wide analysis of the apple UGTs, which were clustered into 18 groups, from A to R. We also performed detailed analysis of 34 apple UGTs by quantitative RT-PCR, and discovered a number of stress-regulated UGTs. Among them, we characterized the role of MD09G1064900, also named MdUGT83L3, which was significantly induced by salt and cold. In vivo analysis showed that it has high activity towards cyanidin, and moderate activity towards quercetin and keampferol. Transgenic callus and regenerated apple plants overexpressing MdUGT83L3 showed enhanced tolerance to salt and cold treatments. Overexpression of MdUGT83L3 also increased anthocyanin accumulation in the callus tissues and enhanced ROS clearing upon exposure to salt and cold stresses. Furthermore, via yeast-one-hybrid assay, EMSA and CHIP analyses, we also found that MdUGT83L3 could be directly regulated by MdMYB88. Our study indicated that MdUGT83L3, under the regulation of MdMYB88, plays important roles in salt and cold stress adaptation via modulating flavonoid metabolism in apple.
PMID: 35696914
Plant Cell Rep , IF:4.57 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1007/s00299-022-02883-w
VaMYB44 transcription factor from Chinese wild Vitis amurensis negatively regulates cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and V. vinifera.
College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi, China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi, China.; College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi, China. zhangjx666@126.com.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi, China. zhangjx666@126.com.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang, 712100, Shaanxi, China. zhangjx666@126.com.
KEY MESSAGE: Heterologous expression of VaMYB44 gene in Arabidopsis and V. vinifera cv. 'Thompson Seedless' increases cold sensitivity, which is mediated by the interaction of VaMYC2 and VaTIFY5A with VaMYB44 MYB transcription factors play critical roles in plant stress response. However, the function of MYB44 under low temperature stress is largely unknown in grapes. Here, we isolated a VaMYB44 gene from Chinese wild Vitis amurensis acc. 'Shuangyou' (cold-resistant). The VaMYB44 is expressed in various organs and has lower expression levels in stems and young leaves. Exposure of the cold-sensitive V. vinifera cv. 'Thompson Seedless' and cold-resistant 'Shuangyou' grapevines to cold stress (-1 degrees C) resulted in differential expression of MYB44 in leaves with the former reaching 14 folds of the latter after 3 h of cold stress. Moreover, the expression of VaMYB44 was induced by exogenous ethylene, abscisic acid, and methyl jasmonate in the leaves of 'Shuangyou'. Notably, the subcellular localization assay identified VaMYB44 in the nucleus. Interestingly, heterologous expression of VaMYB44 in Arabidopsis and 'Thompson Seedless' grape increased freezing-induced damage compared to their wild-type counterparts. Accordingly, the transgenic lines had higher malondialdehyde content and electrolyte permeability, and lower activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase. Moreover, the expression levels of some cold resistance-related genes decreased in transgenic lines. Protein interaction assays identified VaMYC2 and VaTIFY5A as VaMYB44 interacting proteins, and VaMYC2 could bind to the VaMYB44 promoter and promote its transcription. In conclusion, the study reveals VaMYB44 as the negative regulator of cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis and transgenic grapes, and VaMYC2 and VaTIFY5A are involved in the cold sensitivity of plants by interacting with VaMYB44.
PMID: 35666271
Front Physiol , IF:4.566 , 2022 , V13 : P865172 doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.865172
Characterization of Chromatin Remodeling Genes Involved in Thermal Tolerance of Biologically Invasive Bemisia tabaci.
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.; Agricultural Genome Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
As an invasive species, Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED) has notable potential to adapt to a wide range of environmental temperatures, which enables it to successfully spread after invasion and occupy habitats over a wide latitude range. It has been postulated that chromatin remodeling mechanisms are related to the rapid acquisition of adaptive traits and thermal resistance in invasive species; however, relevant experimental evidence is scarce. To identify the molecular characteristics and assess the role of chromatin remodelers in thermal stress within invasive MED and native Asia II 1 of the B. tabaci species complex, we identified 13 switching defective/sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) and 10 imitation switch (ISWI) family members in the B. tabaci genome, analyzed their molecular characteristics and structures, and identified key mutation sites between MED and Asia II 1, then cloned the catalytic subunits, and revealed the difference in thermal tolerance function. The results showed that the expression levels of Bt-BRM-1 and Bt-BRM-2 were significantly higher in MED than in Asia II 1 during heat stress, and Bt-BRM-2 expression was significantly higher during cold stress. In addition, RNA interference results indicated that the two target genes had similar temperature tolerance function in the both two cryptic species. This study is the first to identify and analyze the molecular characteristics of SWI/SNF and ISWI family members and reveal their potential key roles in temperature tolerance in poikilothermic ectotherms. The results will assist in understanding the underlying temperature adaptation mechanism of invasive insects and will enrich stress adaptation research systems from an epigenetic perspective.
PMID: 35669578
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 May , V185 : P13-24 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.05.030
Genome-wide identification of YABBY transcription factors in Brachypodium distachyon and functional characterization of Bd DROOPING LEAF.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: chenshoukun@nwsuaf.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: Houjiayuan@nwafu.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: fuyanan@nwafu.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712000, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: lhf@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
YABBY transcription factors (TFs) are plant-specific and are characterized by a C2-C2 zinc finger domain at the N-terminus and a YABBY domain at the C-terminus. In this study, eight YABBY genes were identified in the Brachypodium distachyon genome and were unevenly distributed across four chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis classified BdYABBYs into FIL/YAB3, YAB2, CRC, and INO clades. Sixty-two putative cis-elements were identified in BdYABBY gene putative promoters, among them, CAAT-box, TATA-box, MYB, MYC, ARE, and Box_4 were shared by all. BdYABBY genes are highly expressed in inflorescences, and abiotic stresses regulate their expression. In addition, three transcripts of BdDL were identified. Over-expression in Arabidopsis has shown their different functions in reproductive development, as well as in response to cold stress. Our study lays the foundation for the functional elucidation of BdYABBY genes.
PMID: 35640497
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Jun , V22 (1) : P274 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03661-2
The Kandelia obovata transcription factor KoWRKY40 enhances cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.
