EMBO J , IF:11.598 , 2022 Nov : Pe110518 doi: 10.15252/embj.2021110518
Cold-induced calreticulin OsCRT3 conformational changes promote OsCIPK7 binding and temperature sensing in rice.
Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; Institut fur Biologie und Biotechnologie der Pflanzen, Westfalische Wilhelms-Universitat, Munster, Germany.; Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.; Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Unusually low temperatures caused by global climate change adversely affect rice production. Sensing cold to trigger signal network is a key base for improvement of chilling tolerance trait. Here, we report that Oryza sativa Calreticulin 3 (OsCRT3) localized at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exhibits conformational changes under cold stress, thereby enhancing its interaction with CBL-interacting protein kinase 7 (OsCIPK7) to sense cold. Phenotypic analyses of OsCRT3 knock-out mutants and transgenic overexpression lines demonstrate that OsCRT3 is a positive regulator in chilling tolerance. OsCRT3 localizes at the ER and mediates increases in cytosolic calcium levels under cold stress. Notably, cold stress triggers secondary structural changes of OsCRT3 and enhances its binding affinity with OsCIPK7, which finally boosts its kinase activity. Moreover, Calcineurin B-like protein 7 (OsCBL7) and OsCBL8 interact with OsCIPK7 specifically on the plasma membrane. Taken together, our results thus identify a cold-sensing mechanism that simultaneously conveys cold-induced protein conformational change, enhances kinase activity, and Ca(2+) signal generation to facilitate chilling tolerance in rice.
PMID: 36341575
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac320
A plastid nucleoside kinase is involved in inosine salvage and control of purine nucleotide biosynthesis.
Leibniz Universitat Hannover, Department of Molecular Nutrition and Biochemistry of Plants, Herrenhauser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany.; Seoul National University, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, 151-921 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
In nucleotide metabolism, nucleoside kinases recycle nucleosides to nucleotides - a process called nucleoside salvage. Nucleoside kinases for adenosine, uridine and cytidine have been characterized from many organisms, but kinases for inosine and guanosine salvage are not yet known in eukaryotes and only a few such enzymes have been described from bacteria. Here we identified Arabidopsis thaliana PLASTID NUCLEOSIDE KINASE 1 (PNK1), an enzyme highly conserved in plants and green algae belonging to the Phosphofructokinase B (PfkB) family. We demonstrate that PNK1 from Arabidopsis thaliana is located in plastids and catalyzes the phosphorylation of inosine, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribose (AICA ribonucleoside) and uridine but not guanosine in vitro, and is involved in inosine salvage in vivo. PNK1 mutation leads to increased flux into purine nucleotide catabolism and, especially in the context of defective uridine degradation, to over-accumulation of uridine and UTP as well as growth depression. The data suggest that PNK1 is involved in feedback regulation of purine nucleotide biosynthesis and possibly also pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis. We additionally report that cold stress leads to accumulation of purine nucleotides, probably by inducing nucleotide biosynthesis, but that this adjustment of nucleotide homeostasis to environmental conditions is not controlled by PNK1.
PMID: 36342213
J Adv Res , IF:10.479 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2022.12.011
Mediating a host cell signaling pathway linked to overwinter mortality offers a promising therapeutic approach for improving bee health.
Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guanzhou,510260, P.R. China; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; College of Animal Sciences (Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, P.R. China.; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guanzhou,510260, P.R. China; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; College of Animal Sciences (Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, P.R. China; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, 100093, P.R. China; Identification Technology Program (ITP) Molecular Laboratory, USDA-APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology (S&T), Fort Collins, Colorado, 80526-1825 U.S.A; USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, 2000 East Allen Road, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Animal and Plant Resources of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810000, China.; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, 100093, P.R. China.; Key Laboratory of Pollinating Insect Biology, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing, 100093, P.R. China.; Identification Technology Program (ITP) Molecular Laboratory, USDA-APHIS-PPQ-Science & Technology (S&T), Fort Collins, Colorado, 80526-1825 U.S.A.; USDA-ARS Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, 2000 East Allen Road, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.; Key Laboratory of Medicinal Animal and Plant Resources of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai Province, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810000, China.; U.S. Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) Bee Research Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA. Electronic address: judy.chen@usda.gov.
INTRODUCTION: Honey bees provides valuable pollination services for world food crops and wild flowering plants which are habitats of many animal species and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. Nevertheless, the honey bee population has been declining and the majority of colony losses occur during the winter. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to understand the mechanisms underlying overwinter colony losses and develop novel therapeutic strategies for improving bee health. METHODS: First, pathogen prevalence in overwintering bees were screened between 2015 and 2018. Second, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) for transcriptional profiling of overwintering honey bees was conducted and qRT-PCR was performed to confirm the results of the differential expression of selected genes. Lastly, laboratory bioassays were conducted to measure the effects of cold challenges on bee survivorship and stress responses and to assess the effect of a novel medication for alleviating cold stress in honey bees. RESULTS: We identified that sirtuin signaling pathway is the most significantly enriched pathway among the down-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in overwintering diseased bees. Moreover, we showed that the expression of SIRT1 gene, a major sirtuin that regulates energy and immune metabolism, was significantly downregulated in bees merely exposed to cold challenges, linking cold stress with altered gene expression of SIRT1 . Furthermore, we demonstrated that activation of SIRT1 gene expression by SRT1720, an activator of SIRT1 expression, could improve the physiology and extend the lifespan of cold-stressed bees. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that increased energy consumption of overwintering bees for maintaining hive temperature reduces the allocation of energy toward immune functions, thus making the overwintering bees more susceptible to disease infections and leading to high winter colony losses. The novel information gained from this study provides a promising avenue for the development of therapeutic strategies for mitigating colony losses, both overwinter and annually.
PMID: 36564001
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1111/nph.18699
Cold stress induces malformed tomato fruits by breaking the feedback loops of stem cell regulation in floral meristem.
College of Horticulture, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.; United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate, 020-8550, Japan.; Department of Biological Chemistry and Food Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate, 020-8550, Japan.; Department of Plant Bio Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate, 020-8550, Japan.
Fruit malformation is a major constrain in fruit production world-wide resulting in substantial economic losses. The farmers for decades noticed that the chilling temperature prior to the blooming often caused malformed fruits. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon is unclear. Here we examined the fruit development in response to cold stress in tomato, and demonstrated that short-term cold stress increased the callose accumulation in both shoot apical and floral meristems, resulting in the symplastic isolation and altered intercellular movement of WUS. In contrast to the rapidly restored SlWUS transcription during the recovery from cold stress, the callose removal was delayed due to obstructed plasmodesmata. The delayed reinstatement of cell-to-cell transport of SlWUS prevented the activation of SlCLV3 and TAG1, causing the interrupted feedback-inhibition of SlWUS expression, leading to the expanded stem cell population and malformed fruits. We further showed that the callose dynamics in response to short-term cold stress presumably exploits the mechanism of bud dormancy during the seasonal growth, involving two antagonistic hormones ABA and GA. Our results provide a novel insight into the cold stress regulated malformation of fruit.
PMID: 36564973
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2022 Nov , V236 (3) : P989-1005 doi: 10.1111/nph.18403
A single-nucleotide polymorphism in WRKY33 promoter is associated with the cold sensitivity in cultivated tomato.
Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Integrative Biology, Zhejiang University, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya, 572000, China.; Agricultural Experiment Station, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Department of Agricultural Sciences Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, Lemesos, 999058, Cyprus.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Agricultural Ministry of China, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Shandong (Linyi) Institute of Modern Agriculture, Zhejiang University, Linyi, 276000, China.
Natural variations in cis-regulatory regions often affect crop phenotypes by altering gene expression. However, the mechanism of how promoter mutations affect gene expression and crop stress tolerance is still poorly understood. In this study, by analyzing RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) data and reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR validation in the cultivated tomato and its wild relatives, we reveal that the transcripts of WRKY33 are almost unchanged in cold-sensitive cultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum L. 'Ailsa Craig' but are significantly induced in cold-tolerant wild tomato relatives Solanum habrochaites LA1777 and Solanum pennellii LA0716 under cold stress. Overexpression of SlWRKY33 or ShWRKY33 positively regulates cold tolerance in tomato. Variant of the critical W-box in SlWRKY33 promoter results in the loss of self-transcription function of SlWRKY33 under cold stress. Analysis integrating RNA-Seq and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data reveals that SlWRKY33 directly targets and induces multiple kinases, transcription factors, and molecular chaperone genes, such as CDPK11, MYBS3, and BAG6, thus enhancing cold tolerance. In addition, heat- and Botrytis-induced WRKY33s expression in both wild and cultivated tomatoes are independent of the critical W-box variation. Our findings suggest nucleotide polymorphism in cis-regulatory regions is crucial for different cold sensitivity between cultivated and wild tomato plants.
PMID: 35892173
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac540
Physiological mechanisms underlying extreme longevity in mountain pine trees.
Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Research Institute in Biodiversity (IRBio), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Ancient trees are life history longevity winners that mostly persist in remote and environmentally harsh mountainous areas. Here, we performed a multifeature analysis in a protected mature mountain pine (Pinus uncinata) forest to identify the morphological and physiological traits that make these trees unique. We compared the physiology of meristematic and somatic tissues (apical buds and needles, respectively) from juvenile, mature young, mature old, and mature ancient trees under cold stress and non-stress conditions. We successfully identified key morphological features of extreme longevity at the organism level, as well as various growth, vigor, stress, and dormancy markers underlying extreme longevity in old and ancient trees. Results indicated that evolution has exerted selective pressure on specific physiological traits that make trees become longevity winners (<0.1% of the tree population were ancient trees, with an average trunk diameter >100 cm and an estimated age of 700 years). Traits entailing longevity not only included apical dominance loss, epicormic growth, and modular senescence, but also an extreme plasticity in both meristematic and somatic tissues (buds and leaves, respectively), as shown by various physiological markers. In conclusion, ancient trees are oddities that not only possess a unique ecological value, but also show divergent physiological behaviors selected during their evolution to allow them to cope with adversities and attain long life.
PMID: 36440969
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac512
MdbHLH4 negatively regulates apple cold tolerance by inhibiting MdCBF1/3 expression and promoting MdCAX3L-2 expression.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
Low temperature affects the yield and quality of crops. Inducer of CBF expression 1 (ICE1) plays a positive role in plant cold tolerance by promoting the expression of CRT binding factor (CBF) and cold-responsive (COR) genes. Several ICE1-interacting transcription factors (TFs) that regulate plant cold tolerance have been identified. However, how these TFs affect the function of ICE1 and CBF expression under cold conditions remains unclear. Here, we identified the MYC-type TF MdbHLH4, a negative regulator of cold tolerance in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and apple (Malus domestica) plants. Under cold conditions, MdbHLH4 inhibits the expression of MdCBF1 and MdCBF3 by directly binding to their promoters. It also interacts with MdICE1L, a homolog of AtICE1 in apple, and inhibits the binding of MdICE1L to the promoters of MdCBF1/3 and thus their expression. We showed that MdCAX3L-2, a CAX (Ca2+/H+ exchanger) family gene that negatively regulates plant cold tolerance, is also a direct target of MdbHLH4. MdbHLH4 reduced apple cold tolerance by promoting MdCAX3L-2 expression. Moreover, overexpression of either MdCAX3L-2 or MdbHLH4 promoted the cold-induced ubiquitination and degradation of MdICE1L. Overall, our results reveal that MdbHLH4 negatively regulates plant cold tolerance by inhibiting MdCBF1/3 expression and MdICE1L promoter-binding activity, as well as by promoting MdCAX3L-2 expression and cold-induced MdICE1L degradation. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms by which ICE1-interacting TFs regulate CBF expression and ICE1 function and thus plant cold tolerance.
PMID: 36331333
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac533
FER and LecRK show haplotype-dependent cold-responsiveness and mediate freezing tolerance in Lotus japonicus.
Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Katahira 2-1-1, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, 890 Oval Drive, 3114 Engineering Building II, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
Many plant species have succeeded in colonizing a wide range of diverse climates through local adaptation, but the underlying molecular genetics remain obscure. We previously found that winter survival was a direct target of selection during colonization of Japan by the perennial legume Lotus japonicus and identified associated candidate genes. Here, we show that two of these, FERONIA-receptor like kinase (LjFER) and a S-receptor-like kinase gene (LjLecRK) are required for non-acclimated freezing tolerance and show haplotype-dependent cold-responsive expression. Our work suggests that recruiting a conserved growth regulator gene, FER, and a receptor-like kinase gene, LecRK, into the set of cold-responsive genes has contributed to freezing tolerance and local climate adaptation in L. japonicus, offering functional genetic insight into perennial herb evolution.
PMID: 36448631
Food Chem , IF:7.514 , 2023 Mar , V405 (Pt B) : P134957 doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134957
MaMYB13 is involved in response to chilling stress via activating expression of VLCFAs and phenylpropanoids biosynthesis-related genes in postharvest banana fruit.
Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: lizhiwei@scbg.ac.cn.; Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: zhouyijie123@scbg.ac.cn.; Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: lianghanzhi@scbg.ac.cn.; Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Wenzhou 325027, China. Electronic address: liqing@wiucas.ac.cn.; Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: ymjiang@scbg.ac.cn.; Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: xwduan@scbg.ac.cn.; Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Genetic Improvement & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China; South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: gxjiang@scbg.ac.cn.
Fruit chilling injury is the result of physiological dysfunction due to membrane lipid phase change, oxidative damage of biomacromolecules and respiratory metabolism abnormality. However, the involvement of transcription factors in response to fruits chilling tolerance remains largely unclear. Here, MaMYB13 was identified to participate in banana fruit response to chilling stress. MaMYB13 has transcriptional activation activity. When exposed to low temperature, expression of MaMYB13 was enormously induced. Moreover, MaMYB13 promoter was activated by chilling stress. MaMYB13 bound to the promoters of several important very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) and phenylpropanoids biosynthesis-related genes, including MaKCS11, Ma4CL6 and MaAAE1, and activated their transcription. Furthermore, MaKIN10 X1/3 interacted with MaMYB13 and enhanced MaMYB13-mediated transcriptional activation possibly via phosphorylation. Altogether, our results unravel the mechanism of MaMYB13-MaKIN10 X1/3 interaction regulating banana fruit chilling tolerance through activating the expression of MaKCS11, Ma4CL6 and MaAAE1, providing new insights into the regulatory network of MYB transcription factor.
PMID: 36417802
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1111/pce.14513
bHLH57 confers chilling tolerance and grain yield improvement in rice.
Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Crop Sterile Germplasm Resource Innovation and Application, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.
Chilling stress has become a major limiting factor that reduces crop productivity worldwide. In this study, we identified a new gene bHLH57, whose product enhances chilling tolerance in rice at diverse developmental stages. bHLH57 was mainly expressed in leaves and anthers, and its protein was targeted to the nucleus. Overexpression of bHLH57 enhanced chilling tolerance by increasing trehalose synthesis, whereas its mutants by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis were more sensitive to chilling and had reduced trehalose. Meanwhile, bHLH57 may regulate ROS metabolism and CBFs/DREBs- dependent pathways in response to chilling stress. In addition, the overexpression of bHLH57 resulted in increased grain yield under normal and chilling conditions, however, the disruption of bHLH57 displayed decreased grain size and seed setting rate, thus reduced grain yield. Phylogenetic and nucleotide diversity analyses suggested that bHLH57 is relatively conserved in monocotyledons, and may be selected during indica populations adaptation. Taken together, we have identified a new bHLH regulator involved rice chilling tolerance and grain yield, and provide a potential target gene for improving chilling tolerance and grain yield of rice.
PMID: 36510797
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2022 Nov , V45 (11) : P3305-3321 doi: 10.1111/pce.14432
Comparative transcriptomics analysis reveals a calcineurin B-like gene to positively regulate constitutive and acclimated freezing tolerance in potato.
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Tuber and Root Crop, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Modern Agriculture/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (South China), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, MOE; Key Laboratory of Potato Biology and Biotechnology, MARA; College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
Freezing stress is a major limiting factor in crop production. To increase frost-hardiness of crops via breeding, deciphering the genes conferring freezing-tolerance is vital. Potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum) are generally freezing-sensitive, but some potato wild species are freezing-tolerant, including Solanum commersonii, Solanum malmeanum and Solanum acaule. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms conferring the freezing-tolerance to the wild species remain to be deciphered. In this study, five representative genotypes of the above-mentioned species with distinct freezing-tolerance were investigated. Comparative transcriptomics analysis showed that SaCBL1-like (calcineurin B-like protein) was upregulated substantially in all of the freezing-tolerant genotypes. Transgenic overexpression and known-down lines of SaCBL1-like were examined. SaCBL1-like was shown to confer freezing-tolerance without significantly impacting main agricultural traits. A functional mechanism analysis showed that SaCBL1-like increases the expression of the C-repeat binding factor-regulon as well as causes a prolonged higher expression of CBF1 after exposure to cold conditions. Furthermore, SaCBL1-like was found to only interact with SaCIPK3-1 (CBL-interacting protein kinase) among all apparent cold-responsive SaCIPKs. Our study identifies SaCBL1-like to play a vital role in conferring freezing tolerance in potato, which may provide a basis for a targeted potato breeding for frost-hardiness.
PMID: 36041917
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1111/pce.14483
Limitation of sucrose biosynthesis shapes carbon partitioning during plant cold acclimation.
Plant Evolutionary Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.; Theoretical Biophysics, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.; Institute for Biosciences, Physiology of Plant Metabolism, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Cold acclimation is a multigenic process by which many plant species increase their freezing tolerance. Stabilization of photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism plays a crucial role in cold acclimation. To study regulation of primary and secondary metabolism during cold acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana, metabolic mutants with deficiencies in either starch or flavonoid metabolism were exposed to 4 degrees C. Photosynthesis was determined together with amounts of carbohydrates, anthocyanins, organic acids and enzyme activities of the central carbohydrate metabolism. Starch deficiency was found to significantly delay soluble sugar accumulation during cold acclimation, while starch overaccumulation did not affect accumulation dynamics but resulted in lower total amounts of \sucrose and glucose. Anthocyanin amounts were lowered in both starch deficient and overaccumulating mutants. Vice versa, flavonoid deficiency did not result in a changed starch amount, which suggested a unidirectional signalling link between starch and flavonoid metabolism. Mathematical modelling of carbon metabolism indicated kinetics of sucrose biosynthesis to be limiting for carbon partitioning in leaf tissue during cold exposure. Together with cold-induced dynamics of citrate, fumarate and malate amounts, this provided evidence for a central role of sucrose phosphate synthase activity in carbon partitioning between biosynthetic and dissimilatory pathways which stabilizes photosynthesis and metabolism at low temperature.
PMID: 36329607
J Integr Plant Biol , IF:7.061 , 2022 Dec , V64 (12) : P2327-2343 doi: 10.1111/jipb.13379
CHH methylation of genes associated with fatty acid and jasmonate biosynthesis contributes to cold tolerance in autotetraploids of Poncirus trifoliata.