State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China.; Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China. yswang@scsio.ac.cn.; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China. yswang@scsio.ac.cn.; Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China. yswang@scsio.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China. chenghao@scsio.ac.cn.; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China. chenghao@scsio.ac.cn.; Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China. chenghao@scsio.ac.cn.; Department of Cell Biology & Institute of Biomedicine, National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.; Root Biology Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
BACKGROUND: WRKY transcription factors play key roles in plant development processes and stress response. Kandelia obovata is the most cold-resistant species of mangrove plants, which are the important contributors to coastal marine environment. However, there is little known about the WRKY genes in K. obovata. RESULTS: In this study, a WRKY transcription factor gene, named KoWRKY40, was identified from mangrove plant K. obovata. The full-length cDNA of KoWRKY40 gene was 1420 nucleotide bases, which encoded 318 amino acids. The KoWRKY40 protein contained a typical WRKY domain and a C2H2 zinc-finger motif, which were common signatures to group II of WRKY family. The three-dimensional (3D) model of KoWRKY40 was formed by one alpha-helix and five beta-strands. Evolutionary analysis revealed that KoWRKY40 has the closest homology with a WRKY protein from another mangrove plant Bruguiera gymnorhiza. The KoWRKY40 protein was verified to be exclusively located in nucleus of tobacco epidermis cells. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that KoWRKY40 was induced highly in the roots and leaves, but lowly in stems in K. obovata under cold stress. Overexpression of KoWRKY40 in Arabidopsis significantly enhanced the fresh weight, root length, and lateral root number of the transgenic lines under cold stress. KoWRKY40 transgenic Arabidopsis exhibited higher proline content, SOD, POD, and CAT activities, and lower MDA content, and H2O2 content than wild-type Arabidopsis under cold stress condition. Cold stress affected the expression of genes related to proline biosynthesis, antioxidant system, and the ICE-CBF-COR signaling pathway, including AtP5CS1, AtPRODH1, AtMnSOD, AtPOD, AtCAT1, AtCBF1, AtCBF2, AtICE1, AtCOR47 in KoWRKY40 transgenic Arabidopsis plants. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that KoWRKY40 conferred cold tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis by regulating plant growth, osmotic balance, the antioxidant system, and ICE-CBF-COR signaling pathway. The study indicates that KoWRKY40 is an important regulator involved in the cold stress response in plants.
PMID: 35659253
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Jun , V22 (1) : P277 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03654-1
Transcriptome analysis of the winter wheat Dn1 in response to cold stress.
College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.; College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China. 1936958667@qq.com.
BACKGROUND: Heilongjiang Province has a long and cold winter season (the minimum temperature can reach -30 ), and few winter wheat varieties can safely overwinter. Dongnongdongmai1 (Dn1) is the first winter wheat variety that can safely overwinter in Heilongjiang Province. This variety fills the gap for winter wheat cultivation in the frigid region of China and greatly increases the land utilization rate. To understand the molecular mechanism of the cold response, we conducted RNA-sequencing analysis of Dn1 under cold stress. RESULTS: Approximately 120,000 genes were detected in Dn1 under cold stress. The numbers of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the six comparison groups (0 vs. 5 , -5 vs. 5 , -10 vs. 5 , -15 vs. 5 , -20 vs. 5 and -25 vs. 5 ) were 11,313, 8313, 15,636, 13,671, 14,294 and 13,979, respectively. Gene Ontology functional annotation suggested that the DEGs under cold stress mainly had "binding", "protein kinase" and "catalytic" activities and were involved in "oxidation-reduction", "protein phosphorylation" and "carbohydrate metabolic" processes. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs performed important functions in cold signal transduction and carbohydrate metabolism. In addition, major transcription factors (AP2/ERF, bZIP, NAC, WRKY, bHLH and MYB) participating in the Dn1 cold stress response were activated by low temperature. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to explore the Dn1 transcriptome under cold stress. Our study comprehensively analysed the key genes involved in cold signal transduction and carbohydrate metabolism in Dn1 under cold stress. The results obtained by transcriptome analysis could help to further explore the cold resistance mechanism of Dn1 and provide basis for breeding of cold-resistant crops.
PMID: 35659183
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Jun , V22 (1) : P270 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03664-z
Comprehensive analysis of cucumber C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element binding factor family genes and their potential roles in cold tolerance of cucumber.
School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, China.; Shandong Institute of Pomology, Tai'an, Shandong, 271000, China. 374141645@qq.com.; School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, China. 163.hwx@163.com.
BACKGROUND: Cold stress is one of the main abiotic stresses limiting cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) growth and production. C-repeat binding factor/Dehydration responsive element-binding 1 protein (CBF/DREB1), containing conserved APETALA2 (AP2) DNA binding domains and two characteristic sequences, are key signaling genes that can be rapidly induced and play vital roles in plant response to low temperature. However, the CBF family has not been systematically elucidated in cucumber, and the expression pattern of this family genes under cold stress remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study, three CsCBF family genes were identified in cucumber genome and their protein conserved domain, protein physicochemical properties, gene structure and phylogenetic analysis were further comprehensively analyzed. Subcellular localization showed that all three CsCBFs were localized in the nucleus. Cis-element analysis of the promoters indicated that CsCBFs might be involved in plant hormone response and abiotic stress response. Expression analysis showed that the three CsCBFs could be significantly induced by cold stress, salt and ABA. The overexpression of CsCBFs in cucumber seedlings enhanced the tolerance to cold stress, and importantly, the transcript levels of CsCOR genes were significantly upregulated in 35S:CsCBFs transgenic plants after cold stress treatment. Biochemical analyses ascertained that CsCBFs directly activated CsCOR genes expression by binding to its promoter, thereby enhancing plant resistance to cold stress. CONCLUSION: This study provided a foundation for further research on the function of CsCBF genes in cold stress resistance and elucidating its mechanism.
PMID: 35655135
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Jun , V22 (1) : P271 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03663-0
Overexpression of grape ABA receptor gene VaPYL4 enhances tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Grape Sciences and Enology, Key Laboratory of Plant Resource, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanxin Village 20, Xiangshan, Haidian District, Beijing, 100093, People's Republic of China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Grape Sciences and Enology, Key Laboratory of Plant Resource, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanxin Village 20, Xiangshan, Haidian District, Beijing, 100093, People's Republic of China. zl249@ibcas.ac.cn.
BACKGROUND: Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in abiotic stress responses. The pyrabactin resistance (PYR)/PYR-like (PYL)/regulatory component of ABA receptor (RCAR) proteins that have been characterized as ABA receptors function as the core components in ABA signaling pathway. However, the functions of grape PYL genes in response to different abiotic stresses, particularly cold stress, remain less studied. RESULTS: In this study, we investigated the expression profiles of grape PYL genes upon cold treatment and isolated the VaPYL4 gene from Vitis amurensis, a cold-hardy grape species. Overexpression of VaPYL4 gene in grape calli and Arabidopsis resulted in enhanced cold tolerance. Moreover, plant resistance to drought and salt stress was also improved by overexpressing VaPYL4 in Arabidopsis. More importantly, we evaluated the contribution of VaPYL4 to plant growth and development after the treatment with cold, salt and drought stress simultaneously. The transgenic plants showed higher survival rates, earlier flowering phenotype, and heavier fresh weight of seedlings and siliques when compared with wild-type plants. Physiological analyses showed that transgenic plants had much lower content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and higher peroxidase (POD) activity. Stress-responsive genes such as RD29A (Responsive to desiccation 29A), COR15A (Cold responsive 15A) and KIN2 (Kinase 2) were also significantly up-regulated in VaPYL4-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that overexpression of VaPYL4 could improve plant performance upon different abiotic stresses, which therefore provides a useful strategy for engineering future crops to deal with adverse environments.
PMID: 35655129
Tree Physiol , IF:4.196 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpac064
Histological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses reveal mechanisms of cold acclimation of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) leaf.
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.; International Education College, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.; College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.; Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Jiangxi Agriculture University, College of Forestry, 1101 Zhimin Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330045, China.; Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.
Moso bamboo leaf copes well with the cold winter in southeastern China. However, until now, there has been almost no work reporting on its adaptation mechanisms to cold weather. Herein, we found that Moso bamboo leaf has evolved several anatomical structures that may play a role in enhancing its cold tolerance. These structures include fewer fusiform cells, smaller bulliform cells, lower stomata density, and many more trichomes, as well as lower relative water content than in the leaf of a cold-sensitive bamboo species, Bambusa ventricosa. Untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed that the winter leaf of Moso bamboo had ten- to thousand-fold higher stress-resistant metabolites such as glutathione, trehalose and ascorbic acid than the leaf of B. verntricosa on both warm and cold days. In contrast to the leaves that grew on a warm day, some metabolites such as glutathione and trehalose increased dramatically in the leaves of Moso bamboo that grew on a cold day. However, they unexpectedly decreased in the leaf of B. ventricosa growing at cold temperatures. Transcriptome analysis revealed a cold stress response network that includes trehalose, glutathione, flavonoid metabolism, DNA repair, reactive oxygen species degradation, stress-associated genes, and abiotic stress-related plant hormones such as jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and ethylene. The potential mediator transcription factors such as EREBP, HSF, MYB, NAC, and WRYK were also found to be significantly upregulated in Moso bamboo leaves growing at cold temperatures. Interestingly, a large number of newly identified genes were found to be involved in the transcriptome of the winter leaf of Moso bamboo. Most of these new genes have not even been annotated yet. The above results indicate that the Moso bamboo leaf has evolved special histological structures, metabolic pathways, and a cold stress tolerant transcriptome to adapt to the cold weather in its distribution areas.
PMID: 35723499
Planta , IF:4.116 , 2022 May , V256 (1) : P2 doi: 10.1007/s00425-022-03915-1
Identification of the DcHsp20 gene family in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) and functional characterization of DcHsp17.8 in heat tolerance.
College of Landscape and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, No.100, Changcheng Road, Chengyang District, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, People's Republic of China.; College of Landscape and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, No.100, Changcheng Road, Chengyang District, Qingdao, 266109, Shandong, People's Republic of China. wanxueli@qau.edu.cn.
MAIN CONCLUSION: 33 heat shock protein 20 (Hsp20) genes were identified from the carnation genome whose expression were altered by abiotic stresses. DcHsp17.8 may function to improve the heat resistance of Arabidopsis. Heat shock proteins 20 (Hsp20s) mainly function as molecular chaperones that play crucial roles in relieving abiotic stresses such as heat stress. In this study, we identified and characterized 33 DcHsp20 genes from the carnation genome that were classified into 9 subfamilies. Gene structure analysis showed that 25 DcHsp20 genes contained 1 intron whilst the remaining 8 DcHsp20 genes did not contain introns. Motif analysis found that DcHsp20 proteins were relatively conserved. Cis-regulatory elements analysis of the Hsp20 promoters revealed a number of cis-regulatory elements that regulate growth and development, hormone and stress responses. Gene expression analysis revealed that DcHsp20 genes had multiple response patterns to heat stress. The largest range of induction occurred in DcHsp17.8 after 1 h of heat stress. Under cold stress, or treatment with saline or abscisic acid, the expression of most DcHsp20 genes was inhibited. To further understand the function of DcHsp20 genes in response to heat stress, we overexpressed DcHsp17.8 in Arabidopis and the plants showed improved heat tolerance, O2(-) and H2O2 activities and photosynthetic capacity with reduced relative electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content. Gene expression analysis revealed that DcHsp17.8 modulated the expression of genes involved in antioxidant enzyme synthesis. Our data provided a solid foundation for the further detailed study of DcHsp20 genes.
PMID: 35624182
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 May , V11 (10) doi: 10.3390/plants11101367
Cold Stress, Freezing Adaptation, Varietal Susceptibility of Olea europaea L.: A Review.
Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council (CNR/IBE), 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.; Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy.; Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Crops, 87036 Rende, Italy.; Department of Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences, University of Pisa, 56121 Pisa, Italy.
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is an evergreen xerophytic tree characterizing vegetative landscape and historical-cultural identity of the Mediterranean Basin. More than 2600 cultivars constitute the rich genetic patrimony of the species cultivated in approximately 60 countries. As a subtropical species, the olive tree is quite sensitive to low temperatures, and air temperature is the most critical environmental factor limiting olive tree growth and production. In this present review, we explored the detrimental effects caused of low temperatures on olive cultivars, and analyzed the most frequently experimental procedures used to evaluate cold stress. Then, current findings freezing stress physiology and gene are summarized in olive tree, with an emphasis on adaptive mechanisms for cold tolerance. This review might clear the way for new research on adaptive mechanisms for cold acclimation and for improvement of olive growing management.
PMID: 35631792
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 May , V11 (10) doi: 10.3390/plants11101364
The Effect of Cold Stress on the Root-Specific Lipidome of Two Wheat Varieties with Contrasting Cold Tolerance.
Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan Universiti, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia.; School of Bio Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia.; Protein Chemistry and Metabolism Unit, St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia.; Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Muhlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.; Advanced Genomics Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.; SCIEX, Mulgrave, VIC 3170, Australia.; CSIRO Agriculture & Food, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.; Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
Complex glycerolipidome analysis of wheat upon low temperature stress has been reported for above-ground tissues only. There are no reports on the effects of cold stress on the root lipidome nor on tissue-specific responses of cold stress wheat roots. This study aims to investigate the changes of lipid profiles in the different developmental zones of the seedling roots of two wheat varieties with contrasting cold tolerance exposed to chilling and freezing temperatures. We analyzed 273 lipid species derived from 21 lipid classes using a targeted profiling approach based on MS/MS data acquired from schedule parallel reaction monitoring assays. For both the tolerant Young and sensitive Wyalkatchem species, cold stress increased the phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine compositions, but decreased the monohexosyl ceramide compositions in the root zones. We show that the difference between the two varieties with contrasting cold tolerance could be attributed to the change in the individual lipid species, rather than the fluctuation of the whole lipid classes. The outcomes gained from this study may advance our understanding of the mechanisms of wheat adaptation to cold and contribute to wheat breeding for the improvement of cold-tolerance.