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Citrus Biology, Guangxi Academy of Specialty Crops, Guilin, 541004, China.
Polyploids have elevated stress tolerance, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. In this study, we showed that naturally occurring tetraploid plants of trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) exhibited enhanced cold tolerance relative to their diploid progenitors. Transcriptome analysis revealed that whole-genome duplication was associated with higher expression levels of a range of well-characterized cold stress-responsive genes. Global DNA methylation profiling demonstrated that the tetraploids underwent more extensive DNA demethylation in comparison with the diploids under cold stress. CHH methylation in the promoters was associated with up-regulation of related genes, whereas CG, CHG, and CHH methylation in the 3'-regions was relevant to gene down-regulation. Of note, genes involved in unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and jasmonate (JA) biosynthesis in the tetraploids displayed different CHH methylation in the gene flanking regions and were prominently up-regulated, consistent with greater accumulation of UFAs and JA when exposed to the cold stress. Collectively, our findings explored the difference in cold stress response between diploids and tetraploids at both transcriptional and epigenetic levels, and gained new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying enhanced cold tolerance of the tetraploid. These results contribute to uncovering a novel regulatory role of DNA methylation in better cold tolerance of polyploids.
PMID: 36218272
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2022 Dec , V73 (22) : P7538-7551 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erac370
Tomato SlMYB15 transcription factor targeted by sly-miR156e-3p positively regulates ABA-mediated cold tolerance.
Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, P.R. China.; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Improvements, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Henan, Zhengzhou 45001, China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth and Development, Agricultural Ministry of China, Yuhangtang Road 866, Hangzhou, 310058, P.R. China.
Cold is a common abiotic stress that seriously affects plant growth and development. MYB transcription factors are regulatory molecules that play important roles in various biological processes. We have previously demonstrated that SlMYB15 positively regulates cold tolerance in tomato. However, the underlying mechanism of SlMYB15-induced cold tolerance remains largely unexplored. Here, cold-induced SlMYB15 was found to be targeted by Solanum lycopersicum (sly)-miR156e-3p, which was decreased by cold stimulus in tomato. Tomato plants overexpressing sly-MIR156e-3p displayed significant enhancement in susceptibility to cold stress, while silencing of sly-miR156e-3p by an artificial microRNA interference strategy caused tomato plants to be more tolerant to cold. Moreover, both overexpression of SlMYB15 and silencing of sly-miR156e-3p increased the accumulation of ABA. SlMYB15 directly binds to the promoter regions of ABA biosynthesis and signalling genes, SlNCED1 and SlABF4, resulting in enhanced cold tolerance. Further experiments showed that SlMYB15 and sly-miR156e-3p also coordinated the cold tolerance of tomato via the reactive oxygen species (ROS) signalling pathway, as reflected by the increased expression of SlRBOH1, enhanced H2O2 and O2*-accumulation, and amplified activity of antioxidant enzymes in SlMYB15-overexpressing and sly-miR156e-3p-silenced plants. Taken together, our results demonstrate that SlMYB15 targeted by sly-miR156e-3p confers higher survivability to cold stress via ABA and ROS signals. This study provides valuable information for breeding improved crop cultivars better equipped with cold tolerance.
PMID: 36103722
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.197
VaBAM1 weakens cold tolerance by interacting with the negative regulator VaSR1 to suppress beta-amylase expression.
College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.; College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China. Electronic address: maojuan@gsau.edu.cn.; College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China. Electronic address: bhch@gsau.edu.cn.
Cold stress is a key climatic factor that limits grape productivity and quality. Although beta-amylase (BAM) is known to play an important role as a mediator of starch degradation under conditions of cold stress, the mechanism by which BAM regulates cold tolerance in grape remains unclear. Here, we identified VaBAM1 from Vitis amurensis and characterized its interactive regulating mechanism under cold stress in Arabidopsis thaliana and grape. VaBAM1-overexpressing A. thaliana plants (OEs) exhibited high freezing tolerance. Soluble sugar content and amylase activity were increased in OEs and VaBAM1-overexpressing grape calli (VaBAM1-OEs) under cold stress; however, they were decreased in grape calli in which VaBAM1 was edited using CRISPR/Cas9. The results of yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, and pull-down experiments showed that serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (VaSR1) interacted with VaBAM1. Furthermore, the expression of VaSR1 was opposite that of VaBAM1 in phloem tissue of Vitis amurensis during winter dormancy. In VaSR1-overexpressing grape calli (VaSR1-OEs), BAM activity and the expression levels of C-repeat binding transcription factor and cold response genes were all significantly lower than that in untransformed calli subjected to cold stress. Moreover, VvBAM1 was downregulated in VaSR1-OEs under cold stress. Overall, we identified that VaSR1 interacts with VaBAM1, negatively regulating BAM activity and resulting in decreased plant cold tolerance.
PMID: 36436609
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2022 Dec , V223 (Pt A) : P1450-1461 doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.148
Identification of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and revealed outer-ring component BnHOS1 related to cold tolerance in B. napus.
Hybrid Rapeseed Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas and College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas and College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.; Hybrid Rapeseed Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.; Hybrid Rapeseed Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: jxmsxyc@163.com.; Hybrid Rapeseed Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: zhangyfcl@163.com.
Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) consist of ~30 different nucleoporins (Nups), are the unique channels that govern development, hormonal response, and roles in both biotic and abiotic responses, as well as the transport and information exchange of biomacromolecules between nucleoplasms. Here, we report the comprehensive identification of 77 BnNups throughout the zhongshuang11 (ZS11) genome, which were classified into 29 distinct categories based on their evolutionary connections. We compared and contrasted different BnNups by analyzing at their gene structures, protein domains, putative three-dimensional (3D) models and expression patterns. Additional examples of genome-wide duplication events and cross-species synteny are provided to demonstrate the proliferation and evolutionary conservation of BnNups. When BnHOS1 was modified using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, the resulting L10 and L28 lines exhibited substantial freezing resistance. This not only demonstrated the negative regulatory impact of BnHOS1 on cold stress, but also offered a promising candidate gene for cold tolerance breeding and augmented the available B. napus material. These findings not only help us learn more about the composition and function of BnNPCs in B. napus, but they also provide light on how NPCs in other eukaryotic organism functions.
PMID: 36402381
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1111/tpj.16049
An alternative pathway to plant cold tolerance in the absence of vacuolar invertase activity.
Department of Postharvest Science, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Institute, Rishon LeZion, Israel.; The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel.; Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Institute, Rishon LeZion, Israel.; Department of Plant Pathology and Weed Research, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Institute, Rishon LeZion, Israel.; Danziger Innovations Limited, Mishmar Hashiva, Israel.; Department of Ornamental Horticulture, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Institute, Rishon LeZion, Israel.; Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.
To cope with cold stress, plants have developed antioxidation strategies combined with osmoprotection by sugars. In potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers, which are swollen stems, exposure to cold stress induces starch degradation and sucrose synthesis. Vacuolar acid invertase (VInv) activity is a significant part of the cold-induced sweetening (CIS) response, by rapidly cleaving sucrose into hexoses and increasing osmoprotection. To discover alternative plant tissue pathways for coping with cold stress, we produced VInv-knockout lines in two cultivars. Genome editing of VInv in 'Desiree' and 'Brooke' was done using stable and transient expression of CRISPR/Cas9 components, respectively. After storage at 4 degrees C, sugar analysis indicated that the knockout lines showed low levels of CIS and maintained low acid invertase activity in storage. Surprisingly, the tuber parenchyma of vinv lines exhibited significantly reduced lipid peroxidation and reduced H(2) O(2) levels. Furthermore, whole plants of vinv lines exposed to cold stress without irrigation showed normal vigor, in contrast to WT plants, which wilted. Transcriptome analysis of vinv lines revealed upregulation of an osmoprotectant pathway and ethylene-related genes during cold temperature exposure. Accordingly, higher expression of antioxidant-related genes was detected after exposure to short and long cold storage. Sugar measurements showed an elevation of an alternative pathway in the absence of VInv activity, raising the raffinose pathway with increasing levels of myo-inositol content as a cold tolerance response.
PMID: 36448213
Antioxidants (Basel) , IF:6.312 , 2022 Dec , V11 (12) doi: 10.3390/antiox11122414
Melatonin Affects the Photosynthetic Performance of Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Seedlings under Cold Stress.
Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China.; Key Laboratory for Quality Regulation of Tropical Horticultural Crops of Hainan Province, School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.; Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, Sanya 572025, China.
Photosynthesis is an important plant metabolic mechanism that improves carbon absorption and crop yield. Photosynthetic efficiency is greatly hampered by cold stress (CS). Melatonin (ME) is a new plant growth regulator that regulates a wide range of abiotic stress responses. However, the molecular mechanism of ME-mediated photosynthetic regulation in cold-stressed plants is not well understood. Our findings suggest that under low-temperature stress (15/5 degrees C for 7 days), spraying the plant with ME (200 microM) enhanced gas exchange characteristics and the photosynthetic pigment content of pepper seedlings, as well as upregulated their biosynthetic gene expression. Melatonin increased the activity of photosynthetic enzymes (Rubisco and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase) while also enhancing starch, sucrose, soluble sugar, and glucose content under CS conditions. Low-temperature stress significantly decreased the photochemical activity of photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI), specifically their maximum quantum efficiency PSII (Fv/Fm) and PSI (Pm). In contrast, ME treatment improved the photochemical activity of PSII and PSI. Furthermore, CS dramatically reduced the actual PSII efficiency (PhiPSII), electron transport rate (ETR) and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), while enhancing nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ); however, ME treatment substantially mitigated the effects of CS. Our results clearly show the probable function of ME treatment in mitigating the effects of CS by maintaining photosynthetic performance, which might be beneficial when screening genotypes for CS tolerance.
PMID: 36552621
Mol Ecol , IF:6.185 , 2022 Nov , V31 (21) : P5568-5580 doi: 10.1111/mec.16666
Polygenic adaptation contributes to the invasive success of the Colorado potato beetle.
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Institute of Plant and Environmental Protection, Beijing, China.; Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.; Institute for Evolution & Biodiversity, University of Munster, Munster, Germany.; Laboratory of Biological Plant Protection and Biotechnology, Novosibirsk State Agrarian University, Novosibirsk, Russia.; College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
How invasive species cope with novel selective pressures with limited genetic variation is a fundamental question in molecular ecology. Several mechanisms have been proposed, but they can lack generality. Here, we addressed an alternative solution, polygenic adaptation, wherein traits that arise from multiple combinations of loci may be less sensitive to loss of variation during invasion. We tested the polygenic signal of environmental adaptation of Colorado potato beetle (CPB) introduced in Eurasia. Population genomic analyses showed declining genetic diversity in the eastward expansion of Eurasian populations, and weak population genetic structure (except for the invasion fronts in Asia). Demographic history showed that all populations shared a strong bottleneck about 100 years ago when CPB was introduced to Europe. Genome scans revealed a suite of genes involved in activity regulation functions that are plausibly related to cold stress, including some well-founded functions (e.g., the activity of phosphodiesterase, the G-protein regulator) and discrete functions. Such polygenic architecture supports the hypothesis that polygenic adaptation and potentially genetic redundancy can fuel the adaptation of CPB despite strong genetic depletion, thus representing a promising general mechanism for resolving the genetic paradox of invasion. More broadly, most complex traits based on polygenes may be less sensitive to invasive bottlenecks, thus ensuring the evolutionary success of invasive species in novel environments.
PMID: 35984732
Mol Ecol , IF:6.185 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1111/mec.16794
Testing the chilling- before drought-tolerance hypothesis in Pooideae grasses.
Department of Plant Biology, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA.; Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, As, Norway.
Temperate Pooideae are a large clade of economically important grasses distributed in some of the Earth's coldest and driest terrestrial environments. Previous studies have inferred that Pooideae diversified from their tropical ancestors in a cold montane habitat, suggesting that above-freezing cold (chilling) tolerance evolved early in the subfamily. By contrast, drought tolerance is hypothesized to have evolved multiple times independently in response to global aridification that occurred after the split of Pooideae tribes. To independently test predictions of the chilling-before-drought hypothesis in Pooideae, we assessed conservation of whole plant and gene expression traits in response to chilling vs. drought. We demonstrated that both trait responses are more similar across tribes in cold as compared to drought, suggesting that chilling responses evolved before, and drought responses after, tribe diversification. Moreover, we found significantly more overlap between drought and chilling responsive genes within a species than between drought responsive genes across species, providing evidence that chilling tolerance genes acted as precursors for the novel acquisition of increased drought tolerance multiple times independently, partially through the cooption of chilling responsive genes.
PMID: 36420966
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (24) doi: 10.3390/ijms232416072
MbICE1 Confers Drought and Cold Tolerance through Up-Regulating Antioxidant Capacity and Stress-Resistant Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Institute of Rural Revitalization Science and Technology, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150028, China.; Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China.; Huma Cold Temperate Zone Experimental Station of Conservation and Utilization of Wild Plant Germplasm Resources, Daxing'anling 165000, China.; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Development and Utilization of Small Fruits in Cold Regions, College of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
Malus baccata (L.) Borkh is an apple rootstock with good drought and cold resistance. The ICE gene is a key factor in the molecular mechanisms of plant drought and cold resistance. In the present research, the function of drought- and cold-induced MbICE1 of Malus baccata was investigated in Arabidopsis. According to GFP fluorescence images, MbICE1 was determined to be a nuclear protein. The MbICE1 was transferred to Arabidopsis, showing enhanced tolerance to drought and cold stresses. Under drought and cold treatments, the transgenic Arabidopsis had higher chlorophyll content and free proline content than WT plants, but the Malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrolyte leakage (EL) were lower than those of WT plants. In addition, drought and cold led to a large accumulation of ROS (H(2)O(2) and O(2-)) content in Arabidopsis, while overexpression of MbICE1 enhanced the antioxidant enzyme activity in Arabidopsis and improved the plant's resistance to stresses. Moreover, the accumulation of MbICE1 promoted the expression of AtCBF1, AtCBF2, AtCBF3, AtCOR15a, AtCOR47 and AtKIN1 genes in Arabidopsis. These data indicate that MbICE1 is a key regulator of drought and cold and can be used as a backup gene for breeding Malus rootstocks.
PMID: 36555710
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (24) doi: 10.3390/ijms232415918
Genome-Wide Identification of Wheat KNOX Gene Family and Functional Characterization of TaKNOX14-D in Plants.
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, China.
The KNOX genes play important roles in maintaining SAM and regulating the development of plant leaves. However, the TaKNOX genes in wheat are still not well understood, especially their role in abiotic stress. In this study, a total of 36 KNOX genes were identified, and we demonstrated the function of the TaKNOX14-D gene under mechanical injury and cold stress. Thirty-six TaKNOX genes were divided into two groups, and thirty-four TaKNOX genes were predicted to be located in the nucleus by Cell-PLoc. These genes contained five tandem duplications. Fifteen collinear gene pairs were exhibited in wheat and rice, one collinear gene pair was exhibited in wheat and Arabidopsis. The phylogenetic tree and motif analysis suggested that the TaKNOX gene appeared before C3 and C4 diverged. Gene structure showed that the numbers of exons and introns in TaKNOX gene are different. Wheat TaKNOX genes showed different expression patterns during the wheat growth phase, with seven TaKNOX genes being highly expressed in the whole growth period. These seven genes were also highly expressed in most tissues, and also responded to most abiotic stress. Eleven TaKNOX genes were up-regulated in the tillering node during the leaf regeneration period after mechanical damage. When treating the wheat with different hormones, the expression patterns of TaKNOX were changed, and results showed that ABA promoted TaKNOX expression and seven TaKNOX genes were up-regulated under cytokinin and auxin treatment. Overexpression of the TaKNOX14-D gene in Arabidopsis could increase the leaf size, plant height and seed size. This gene overexpression in Arabidopsis also increased the compensatory growth capacity after mechanical damage. Overexpression lines also showed high resistance to cold stress. This study provides a better understanding of the TaKNOX genes.
PMID: 36555558
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232315225
Genome-Wide Identification of AP2/ERF Superfamily Genes in Juglans mandshurica and Expression Analysis under Cold Stress.
Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Tree and Grass Genetics and Breeding, College of Forestry and Grassland Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.; Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.; College of Horticulture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
Juglans mandshurica has strong freezing resistance, surviving temperatures as low as -40 degrees C, making it an important freeze tolerant germplasm resource of the genus Juglans. APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor (AP2/ERF) is a plant-specific superfamily of transcription factors that regulates plant development, growth, and the response to biotic and abiotic stress. In this study, phylogenetic analysis was used to identify 184 AP2/ERF genes in the J. mandshurica genome, which were classified into five subfamilies (JmAP2, JmRAV, JmSoloist, JmDREB, and JmERF). A significant amount of discordance was observed in the 184 AP2/ERF genes distribution of J. mandshurica throughout its 16 chromosomes. Duplication was found in 14 tandem and 122 segmental gene pairs, which indicated that duplications may be the main reason for JmAP2/ERF family expansion. Gene structural analysis revealed that 64 JmAP2/ERF genes contained introns. Gene evolution analysis among Juglandaceae revealed that J. mandshurica is separated by 14.23 and 15 Mya from Juglans regia and Carya cathayensis, respectively. Based on promoter analysis in J. mandshurica, many cis-acting elements were discovered that are related to light, hormones, tissues, and stress response processes. Proteins that may contribute to cold resistance were selected for further analysis and were used to construct a cold regulatory network based on GO annotation and JmAP2/ERF protein interaction network analysis. Expression profiling using qRT-PCR showed that 14 JmAP2/ERF genes were involved in cold resistance, and that seven and five genes were significantly upregulated under cold stress in female flower buds and phloem tissues, respectively. This study provides new light on the role of the JmAP2/ERF gene in cold stress response, paving the way for further functional validation of JmAP2/ERF TFs and their application in the genetic improvement of Juglans and other tree species.
PMID: 36499551
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232315214
Overexpression of CfICE1 from Cryptomeria fortunei Enhances Cold, Drought and Salt Stress in Poplar.
Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics & Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
ICE1, a regulator of the cold-inducible transcriptome and freezing tolerance, is currently widely believed to be involved in plant resistance to cold stress. In this study, CfICE1 from Cryptomeria fortunei was transformed into poplar. Physiological indicators of transgenic, empty vector and wild-type poplar after abiotic stress (cold, drought and salt) were determined. Transgenic lines had a higher chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity and soluble protein content, as well as a lower malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content. The ultrastructure of the plant was observed by transmission electron microscopy, and after stress, the cell structure of the transgenic line was more complete than that of the wild type. CfICE1 was upregulated in transgenic poplar trees after abiotic stress (cold, drought and salt). The CfICE1 transgenic plants improved plant resistance by regulating the CBF gene of poplar under cold and salt stress. In terms of plant responses to abiotic stress, this study showed that overexpression of CfICE1 improved the cold, drought and salt tolerance of poplars.