PMID: 35631789
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 May , V11 (10) doi: 10.3390/plants11101351
Crosstalk between Ca(2+) and Other Regulators Assists Plants in Responding to Abiotic Stress.
Biomedicine Collaborative Innovation Center of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Life Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China.
Plants have evolved many strategies for adaptation to extreme environments. Ca(2+), acting as an important secondary messenger in plant cells, is a signaling molecule involved in plants' response and adaptation to external stress. In plant cells, almost all kinds of abiotic stresses are able to raise cytosolic Ca(2+) levels, and the spatiotemporal distribution of this molecule in distant cells suggests that Ca(2+) may be a universal signal regulating different kinds of abiotic stress. Ca(2+) is used to sense and transduce various stress signals through its downstream calcium-binding proteins, thereby inducing a series of biochemical reactions to adapt to or resist various stresses. This review summarizes the roles and molecular mechanisms of cytosolic Ca(2+) in response to abiotic stresses such as drought, high salinity, ultraviolet light, heavy metals, waterlogging, extreme temperature and wounding. Furthermore, we focused on the crosstalk between Ca(2+) and other signaling molecules in plants suffering from extreme environmental stress.
PMID: 35631776
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 May , V11 (9) doi: 10.3390/plants11091262
Bryophyte Spores Tolerate High Desiccation Levels and Exposure to Cryogenic Temperatures but Contain Storage Lipids and Chlorophyll: Understanding the Essential Traits Needed for the Creation of Bryophyte Spore Banks.
Seed and Stress Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, Ardingly RH17 6TN, West Sussex, UK.; Dipartimento di Agraria, Universita degli Studi di Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Sardinia, Italy.; Departamento de Botanica y geologia, Universitat de Valencia, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
Understanding the desiccation and freezing tolerance of bryophyte spores is vital to explain how plants conquered land and current species distribution patterns and help to develop efficient ex situ conservation methods. However, knowledge of these traits is scarce. We investigated tolerance to drying (at 15% relative humidity [RH] for two weeks) and freezing (1 h exposure to liquid nitrogen) on the spores of 12 bryophyte species (23 accessions) from the UK. The presence of storage lipids and their thermal fingerprint, and the levels of unfrozen water content, were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The presence of chlorophyll in dry spores was detected by fluorescence microscopy. All species and accessions tested tolerated the drying and freezing levels studied. DSC suggested that 4.1-29.3% of the dry mass is storage lipids, with crystallization and melting temperatures peaking at around -30 degrees C. Unfrozen water content was determined <0.147 g H2O g(-1) dry weight (DW). Most of the spores investigated showed the presence of chlorophyll in the cytoplasm by red autofluorescence. Bryophyte spores can be stored dry at low temperatures, such as orthodox seeds, supporting the creation of bryophyte spore banks. However, the presence of storage lipids and chlorophyll in the cytoplasm may reduce spore longevity during conventional storage at -20 degrees C. Alternatively, cryogenic spore storage is possible.
PMID: 35567263
Life (Basel) , IF:3.817 , 2022 Jun , V12 (6) doi: 10.3390/life12060833
Unearthing the Alleviatory Mechanisms of Brassinolide in Cold Stress in Rice.
State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China.; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China.; College of Life Sciences and Technology, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang 230039, China.
Cold stress inhibits rice germination and seedling growth. Brassinolide (BR) plays key roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, we explored the underlying mechanisms whereby BR helps alleviate cold stress in rice seedlings. BR application to the growth medium significantly increased seed germination and seedling growth of the early rice cultivar "Zhongzao 39" after three days of cold treatment. Specifically, BR significantly increased soluble protein and soluble sugar contents after three days of cold treatment. Moreover, BR stimulated the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase; thereby alleviating cold-induced damage and increasing glutathione content and the GSH/GSSG ratio while concomitantly reducing H2O2 content. BR upregulated the expression levels of cold-response-related genes, including OsICE1, OsFer1, OsCOLD1, OsLti6a, OsSODB, OsMyb, and OsTERF2, and downregulated that of OsWRKY45, overall alleviating cold stress symptoms. Thus, BR not only upregulated cellular osmotic content and the antioxidant enzyme system to maintain the physiological balance of reactive oxygen species under cold but, additionally, it regulated the expression of cold-response-related genes to alleviate cold stress symptoms. These results provide a theoretical basis for rice breeding for cold resistance using young seedlings.
PMID: 35743864
Gene , IF:3.688 , 2022 Jun , V837 : P146690 doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146690
Genome-wide identification of cold-tolerance genes and functional analysis of IbbHLH116 gene in sweet potato.
Research Center of Crop Stresses Resistance Technologies/ Engineering Research Centre of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China.; Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, 71526 Assiut, Egypt.; Research Center of Crop Stresses Resistance Technologies/ Engineering Research Centre of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China; Hubei Sweet potato Engineering and Technology Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China.; Hubei Sweet potato Engineering and Technology Research Centre, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430064, China.; Research Center of Crop Stresses Resistance Technologies/ Engineering Research Centre of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China. Electronic address: wyzhang@yangtzeu.edu.cn.
Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) originated from South America; therefore, it is vulnerable to low temperature. Here, the evolutionary analysis of 22 cold-responsive genes in 35 plant species revealed that the identified MYC-type basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors exhibit diverse structures. We found that the number of bHLH gene family members was significantly lower than that of cold-tolerant species. We further systematically evaluated the gene structure, promoter analysis, synteny analysis, and expression pattern of 28 bHLH gene family members in sweet potato. The basic helix-loop-helix protein 116 (IbbHLH116) has the closest phylogeny to the AtICE1 protein of A. thaliana. However, the IbbHLH116 protein from cold-tolerant variety FS18 showed a 37.90% of sequence homology with AtICE1 protein. Subcellular localization analysis showed that IbbHLH116 is localized in the nucleus. The transcripts of IbbHLH116 were highly accumulated in cold-tolerant genotype FS18, particularly in new leaves and stems, compared to the cold-sensitive genotype NC1 under cold stress. Overexpression of IbbHLH116 in the wild type (Col-0) A. thaliana significantly enhanced cold tolerance in transgenic plants by regulating activities of oxidative protective enzymes, such as peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), proline and soluble proteins. Moreover, overexpression of IbbHLH116 in ice1 mutant A. thaliana fully rescued the cold-sensitive phenotype by promoting the expression of C-repeat binding factors 3 (CBF3). Overexpression of IbbHLH116 in the sweet potato callus also induced the expression of CBF3 under low temperature. These results imply that IbbHLH116 can perform the function of the ICE1 gene in conferring cold tolerance in sweet potato.
PMID: 35738441
Protoplasma , IF:3.356 , 2022 May doi: 10.1007/s00709-022-01765-y
Comparative genomic analysis of the CPK gene family in Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) and the functions of PheCPK1 in drought stress.
Laboratory of Modern Biotechnology, School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.; Laboratory of Modern Biotechnology, School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China. xiangyanahau@sina.com.
Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CPKs) play an important role in plant regulation of growth and development, and in the responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we analyzed Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) CPK genes and their closely related five gene families (Brachypodium distachyon, Hordeum vulgare L., Oryza sativa, Setaria italica, and Zea mays) comprehensively, including phylogenetic relationships, gene structures, and synteny analysis. Thirty Moso bamboo CPKs were divided into four subgroups; in each subgroup, the constituent parts of gene structure were relatively conserved. Furthermore, analysis of expression profiles showed that most PheCPK genes are significantly upregulated under drought and cold stress, especially PheCPK1. Overexpression of PheCPK1 in Arabidopsis reduced plant tolerance to drought stress, as determined through physiological analyses of the relative water content, relative electrical leakage, and malondialdehyde content. It also activated the expressions of stress-related genes. In addition, overexpression of PheCPK1 in Arabidopsis exhibited significantly decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging ability. Taken together, these results suggest that PheCPK1 may act as a negative regulator involved in the drought stress responses.
PMID: 35503386
DNA Cell Biol , IF:3.311 , 2022 Jun , V41 (6) : P564-574 doi: 10.1089/dna.2021.1144
Characterization and Functional Analysis of ZmSWEET15a in Maize.
Crop Genetics and Breeding Lines, College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.; Department of Biotechnology, College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
The sugars will eventually be exported transporters (SWEETs) gene family is a new type of sugar transporters, which plays an important role in plant growth and development, physiological metabolism, and abiotic stress. In this study, we used quantitative real-time PCR to analyze the expression of ZmSWEET15a gene in different organs of maize and under different abiotic stresses. The results showed that ZmSWEET15a was expressed in roots, stems, leaves, and grains, with the highest expression level in leaves, which was highly correlated with leaf development. Under the treatment of polyethylene glycol (PEG), NaCl, H2O2, and abscisic acid stress, the expression of ZmSWEET15a was upregulated, while under the treatment of cold stress, the expression of ZmSWEET15a was inhibited. In sugar-specific experiments, we found that sucrose was the most effective carbon source for maize seed germination. The expression analysis of ZmSWEET15a in different carbon sources suggested that the expression of ZmSWEET15a was more likely to be induced by sucrose. Overexpression of ZmSWEET15a in maize plants could reduce the sucrose content in leaves and increase the sucrose content in grains. The heterologous expression of ZmSWEET15a in the yeast mutant strain SUSY7/ura indicated that ZmSWEET15a is a sucrose transporter and pH independent. This study provides new insight into sugar transport and carbohydrate partitioning in maize and other crops, and provide more genetic information for improving crop quality at the molecular level.
PMID: 35593918
Funct Plant Biol , IF:3.101 , 2022 Jun , V49 (7) : P647-658 doi: 10.1071/FP21297
Identification and characterisation of blue light photoreceptor gene family and their expression in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under cold stress.
National University of Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (ENS-UNSTIM), Natitingou, Republic of Benin; and Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Palacky University, Slechtitelu 27, Olomouc-Holice 783 71, Czech Republic.; Department of Forest Conservation and Protection, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria.; Independent Researcher, House No. 280 A/1 Sector F1 Mirpur 10250, AJK, Pakistan.; Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan.; Independent Researcher, Askari 13, Rawalpandi 46604, Pakistan.; Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Palacky University, Slechtitelu 27, Olomouc-Holice 783 71, Czech Republic.
The Arabidopsis thaliana L. photoreceptor genes homologues in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genome were analysed using bioinformatic tools. The expression pattern of these genes under cold stress was also evaluated. Transcriptome analysis of the tomato sequence revealed that the photoreceptor gene family is involved in abiotic stress tolerance. They participate in various pathways and controlling multiple metabolic processes. They are structurally related to PAS, LIGHT-OXYGEN-VOLTAGE-SENSING (LOV), DNA photolyase, 5,10-methenyl tetrahydrofolate (MTHF), flavin-binding kelch F-box, GAF, PHY, Seven-bladed beta-propeller and C27 domains. They also interact with flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), (5S)-5-methyl-2-(methylsulfanyl)-5-phenyl-3-(phenylamino)-3,5-dihydro-4H-imidazol -4-one (FNM) and Phytochromobilin (PvarphiB) ligands. These interactions help to create a cascade of protein phosphorylation involving in cell defence transcription or stress-regulated genes. They localisation of these gene families on tomato chromosomes appeared to be uneven. Phylogenetic tree of tomato and Arabidopsis photoreceptor gene family were classified into eight subgroups, indicating gene expression diversity. Morphological and physiological assessment revealed no dead plant after 4h of cold treatment. All the plants were found to be alive, but there were some variations in the data across different parameters. Cold stress significantly reduced the rate of photosynthesis from 10.06 to 3.16mumolm-2 s-1 , transpiration from 4.6 to 1.3mmolm-2 s-1 , and stomatal conductance from 94.6 to 25.6mmolm-2 s-1 . The cold stressed plants also had reduced height, root/shoot length, and fresh/dry biomass weight than the control plants. Relative expression analysis under cold stress revealed that after 4h, light stimulates the transcript level of Cry2 from 1.9 to 5.7 and PhyB from 0.98 to 6.9 compared to other photoreceptor genes.
PMID: 35437142
Funct Plant Biol , IF:3.101 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1071/FP22005
Feasibility of using melatonin content in pepper (Capsicum annuum) seeds as a physiological marker of chilling stress tolerance.
The presence of melatonin, a known animal hormone, has been confirmed in many evolutionary distant organisms, including higher plants. It is known that melatonin increases tolerance to stress factors as a wide spectrum antioxidant. Tolerant genotypes have generally higher melatonin content than sensitive ones, and exposure to stressful conditions is known to increase endogenous melatonin levels. However, endogenous melatonin levels in seeds have never been used to select genotypes tolerant to abiotic stresses. Thus, in this study, the existence of possible relationship between seed melatonin levels of 28 pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) genotypes and their germination and emergence performance under chilling conditions (15 degrees C) was investigated. The results indicated that these parameters were much better for pepper genotypes with higher seed melatonin contents while those having less than 2ngg-1 additionally exhibited elevated levels of MDA and H2O2 but lower antioxidant enzyme activities. Thus, a positive relationship between seed melatonin content and chilling stress tolerance has been shown, suggesting a possible use of endogenous melatonin levels as a criterion in selecting chilling stress tolerant varieties. To save considerable time, money and labour, it is recommended that genotypes with lower melatonin contents are excluded from breeding programmes that aim to develop new stress tolerant genotypes.