PMID: 36499538
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232314926
Integrative Omics Analysis of Three Oil Palm Varieties Reveals (Tanzania x Ekona) TE as a Cold-Resistant Variety in Response to Low-Temperature Stress.
Hainan Key Laboratory of Tropical Oil Crops Biology/Coconut Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang 571339, China.; Department of Botany, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur 66020, Sindh, Pakistan.
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) is an economically important tropical oil crop widely cultivated in tropical zones worldwide. Being a tropical crop, low-temperature stress adversely affects the oil palm. However, integrative leaf transcriptomic and proteomic analyses have not yet been conducted on an oil palm crop under cold stress. In this study, integrative omics transcriptomic and iTRAQ-based proteomic approaches were employed for three oil palm varieties, i.e., B x E (Bamenda x Ekona), O x G (E. oleifera x Elaeis guineensis), and T x E (Tanzania x Ekona), in response to low-temperature stress. In response to low-temperature stress at (8 degrees C) for 5 days, a total of 5175 up- and 2941 downregulated DEGs in BE-0_VS_BE-5, and a total of 3468 up- and 2443 downregulated DEGs for OG-0_VS_OG-5, and 3667 up- and 2151 downregulated DEGs for TE-0_VS_TE-5 were identified. iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis showed 349 up- and 657 downregulated DEPs for BE-0_VS_BE-5, 372 up- and 264 downregulated DEPs for OG-0_VS_OG-5, and 500 up- and 321 downregulated DEPs for TE-0_VS_TE-5 compared to control samples treated at 28 degrees C and 8 degrees C, respectively. The KEGG pathway correlation of oil palm has shown that the metabolic synthesis and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites pathways were significantly enriched in the transcriptome and proteome of the oil palm varieties. The correlation expression pattern revealed that TE-0_VS_TE-5 is highly expressed and BE-0_VS_BE-5 is suppressed in both the transcriptome and proteome in response to low temperature. Furthermore, numerous transcription factors (TFs) were found that may regulate cold acclimation in three oil palm varieties at low temperatures. Moreover, this study identified proteins involved in stresses (abiotic, biotic, oxidative, and heat shock), photosynthesis, and respiration in iTRAQ-based proteomic analysis of three oil palm varieties. The increased abundance of stress-responsive proteins and decreased abundance of photosynthesis-related proteins suggest that the TE variety may become cold-resistant in response to low-temperature stress. This study may provide a basis for understanding the molecular mechanism for the adaptation of oil palm varieties in response to low-temperature stress in China.
PMID: 36499255
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232314509
The Citrus Laccase Gene CsLAC18 Contributes to Cold Tolerance.
School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Plant laccases, as multicopper oxidases, play an important role in monolignol polymerization, and participate in the resistance response of plants to multiple biotic/abiotic stresses. However, little is currently known about the role of laccases in the cold stress response of plants. In this study, the laccase activity and lignin content of C. sinensis leaves increased after the low-temperature treatment, and cold treatment induced the differential regulation of 21 CsLACs, with 15 genes being upregulated and 6 genes being downregulated. Exceptionally, the relative expression level of CsLAC18 increased 130.17-fold after a 48-h treatment. The full-length coding sequence of CsLAC18 consists of 1743 nucleotides and encodes a protein of 580 amino acids, and is predominantly expressed in leaves and fruits. CsLAC18 was phylogenetically related to AtLAC17, and was localized in the cell membrane. Overexpression of CsLAC18 conferred enhanced cold tolerance on transgenic tobacco; however, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)-mediated suppression of CsLAC18 in Poncirus trifoliata significantly impaired resistance to cold stress. As a whole, our findings revealed that CsLAC18 positively regulates a plant's response to cold stress, providing a potential target for molecular breeding or gene editing.
PMID: 36498836
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (22) doi: 10.3390/ijms232214472
OsMKKK70 Negatively Regulates Cold Tolerance at Booting Stage in Rice.
Key Laboratory of Soybean Molecular Design Breeding, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150081, China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.; Key Laboratory of Saline-Alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration (Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin 150040, China.; College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.; The Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Cold stress at the booting stage leads to a lower seed setting rate and seriously threatens the production of rice (Oryza sativa L.), which has become a major yield-limiting factor in higher-altitude and -latitude regions. Because cold tolerance at the booting stage (CTB) is a complex trait and is controlled by multiple loci, only a few genes have been reported so far. In this study, a function of OsMKKK70 (Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase 70) in response to CTB was characterized. OsMKKK70 expression was rapidly induced by cold stress at the booting stage. OsMKKK70 overexpression (OsMKKK70-OE) plants were more sensitive to cold stress at the booting stage with a lower seed setting and pollen fertility, but there was no significant difference between the osmkkk70 mutant and WT. Considering the effect of functional redundancy, we further tested the CTB response of osmkkk62/70 and osmkkk55/62/70, the double and triple mutants of OsMKKK70 with its closest homologs OsMKKK62 and OsMKKK55, and found that osmkkk62/70 and osmkkk55/62/70 displayed significantly increased CTB with a higher seed setting and pollen fertility, indicating that OsMKKK70 negatively regulates rice CTB. Moreover, under the low-temperature (LT) condition, the osmkkk62/70 mutant had slightly higher Gibberellin (GA) contents, increased expression of GA biosynthesis genes, and lower protein level of OsSLR1 in anthers than those in WT. By contrast, OsMKKK70-OE anther had a lower GA biosynthesis than that of WT. Together, these findings suggest that OsMKKK70 negatively regulates rice CTB by fine-tuning GA levels in anthers.
PMID: 36430953
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (22) doi: 10.3390/ijms232214244
Cold-Induced Physiological and Biochemical Alternations and Proteomic Insight into the Response of Saccharum spontaneum to Low Temperature.
Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement/Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Sugarcane Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China.
Sugarcane, a cash crop, is easily affected by low temperature, which results in a decrease in yield and sugar production. Breeding a new variety with cold tolerance is an essential strategy to reduce loss from cold stress. The identification of germplasms and genes/proteins with cold tolerance is a vital step in breeding sugarcane varieties with cold tolerance via a conventional program and molecular technology. In this study, the physiological and biochemical indices of 22 genotypes of S. spontaneum were measured, and the membership function analysis method was used to comprehensively evaluate the cold tolerance ability of these genotypes. The physiological and biochemical indices of these S. spontaneum genotypes showed a sophisticated response to low temperature. On the basis of the physiological and chemical indices, the genotypes were classified into different cold tolerance groups. Then, the high-tolerance genotype 1027 and the low-tolerance genotype 3217 were selected for DIA-based proteomic analysis by subjecting them to low temperature. From the four comparison groups, 1123, 1341, 751, and 1693 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were identified, respectively. The DAPs based on genotypes or treatments participated in distinct metabolic pathways. Through detailed analysis of the DAPs, some proteins related to protein homeostasis, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, amino acid transport and metabolism, signal transduction, and the cytoskeleton may be involved in sugarcane tolerance to cold stress. Furthermore, five important proteins related to cold tolerance were discovered for the first time in this study. This work not only provides the germplasms and candidate target proteins for breeding sugarcane varieties with cold tolerance via a conventional program and molecular breeding, but also helps to accelerate the determination of the molecular mechanism underlying cold tolerance in sugarcane.
PMID: 36430736
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (22) doi: 10.3390/ijms232214099
Physiology and Molecular Breeding in Sustaining Wheat Grain Setting and Quality under Spring Cold Stress.
School of Agronomy, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.; School of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China.; Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.; Centre for Crop Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
Spring cold stress (SCS) compromises the reproductive growth of wheat, being a major constraint in achieving high grain yield and quality in winter wheat. To sustain wheat productivity in SCS conditions, breeding cultivars conferring cold tolerance is key. In this review, we examine how grain setting and quality traits are affected by SCS, which may occur at the pre-anthesis stage. We have investigated the physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in floret and spikelet SCS tolerance. It includes the protective enzymes scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), hormonal adjustment, and carbohydrate metabolism. Lastly, we explored quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that regulate SCS for identifying candidate genes for breeding. The existing cultivars for SCS tolerance were primarily bred on agronomic and morphophysiological traits and lacked in molecular investigations. Therefore, breeding novel wheat cultivars based on QTLs and associated genes underlying the fundamental resistance mechanism is urgently needed to sustain grain setting and quality under SCS.
PMID: 36430598
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (22) doi: 10.3390/ijms232213986
Transcriptome Profiling of Stem-Differentiating Xylem in Response to Abiotic Stresses Based on Hybrid Sequencing in Cunninghamia lanceolata.
College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.; Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, College of Forestry, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Cunninghamia lanceolata (C. lanceolata) belongs to Gymnospermae, which are fast-growing and have desirable wood properties. However, C. lanceolata's stress resistance is little understood. To unravel the physiological and molecular regulation mechanisms under environmental stresses in the typical gymnosperm species of C. lanceolata, three-year-old plants were exposed to simulated drought stress (polyethylene glycol 8000), salicylic acid, and cold treatment at 4 degrees C for 8 h, 32 h, and 56 h, respectively. Regarding the physiological traits, we observed a decreased protein content and increased peroxidase upon salicylic acid and polyethylene glycol treatment. Superoxide dismutase activity either decreased or increased at first and then returned to normal under the stresses. Regarding the molecular regulation, we used both nanopore direct RNA sequencing and short-read sequencing to reveal a total of 5646 differentially expressed genes in response to different stresses, of which most had functions in lignin catabolism, pectin catabolism, and xylan metabolism, indicating that the development of stem-differentiating xylem was affected upon stress treatment. Finally, we identified a total of 51 AP2/ERF, 29 NAC, and 37 WRKY transcript factors in C. lanceolata. The expression of most of the NAC TFs increased under cold stress, and the expression of most of the WRKY TFs increased under cold and SA stress. These results revealed the transcriptomics responses in C. lanceolata to short-term stresses under this study's experimental conditions and provide preliminary clues about stem-differentiating xylem changes associated with different stresses.
PMID: 36430463
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (21) doi: 10.3390/ijms232113546
Combined Transcriptome and Metabolome Profiling Provide Insights into Cold Responses in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Genotypes with Contrasting Cold-Stress Sensitivity.
Key Laboratory of Hunan Provincial on Crop Epigenetic Regulation and Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.; Crop Research Institute, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha 410125, China.; Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology and Molecular Biology of Ministry of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China.
Low temperature is a major environmental factor, which limits rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) growth, development, and productivity. So far, the physiological and molecular mechanisms of rapeseed responses to cold stress are not fully understood. Here, we explored the transcriptome and metabolome profiles of two rapeseed genotypes with contrasting cold responses, i.e., XY15 (cold-sensitive) and GX74 (cold-tolerant). The global metabolome profiling detected 545 metabolites in siliques of both genotypes before (CK) and after cold-stress treatment (LW). The contents of several sugar metabolites were affected by cold stress with the most accumulated saccharides being 3-dehydro-L-threonic acid, D-xylonic acid, inositol, D-mannose, D-fructose, D-glucose, and L-glucose. A total of 1943 and 5239 differentially expressed genes were identified from the transcriptome sequencing in XY15CK_vs_XY15LW and GX74CK_vs_GX74LW, respectively. We observed that genes enriched in sugar metabolism and biosynthesis-related pathways, photosynthesis, reactive oxygen species scavenging, phytohormone, and MAPK signaling were highly expressed in GX74LW. In addition, several genes associated with cold-tolerance-related pathways, e.g., the CBF-COR pathway and MAPK signaling, were specifically expressed in GX74LW. Contrarily, genes in the above-mentioned pathways were mostly downregulated in XY15LW. Thus, our results indicate the involvement of these pathways in the differential cold-stress responses in XY15 and GX74.
PMID: 36362332
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (21) doi: 10.3390/ijms232113418
Isolation and Functional Analysis of VvWRKY28, a Vitis vinifera WRKY Transcription Factor Gene, with Functions in Tolerance to Cold and Salt Stress in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.
Suqian Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Suqian 223800, China.; National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Development and Utilization of Small Fruits in Cold Regions/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/College of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.; Institute of Rural Revitalization Science and Technology, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150028, China.
The grape (Vitis vinifera L.) not only has a long history of cultivation, but also has rich nutritional value and high economic value. However, grapes often face many threats in the growth process. For example, low temperature and salt stress restrict the growth status, yield, and geographical distribution of grapes. WRKY, as one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families in plants, participates in the response of plants to stress. VvWRKY28, a new zinc finger type transcriptional regulator gene, was isolated from Beichun (V. vinifera x V.amurensis) in this study. From the subcellular localization results, it can be concluded that VvWRKY28 was localized in the nucleus. The expression of VvWRKY28 was enriched in leaves (young and mature leaves), and cold and high salt conditions can induce high expression of VvWRKY28. After being transferred into Arabidopsis, VvWRKY28 greatly improved the tolerance of Arabidopsis to low temperature and high salt and also changed many physiological and biochemical indicators of transgenic Arabidopsis to cope with cold and high salt stimulation. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased, but for chlorophyll and proline, their content increased, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were improved. In addition, under cold stress, binding with cis-acting elements promotes the expression of downstream genes related to cold stress (RAB18, COR15A, ERD10, PIF4, COR47, and ICS1). Moreover, it also plays an active role in regulating the expression of genes related to salt stress (NCED3, SnRK2.4, CAT2, SOD1, SOS2, and P5CS1) under salt stress. Therefore, these results provide evidence that VvWRKY28 may play a role in the process of plant cold and salt stress tolerance.
PMID: 36362205
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232314676
Transcriptomics Profiling of Acer pseudosieboldianum Molecular Mechanism against Freezing Stress.
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.; Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Tree and Grass Genetics and Breeding, College of Forestry and Grassland Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.; College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
Low temperature is an important environmental factor that affects the growth and development of trees and leads to the introduction of failure in the genetic improvement of trees. Acer pseudosieboldianum is a tree species that is well-known for its bright red autumn leaf color. These trees are widely used in landscaping in northeast China. However, due to their poor cold resistance, introduced A. pseudosieboldianum trees suffer severe freezing injury in many introduced environments. To elucidate the physiological indicators and molecular mechanisms associated with freezing damage, we analyzed the physiological indicators and transcriptome of A. pseudosieboldianum, using kits and RNA-Seq technology. The mechanism of A. pseudosieboldianum in response to freezing stress is an important scientific question. In this study, we used the shoots of four-year-old A. pseudosieboldianum twig seedlings, and the physiological index and the transcriptome of A. pseudosieboldianum under low temperature stress were investigated. The results showed that more than 20,000 genes were detected in A. pseudosieboldianum under low temperature (4 degrees C) and freezing temperatures (-10 degrees C, -20 degrees C, -30 degrees C, and -40 degrees C). There were 2505, 6021, 5125, and 3191 differential genes (DEGs) between -10 degrees C, -20 degrees C, -30 degrees C, -40 degrees C, and CK (4 degrees C), respectively. Among these differential genes, 48 genes are involved in the MAPK pathway and 533 genes are involved in the glucose metabolism pathway. In addition, the important transcription factors (MYB, AP2/ERF, and WRKY) involved in freezing stress were activated under different degrees of freezing stress. A total of 10 sets of physiological indicators of A. pseudosieboldianum were examined, including the activities of five enzymes and the accumulation of five hormones. All of the physiological indicators except SOD and GSH-Px reached their maximum values at -30 degrees C. The enzyme activity of SOD was highest at -10 degrees C, and that of GSH-Px was highest at -20 degrees C. Our study is the first to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the differential genes (DEGs) involved in A. pseudosieboldianum under freezing stress at different temperatures at the transcriptome level. These results may help to clarify the molecular mechanism of cold tolerance of A. pseudosieboldianum and provide new insights and candidate genes for the genetic improvement of the freezing tolerance of A. pseudosieboldianum.
PMID: 36499002
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232315050
Protective Strategies of Haberlea rhodopensis for Acquisition of Freezing Tolerance: Interaction between Dehydration and Low Temperature.
Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.; Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, University of La Laguna (ULL), 38200 Tenerife, Spain.; Bioeconomy Institute (IBE), Department of Bio-Agrifood Science (DiSBA), National Research Council (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy.; Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Bilbao, Spain.; Department of Physical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Bilbao, Spain.
Resurrection plants are able to deal with complete dehydration of their leaves and then recover normal metabolic activity after rehydration. Only a few resurrection species are exposed to freezing temperatures in their natural environments, making them interesting models to study the key metabolic adjustments of freezing tolerances. Here, we investigate the effect of cold and freezing temperatures on physiological and biochemical changes in the leaves of Haberlea rhodopensis under natural and controlled environmental conditions. Our data shows that leaf water content affects its thermodynamical properties during vitrification under low temperatures. The changes in membrane lipid composition, accumulation of sugars, and synthesis of stress-induced proteins were significantly activated during the adaptation of H. rhodopensis to both cold and freezing temperatures. In particular, the freezing tolerance of H. rhodopensis relies on a sucrose/hexoses ratio in favor of hexoses during cold acclimation, while there is a shift in favor of sucrose upon exposure to freezing temperatures, especially evident when leaf desiccation is relevant. This pattern was paralleled by an elevated ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids and significant quantitative and compositional changes in stress-induced proteins, namely dehydrins and early light-induced proteins (ELIPs). Taken together, our data indicate that common responses of H. rhodopensis plants to low temperature and desiccation involve the accumulation of sugars and upregulation of dehydrins/ELIP protein expression. Further studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying freezing tolerance (genes and genetic regulatory mechanisms) may help breeders to improve the resistance of crop plants.
PMID: 36499377
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1075279 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1075279
Epigenetic stress memory: A new approach to study cold and heat stress responses in plants.
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Bamboo Research Institute, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.; Bamboo Industry Institute, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.; School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.; Department of Zoology, St. Albert's College (Autonomous), Kochi, Kerala, India.; Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLIFE, Biocenter 3, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.; National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Bamboo Industry Institute, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.; Zhejiang Provincial Collaborative Innovation Center for Bamboo Resources and High-Efficiency Utilization, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Understanding plant stress memory under extreme temperatures such as cold and heat could contribute to plant development. Plants employ different types of stress memories, such as somatic, intergenerational and transgenerational, regulated by epigenetic changes such as DNA and histone modifications and microRNAs (miRNA), playing a key role in gene regulation from early development to maturity. In most cases, cold and heat stresses result in short-term epigenetic modifications that can return to baseline modification levels after stress cessation. Nevertheless, some of the modifications may be stable and passed on as stress memory, potentially allowing them to be inherited across generations, whereas some of the modifications are reactivated during sexual reproduction or embryogenesis. Several stress-related genes are involved in stress memory inheritance by turning on and off transcription profiles and epigenetic changes. Vernalization is the best example of somatic stress memory. Changes in the chromatin structure of the Flowering Locus C (FLC) gene, a MADS-box transcription factor (TF), maintain cold stress memory during mitosis. FLC expression suppresses flowering at high levels during winter; and during vernalization, B3 TFs, cold memory cis-acting element and polycomb repressive complex 1 and 2 (PRC1 and 2) silence FLC activation. In contrast, the repression of SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like (SPL) TF and the activation of Heat Shock TF (HSFA2) are required for heat stress memory. However, it is still unclear how stress memory is inherited by offspring, and the integrated view of the regulatory mechanisms of stress memory and mitotic and meiotic heritable changes in plants is still scarce. Thus, in this review, we focus on the epigenetic regulation of stress memory and discuss the application of new technologies in developing epigenetic modifications to improve stress memory.
PMID: 36570899
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1042375 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1042375
Does phenotyping of Hypericum secondary metabolism reveal a tolerance to biotic/abiotic stressors?
Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Kosice, Slovakia.
In this review we summarize the current knowledge about the changes in Hypericum secondary metabolism induced by biotic/abiotic stressors. It is known that the extreme environmental conditions activate signaling pathways leading to triggering of enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense systems, which stimulate production of secondary metabolites with antioxidant and protective effects. Due to several groups of bioactive compounds including naphthodianthrones, acylphloroglucinols, flavonoids, and phenylpropanes, the world-wide Hypericum perforatum represents a high-value medicinal crop of Hypericum genus, which belongs to the most diverse genera within flowering plants. The summary of the up-to-date knowledge reveals a relationship between the level of defense-related phenolic compounds and interspecific differences in the stress tolerance. The chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, namely the amentoflavone, quercetin or kaempferol glycosides have been reported as the most defense-related metabolites associated with plant tolerance against stressful environment including temperature, light, and drought, in association with the biotic stimuli resulting from plant-microbe interactions. As an example, the species-specific cold-induced phenolics profiles of 10 Hypericum representatives of different provenances cultured in vitro are illustrated in the case-study. Principal component analysis revealed a relationship between the level of defense-related phenolic compounds and interspecific differences in the stress tolerance indicating a link between the provenance of Hypericum species and inherent mechanisms of cold tolerance. The underlying metabolome alterations along with the changes in the activities of ROS-scavenging enzymes, and non-enzymatic physiological markers are discussed. Given these data it can be anticipated that some Hypericum species native to divergent habitats, with interesting high-value secondary metabolite composition and predicted high tolerance to biotic/abiotic stresses would attract the attention as valuable sources of bioactive compounds for many medicinal purposes.
PMID: 36531362
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1048822 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1048822
Comprehensive analysis of the NAC transcription factor gene family in Kandelia obovata reveals potential members related to chilling tolerance.
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou, China.; Section of Maritime Space and Island Management, Yuhuan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning, Yuhuan, China.; Department of Security Production Management, Taizhou Circular Economy Development Co., Ltd., Taizhou, China.
BACKGROUND: Kandelia obovata is an important mangrove species extensively distributed in Eastern Asia that is susceptible to low-temperature stress. NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2 and CUC2) domain proteins are transcription factors (TFs) that play various roles in plant growth and development and in the plant response to environmental stresses. Nevertheless, genome-wide analyses of K. obovata NAC genes (KoNACs) and their responses to chilling stress have rarely been studied. METHODS: The KoNAC gene family was identified and characterized using bioinformatic analysis, the subcellular location of some NAC proteins was confirmed using confocal microscopy analysis, and the KoNACs that responded to chilling stress were screened using RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis. RESULTS: A total of 79 KoNACs were identified, and they were unequally distributed across all 18 chromosomes of K. obovata. The KoNAC proteins could be divided into 16 subgroups according to the phylogenetic tree based on NAC family members of Arabidopsis thaliana. The KoNACs exhibited greater synteny with A. thaliana sequences than with Oryza sativa sequences, indicating that KoNACs underwent extensive evolution after the divergence of dicotyledons and monocotyledons. Segmental duplication was the main driving force of the expansions of KoNAC genes. Confocal microscopy analysis verified that the four randomly selected KoNACs localized to the nucleus, indicating the accuracy of the bioinformatic predictions. Tissue expression pattern analysis demonstrated that some KoNAC genes showed tissue-specific expression, suggesting that these KoNACs might be important for plant development and growth. Additionally, the expression levels of 19 KoNACs were significantly (15 positively and 4 negatively) induced by cold treatment, demonstrating that these KoNACs might play important roles during cold stress responses and might be candidate genes for the genetic engineering of K. obovata with enhanced chilling stress tolerance. Coexpression network analysis revealed that 381 coexpressed pairs (between 13 KoNACs and 284 other genes) were significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS: Seventy-nine KoNACs were identified in K. obovata, nineteen of which displayed chilling-induced expression patterns. These genes may serve as candidates for functional analyses of KoNACs engaged in chilling stress. Our results lay the foundation for evolutionary analyses of KoNACs and their molecular mechanisms in response to environmental stress.
PMID: 36466244
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1042889 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1042889
Overexpression of TaMYC2 confers freeze tolerance by ICE-CBF-COR module in Arabidopsis thaliana.
College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Dongnongdongmai No.1 (Dn1) is one of the few winter wheat varieties that can successfully overwinter at temperatures as low as -25 degrees C or even lower. To date, few researches were carried to identify the freeze tolerance genes in Dn1 and applied them to improve plant resistance to extreme low temperatures. The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor MYC2 is a master regulator in JA signaling, which has been reported to involve in responses to mild cold stress (2 degrees C and 7 degrees C). We hypothesized that MYC2 might be part of the regulatory network responsible for the tolerance of Dn1 to extreme freezing temperatures. In this study, we showed that wheat MYC2 (TaMYC2) was induced under both extreme low temperature (-10 degrees C and-25 degrees C) and JA treatments. The ICE-CBF-COR transcriptional cascade, an evolutionary conserved cold resistance pathway downstream of MYC2, was also activated in extreme low temperatures. We further showed that overexpression of any of the MYC2 genes from Dn1 TaMYC2A, B, D in Arabidopsis led to enhanced freeze tolerance. The TaMYC2 overexpression lines had less electrolyte leakage and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and an increase in proline content, an increases antioxidant defences, and the enhanced expression of ICE-CBF-COR module under the freezing temperature. We further verified that TaMYC2 might function through physical interaction with TaICE41 and TaJAZ7, and that TaJAZ7 physically interacts with TaICE41. These results elucidate the molecular mechanism by which TaMYC2 regulates cold tolerance and lay the foundation for future studies to improve cold tolerance in plants.
PMID: 36466238
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1039329 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1039329
WRKY transcription factors (TFs): Molecular switches to regulate drought, temperature, and salinity stresses in plants.
Lushan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China.; Department of Life Science, Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.; College of Plant Science and Technology, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.; Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Monitoring and Management of Crop Diseases and Pest Insects, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, China.; Biology Section, Nobles International School, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Biology and Food Engineering, Bozhou University, Bozhou, China.; Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan.; Department of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, South Korea.; Department of Animal Reproduction/Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand, Pakistan.
The WRKY transcription factor (TF) belongs to one of the major plant protein superfamilies. The WRKY TF gene family plays an important role in the regulation of transcriptional reprogramming associated with plant stress responses. Change in the expression patterns of WRKY genes or the modifications in their action; participate in the elaboration of numerous signaling pathways and regulatory networks. WRKY proteins contribute to plant growth, for example, gamete formation, seed germination, post-germination growth, stem elongation, root hair growth, leaf senescence, flowering time, and plant height. Moreover, they play a key role in many types of environmental signals, including drought, temperature, salinity, cold, and biotic stresses. This review summarizes the current progress made in unraveling the functions of numerous WRKY TFs under drought, salinity, temperature, and cold stresses as well as their role in plant growth and development.
PMID: 36426143
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1035627 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1035627
The bZIP transcription factors in Liriodendron chinense: Genome-wide recognition, characteristics and cold stress response.
College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.; Innovation Center of Excellence, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China.; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) is a transcription factor family that plays critical roles in abiotic and biotic stress responses as well as plant development and growth. A comprehensive genome-wide study in Liriodendron chinense was conducted to identify 45 bZIP transcription factors (LchibZIPs), which were divided into 13 subgroups according the phylogenetic analysis. Proteins in the same subgroup shared similar gene structures and conserved domains, and a total of 20 conserved motifs were revealed in LchibZIP proteins. Gene localization analysis revealed that LchibZIP genes were unequally distributed across 16 chromosomes, and that 4 pairs of tandem and 9 segmental gene duplications existed. Concluding that segmental duplication events may be strongly associated with the amplification of the L. chinense bZIP gene family. We also assessed the collinearity of LchibZIPs between the Arabidopsis and Oryza and showed that the LchibZIP is evolutionarily closer to O. sativa as compared to the A. thaliana. The cis-regulatory element analysis showed that LchibZIPs clustered in one subfamily are involved in several functions. In addition, we gathered novel research suggestions for further exploration of the new roles of LchibZIPs from protein-protein interactions and gene ontology annotations of the LchibZIP proteins. Using the RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR we analyzed the gene expression patterns of LchibZIP genes, and showed that LchibZIP genes regulate cold stress, especially LchibZIP4 and LchibZIP7; and LchibZIP2 and LchibZIP28 which were up-regulated and down-regulated by cold stress, respectively. Studies of genetic engineering and gene function in L. chinense can benefit greatly from the thorough investigation and characterization of the L. chinense bZIP gene family.
PMID: 36420021
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1025122 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1025122
Genome mining reveals abiotic stress resistance genes in plant genomes acquired from microbes via HGT.
School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China.; Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, China.; Hunan Tobacco Science Institute, Changsha, China.; Zhangjiajie Tobacco Company of Hunan Province, Zhangjiajie, China.; Hunan Urban and Rural Environmental Construction Co., Ltd, Changsha, China.; Chenzhou Tobacco Company of Hunan Province, Chenzhou, China.
Colonization by beneficial microbes can enhance plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. However, there are still many unknown fields regarding the beneficial plant-microbe interactions. In this study, we have assessed the amount or impact of horizontal gene transfer (HGT)-derived genes in plants that have potentials to confer abiotic stress resistance. We have identified a total of 235 gene entries in fourteen high-quality plant genomes belonging to phyla Chlorophyta and Streptophyta that confer resistance against a wide range of abiotic pressures acquired from microbes through independent HGTs. These genes encode proteins contributed to toxic metal resistance (e.g., ChrA, CopA, CorA), osmotic and drought stress resistance (e.g., Na(+)/proline symporter, potassium/proton antiporter), acid resistance (e.g., PcxA, ArcA, YhdG), heat and cold stress resistance (e.g., DnaJ, Hsp20, CspA), oxidative stress resistance (e.g., GST, PoxA, glutaredoxin), DNA damage resistance (e.g., Rad25, Rad51, UvrD), and organic pollutant resistance (e.g., CytP450, laccase, CbbY). Phylogenetic analyses have supported the HGT inferences as the plant lineages are all clustering closely with distant microbial lineages. Deep-learning-based protein structure prediction and analyses, in combination with expression assessment based on codon adaption index (CAI) further corroborated the functionality and expressivity of the HGT genes in plant genomes. A case-study applying fold comparison and molecular dynamics (MD) of the HGT-driven CytP450 gave a more detailed illustration on the resemblance and evolutionary linkage between the plant recipient and microbial donor sequences. Together, the microbe-originated HGT genes identified in plant genomes and their participation in abiotic pressures resistance indicate a more profound impact of HGT on the adaptive evolution of plants.
PMID: 36407614
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P981581 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.981581
Effects of chilling on the photosynthetic performance of the CAM orchid Phalaenopsis.
Research Group for Sustainable Crop Production & Protection, Division of Crop Biotechnics, Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, Geel, Belgium.; KU Leuven Plant Institute (LPI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Molecular and Physical Plant Physiology, UHasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium.; Centre for Environmental Sciences, Environmental Biology, UHasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
INTRODUCTION: Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is one of the three main metabolic adaptations for CO(2) fixation found in plants. A striking feature for these plants is nocturnal carbon fixation and diurnal decarboxylation of malic acid to feed Rubisco with CO(2) behind closed stomata, thereby saving considerable amounts of water. Compared to the effects of high temperatures, drought, and light, much less information is available about the effects of chilling temperatures on CAM plants. In addition a lot of CAM ornamentals are grown in heated greenhouses, urging for a deeper understanding about the physiological responses to chilling in order to increase sustainability in the horticultural sector. METHODS: The present study focuses on the impact of chilling temperatures (10 degrees C) for 3 weeks on the photosynthetic performance of the obligate CAM orchid Phalaenopsis 'Edessa'. Detailed assessments of the light reactions were performed by analyzing chlorophyll a fluorescence induction (OJIP) parameters and the carbon fixation reactions by measuring diel leaf gas exchange and diel metabolite patterns. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Results showed that chilling already affected the light reactions after 24h. Whilst the potential efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (F(v)/F(m)) was not yet influenced, a massive decrease in the performance index (PI(abs)) was noticed. This decrease did not depict an overall downregulation of PSII related energy fluxes since energy absorption and dissipation remained uninfluenced whilst the trapped energy and reduction flux were upregulated. This might point to the presence of short-term adaptation mechanisms to chilling stress. However, in the longer term the electron transport chain from PSII to PSI was affected, impacting both ATP and NADPH provision. To avoid over-excitation and photodamage plants showed a massive increase in thermal dissipation. These considerations are also in line with carbon fixation data showing initial signs of cold adaptation by achieving comparable Rubisco activity compared to unstressed plants but increasing daytime stomatal opening in order to capture a higher proportion of CO(2) during daytime. However, in accordance with the light reactions data, Rubisco activity declined and stomatal conductance and CO(2) uptake diminished to near zero levels after 3 weeks, indicating that plants were not successful in cold acclimation on the longer term.
PMID: 36507447
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1036254 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1036254
Overexpression of Pyrus sinkiangensis HAT5 enhances drought and salt tolerance, and low-temperature sensitivity in transgenic tomato.
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China.
The homeodomain-leucine zipper protein HAT belongs to the homeodomain leucine zipper subfamily (HD-Zip) and is important for regulating plant growth and development and stress tolerance. To investigate the role of HAT5 in tolerance to drought, salt, and low temperature stress, we selected a HAT gene from Pyrus sinkiangensis Yu (Pyrus sinkiangensis T.T. Yu). The sequences were analyzed using ioinformatics, and the overexpressed tomato lines were obtained using molecular biology techniques. The phenotypes, physiological, and biochemical indexes of the wild-type and transgenic tomato lines were observed under different stress conditions. We found that the gene had the highest homology with PbrHAT5. Under drought and NaCl stress, osmotic regulatory substances (especially proline) were significantly accumulated, and antioxidant enzyme activities were enhanced. The malondialdehyde level and relative electrical conductivity of transgenic tomatoes under low temperature (freezing) stress were significantly higher than those of wild-type tomatoes. The reactive oxygen species scavenging system was unbalanced. This study found that PsHAT5 improved the tolerance of tomatoes to drought and salt stress by regulating proline metabolism and oxidative stress ability, reducing the production of reactive oxygen species, and maintaining normal cell metabolism. In conclusion, the PsHAT5 transcription factor has great potential in crop resistance breeding, which lays a theoretical foundation for future excavation of effective resistance genes of the HD-Zip family and experimental field studies.
PMID: 36420018
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1021483 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1021483
Sprayed biodegradable liquid film improved the freezing tolerance of cv. Cabernet Sauvignon by up-regulating soluble protein and carbohydrate levels and alleviating oxidative damage.
College of Enology, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China.; School of Wine, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China.; China Wine Industry Technology Institute, Yinchuan, China.; Shaanxi Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, Yangling, China.; Engineering Research Center for Viti-Viniculture, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Yangling, China.
Most cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. are very sensitive to cold. As an exogenous protectant, Biodegradable Liquid Film (BLF) is considered to protect winegrapes from low temperatures and dry winds for safe overwintering. This study aimed to reveal the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of BLF regulating the freezing tolerance of wine grapes. Groups of ten-year-old vines (Cabernet Sauvignon) were sprayed with BLF in November 2020 and 2021, or left untreated as a control treatment, and field plant mortality after overwintering were investigated. Branch samples were collected monthly for determination of biochemical indicators. Dormant two-year-old cuttings (Cabernet Sauvignon) were also used for the determination of relative expression levels of key genes. The results showed that the application of BLF reduced the branch semi-lethal temperature in January and February samples compared with control, and reduced the mortality of above-ground parts, branches and buds. The physiological status of shoots was greatly affected by the climatic conditions of the year, but BLF treatment increased the levels of soluble protein and soluble sugar, and also decreased the content of superoxide anion and malondialdehyde at most sampling times. Correlation analysis showed that the differences in freezing tolerance between BLF and no treated overwintering(CK) vines were mainly related to peroxidase activity, soluble sugar, reducing sugar and starch content. Low temperature stress activated the over expression of ICE1, CBF1, and CBF3, especially for 12h. BLF treatment significantly increased the expression levels of CBF1 and CBF3 under low temperature stress. Overall, these results demonstrate that BLF treatment protects vines from freezing damage by upregulating osmo-regulatory substances and alleviating oxidative damage.
PMID: 36388526
J Agric Food Chem , IF:5.279 , 2022 Nov , V70 (43) : P13849-13861 doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05470
Characterization of Cuticular Wax in Tea Plant and Its Modification in Response to Low Temperature.
State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Key Laboratory of Tea Biology and Tea Processing of Ministry of Agriculture, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, West 130 Changjiang Road, Hefei 230036, Anhui, People's Republic of China.; Tianfang Tea Company Limited by Share, Tianfang Industrial Park, Chizhou 245100, Anhui, People's Republic of China.
Cuticular wax ubiquitously covers the outer layer of plants and protects them against various abiotic and biotic stresses. Nevertheless, the characteristics of cuticular wax and its role in cold resistance in tea plants remain unclear. In our study, cuticular wax from different tissues, cultivars, and leaves during different spatio-temporal growth stages were characterized and compared in tea plants. The composition, distribution pattern, and structural profile of cuticular wax showed considerable tissue specificity, particularly in petals and seeds. During the spatial development of tea leaves, total wax content increased from the first to fifth leaf in June, while a decreasing pattern was observed in September. Additionally, the total wax content and number of wax compounds were enhanced, and the wax composition significantly varied with leaf growth from June to September. Ten cultivars showed considerable differences in total wax content and composition, such as the predominance of saturated fatty acids and primary alcohols in SYH and HJY cultivars, respectively. Correlation analysis suggested that n-hexadecanoic acid is positively related to cold resistance in tea plants. Further transcriptome analysis from cold-sensitive AJBC, cold-tolerant CYQ, and EC 12 cultivars indicated that the inducible expression of wax-related genes was associated with the cold tolerance of different cultivars in response to cold stress. Our results revealed the characterization of cuticular wax in tea plants and provided new insights into its modification in cold tolerance.