PMID: 35701365
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2022 Jun , V24 (4) : P569-575 doi: 10.1111/plb.13406
Hydrogen sulphide-mediated alleviation and its interplay with other signalling molecules during temperature stress.
Department of Botany, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Jammu, Samba, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), India.
The sessile habit of plants does not provide choices to escape the environmental constraints, leading to negative impacts on their growth and development. This causes significant losses in the agriculture sector and raises serious issues on global food security. Extreme temperatures (high or low) influence several aspects of plant life and can cause reproduction malfunction. Therefore, a strategy for temperature amelioration is necessary for the management of agricultural productivity. Supplementation with various chemicals (e.g. phytohormones, gasotransmitters, osmolytes) is considered a good choice to manage plant stress. Gasotransmitters are well-recognized for stress mitigation in plants, among which hydrogen sulphide (H2 S) has proved promising to alleviate stress. Temperature (heat/cold) stress can stimulate the endogenous production of H2 S in plants, and many studies have reported the significance of H2 S for temperature stress amelioration. Here, H2 S led to positive changes in plant physiological, biochemical and molecular responses, which are usually compromised during stress. Further, H2 S also coordinate with other signalling components that act either upstream or downstream during stress mitigation. This review focuses on the significance of H2 S for mitigation of temperature stress, with a comprehensive discussion on cross-talk with other signalling components or supplements (e.g. NO, H2 O2 , salicylic acid, trehalose, proline). Finally, the review provides a rational assessment and holistic understanding of H2 S-mediated mitigation of extreme temperature stress and addresses the prospects for development of an effective strategy to manage temperature stress.
PMID: 35238126
Plant Direct , IF:3.038 , 2022 May , V6 (5) : Pe405 doi: 10.1002/pld3.405
Genetic loci associated with freezing tolerance in a European rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) diversity panel identified by genome-wide association mapping.
Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Sunflower and Plant Biology Research Unit USDA-Agricultural Research Service Fargo North Dakota USA.; Department of Plant Sciences North Dakota State University Fargo North Dakota USA.
Winter biotypes of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) require a vernalization treatment to enter the reproductive phase and generally produce greater yields than spring rapeseed. To find genetic loci associated with freezing tolerance in rapeseed, we first performed genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) on a diversity panel consisting of 222 rapeseed accessions originating primarily from Europe, which identified 69,554 high-quality single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Model-based cluster analysis suggested that there were eight subgroups. The diversity panel was then phenotyped for freezing survival (visual damage and Fv/Fo and Fv/Fm) after 2 months of cold acclimation (5 degrees C) and a freezing treatment (-15 degrees C for 4 h). The genotypic and phenotypic data for each accession in the rapeseed diversity panel was then used to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS). GWAS results showed that 14 significant markers were mapped to seven chromosomes for the phenotypes scored. Twenty-four candidate genes located within the mapped loci were identified as previously associated with lipid, photosynthesis, flowering, ubiquitination, and cytochrome P450 in rapeseed or other plant species.
PMID: 35647480
PeerJ , IF:2.984 , 2022 , V10 : Pe13422 doi: 10.7717/peerj.13422
Overexpression of AmCBF1 enhances drought and cold stress tolerance, and improves photosynthesis in transgenic cotton.
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology Research Institute, Beijing, China.; Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Germplasm Resources and Biotechnology, Tianjin, China.
China's main cotton production area is located in the northwest where abiotic stresses, particularly cold and drought, have serious effects on cotton production. In this study, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus C-repeat-binding factor (AmCBF1) isolated from the shrub Ammopiptanthus mongolicus was inserted into upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivar R15 to evaluate the potential benefits of this gene. Two transgenic lines were selected, and the transgene insertion site was identified using whole-genome sequencing. The results showed that AmCBF1 was incorporated into the cotton genome as a single copy. Transgenic plants had distinctly higher relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll content, soluble sugar content, and lower ion leakage than R15 after drought and cold stress. Some characteristics, such as the area of lower epidermal cells, stomatal density, and root to shoot ratio, varied significantly between transgenic cotton lines and R15. Although the photosynthetic ability of transgenic plants was inhibited after stress, the net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate in transgenic plants were significantly higher than in R15. This suggested that an enhanced stress tolerance and photosynthesis of transgenic cotton was achieved by overexpressing AmCBF1. All together, our results demonstrate that the new transgenic cotton germplasm has great application value against abiotic stresses, especially in the northwest inland area of China.
PMID: 35637712
PeerJ , IF:2.984 , 2022 , V10 : Pe13273 doi: 10.7717/peerj.13273
Genome-wide identification of the SWEET gene family mediating the cold stress response in Prunus mume.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation & Molecular Breeding, School of Landscape Architecture, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
The Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter (SWEET) gene family encodes a family of sugar transporters that play essential roles in plant growth, reproduction, and biotic and abiotic stresses. Prunus mume is a considerable ornamental wood plant with high edible and medicinal values; however, its lack of tolerance to low temperature has severely limited its geographical distribution. To investigate whether this gene family mediates the response of P. mume to cold stress, we identified that the P. mume gene family consists of 17 members and divided the family members into four groups. Sixteen of these genes were anchored on six chromosomes, and one gene was anchored on the scaffold with four pairs of segmental gene duplications and two pairs of tandem gene duplications. Cis-acting regulatory element analysis indicated that the PmSWEET genes are potentially involved in P. mume development, including potentially regulating roles in procedure, such as circadian control, abscisic acid-response and light-response, and responses to numerous stresses, such as low-temperature and drought. We performed low-temperature treatment in the cold-tolerant cultivar 'Songchun' and cold-sensitive cultivar 'Zaolve' and found that the expression of four of 17 PmSWEETs was either upregulated or downregulated with prolonged treatment times. This finding indicates that these family members may potentially play a role in cold stress responses in P. mume. Our study provides a basis for further investigation of the role of SWEET proteins in the development of P. mume and its responses to cold stress.
PMID: 35529486
Transgenic Res , IF:2.788 , 2022 Jun , V31 (3) : P381-389 doi: 10.1007/s11248-022-00307-9
MsSAMS, a cold stress-responsive gene, provides resistance to environmental stress in T2-generation transgenic plants.
Department of Bio-Resource Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea.; Interdisciplinary Program in Smart Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 2434, Republic of Korea.; Division of Bioresource Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, South Korea. esseong@kangwon.ac.kr.