PMID: 36268795
J Agric Food Chem , IF:5.279 , 2022 Dec , V70 (50) : P15703-15714 doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05949
Metabolic Profiling of Oryza sativa L. Triggered by Chilling Stress Using Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) with Transcriptome Analysis.
College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China.; School of Life Sciences, Nanchang Normal University, Nanchang 330031, China.; School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China.; College of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, China.
Low temperature, a major abiotic stress, often causes molecular changes in crops, which leads to metabolic disturbances and probably affects crop yield. In this study, chilling stress induced distinct metabolic profiles associated with transcriptome regulation, exhibiting great metabolic differences between Qiutianxiaoting (japonica) and 93-11 (indica). In total, 41 and 58 differential metabolites were screened and identified in Qiutianxiaoting and 93-11, respectively. Five key metabolites were screened in response to chilling stress, which were involved or related to different metabolic pathways. Moreover, starch and sucrose metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis were significantly enriched in Qiutianxiaoting to maintain cellular homeostasis. Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and antioxidation metabolism were significantly enriched in 93-11, but disorders of the metabolome and transcriptome occurred at recovery stage. The results could provide some useful information for in-depth understanding of cold-resistant mechanisms, as well as reference for the selection and breeding of rice varieties.
PMID: 36473722
Biology (Basel) , IF:5.079 , 2022 Dec , V11 (12) doi: 10.3390/biology11121814
Comprehensive Identification and Expression Profiling of the VQ Motif-Containing Gene Family in Brassica juncea.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512000, China.; Henry Fok College of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512000, China.; College of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China.
Valine-glutamine (VQ) motif-containing proteins are a class of highly conserved transcriptional regulators in plants and play key roles in plant growth, development, and response to various stresses. However, the VQ family genes in mustard have not yet been comprehensively identified and analyzed. In this study, a total of 120 VQ family genes (BjuVQ1 to BjuVQ120), which were unevenly distributed on 18 chromosomes (AA_Chr01 to BB_Chr08), were characterized in mustard. A phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the BjuVQ proteins were clustered into nine distinct groups (groups I to IX), and members in the same group shared a highly conserved motif composition. A gene structure analysis suggested that most BjuVQ genes were intronless. A gene duplication analysis revealed that 254 pairs of BjuVQ genes were segmentally duplicated and one pair was tandemly duplicated. Expression profiles obtained from RNA-seq data demonstrated that most BjuVQ genes have different gene expression profiles in different organs, including leaf, stem, root, flower bud, pod, and seed. In addition, over half of the BjuVQ genes were differentially expressed at some time points under low temperature treatment. The qRT-PCR data revealed that BjuVQ23, BjuVQ55, BjuVQ57, BjuVQ67, BjuVQ100, and BjuVQ117 were upregulated in response to cold stress. Taken together, our study provides new insights into the roles of different BjuVQ genes in mustard and their possible roles in growth and development, as well as in response to cold stress.
PMID: 36552323
Metabolites , IF:4.932 , 2022 Dec , V12 (12) doi: 10.3390/metabo12121216
Dendrobium Multi-Omics Reveal Lipid Remodeling in Response to Freezing.
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.
Freezing damage is a common phenomenon responsible for reduced yields of economic crops. Regulation of lipid metabolism plays an important role in plant growth and adaptation during freezing. We previously carried out transcriptome and untargeted metabolome analyses to determine the regulation of flavonol and anthocyanin biosynthesis during freezing treatment (FT) and post-freezing recovery (FR) in Dendrobium catenatum. However, changes in lipid levels are hard to confirm by untargeted metabolomics analysis alone. Regulation of lipid metabolism in response to freezing is largely unknown in Dendrobium. In this study, a multi-omics strategy was used to offer a better means of studying metabolic flow during FT and FR. To this end, 6976 proteins were identified by the 4D_label-free proteome, including 5343 quantified proteins. For each of the two conditions, we enriched differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) into 15 gene ontology (GO) terms, including primary metabolism, lipid metabolism, and photosynthesis processes. We also identified 7 lipid categories and 3672 lipid species using lipidome assays. We found significant remodeling occurring in the phospholipid category during FT and FR. We also found that most sphingolipids were significantly upregulated. An integrated multi-omics analysis revealed significant changes in the expression levels of 141 mRNAs and encoding proteins under both FT and FR conditions. During FT, phospholipase A (PLA) and phospholipase D (PLD) were associated with phospholipid editing and galactolipid remodeling. These results provide valuable new insights into how the freezing tolerance of D. catenatum might be improved by genetic engineering.
PMID: 36557254
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2022 Dec , V328 : P111570 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111570
The role of shoot-derived RNAs transported to plant root in response to abiotic stresses.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: zhangwenna@cau.edu.cn.
A large number of RNA molecules are transported over long-distance between shoots and roots via phloem in higher plants. Mobile RNA signals are important for plants to tackle abiotic stresses. Shoot-derived mobile RNAs can be involved in the response to different developmental or environmental signals in the root. Some environmental conditions such as climate change, water deficit, nutrient deficiency challenge modern agriculture with more expeditious abiotic stress conditions. Root architecture determines the ability of water and nutrient uptake and further abiotic stress tolerance, and shoot tissue also determines the balance between shoot-root relationship in plant growth and adaptations. Thus, it is necessary to understand the roles of shoot-derived RNA signals and their potential function in roots upon abiotic stresses in the model plants (Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana) and agricultural crops. In this review, we summarize the so-far discovered shoot-derived mobile RNA transportation to the root under abiotic stress conditions, e.g. drought, cold stress and nutrient deficiencies. Furthermore, we will focus on the biological relevance and the potential roles of these RNAs in root development and stress responses which will be an asset for the future breeding strategies.
PMID: 36563939
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2023 Jan , V326 : P111525 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111525
Transcriptomic and hormonal analysis of the roots of maize seedlings grown hydroponically at low temperature.
Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Ecologia y Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain. Electronic address: ifrierom@alumnos.unex.es.; Instituto de Bioingenieria, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, 03202 Elche, Spain. Electronic address: elarriba@umh.es.; Departamento de Nutricion Vegetal, CEBAS-CSIC, 30100 Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: pmelgarejo@cebas.csic.es.; Instituto de Bioingenieria, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, 03202 Elche, Spain. Electronic address: mjustamante@umh.es.; Area de Agronomia de Cultivos Lenosos y Horticolas, Instituto de Investigaciones Agrarias "La Orden-Valdesequera" (CICYTEX), Junta de Extremadura, 06187 Badajoz, Spain. Electronic address: maria.alarcon@juntaex.es.; Departamento de Nutricion Vegetal, CEBAS-CSIC, 30100 Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: alfonsoa.albacete@carm.es.; Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Ecologia y Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain. Electronic address: salguero@unex.es.; Instituto de Bioingenieria, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, 03202 Elche, Spain. Electronic address: jmperez@umh.es.
Prolonged cold stress has a strong effect on plant growth and development, especially in subtropical crops such as maize. Soil temperature limits primary root elongation, mainly during early seedling establishment. However, little is known about how moderate temperature fluctuations affect root growth at the molecular and physiological levels. We have studied root tips of young maize seedlings grown hydroponically at 30 masculineC and after a short period (up to 24 h) of moderate cooling (20 masculineC). We found that both cell division and cell elongation in the root apical meristem are affected by temperature. Time-course analyses of hormonal and transcriptomic profiles were achieved after temperature reduction from 30 masculineC to 20 masculineC. Our results highlighted a complex regulation of endogenous pathways leading to adaptive root responses to moderate cooling conditions.
PMID: 36328179
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2022 Dec , V325 : P111481 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111481
StLTO1, a lumen thiol oxidoreductase in Solanum tuberosum L., enhances the cold resistance of potato plants.
College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.; Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovak Republic.; College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China. Electronic address: xhyang@sdau.edu.cn.
Cold stress reduces plant photosynthesis and increases the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants, thereby dramatically affecting plant growth, crop productivity and quality. Here, we report that lumen thiol oxidoreductase 1 (StLTO1), a vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR)-like protein in the thylakoid membrane of Solanum tuberosum L., enhances the cold tolerance of potato plants. Under normal conditions, overexpression of StLTO1 in plants promoted plant growth. In addition, potato plants overexpressing StLTO1 displayed enhanced photosynthetic capacity and increased capacity for scavenging ROS compared to StLTO1 knockdown and wild-type potato plants under cold conditions. Overexpression of StLTO1 in potato plants also improved cold-regulated (COR) gene expression after cold stress. Our results suggest that StLTO1 acts as a positive regulator of cold resistance in potato plants.
PMID: 36181944
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2022 Dec , V325 : P111463 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111463
CsCBF5 depletion impairs cold tolerance in tea plants.
State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.; College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China; College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. Electronic address: Liyeyun360@163.com.
CBFs play important roles in tea plant cold tolerance. In our study, 16 tea varieties were used to investigate the relationship between the expression level of CsCBFs and cold tolerance in field experiments. A strong and positive correlation was found between cold stress-regulated CsCBF1, CsCBF3 and CsCBF5 expression levels (R(2) > 0.8) in tea mesophyll cells and cold tolerance in 16 tea varieties. A previous study reported that CsCBF1 and CsCBF3 were important components associated with cold tolerance in tea plants; thus, the function of CsCBF5 in the CsCBF family was targeted. Our previous study reported that CsCBF5 was localized in the nucleus and exhibited transcriptional activity. In the current study, MDA content in leaves was significantly increased in CsCBF5-silenced leaves, which exhibited poor cold tolerance, compared with WT plants under cold stress. In contrast, increased germination rates and antioxidant enzyme activities under cold conditions compared with WT plants. Furthermore, CsCBF5 overexpression in Arabidopsis promoted the expression levels of the cold-regulated genes AtCOR15a, AtCOR78, AtERD4 and AtRD29B; however, the expression levels of downstream genes, including CsCOR47, CsCOR413, CsERD4 and CsRD29B, were significantly reduced in CsCBF5-silenced tea leaves. Taken together, our results indicated that CsCBF5 could function as a positive regulator in the cold stress response.
PMID: 36126878
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2022 Dec , V325 : P111450 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111450
vvi-miPEP172b and vvi-miPEP3635b increase cold tolerance of grapevine by regulating the corresponding MIRNA genes.
Department of Plant Science, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271000, China.; Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, Xinjiang, China; Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Key Laboratory of Special Fruits and Vegetables Cultivation Physiology and Germplasm Resources Utilization, Shihezi 832003, Xinjiang, China.; Department of Plant Science, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.; Department of Plant Science, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Electronic address: chaoma2015@sjtu.edu.cn.
As a kind of small molecular weight proteins, many peptides have been discovered, including peptides encoded by pri-miRNA (miPEPs). Similar as traditional phytohormone or signaling molecular, these peptides participate in numerous plant growth processes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important regulatory role in plant stress response. While the roles of miPEPs in response to abiotic stress has not been studied now. In this study, to explore whether miPEPs could contribute to low temperature (4 masculineC) tolerance of plants, the expression pattern of 23 different vvi-MIRs were analyzed by qRT-PCR in 'Thompson Seedless' (Vitis vinifera) plantlets under cold stress (4 masculineC) firstly, and vvi-MIR172b and vvi-MIR3635b which showed an elevated expression levels were selected to identify miPEPs. Through transient expression, one small open reading frame (sORF) in each of the two pri-miRNAs could increase the expression of corresponding vvi-MIR, and the amino acid sequences of sORFs were named vvi-miPEP172b and vvi-miPEP3635b, respectively. The synthetic vvi-miPEP172b and vvi-miPEP3635b were applied to the grape plantlets, and the tissue culture plantlets exhibited a higher cold tolerance compared with the control groups. These results revealed the effective roles of miPEPs in plant cold stress resistance for the first time, providing a theoretical basis for the future application of miPEPs to agricultural production.
PMID: 36075277
Plant Cell Rep , IF:4.57 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1007/s00299-022-02949-9
StICE1 enhances plant cold tolerance by directly upregulating StLTI6A expression.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.; Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, A. Hlinku 2, Nitra, 94976, Slovak Republic.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China. xhyang@sdau.edu.cn.
Under cold conditions, StICE1 enhances plant cold tolerance by upregulating StLTI6A expression to maintain the cell membrane stability. Cold stress affects potato plants growth and development, crop productivity and quality. The ICE-CBF-COR regulatory cascade is the well-known pathway in response to cold stress in plants. ICE1, as a MYC-like bHLH transcription factor, can regulate the expressions of CBFs. However, whether ICE1 could regulate other genes still need to be explored. Our results showed that overexpressing ICE1 from potato in Arabidopsis thaliana could enhance plant cold tolerance. Under cold stress, overexpressed StICE1 in plants improved the stability of cell membrane, enhanced scavenging capacity of reactive oxygen species and increased expression levels of CBFs and COR genes. Furthermore, StICE1 could bind to the promoter of StLTI6A gene, which could maintain the stability of the cell membrane, to upregulate StLTI6A expression under cold conditions. Our findings revealed that StICE1 could directly regulate StLTI6A, CBF and COR genes expression to response to cold stress.
PMID: 36371722
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2022 Nov , V174 (6) : Pe13823 doi: 10.1111/ppl.13823
Remember the time.
Department of Plant Physiology, Umea University, Umea, Sweden.
Like the ability of a fox to avoid the same snare twice, the plant Arabidopsis thaliana seems to be able to respond differently to an event it has previously encountered. Shrewdness is no surprising characteristic of a fox, but the comparison does invite the question: do plants possess memory? In this edition of Physiologia Plantarum, the article by Vyse et al. (2022) describes how Arabidopsis responds differently to cold-stress, when encountering it for the first time (priming) and to a second similar stress after a memory phase (triggering). Arabidopsis seems to perceive the stress after triggering as a milder one and the authors postulate that the memory of the first occurrence of the stress reduces the amount of resources needed to cope with the cold-stress a second time.
PMID: 36572662
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2022 Dec : Pe13837 doi: 10.1111/ppl.13837
Temporal cell wall changes during cold acclimation and deacclimation and their potential involvement in freezing tolerance and growth.
Graduate School of Science & Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, Japan.
Plants adapt to freezing stress through cold acclimation, which is induced by non-freezing low temperatures and accompanied by growth arrest. A later increase in temperature after cold acclimation leads to rapid loss of freezing tolerance and growth resumption, a process called deacclimation. Appropriate regulation of the trade-off between freezing tolerance and growth is necessary for efficient plant development in a changing environment. The cell wall, which mainly consists of polysaccharide polymers, is involved in both freezing tolerance and growth. Still, it is unclear how the balance between freezing tolerance and growth is affected during cold acclimation and deacclimation by the changes in cell wall structure and what role is played by its monosaccharide composition. Therefore, to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms controlling freezing tolerance and growth during cold acclimation and deacclimation, we investigated cell wall changes in detail by sequential fractionation and monosaccharide composition analysis in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, for which a plethora of information and mutant lines are available. We found that arabinogalactan proteins and pectic galactan changed in close coordination with changes in freezing tolerance and growth during cold acclimation and deacclimation. On the other hand, arabinan and xyloglucan did not return to non-acclimation levels after deacclimation but stabilized at cold acclimation levels. This indicates that deacclimation does not completely restore cell wall composition to the non-acclimated state but rather changes it to a specific novel composition that is probably a consequence of the loss of freezing tolerance and provides conditions for growth resumption. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 36461890
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2022 Dec : Pe13846 doi: 10.1111/ppl.13846
Mechanisms of cold-induced immunity in plants.
Genome-Edited Crop Development Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.; Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Overwintering plants acquire substantial levels of freezing tolerance through cold acclimation or winter hardening. This process is essential for the plants survival to harsh winter conditions. In the areas where persistent snow cover lasts several months, plants are protected from freezing but are, however, exposed to other harsh conditions such as dark, cold, and high humidity. These conditions facilitate infection of psychrophilic pathogens, which are termed 'snow molds'. To fight against infection of snow molds, overwintering plants develop disease resistance via the process of cold acclimation. Compared with pathogen-induced disease resistance, the molecular mechanisms of cold-induced disease resistance have yet to be fully elucidated. In this review, we outline the recent progress in our understanding of disease resistance acquired through cold acclimation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 36546699
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2022 Nov , V174 (6) : Pe13820 doi: 10.1111/ppl.13820
Plasma membrane proteomic changes of Arabidopsis DRP1E during cold acclimation in association with the enhancement of freezing tolerance.
Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan.; United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan.; Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan.
The freezing tolerance of plants that live in cold regions increases after exposure to low temperature, a process termed cold acclimation (CA). During CA, restructuring of the plasma membrane (PM) is important to enhance freezing tolerance. We have previously shown that the function of DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN 1 E (DRP1E), which regulates endocytosis by pinching vesicles from the PM, is associated with the enhancement of freezing tolerance during CA in Arabidopsis. DRP1E is predicted to play a role in reconstituting the PM composition during CA. In this study, to test the validity of this hypothesis, we studied the changes in PM proteome patterns induced by drp1e mutation. In a detailed physiological analysis, after 3 days of CA, only young leaves showed significantly less increase in freezing tolerance in the mutant than in the wild type (WT). Using nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, 496 PM proteins were identified. Among these proteins, 81 or 71 proteins were specifically altered in the WT or the mutant, respectively, in response to CA. Principal component analysis showed that the proteomic pattern differed between the WT and the mutant upon cold acclimation (CA), suggesting that DRP1E contributes to reconstruction of the PM during CA. Cluster analysis revealed that proteins that were significantly increased in the mutant after CA were biased toward glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, such as fasciclin-like arabinogalactan proteins. Thus, a primary target of DRP1E-associated PM reconstruction during CA is considered to be glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, which may be removed from the PM by DRP1E in young leaves after 3 days of CA.
PMID: 36335535
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2022 Nov , V174 (6) : Pe13812 doi: 10.1111/ppl.13812
Cold acclimation threshold induction temperatures of switchgrass ecotypes grown under a long and short photoperiod.
Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.; Kentville Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kentville, NS, Canada.; Department of Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Plants can cold acclimate to enhance their freezing tolerance by sensing declining temperature and photoperiod cues. However, the factors influencing genotypic variation in the induction of cold acclimation are poorly understood among perennial grasses. We hypothesized that the more northern upland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) ecotype develops a higher degree of freezing tolerance by initiating cold acclimation at higher temperatures as compared with the coastal and southern lowland ecotypes. First, we determined the optimal method for assessing freezing tolerance and the length of exposure to 8/4 degrees C required to induce the maximum level of freezing tolerance in the most northern upland and most southern lowland genotypes. We characterized the maximum freezing tolerance of eight uplands, three coastal and five lowland genotypes grown for 21 days at 8/4 degrees C and a 10 or 16 h photoperiod. Next, we identified the temperature required to induce cold acclimation by exposing the 16 genotypes for 7 days at 20-6 degrees C constant temperatures under a 10 or 16 h photoperiod. Cold acclimation initiated at temperatures 5 and 7 degrees C higher in upland than in coastal and lowland genotypes. Among upland genotypes the shorter photoperiod induced cold acclimation at a 1 degrees C higher temperature. Genotypes originating from a more northern latitude initiate cold acclimation at higher temperatures and develop higher maximum freezing tolerances. An earlier response to declining temperatures may provide the upland ecotype with additional time to prepare for winter and provide an advantage when plants are subjected to the rapid changes in fall temperature associated with injurious frosts.
PMID: 36326192
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Nov , V190 : P262-276 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.09.011
Involvement of NO and Ca(2+) in the enhancement of cold tolerance induced by melatonin in winter turnip rape (Brassica rapa L.).
College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.; College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. Electronic address: zhangtengguo@163.com.; College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. Electronic address: zhengsheng@nwnu.edu.cn.
As a multifunctional phytohormone, melatonin (Mel) plays pivotal roles in plant responses to multiple stresses. However, its mechanism of action remains elusive. In the present study, we evaluated the role of NO and Ca(2+) signaling in Mel enhanced cold tolerance in winter turnip rape. The results showed that the NO content and concentration of intracellular free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) increased by 35.42% and 30.87%, respectively, in the leaves of rape seedlings exposed to cold stress. Compared with those of the seedlings in cold stress alone, the NO content and concentration of [Ca(2+)](cyt) in rape seedlings pretreated with Mel increased further. In addition, the Mel-mediated improvement of cold tolerance was inhibited by L-NAME (a NO synthase inhibitor), tungstate (a nitrate reductase inhibitor), LaCl(3) (a Ca(2+) channel blocker), and EGTA (a Ca(2+) chelator), and this finding was mainly reflected in the increase in ROS content and the decrease in osmoregulatory capacity, photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant enzyme activities, and expression levels of antioxidant enzyme genes. These findings suggest that NO and Ca(2+) are necessary for Mel to improve cold tolerance and function synergistically downstream of Mel. Notably, the co-treatment of Mel with L-NAME, tungstate, LaCl(3), or EGTA also inhibited the Mel-induced expression of MAPK3/6 under cold stress. In conclusion, NO and Ca(2+) are involved in the enhancement of cold tolerance induced by Mel through activating the MAPK cascades in rape seedlings, and a crosstalk may exist between NO and Ca(2+) signaling.
PMID: 36152511
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Nov , V190 : P81-89 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.08.019
A critical review on plant annexin: Structure, function, and mechanism.
Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China/College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.; College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China. Electronic address: fczhou@yzu.edu.cn.; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China/College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China. Electronic address: hdding@yzu.edu.cn.
Plant annexins are evolutionary conserved protein family widely exist in almost all plant species, characterized by a shorter N-terminal region and four conservative annexin repeats. Plant annexins have Ca(2+) channel-regulating activity and peroxidase as well as ATPase/GTPase activities, which give annexins functional specificity. They are widely involved in regulating diverse aspects of biochemical and cellular processes, plant growth and development, and responses to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. Though many studies have reviewed the function of annexins, great progress have been made in the study of plant annexins recently. In this review, we outline the current understanding of basic properties of plant annexins and summarize the emerging advances in understanding the functional roles of annexins in plants and highlight the regulation mechanisms of annexin protein in response to stress especially to salt and cold stress. The interesting questions related to plant annexin that remain to be further elucidated are also discussed.
PMID: 36108355
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Nov , V190 : P47-61 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.08.024
CROP PRODUCTION UNDER COLD STRESS: An understanding of plant responses, acclimation processes, and management strategies.
Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.; Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China. Electronic address: zhouwenbin@caas.cn.
In the context of climate change, the magnitude and frequency of temperature extremes (low and high temperatures) are increasing worldwide. Changes to the lower extremes of temperature, known as cold stress (CS), are one of the recurrent stressors in many parts of the world, severely limiting agricultural production. A series of plant reactions to CS could be generalized into morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses based on commonalities among crop plants. However, the differing originality of crops revealed varying degrees of sensitivity to cold and, therefore, exhibited large differences in these responses among the crops. This review discusses the vegetative and reproductive growth effects of CS and highlights the species-specific aspect of each growth stage whereby the reproductive growth CS appears more detrimental in rice and wheat, with marginal yield losses. To mitigate CS negative effects, crop plants have evolved cold-acclimation mechanisms (with differing capability), characterized by specific protein accumulation, membrane modification, regulation of signaling pathways, osmotic regulation, and induction of endogenous hormones. In addition, we reviewed a comprehensive account of management strategies for regulating tolerance mechanisms of crop plants under CS.
PMID: 36099808
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Nov , V194 : P418-439 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.11.034
Drought priming triggers diverse metabolic adjustments and induces chilling tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).
Centre for Biosciences, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, India.; Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, 141004, India.; Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.; Centre for Biosciences, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, India; Department of Botany, School of Basic Sciences, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, India. Electronic address: sanjeevpuchd@gmail.com.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) suffers from chilling stress at the reproductive stage (<15 degrees C) which leads to significant yield loss. This study presents a comprehensive plant response to drought priming and its effect on chilling tolerance during the reproductive stage in two chickpea cultivars PBG1 and PBG5. Lipidome profiling (Fatty acid methyl esters analysis), metabolome profiling (GC-MS based untargeted analysis), fatty acid desaturases and antioxidative gene expression (qRT-PCR) were analyzed to monitor physiological and biochemical events after priming during flowering, podding and seed filling stages. Drought priming alleviated membrane damage and chlorophyll degradation by increasing membrane unsaturated fatty acids (18:3) along with up-regulation of various fatty acid desaturases (CaFADs) genes and antioxidative machinery during flowering and improved seed yield in PBG5. PCA, HCA, and KEGG pathway analysis of 87 identified metabolites showed that metabolites were regulated differently in both cultivars under non-primed and primed conditions. The plant response was more apparent at flowering and podding stages which coincided with chilling temperature (<15 degrees C). Drought priming stimulated many important genes, especially FADs, antioxidative proteins and accumulation of key metabolites (proline and TCA intermediates) required for defense especially in PBG5. This explains that plant's response to drought priming not only depends on developmental stage, and temperature regime (<15 degrees C) but also on the genotypic-specificity.
PMID: 36493590
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Nov , V191 : P10-19 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.09.015
Genome-wide identification of the CDPK gene family reveals the CDPK-RBOH pathway potential involved in improving chilling tolerance in peach fruit.
College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: 2020208012@stu.njau.edu.cn.; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: 2017208006@njau.edu.cn.; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: 2019208027@njau.edu.cn.; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: 2020108024@stu.njau.edu.cn.; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: zhengyh@njau.edu.cn.; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: pjin@njau.edu.cn.
Calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK), as an essential calcium receptor, plays a major role in the perception and decoding of intracellular calcium signaling in plant development and stress responses. Here, the CDPK gene family was analyzed at the genome-wide level in peach. This study identified 17 PpCDPK gene members from the peach genome, and systematically investigated phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, exon-intron structures, chromosome distribution, and cis-acting elements of each PpCDPK gene using bioinformatics. Furthermore, the expression levels of most PpCDPK genes were significantly changed under the CaCl(2), EBR, GB, cold shock, hot water treatments, and various temperatures in the cold storage of peach fruits. RNA-seq data showed that PpCDPK2, PpCDPK7, PpCDPK10, and PpCDPK13 were related to postharvest chilling stress in peach. The interaction network of PpCDPK7 protein showed that the interaction between PpCDPK7 and PpRBOH may be the intersectional point of Ca(2+) and ROS signal transmission during cold storage of peach fruits. These systematic analyses are helpful to further characterize the regulation of PpCDPKs and CDPK-RBOH mediated signal cascades in postharvest chilling injury in peach fruit.
PMID: 36174282
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Nov , V194 : P52-59 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.10.032
Terahertz spectroscopic monitoring and analysis of citrus leaf water status under low temperature stress.
College of Instrumentation and Electrical Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130061, China; Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Chongqing, 400714, China.; Citrus Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400712, China.; Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Chongqing, 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China.; College of Instrumentation and Electrical Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130061, China; Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Chongqing, 400714, China. Electronic address: hcui@jlu.edu.cn.; Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Chongqing, 400714, China; Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, 400714, China. Electronic address: yanshihan@cigit.ac.cn.
Low temperature stress, in the form of chilling and freezing, is one of the major environmental factors impacting on citrus yield, which changes plant's water state and results in the crops' sub-health or injury. The innovative terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and imaging based sensing technology has been shown to be a suitable tool for plant leaf water status determination, due to THz radiation's innate sensitivity to hydrogen bond vibration in aqueous solutions, which is usually related to plant phenotype change. We demonstrate experimentally that the THz absorption coefficient of leaf could be used for distinguishing plant's physiological stress status, exhibiting clear decreasing or increasing trend under chilling or freezing stress respectively. The underlying rationale might be that membrane damage shows a diverse pattern, changing the intra- or extra-cellular liquid environments, likely being linked to the various THz spectral characteristics. There were different adaptations in leaf morphology, leading to different leaf density, which in turn affects the water volume fraction. Moreover, different patterns of the dynamic equilibrium state of free water and bound water under chilling and freezing treatment were revealed by THz spectroscopy. Here, THz spectroscopic monitoring has shown unique potential for judging citrus's low temperature stress state through bio-water detection and discrimination.
PMID: 36375327
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Dec , V22 (1) : P593 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03990-2
Role of exogenous abscisic acid in freezing tolerance of mangrove Kandelia obovata under natural frost condition at near 32( degrees )N.
Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Resource Plant Innovation and Utilization, Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wenzhou, 325005, Zhejiang, China.; Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.; Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nantong, 226007, Jiangsu, China.; Wenzhou Municipal Key Laboratory for Applied Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Informatics, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou, 325060, Zhejiang, China.; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325000, Zhejiang, China.; Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Resource Plant Innovation and Utilization, Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wenzhou, 325005, Zhejiang, China. kingwwang@163.com.; Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Resource Plant Innovation and Utilization, Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wenzhou, 325005, Zhejiang, China. yzscqx@163.com.
BACKGROUND: Mangroves possess substantial ecological, social, and economic functions in tropical and subtropical coastal wetlands. Kandelia obovata is the most cold-resistance species among mangrove plants, with a widespread distribution in China that ranges from Sanya (18 degrees 12' N) to Wenzhou (28 degrees 20' N). Here, we explored the temporal variations in physiological status and transcriptome profiling of K. obovata under natural frost conditions at ~ 32(o)N, as well as the positive role of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in cold resistance. RESULTS: The soluble sugar (SS) and proline (Pro) functioned under freezing stress, of which SS was more important for K. obovata. Consistently, up-regulated DEGs responding to low temperature were significantly annotated to glycometabolism, such as starch and sucrose metabolism and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. Notably, the top 2 pathways of KEGG enrichment were phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and flavonoid biosynthesis. For the antioxidant system, POD in conjunction with CAT removed hydrogen peroxide, and CAT appeared to be more important. The up-regulated DEGs responding to low temperature and ABA were also found to be enriched in arginine and proline metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, and peroxisome. Moreover, ABA triggered the expression of P5CS and P5CR, but inhibited the ProDH expression, which might contribute to Pro accumulation. Interestingly, there was no significant change in malondialdehyde (MDA) content during the cold event (P > 0.05), suggesting foliar application of ABA effectively alleviated the adverse effects of freezing stress on K. obovata by activating the antioxidant enzyme activity and increasing osmolytes accumulation, such as Pro, and the outcome was proportional to ABA concentration. CONCLUSIONS: This study deepened our understanding of the physiological characters and molecular mechanisms underlying the response of K. obovata to natural frost conditions and exogenous ABA at the field level, which could provide a sound theoretical foundation for expanding mangroves plantations in higher latitudes, as well as the development coastal landscape.
PMID: 36529723
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Dec , V22 (1) : P585 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03973-3
Ammonia borane positively regulates cold tolerance in Brassica napus via hydrogen sulfide signaling.
College of Life Sciences, Laboratory Center of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu, China.; National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu, China.; The Institute of Industrial CropsJiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, Jiangsu, China.; College of Life Sciences, Laboratory Center of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, Jiangsu, China. wbshenh@njau.edu.cn.
BACKGROUND: Cold stress adversely influences rapeseeds (Brassica napus L.) growth and yield during winter and spring seasons. Hydrogen (H(2)) is a potential gasotransmitter that is used to enhance tolerance against abiotic stress, including cold stress. However, convenience and stability are two crucial limiting factors upon the application of H(2) in field agriculture. To explore the application of H(2) in field, here we evaluated the role of ammonia borane (AB), a new candidate for a H(2) donor produced by industrial chemical production, in plant cold tolerance. RESULTS: The application with AB could obviously alleviate the inhibition of rapeseed seedling growth and reduce the oxidative damage caused by cold stress. The above physiological process was closely related to the increased antioxidant enzyme system and reestablished redox homeostasis. Importantly, cold stress-triggered endogenous H(2)S biosynthesis was further stimulated by AB addition. The removal or inhibition of H(2)S synthesis significantly abolished plant tolerance against cold stress elicited by AB. Further field experiments demonstrated that the phenotypic and physiological performances of rapeseed plants after challenged with cold stress in the winter and early spring seasons were significantly improved by administration with AB. Particularly, the most studied cold-stress response pathway, the ICE1-CBF-COR transcriptional cascade, was significantly up-regulated either. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study clearly observed the evidence that AB-increased tolerance against cold stress could be suitable for using in field agriculture by stimulation of H(2)S signaling.
PMID: 36517759
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Nov , V22 (1) : P547 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03921-1
Genome-wide identification, molecular evolution and expression analysis of the non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) family in Setaria italica.
College of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Shanxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, China. LF_sxdtdx@163.com.; Research and Development Center of Agricultural Facility Technology, Shanxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, China. LF_sxdtdx@163.com.; Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, College of Crop Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.; College of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Shanxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, China.; Research and Development Center of Agricultural Facility Technology, Shanxi Datong University, Datong, 037009, China.; Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China. luping@caas.cn.
BACKGROUND: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is a millet species with high tolerance to stressful environments. Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are a kind of small, basic proteins involved in many biological processes. So far, the genome of S. italica has been fully sequenced, and a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and expression of the nsLTP family is still lacking in foxtail millet. RESULTS: Forty-five nsLTP genes were identified in S. italica and clustered into 5 subfamilies except three single genes (SinsLTP38, SinsLTP7, and SinsLTP44). The proportion of SinsLTPs was different in each subfamily, and members within the same subgroup shared conserved exon-intron structures. Besides, 5 SinsLTP duplication events were investigated. Both tandem and segmental duplication contributed to nsLTP expansion in S. italica, and the duplicated SinsLTPs had mainly undergone purifying selection pressure, which suggested that the function of the duplicated SinsLTPs might not diverge much. Moreover, we identified the nsLTP members in 5 other monocots, and 41, 13, 10, 4, and 1 orthologous gene pairs were identified between S. italica and S. viridis, S. bicolor, Z. mays, O. sativa, and B. distachyon, respectively. The functional divergence within the nsLTP orthologous genes might be limited. In addition, the tissue-specific expression patterns of the SinsLTPs were investigated, and the expression profiles of the SinsLTPs in response to abiotic stress were analyzed, all the 10 selected SinsLTPs were responsive to drought, salt, and cold stress. Among the selected SinsLTPs, 2 paired duplicated genes shared almost equivalent expression profiles, suggesting that these duplicated genes might retain some essential functions during subsequent evolution. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provided the first systematic analysis for the phylogenetic classification, conserved domain and gene structure, expansion pattern, and expression profile of the nsLTP family in S. italica. These findings could pave a way for further comparative genomic and evolution analysis of nsLTP family in foxtail millet and related monocots, and lay the foundation for the functional analysis of the nsLTPs in S. italica.
PMID: 36443672
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Nov , V22 (1) : P531 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03910-4
Identification of key gene networks related to the freezing resistance of apricot kernel pistils by integrating hormone phenotypes and transcriptome profiles.
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China. wlibing@caf.ac.cn.
BACKGROUND: Apricot kernel, a woody oil tree species, is known for the high oil content of its almond that can be used as an ideal feedstock for biodiesel production. However, apricot kernel is vulnerable to spring frost, resulting in reduced or even no yield. There are no effective countermeasures in production, and the molecular mechanisms underlying freezing resistance are not well understood. RESULTS: We used transcriptome and hormone profiles to investigate differentially responsive hormones and their associated co-expression patterns of gene networks in the pistils of two apricot kernel cultivars with different cold resistances under freezing stress. The levels of auxin (IAA and ICA), cytokinin (IP and tZ), salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA and ILE-JA) were regulated differently, especially IAA between two cultivars, and external application of an IAA inhibitor and SA increased the spring frost resistance of the pistils of apricot kernels. We identified one gene network containing 65 hub genes highly correlated with IAA. Among these genes, three genes in auxin signaling pathway and three genes in brassinosteroid biosynthesis were identified. Moreover, some hub genes in this network showed a strong correlation such as protein kinases (PKs)-hormone related genes (HRGs), HRGs-HRGs and PKs-Ca(2+) related genes. CONCLUSIONS: Ca(2+), brassinosteroid and some regulators (such as PKs) may be involved in an auxin-mediated freezing response of apricot kernels. These findings add to our knowledge of the freezing response of apricot kernels and may provide new ideas for frost prevention measures and high cold-resistant apricot breeding.
PMID: 36380302
Tree Physiol , IF:4.196 , 2022 Nov , V42 (11) : P2336-2352 doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpac064
Histological, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal mechanisms of cold acclimation of the 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.; Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, 159 Longpan Road Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.; Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Subtropical Forest Biodiversity Conservation, 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.
The Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) leaf copes well with cold winters in southeastern China. However, until now, there has been almost no research on its adaptation mechanisms to cold weather. Herein, we found that the 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 10- to 1000-fold higher stress-resistant metabolites such as glutathione, trehalose and ascorbic acid than the leaf of B. ventricosa 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 significantly upregulated in Moso bamboo leaves growing at cold temperatures. Interestingly, many newly identified genes were involved in the transcriptome of the winter leaf of the 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 Dec , V257 (1) : P23 doi: 10.1007/s00425-022-04058-z
Auxin homeostasis in maize (Zea mays) is regulated via 1-O-indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol synthesis at early stages of seedling development and under abiotic stress.
Department of Biochemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Torun, Poland. anciar@umk.pl.; Department of Biochemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Torun, Poland.; Department of Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Torun, Poland.
Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol biosynthesis is regulated during maize seedling development and in response to drought and cold stress. The main purpose of this pathway is maintenance of auxin homeostasis. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) conjugation to myo-inositol is a part of a mechanism controlling free auxin level in maize. In this work, we investigated changes in the indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol (IAInos) biosynthesis pathway in 3-d- and 6-d-old maize seedlings and germinating seeds as well as in seedlings subjected to drought and cold stress to evaluate a role of this pathway in maize development and stress response. In germinating seeds, activity of the enzymes involved in IAInos biosynthesis remains unchanged between 3-d- and 6-d-old material but increases in coleoptiles and radicles of the seedlings. Under cold stress, in germinating seeds and in coleoptiles, activity of the enzymes decreases and increases, respectively; however, it does not entail changes in auxin level. In drought-exposed germinating maize seeds, totally diminished activities of IAInos synthesis pathway enzymes resulted in almost twofold increase of free IAA content. Similar increase of auxin level was observed in radicles of drought-subjected seedlings together with lack of catalytic activity of the first enzyme of the pathway. Exogenous IAInos has no effect on the level of non-enzymatic antioxidant, ascorbate. It has also either no effect on the protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation, or it affects it in a similar way as exogenously applied IAA and myo-inositol, which are products of IAInos hydrolysis. Thus, IAInos biosynthesis pathway acts in maize development and stress responses by regulation of free IAA concentration, as IAInos itself does not appear to have a distinct role in these processes.
PMID: 36539632
Genes (Basel) , IF:4.096 , 2022 Dec , V13 (12) doi: 10.3390/genes13122371
Genome-Wide Identification of bHLH Transcription Factor in Medicago sativa in Response to Cold Stress.
College of Forest, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China.
Alfalfa represents one of the most important legume forages, and it is also applied as an organic fertilizer to improve soil quality. However, this perennial plant is native to warmer temperate regions, and its valuable cold-acclimation-related regulatory mechanisms are still less known. In higher plants, the bHLH transcription factors play pleiotropic regulatory roles in response to abiotic stresses. The recently released whole genome sequencing data of alfalfa allowed us to identify 469 MsbHLHs by multi-step homolog search. Herein, we primarily identified 65 MsbHLH genes that significantly upregulated under cold stress, and such bHLHs were classified into six clades according to their expression patterns. Interestingly, the phylogenetic analysis and conserved motif screening of the cold-induced MsbHLHs showed that the expression pattern is relatively varied in each bHLH subfamily, this result indicating that the 65 MsbHLHs may be involved in a complex cold-responsive regulatory network. Hence, we analyzed the TFBSs at promoter regions that unraveled a relatively conserved TFBS distribution with genes exhibiting similar expression patterns. Eventually, to verify the core components involved in long-term cold acclimation, we examined transcriptome data from a freezing-tolerant species (cv. Zhaodong) in the field and compared the expression of cold-sensitive/tolerant subspecies of alfalfa, giving 11 bHLH as candidates, which could be important for further cold-tolerance enhancement and molecular breeding through genetic engineering in alfalfa.
PMID: 36553638
Genes (Basel) , IF:4.096 , 2022 Nov , V13 (12) doi: 10.3390/genes13122242
The HD-ZIP Gene Family in Watermelon: Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis under Abiotic Stresses.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China.; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.; State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation, Tianjin 300384, China.
Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-ZIP) transcription factors are one of the plant-specific gene families involved in plant growth and response to adverse environmental conditions. However, little information is available on the HD-ZIP gene family in watermelon. In this study, forty ClHDZs were systemically identified in the watermelon genome, which were subsequently divided into four distinctive subfamilies (I-IV) based on the phylogenetic topology. HD-ZIP members in the same subfamily generally shared similar gene structures and conserved motifs. Syntenic analyses revealed that segmental duplications mainly contributed to the expansion of the watermelon HD-ZIP family, especially in subfamilies I and IV. HD-ZIP III was considered the most conserved subfamily during the evolutionary history. Moreover, expression profiling together with stress-related cis-elements in the promoter region unfolded the divergent transcriptional accumulation patterns under abiotic stresses. The majority (13/23) of ClHDZs in subfamilies I and II were downregulated under the drought condition, e.g., ClHDZ4, ClHDZ13, ClHDZ18, ClHDZ19, ClHDZ20, and ClHDZ35. On the contrary, most HD-ZIP genes were induced by cold and salt stimuli with few exceptions, such as ClHDZ3 and ClHDZ23 under cold stress and ClHDZ14 and ClHDZ15 under the salt condition. Notably, the gene ClHDZ14 was predominantly downregulated by three stresses whereas ClHDZ1 was upregulated, suggesting their possible core roles in response to these abiotic stimuli. Collectively, our findings provide promising candidates for the further genetic improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in watermelon.
PMID: 36553509
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Dec , V11 (24) doi: 10.3390/plants11243507
Physio-Biochemical Responses of Sweet Cherry Leaf to Natural Cold Conditions.
Department of Agronomy, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Trees of the sweet cherry cultivar 'Grace Star' (Prunus avium L.) were exposed to low temperatures without frost for two consecutive nights under natural conditions 36 d after flowering, to study the effects on the physiological properties and metabolic status of leaves. The response was studied by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange parameters and by analyzing chloroplast pigments (i) immediately after exposure, (ii) 24 h and (iii) 48 h later. The first exposure at 2.4 (+/-0.2) degrees C and a minimum of 0.8 degrees C elicited more changes than the second exposure at 4.9 (+/-0.3) degrees C and a minimum of 2.4 degrees C. After the first exposure, the maximum quantum yield of PS II (Fv/Fm), effective quantum efficiency of PS II, net photosynthesis (P(N)), stomatal conductance (g(s)), transpiration, and intercellular CO(2) concentration were significantly lower, and after the second exposure, the content of chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, beta-carotene, and lutein were lower. The content of antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin was higher immediately after both exposures, and that of antheraxanthin was also higher 24 h later. Recovery took longer in trees that were exposed twice. Fv/Fm recovered within 48 h, but the de-epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle pool, P(N), and g(s) did not reach the level of controls, indicating that the stress effect lasted several days which is probably sufficient to cause fruit drop and reduce yield.
PMID: 36559619
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Dec , V11 (24) doi: 10.3390/plants11243475
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling of Aconitase Gene Family Members Reveals Their Roles in Plant Development and Adaptation to Diverse Stress in Triticum aestivum L.
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Sri Sri University, Cuttack 754006, India.; Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bikaner II, Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner 334603, India.; ICAR-Central Institute for Arid Horticulture, Bikaner 334006, India.; KIIT-Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology 13 (KIIT), Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar 751024, India.; Department of Life Science, Dongguk University, Dong-gu 10326, Republic of Korea.
Global warming is a serious threat to food security and severely affects plant growth, developmental processes, and, eventually, crop productivity. Respiratory metabolism plays a critical role in the adaptation of diverse stress in plants. Aconitase (ACO) is the main enzyme, which catalyzes the revocable isomerization of citrate to isocitrate in the Krebs cycle. The function of ACO gene family members has been extensively studied in model plants, for instance Arabidopsis. However, their role in plant developmental processes and various stress conditions largely remained unknown in other plant species. Thus, we identified 15 ACO genes in wheat to elucidate their function in plant developmental processes and different stress environments. The phylogenetic tree revealed that TaACO genes were classified into six groups. Further, gene structure analysis of TaACOs has shown a distinctive evolutionary path. Synteny analysis showed the 84 orthologous gene pairs in Brachypodium distachyon, Aegilops tauschii, Triticum dicoccoides, Oryza sativa, and Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, Ka/Ks ratio revealed that most TaACO genes experienced strong purifying selection during evolution. Numerous cis-acting regulatory elements were detected in the TaACO promoters, which play a crucial role in plant development processes, phytohormone signaling, and are related to defense and stress. To understand the function of TaACO genes, the expression profiling of TaACO genes were investigated in different tissues, developmental stages, and stress conditions. The transcript per million values of TaACOs genes were retrieved from the Wheat Expression Browser Database. We noticed the differential expression of the TaACO genes in different tissues and various stress conditions. Moreover, gene ontology analysis has shown enrichment in the tricarboxylic acid metabolic process (GO:0072350), citrate metabolic process (GO:0006101), isocitrate metabolic process GO:0006102, carbohydrate metabolic (GO:0005975), and glyoxylate metabolic process (GO:0046487). Therefore, this study provided valuable insight into the ACO gene family in wheat and contributed to the further functional characterization of TaACO during different plant development processes and various stress conditions.
PMID: 36559588
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Dec , V11 (23) doi: 10.3390/plants11233400
Cell Membrane Features as Potential Breeding Targets to Improve Cold Germination Ability of Seeds.
Department of Plant and Soil Science, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-2122, USA.
Cold stress breeding that focuses on the improvement of chilling tolerance at the germination stage is constrained by the complexities of the trait which involves integrated cellular, biochemical, hormonal and molecular responses. Biological membrane serves as the first line of plant defense under stress. Membranes receive cold stress signals and transduce them into intracellular responses. Low temperature stress, in particular, primarily and effectively affects the structure, composition and properties of cell membranes, which ultimately disturbs cellular homeostasis. Under cold stress, maintenance of membrane integrity through the alteration of membrane lipid composition is of prime importance to cope with the stress. This review describes the critical role of cell membranes in cold stress responses as well as the physiological and biochemical manifestations of cold stress in plants. The potential of cell membrane properties as breeding targets in developing strategies to improve cold germination ability is discussed using cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) as a model.
PMID: 36501439
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Dec , V11 (23) doi: 10.3390/plants11233371
Identification of microRNA158 from Anthurium andraeanum and Its Function in Cold Stress Tolerance.
Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Department of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Anthurium andraeanum is a tropical flower with high ornamental and economic value. Cold stress is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting the quality and value of A. andraeanum; thus, improving the cold tolerance of this species is an important breeding objective. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a critical role in plant abiotic stress responses, but their specific molecular regulatory mechanisms are largely unknown, including those related to the cold stress response in A. andraeanum. Here, we identified and cloned the precursor of miR158 from A. andraeanum (Aa-miR158). Both Aa-miR158 and its target gene (c48247) had higher expression levels in strong leaves than in other tissues or organs. Further study revealed that the transcript level of Aa-miR158 was increased by cold stress. Heterologous overexpression of Aa-miR158 improved cold stress tolerance in Arabidopsis, which was associated with decreases in the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and relative electrical conductivity (REC) as well as increases in peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activity. Moreover, overexpressing Aa-miR158 significantly increased the expression of endogenous genes related to cold stress tolerance and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in transgenic Arabidopsis under cold stress. Overall, our results demonstrate that Aa-miR158 is significantly involved in the cold stress response and provide a new strategy for cold tolerance breeding of A. andraeanum.
PMID: 36501408
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Nov , V11 (23) doi: 10.3390/plants11233290
Heat and Cold-Stressed Individuals of Pistacia lentiscus (Mastic Tree) Do Modify Their Secreting Profile.
Section of Botany, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15701 Athens, Greece.; Division of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece.; Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15701 Athens, Greece.
Seedlings from the germinated seeds of Pistacia lentiscus were cultured in plant growth chambers for three months. Then, the plants were separated into three groups. Each group was cultured under different conditions. The first group was left to grow under normal Mediterranean conditions, as those recorded in spring. The other group was subjected to a ten-day heat stress while the last one also suffered a cold stress for ten days. The anatomical features of the leaves (leaf thickness, epidermal cell thickness, number of palisade layers, and development) between these three groups differed. The stressed plants accumulated large amounts of phenolics within their mesophyll cells. The biomass of the cold-stressed plants was minor, while it was high for the control plants. The oxidative stress was hardly detectable in the leaves of the control plants, while their heat-stressed counterparts suffered the highest concentration of reactive oxygen species. Differences concerning the absorption spectra of the three groups of leaves were not significant. An interesting incompatibility between the three groups concerned the expression of L-Dopa Decarboxylase, which climbed significantly in the heat-stressed plants. Finally, an interesting variation was observed concerning the concentrations of some biogenic amines/amino acids. This variation can be correlated to the other stress-induced reactions of the plants and, in some cases, was impressive. In conclusion, environmental stress can shift Pistacia lentiscus' metabolism to synthesize different biogenic products, which can be considered as exploitable for the pharmaceutical or food industry.
PMID: 36501332
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Nov , V11 (22) doi: 10.3390/plants11223148
A Pan-Transcriptome Analysis Indicates Efficient Downregulation of the FIB Genes Plays a Critical Role in the Response of Alfalfa to Cold Stress.
Key Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Genetic Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China.
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a perennial forage legume that is widely distributed throughout the world, and cold stress is an important environmental factor limiting the growth and production of alfalfa in cold regions. However, little is known of the molecular mechanisms regarding cold tolerance in alfalfa. Here, we conducted physiological metabolism assays and pan-transcriptome sequencing on eight cultivars of alfalfa under cold stress conditions. The results of the RNA-seq analysis showed that the genes are "oxidoreductase activity" and "transcription regulator activity", suggesting that genes with such functions are more likely to play important roles in the response to cold stress by alfalfa. In addition, to identify specific gene modules and hub genes in response to alfalfa cold stress, we applied weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA) analyses to the RNA-seq data. Our results indicate that the modules of genes that focus on the ATPase complex, ribosome biogenesis, are more likely to be involved in the alfalfa response to cold stress. It is important to note that we identified two fibronectin (FIB) genes as hub genes in alfalfa in response to cold stress and that they negatively regulate alfalfa response to chilling stress, and it is possible that dormant alfalfa is more effective at down-regulating FIB expression and therefore more resistant to cold stress.
PMID: 36432878
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Nov , V11 (21) doi: 10.3390/plants11212958
Effects of Chilling Treatment on Baicalin, Baicalein, and Wogonin Biosynthesis in Scutellaria baicalensis Plantlets.
Biological Resource Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 181 Ipsin-gil, Jeongeup 56212, Korea.; Department of Biological Sciences, Keimyung University, Dalgubeol-daero 1095, Dalseo-gu, Daegu 42601, Korea.; Division of Life Sciences and Convergence Research Center for Insect Vectors, College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Korea.; Department of Crop Science, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Korea.; Department of Smart Agriculture Systems, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
When plants are exposed to stressful conditions, they modulate their nutrient balance by regulating their primary and secondary metabolisms to adapt. In this study, changes in primary and secondary metabolites elicited by chilling stress treatment and the effects of treatment duration were examined in roots of Scutellaria baicalensis (S. baicalensis) plantlets. The concentrations of most sugars (maltose, glucose, sucrose, and fructose) and of several amino acids (proline and GABA), which are crucial regarding plant defense mechanisms, increased with increasing duration of chilling stress. Furthermore, salicylic acid levels increased after two-day chilling treatments, which may enhance plant tolerance to cold temperatures. The concentrations of flavones (baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin) increased during chilling stress, and those of phenolic acids (ferulic acid and sinapic acid) increased after two-day chilling treatments. The concentrations of these flavones were positively correlated with sucrose levels which acted as energy sources.
PMID: 36365410
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2022 Nov , V11 (22) doi: 10.3390/plants11223178
Biochemical and Transcriptional Responses in Cold-Acclimated and Non-Acclimated Contrasting Camelina Biotypes under Freezing Stress.
Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University (SANRU), Sari 68984, Iran.; Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute of Tabarestan (GABIT), Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari 68984, Iran.; Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah 67144, Iran.; Agro-Food Science Techtransfer and Innovation Centre, Faculty for Agro-, Food- and Environmental Science, Debrecen University, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary.; Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Godollo, Hungary.; Department of Plant Physiology and Plant Ecology, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 1118 Budapest, Hungary.
Cold-acclimated and non-acclimated contrasting Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) biotypes were investigated for changes in stress-associated biomarkers, including antioxidant enzyme activity, lipid peroxidation, protein, and proline content. In addition, a well-known freezing tolerance pathway participant known as C-repeat/DRE-binding factors (CBFs), an inducer of CBF expression (ICE1), and a cold-regulated (COR6.6) genes of the ICE-CBF-COR pathway were studied at the transcriptional level on the doubled-haploid (DH) lines. Freezing stress had significant effects on all studied parameters. The cold-acclimated DH34 (a freezing-tolerant line) showed an overall better performance under freezing stress than non-acclimated plants. The non-cold-acclimated DH08 (a frost-sensitive line) showed the highest electrolyte leakage after freezing stress. The highest activity of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase) was also detected in non-acclimated plants, whereas the cold-acclimated plants showed lower enzyme activities upon stress treatment. Cold acclimation had a significantly positive effect on the total protein and proline content of stressed plants. The qRT-PCR analysis revealed significant differences in the expression and cold-inducibility of CsCBF1-3, CsICE1, and CsCOR6.6 genes among the samples of different treatments. The highest expression of all CBF genes was recorded in the non-acclimated frost-tolerant biotype after freezing stress. Interestingly a significantly higher expression of COR6.6 was detected in cold-acclimated samples of both frost-sensitive and -tolerant biotypes after freezing stress. The presented results provide more insights into freezing tolerance mechanisms in the Camelina plant from both a biochemical point of view and the expression of the associated genes.
PMID: 36432910
Gene , IF:3.688 , 2022 Dec : P147137 doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.147137
Genome-wide analysis of Hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channel (OSCA) family members and their involvement in various osmotic stresses in Brassica napus.
School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Bio-resources, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China; Qinba Mountain Area Collaborative Innovation Center of Bioresources Comprehensive Development, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China; Qinba State Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Ecological Environment (Incubation), Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: zxj12162001@163.com.; The Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430000, China. Electronic address: cxh5495@163.com.; School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: chenluzhang@126.com.; School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China.; School of Biological Science and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: yuzhang20160315@outlook.com.; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Bio-resources, Hanzhong 723001, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: 412532011@qq.com.; The Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan 430000, China. Electronic address: xiemeili@caas.cn.
Plant hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channel (OSCA) is a calcium permeable cation channel that responds to hyperosmotic stress and plays a pivotal role in plant growth, development and stress response. Through a genome-wide survey, 41 OSCA genes were identified from the genome of Brassica napus. The OSCA family genes were unevenly distributed over 14 chromosomes of B. napus and phylogenetic analysis separated the OSCA family into four clades. Motif analyses indicated that OSCA proteins in the same clade were highly conserved and the protein conserved motifs shared similar composition patterns. The OSCA promoter regions contained many hormone-related elements and stress response elements. Gene duplication analysis elucidated that WGD/segmental duplication was the main driving force for the expansion of OSCA genes during evolution and these genes mainly underwent purifying selection. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis of different tissues showed that OSCA genes are expressed and function mainly in the root. Among these genes, BnOSCA3.1a and BnOSCA3.1c had relatively high expression levels under osmotic stresses and cold stress and were highly expressed in different tissues. Protein interaction network analysis showed that a total of 5802 proteins might interact with OSCAs in B. napus, while KEGG/GO enrichment analysis indicated that OSCAs and their interacting proteins were mainly involved in plant response to abiotic stress. This systematic analysis of the OSCAs in B. napus identified gene structures, evolutionary features, expression patterns and related biological processes. These findings will facilitate further functional and evolutionary analysis of OSCAs in B. napus for breeding of osmotic-stress-resistant plants.