The SAMS (S-adenosylmethionine synthetase) gene is known to play an important role in the mechanism of cold resistance, as overexpression of this gene results in phenotypic changes in T1-generation transgenic plants. Accordingly, this study was conducted to test the expression of the MsSAMS gene in T2-generation transgenic plants and to investigate the resistance of these plants and the function of the transgene in response to various environmental stresses. For the morphological analysis of T2-generation transgenic plants overexpressing the MsSAMS gene, observations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. T2-generation transgenic plants were obtained by planting a total of 5 lines, and their characteristics were tested by comparisons with those of the control. SEM revealed that the thickest leaves were produced by the T6 transgenic line-161.24 +/- 8.05 microm. The number of stomata ranged from 20.00 +/- 2.65 to 34.00 +/- 1.00 in the T2-generation transgenic plants, but the control had more stomata. Resistance to various factors, such as low temperature, drought, and oxidative stress, in the T2-generation transgenic plants was also confirmed. Under cold-stress conditions, the T6 transgenic line presented the lowest value (22.73%) of ion leakage, and under drought-stress conditions, compared with the control, the transgenic lines presented lower ion leakage after being treated with various concentrations of mannitol. Even under oxidative-stress conditions, the T2-generation transgenic plants presented ion leakage levels that were 32.91 +/- 4.24 to 48.33 +/- 3.54% lower than those of the control after treatment with various concentrations of methyl viologen. Regarding SAMS enzyme activity, as the duration of cold treatment increased, the activity in the transgenic plants tended to decrease and then increase. During 48 h of cold treatment, the control showed a decrease in SAM content, while the T2-generation transgenic plants presented an increase in SAM content, from 13.58 +/- 1.04 to 22.75 +/- 1.95 mg protein/g FW. The results suggest that the MsSAMS gene may be important to the mechanisms of resistance to oxidative and drought stresses in addition to its previously known association with cold resistance. Based on these results, it was suggested that the MsSAMS gene, whose expression is induced by cold stress, can serve as a marker of various responses to environmental stresses, because resistance to cold damage and various environmental stresses are stably inherited in the T2 generation.
PMID: 35461371
Physiol Mol Biol Plants , IF:2.391 , 2022 May , V28 (5) : P1049-1060 doi: 10.1007/s12298-022-01184-6
Association analysis of germination level cold stress tolerance and candidate gene identification in Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey.grid.419609.30000 0000 9261 240X; Ozaltin Agricultural Enterprises Industry and Commerce Inc., Aydin, Turkey.; Nazilli Cotton Research Institute, Nazilli, Aydin Turkey.; Plant Science and Technology Applied Research Center, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey.grid.419609.30000 0000 9261 240X
Cotton originated from ancestors in the Gossypium genus that grew in semi-desert habitats. As a result, it is adversely affected by low temperatures especially during germination and the first weeks of growth. Despite this, there are relatively few molecular studies on cold stress in cotton. This limitation may present a future breeding handicap, as recent years have witnessed increased low temperature damage to cotton production. Cold tolerance is a sustainable approach to obtain good production in case of extreme cold. In the present study, 110 Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) genotypes were evaluated for cold tolerance at the germination stage. We identified vigorous genotypes with cold-related parameters that outperformed the panel's average performance ( x = 76.9% CG, 83.9% CSI, 167.5 CWVI). Molecular genetic diversity analysis with 101 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers yielding 416 loci was used to select tolerant genotypes that could be important materials for breeding this trait. A total of 16 marker-cold tolerance trait associations (p < 0.005) were identified with 10 of them having major effects (PVE > 10%). Based on the positions of these markers, candidate genes for cold tolerance in the G. hirsutum genome were identified. Three of these markers (BNL0569, CIR081 and CIR202) are important candidates for use in marker-assisted breeding for cold tolerance because they mapped to genes previously associated with cold tolerance in other plant species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, rice and tomato. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01184-6.
PMID: 35722519
J Microbiol Biotechnol , IF:2.351 , 2022 May , V32 (5) : P582-593 doi: 10.4014/jmb.2201.01025
Exogenous Bio-Based 2,3-Butanediols Enhanced Abiotic Stress Tolerance of Tomato and Turfgrass under Drought or Chilling Stress.
Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Institute of Environmentally Friendly Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.; Plant Healthcare Research Institute, JAN153 Biotech Incorporated, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.; Research and Development Center, GS Caltex Corporation, Daejeon 34122, Republic of Korea.
Among abiotic stresses in plants, drought and chilling stresses reduce the supply of moisture to plant tissues, inhibit photosynthesis, and severely reduce plant growth and yield. Thus, the application of water stress-tolerant agents can be a useful strategy to maintain plant growth under abiotic stresses. This study assessed the effect of exogenous bio-based 2,3-butanediol (BDO) application on drought and chilling response in tomato and turfgrass, and expression levels of several plant signaling pathway-related gene transcripts. Bio-based 2,3-BDOs were formulated to levo-2,3-BDO 0.9% soluble concentrate (levo 0.9% SL) and meso-2,3-BDO 9% SL (meso 9% SL). Under drought and chilling stress conditions, the application of levo 0.9% SL in creeping bentgrass and meso 9% SL in tomato plants significantly reduced the deleterious effects of abiotic stresses. Interestingly, pretreatment with levo-2,3-BDO in creeping bentgrass and meso-2,3-BDO in tomato plants enhanced JA and SA signaling pathway-related gene transcript expression levels in different ways. In addition, all tomato plants treated with acibenzolar-S-methyl (as a positive control) withered completely under chilling stress, whereas 2,3-BDO-treated tomato plants exhibited excellent cold tolerance. According to our findings, bio-based 2,3-BDO isomers as sustainable water stress-tolerant agents, levo- and meso-2,3-BDOs, could enhance tolerance to drought and/or chilling stresses in various plants through somewhat different molecular activities without any side effects.
PMID: 35484968
Mol Biol Rep , IF:2.316 , 2022 Jun doi: 10.1007/s11033-022-07527-6
Expression of a Pennisetum glaucum gene DREB2A confers enhanced heat, drought and salinity tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.
National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India.; PG School, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.; National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, India. jasdeep_kaur64@yahoo.co.in.; PG School, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India. jasdeep_kaur64@yahoo.co.in.
BACKGROUND: Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is an essential cereal crop, whose growth and yield are not impacted by abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, and cold. The DREB transcription factors (TF) are some of the largest groups of TFs in plants and play varied roles in plant stress response and signal transduction. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the present study, PgDREB2A gene encoding a DREB transcription factor in pearl millet was functionally characterized in Arabidopsis. DREB2A proteins contain a conserved domain that binds toethylene responsive element binding factors. Three different T1 transgenic lines overexpressing PgDREB2A gene were identified by Southern blot. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction exhibited that PgDREB2A could be induced under drought conditions. As compared with the control, PgDREB2A overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis showed increased rate of seed germination and root growth in transgenic lines under higher concentrations of mannitol, NaCl, ABA, heat and cold stress. Additionally, PgDREB2A transgenic lines showed enhanced durability after rehydration and tolerance to drought and salt stress was augmented with increased proline and reduced MDA build-up and diminishing water loss. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggested that PgDREB2A as a transcription factor may improve endurance to various abiotic stresses and can be employed for developing crops tolerant to abiotic stresses.
PMID: 35666421
Genes Genomics , IF:1.839 , 2022 May doi: 10.1007/s13258-022-01263-8
Identification of Saccharum CaM gene family and function characterization of ScCaM1 during cold and oxidant exposure in Pichia pastoris.
Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.; Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. jlguo@fafu.edu.cn.
BACKGROUND: Calmodulin (CaM) plays an essential role in binding calcium ions and mediating the interpretation of Ca(2+) signals in plants under various stresses. However, the evolutionary relationship of CaM family proteins in Saccharum has not been elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To deduce and explore the evolution and function of Saccharum CaM family. METHODS: A total of 104 typical CaMs were obtained from Saccharum spontaneum and other 18 plant species. The molecular characteristics and evolution of those CaM proteins were analyzed. A typical CaM gene, ScCaM1, was subsequently cloned from sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrid). Its expression patterns in different tissues and under various abiotic stresses were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Then the green fluorescent protein was used to determine the subcellular localization of ScCaM1. Finally, the function of ScCaM1 was evaluated via heterologous yeast expression systems. RESULTS: Three typical CaM members (SsCaM1, SsCaM2, and SsCaM3) were identified from the S. spontaneum genome database. CaMs were originated from the two last common ancestors before the origin of angiosperms. The number of CaM family members did not correlate to the genome size but correlated with allopolyploidization events. The ScCaM1 was more highly expressed in buds and roots than in other tissues. The expression patterns of ScCaM1 suggested that it was involved in responses to various abiotic stresses in sugarcane via different hormonal signaling pathways. Noteworthily, its expression levels appeared relatively stable during the cold exposure in the cold-tolerant variety but significantly suppressed in the cold-susceptible variety. Moreover, the recombinant yeast (Pichia pastoris) overexpressing ScCaM1 grew better than the wild-type yeast strain under cold and oxidative stresses. It was revealed that the ScCaM1 played a positive role in reactive oxygen species scavenging and conferred enhanced cold and oxidative stress tolerance to cells. CONCLUSION: This study provided comprehensive information on the CaM gene family in Saccharum and would facilitate further investigation of their functional characterization.
PMID: 35608775
J Microsc , IF:1.758 , 2022 Jun , V286 (3) : P252-262 doi: 10.1111/jmi.13101
Visualising the effect of freezing on the vascular system of wheat in three dimensions by in-block imaging of dye-infiltrated plants.
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.; Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
Infrared thermography has shown after roots of grasses freeze, ice spreads into the crown and then acropetally into leaves initially through vascular bundles. Leaves freeze singly with the oldest leaves freezing first and the youngest freezing later. Visualising the vascular system in its native 3-dimensional state will help in the understanding of this freezing process. A 2 cm section of the crown that had been infiltrated with aniline blue was embedded in paraffin and sectioned with a microtome. A photograph of the surface of the tissue in the paraffin block was taken after the microtome blade removed each 20 mum section. Two hundred to 300 images were imported into Adobe After Effects and a 3D volume of the region infiltrated by aniline blue dye was constructed. The reconstruction revealed that roots fed into what is functionally a region inside the crown that could act as a reservoir from which all the leaves are able to draw water. When a single root was fed dye solution, the entire region filled with dye and the vascular bundles of every leaf took up the dye; this indicated that the vascular system of roots was not paired with individual leaves. Fluorescence microscopy suggested the edge of the reservoir might be composed of phenolic compounds. When plants were frozen, the edges of the reservoir became leaky and dye solution spread into the mesophyll outside the reservoir. The significance of this change with regard to freezing tolerance is not known at this time. Thermal cameras that allow visualisation of water freezing in plants have shown that in crops like wheat, oats and barley, ice forms first at the bottom of the plant and then moves upwards into leaves through water conducting channels. Leaves freeze one at a time with the oldest leaves freezing first and then younger ones further up the stem freeze later. To better understand why plants freeze like this, we reconstructed a 3-dimensional view of the water conducting channels. After placing the roots of a wheat plant in a blue dye and allowing it to pull the dye upwards into leaves, we took a part of the stem just above the roots and embedded it in paraffin. We used a microtome to slice a thin layer of the paraffin containing the plant and then photographed the surface after each layer was removed. After taking about 300 images, we used Adobe After Effects software to re-construct the plant with the water conducting system in three dimensions. The 3D reconstruction showed that roots fed into a roughly spherical area at the bottom of the stem that could act as a kind of tank or reservoir from which the leaves pull up water. When we put just one root in dye, the entire reservoir filled up and the water conducting channels in every leaf took up the dye. This indicates that the water channels in roots were not directly connected to specific leaves as we had thought. When plants were frozen, the dye leaked out of the reservoir and spread into cells outside. Research is continuing to understand the significance of this change during freezing. It is possible that information about this effect can be used to help breeders develop more winter-hardy crop plants.
PMID: 35319110
Evol Bioinform Online , IF:1.625 , 2022 , V18 : P11769343221106795 doi: 10.1177/11769343221106795
In Silico Identification and Characterization of B12D Family Proteins in Viridiplantae.
Department of Biology, College of Science and Humanities in Al-Kharj, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-kharj, Saudi Arabia.
B12D family proteins are transmembrane proteins that contain the B12D domain involved in membrane trafficking. Plants comprise several members of the B12D family, but these members' numbers and specific functions are not determined. This study aims to identify and characterize the members of B12D protein family in plants. Phytozome database was retrieved for B12D proteins from 14 species. The total 66 B12D proteins were analyzed in silico for gene structure, motifs, gene expression, duplication events, and phylogenetics. In general, B12D proteins are between 86 and 98 aa in length, have 2 or 3 exons, and comprise a single transmembrane helix. Motif prediction and multiple sequence alignment show strong conservation among B12D proteins of 11 flowering plants species. Despite that, the phylogenetic tree revealed a distinct cluster of 16 B12D proteins that have high conservation across flowering plants. Motif prediction revealed 41 aa motif conserved in 58 of the analyzed B12D proteins similar to the bZIP motif, confirming that in the predicted biological process and molecular function, B12D proteins are DNA-binding proteins. Cis-regulatory elements screening in putative B12D promoters found various responsive elements for light, abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, cytokinin, drought, and heat. Despite that, there is specific elements for cold stress, cell cycle, circadian, auxin, salicylic acid, and gibberellic acid in the promoter of a few B12D genes indicating for functional diversification for B12D family members. The digital expression shows that B12D genes of Glycine max have similar expression patterns consistent with their clustering in the phylogenetic tree. However, the expression of B12D genes of Hordeum vulgure appears inconsistent with their clustering in the tree. Despite the strong conservation of the B12D proteins of Viridiplantae, gene association analysis, promoter analysis, and digital expression indicate different roles for the members of the B12D family during plant developmental stages.
PMID: 35721582