PMID: 36574938
J Plant Physiol , IF:3.549 , 2022 Dec , V279 : P153834 doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153834
A calcium-dependent protein kinase gene SpCPK33 from Solanum pennellii associated with increased cold tolerance in tomato.
College of Horticulture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China; Institute of Horticultural Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Science (Key Laboratory of Horticulture Crop Genomics Research and Genetic Improvement in Xinjiang), Urumqi, China.; Institute of Horticultural Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Science (Key Laboratory of Horticulture Crop Genomics Research and Genetic Improvement in Xinjiang), Urumqi, China.; College of Horticulture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China; Institute of Horticultural Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Science (Key Laboratory of Horticulture Crop Genomics Research and Genetic Improvement in Xinjiang), Urumqi, China. Electronic address: yuqinghui@xaas.ac.cn.; Institute of Horticultural Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Science (Key Laboratory of Horticulture Crop Genomics Research and Genetic Improvement in Xinjiang), Urumqi, China. Electronic address: wangjuan@xaas.ac.cn.
Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs, CPKs) represent a vital class of calcium sensors, which play a crucial role in plant growth, development and adaption to complex environmental stresses. Wild species tend to exhibit greater tolerance than cultivated species under environmental stress. Here, we isolated a calcium-dependent protein kinase gene SpCPK33 located primarily on the plasma membrane of abiotic-resistant species (Solanum pennellii LA0716). It was highly expressed in stems and leaves and was also induced by cold stress. Compared with WT plants, the overexpression of SpCPK33 in cultivated tomato (cv M82) enhanced its tolerance to cold stress. Transgenic lines demonstrated strong vitality under low temperature treatment. Moreover, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were decreased in SpCPK33-overexpressing plants. The activities of antioxidant enzymes and the levels of osmotic regulatory substances were higher. The transcript levels of cold stress-related genes were up-regulated. In summary, the results indicate that SpCPK33-overexpressing transgenic plants experience less severe chilling injury under cold stress, and improved tomato cold tolerance by scavenging ROS accumulation and modulating the expression of stress-related genes.
PMID: 36272175
J Plant Physiol , IF:3.549 , 2022 Nov , V278 : P153806 doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153806
ScCBF1 plays a stronger role in cold, salt and drought tolerance than StCBF1 in potato (Solanum tuberosum).
College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.; Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture, A. Hlinku 2, Nitra, 94976, Slovak Republic.; Department of Horticulture, ALS 4017, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.; College of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China. Electronic address: xhyang@sdau.edu.cn.
Solanum tuberosum (St) and Solanum commersonii (Sc) are two potato varieties with different freezing tolerance. Among them, St is a freezing-sensitive variety and. Sc is a cold-resistant wild potato. CBF/DREB family members mainly function in response to freezing stress. In order to explore the different roles of St C-Repeat Binding Factor1 (StCBF1) and Sc C-Repeat Binding Factor1 (ScCBF1) in potato plants (Solanum tuberosum) under stress conditions, two kinds of potato lines were obtained with ScCBF1 and StCBF1 overexpressing respectively. Phenotypes analysis showed that both overexpressing ScCBF1 and StCBF1 caused smaller leaves, and reduced tuber yield. While the limited phenotypes of StCBF1 lines were more severe than that of ScCBF lines. After freezing treatment, StCBF1 over expression plants grown better than WT plants and worse than ScCBF1 over expression plants. Specifically, compared with wild-type lines, overexpressing ScCBF1 could up-regulate fatty acid desaturase genes, key enzyme of Calvin cycle genes, and antioxidant enzyme genes. Both ScCBF1 and StCBF1 lines showed higher PSII activity, thus maintaining a higher photosynthetic rate under cold stress. In addition, we also found that overexpression ScCBF1 and StCBF1 could also enhance the drought and salt tolerance in potato. In summary, ScCBF1 plays a stronger role in cold, salt, and drought tolerance than StCBF1 in potato (Solanum tuberosum).
PMID: 36115270
J Appl Genet , IF:3.24 , 2022 Dec , V63 (4) : P597-608 doi: 10.1007/s13353-022-00710-2
The genetic basis of cold tolerance in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)-the latest developments and perspectives.
Department of Plant Genetics Breeding and Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, Warsaw, Poland.; Department of Plant Genetics Breeding and Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, Warsaw, Poland. grzegorz_bartoszewski@sggw.edu.pl.
Cold stress is one of the main causes of yield losses in plant production in temperate climate areas. Cold stress slows down and even stops plant growth and development and causes injuries that may result in the plant's death. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), an economically important vegetable, is sensitive to low temperatures, thus improving cold tolerance in cucumber would benefit cucumber producers, particularly those farming in temperate climates and higher altitude areas. So far, single cucumber accessions showing different degrees of cold tolerance have been identified, and genetic studies have revealed biparentally and maternally inherited genetic factors responsible for chilling tolerance. Paternally transmitted chilling tolerance has also been suggested. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with seed germination ability at low temperature and seedling recovery from chilling have been described. Several transgenic attempts have been made to improve cold tolerance in cucumber. Despite numerous studies, the molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance in cucumber have still not been sufficiently elucidated. In this review, we summarise the results of research focused on understanding the genetic basis of cold tolerance in cucumber and their implications for cucumber breeding.
PMID: 35838983
Bioprocess Biosyst Eng , IF:3.21 , 2022 Dec , V45 (12) : P1967-1977 doi: 10.1007/s00449-022-02800-1
Cold stress combined with salt or abscisic acid supplementation enhances lipogenesis and carotenogenesis in Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bacillariophyceae).
School of Science, Department of Environmental Science, Centre for Environmental Research, Sustainability and Innovation, Atlantic Technological University, Ash Ln, Ballytivnan, Sligo, F91 YW50, Ireland. David.Fierli@mail.itsligo.ie.; School of Science, Department of Environmental Science, Centre for Environmental Research, Sustainability and Innovation, Atlantic Technological University, Ash Ln, Ballytivnan, Sligo, F91 YW50, Ireland.; School of Science, Department of Life Sciences, Cellular Health and Toxicology Research Group (CHAT), Atlantic Technological University, Ash Ln, Ballytivnan, Sligo, F91 YW50, Ireland.
Compounds from microalgae such as omega3-fatty acids or carotenoid are commercially exploited within the pharmacology, nutraceutical, or cosmetic sectors. The co-stimulation of several compounds of interest may improve the cost-effectiveness of microalgal biorefinery pipelines. This study focussed on Phaeodactylum tricornutum to investigate the effects on lipogenesis and carotenogenesis of combined stressors, here cold temperature and addition of NaCl salt or the phytohormone abscisic acid, using a two-stage cultivation strategy. Cold stress with NaCl or phytohormone addition increased the neutral lipid content of the biomass (20 to 35%). These treatments also enhanced the proportions of EPA (22% greater than control) in the fatty acid profile. Also, these treatments had a stimulatory effect on carotenogenesis, especially the combination of cold stress with NaCl addition, which returned the highest production of fucoxanthin (33% increase). The gene expression of diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and the omega-3 desaturase precursor (PTD15) were enhanced 4- and 16-fold relative to the control, respectively. In addition, zeaxanthin epoxidase 3 (ZEP3), was downregulated at low temperature when combined with abscisic acid. These results highlight the benefits of applying a combination of low temperature and salinity stress, to simultaneously enhance the yields of the valuable metabolites EPA and fucoxanthin in Phaeodactylum tricornutum.
PMID: 36264371
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1111/plb.13489
Cold stress triggers freezing tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) via hormone regulation and transcription of related genes.
College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Low temperatures limit the geographic distribution and yield of plants. Hormones play an important role in coordinating the growth and development of plants and their tolerance to low temperatures. However, the mechanisms by which hormones affect plant resistance to extreme cold stress in the natural environment are still unclear. In this study, two winter wheat varieties with different cold resistances, Dn1 and J22, were used to conduct targeted plant hormone metabolome analysis on the tillering nodes of winter wheat at 5 degrees C, -10 degrees C and -25 degrees C using an LC-ESI-MS/MS system. We screened 39 hormones from 88 plant hormone metabolites and constructed a partial regulatory network of auxin, jasmonic acid and cytokinin. GO analysis and enrichment of KEGG pathways in different metabolites showed that the 'plant hormone signal transduction' pathway was the most common. Our study showed that extreme low temperature increased the most levels of auxin, cytokinin and salicylic acid, and decreased levels of jasmonic acid and abscisic acid, and that levels of auxin, jasmonic acid and cytokinin in Dn1 were higher than those in J22. These changes in hormone levels were associated with changes in gene expression in synthesis, catabolism, transport and signal transduction pathways. These results differ from the previous hormone regulation mechanisms, which were mostly obtained at 4 degrees C. Our results provide a basis for further understanding the molecular mechanisms by which plant endogenous hormones regulate plant freezing stress tolerance.
PMID: 36385725
GM Crops Food , IF:3.074 , 2022 Dec , V13 (1) : P196-217 doi: 10.1080/21645698.2022.2106111
Melatonin-mediated temperature stress tolerance in plants.
College of Agriculture, Oil Crops Research Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou, Fujian, China.; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.; Agronomy Department of Superior School Engineering, University of Almeria, Almeria, Spain.; Grassland and Forage Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Cheonan, Korea.; Department of Microbiology, University of Lagos, Nigeria.; Department of Agricultural Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Turkey.; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (North China), Institute of Forestry and Pomology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, Peking, China.
Global climate changes cause extreme temperatures and a significant reduction in crop production, leading to food insecurity worldwide. Temperature extremes (including both heat and cold stresses) is one of the most limiting factors in plant growth and development and severely affect plant physiology, biochemical, and molecular processes. Biostimulants like melatonin (MET) have a multifunctional role that acts as a "defense molecule" to safeguard plants against the noxious effects of temperature stress. MET treatment improves plant growth and temperature tolerance by improving several defense mechanisms. Current research also suggests that MET interacts with other molecules, like phytohormones and gaseous molecules, which greatly supports plant adaptation to temperature stress. Genetic engineering via overexpression or CRISPR/Cas system of MET biosynthetic genes uplifts the MET levels in transgenic plants and enhances temperature stress tolerance. This review highlights the critical role of MET in plant production and tolerance against temperature stress. We have documented how MET interacts with other molecules to alleviate temperature stress. MET-mediated molecular breeding would be great potential in helping the adverse effects of temperature stress by creating transgenic plants.
PMID: 35983948
Cryobiology , IF:2.487 , 2022 Dec , V109 : P80-85 doi: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2022.08.004
Pre-stress salicylic-acid treatment as an intervention strategy for freeze-protection in spinach: Foliar versus sub-irrigation application and duration of efficacy.
Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.; Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA. Electronic address: rarora@iastate.edu.
Exogenous application of salicylic acid (SA) to plant tissues has been shown to confer tolerance against various abiotic stresses. Recently, SA application through sub-irrigation was shown to improve plant freezing tolerance (FT). For SA treatment to be employable as an effective intervention strategy for frost protection under field conditions, it is important to study its effect on FT when applied as a foliar spray to whole plants. It is also important to determine for how long the FT-improvement by SA lasts. Present study was conducted to compare SA-induced FT of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. 'Reflect') seedlings following SA-application by foliar spray vs. sub-irrigation. Durability of FT-promotive effect of SA was evaluated using three freeze-tests over a 4-d period, i.e., at 10-d, 12-d, and 14-d after the SA application. Freezing stress was applied using a temperature-controlled freeze-thaw protocol, and FT was assessed by visual observations (leaf flaccidness vs. turgidity) as well as ion-leakage assay. Data indicated that both foliar spray and sub-irrigation methods improved FT of the seedlings against a relatively moderate (-5.5 degrees C) as well as severe stress (-6.5 degrees C). Moreover, improved FT against moderate stress was sustained over a 4-d period, whereas such benefit waned somewhat against the severe stress. SA-treated leaves' growth performance was similar to the non-treated control based on dry weight, fresh weight, leaf area, and dry weight/leaf area parameters. Our results suggest that SA application as a foliar spray can potentially be used to protect field-grown transplants against episodic frosts.
PMID: 36122766
Can J Microbiol , IF:2.419 , 2022 Nov , V68 (11) : P661-673 doi: 10.1139/cjm-2022-0102
Whole genome sequencing of mesorhizobia isolated from northern Canada.
Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.; School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
Rhizobia are soil-dwelling bacteria that can form N(2)-fixing symbioses with legume plant species (Fabaceae). These bacteria are globally distributed; however, few studies have examined the genomics of rhizobia that live in cold environments. Here, we isolated and characterized three rhizobial strains from legume nodules collected at a pair of distant low Arctic tundra and boreal forest sites in northern Canada. Phylogenetic and average nucleotide identity measurements suggested that the three strains are members of the genus Mesorhizobium, and that each strain represents a novel genospecies. Intriguingly, whereas most mesorhizobia contain the classical determinants of nodulation and nitrogen fixation on their chromosome, whole genome sequencing revealed that all three strains carry these genes on large symbiotic megaplasmids of approximately 750 to approximately 1000 kb. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses of the common nodulation genes revealed highly conserved alleles amongst these northern mesorhizobia, leading us to propose that they belong to a novel symbiovar that we termed symbiovar oxytropis. Interestingly, these nod gene alleles are uncommon in mesorhizobia isolated from similar plant hosts in other climatic regions, suggesting potential functional adaptive differences.
PMID: 35981332
Extremophiles , IF:2.395 , 2022 Nov , V26 (3) : P35 doi: 10.1007/s00792-022-01283-y
Rahnella sikkimica sp. nov., a novel cold-tolerant bacterium isolated from the glacier of Sikkim Himalaya with plant growth-promoting properties.
Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India.; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.; Institut Pasteur, Universite Paris Cite, Unite Environnement et Risques Infectieux, 75015, Paris, France. anne.le-fleche@pasteur.fr.; Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India. rakshak@ihbt.res.in.; Institut Pasteur, Universite Paris Cite, Unite Environnement et Risques Infectieux, 75015, Paris, France.; Institut Pasteur, 75015, Paris, France.
The current study describes a novel species with the strain name ERMR1:05(T) isolated from the forefield soil of East Rathong Glacier in West Sikkim Himalaya (India). The isolate was facultatively anaerobic, gram-stain negative, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped, and oxidase negative. Whole-genome-based bacterial core gene phylogenetic analysis placed the strain in the genus Rahnella, well separated from Rouxiella spp. The digital DNA-DNA hybridisation and average nucleotide identity values between strain ERMR1:05(T) and other members of genus Rahnella were below the proposed thresholds for the species delineation. Based on these results, a new species, Rahnella sikkimica sp. nov., is proposed with strain ERMR1:05(T) (CIP 111636(T), MTCC 12598(T)) as the type strain. The bacterium showed upregulation of cold-stress genes in cold conditions. Additionally, the genome analysis of the bacterium showed the presence of plant growth-promotion factors suggesting its role in crop improvement in cold hilly regions.
PMID: 36378360
Physiol Mol Biol Plants , IF:2.391 , 2022 Dec , V28 (11-12) : P1969-1979 doi: 10.1007/s12298-022-01257-6
Isolation and characterization of wheat ice recrystallisation inhibition gene promoter involved in low temperature and methyl jasmonate responses.
College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, 536 Huolinhe Street West, Tongliao City, 028043 Inner Mongolia China.; College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Street, Shenyang City, 110866 Liaoning China. GRID: grid.412557.0. ISNI: 0000 0000 9886 8131; College of Agriculture, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028043 China.; Engineering Technology Research Center of Forage Crops in Inner Mongolia, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao, 028043 China.
It is well known that plant growth, development, survival and geographical distribution are constrained by extreme climatic conditions, especially extreme low temperature. Under cold stress, cold-inducible promoters were identified as important molecular switches to transcriptionally regulate the initiation of genes associated with cold acclimation processes and enhance the adaptability of plants to cold stimulation. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most dominating food crops in the world, and wheat crops are generally overwintering with strong cold resistance. Our previous study already proved that heterologous expression of wheat ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) genes enhanced freezing tolerance in tobacco. However, the upstream regulatory mechanisms of TaIRI are ambiguous. In this study, the space-time specific expression of TaIRI genes in wheat was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and results showed that the expression of TaIRI in all tissues was cold-induced and accelerate by exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Three promoters of TaIRI genes were isolated from wheat genome, and various 5'-deletion fragments of TaIRIp were integrated into beta-glucuronidase (GUS) within vector pCAMBIA1301. The promoter activity of TaIRI genes was determined through transient expression system of tobacco and stable expression of Arabidopsis thaliana. Results revealed that the GUS activity were significantly strengthened by cold and MeJA treatments. This study will provide insights into elucidating the transcription-regulatory mechanism of IRI proteins responding to low temperature.
PMID: 36573144
Mol Biol Rep , IF:2.316 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1007/s11033-022-08114-5
Integration of transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. in response to cold stress in the Changbai Mountains.
Faculty of Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Spectral Regions Science and Green Production, Jilin Normal University, Siping, 136000, China.; Faculty of Siping Central People's Hospital, Siping, 136000, China.; Faculty of Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Spectral Regions Science and Green Production, Jilin Normal University, Siping, 136000, China. xuhongwei@jlnu.edu.cn.; Faculty of Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Spectral Regions Science and Green Production, Jilin Normal University, Siping, 136000, China. zhouxiaofu@jlnu.edu.cn.
BACKGROUND: Cold stress is one of the abiotic stresses that affect plant growth and development, as well as life and geographical distribution important. For researching how plants react to low temperature stress, Rhododendron chrysanthum Pall. (R. chrysanthum) growing in Changbai Mountains of China is an essential study subject. METHODS AND RESULTS: R. chrysanthum was cold-treated at 4 degrees C for 12 h (cold-stress group-CS, and controls-CK), combined with transcriptomics (RNA-seq) and proteomics (iTRAQ) techniques, to investigate the response mechanisms of R. chrysanthum response to cold stress. Cold stress resulted in the discovery of 12,261 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 360 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). Correlation of proteomic and transcriptome data, proteome regulation of distinct subcellular localization, and gene/protein functional groupings are all part of the investigation. CONCLUSIONS: The combined analysis showed that 6378 DEPs matched the corresponding DEGs when the control was compared with the cold-treated samples (CK vs CS). The analysis identified 54 DEGs-DEPs associated with cold stress. cold-tolerant DEGs-DEPs were enriched with hydrolase activity, acting on glycosyl bonds, carbon-oxygen lyase activity and ferric iron binding. Seven potential DEGs-DEPs with significant involvement in the cold stress response were identified by co-expression network analysis. These findings identify the synergistic effect of DEGs-DEPs as the key to improve the cold tolerance of R. chrysanthum and provide a theoretical basis for further studies on its cold resistance subsequently.
PMID: 36418773
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2022 Dec , V17 (1) : P2139116 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2139116
A tomato chloroplast-targeted DnaJ protein, SlDnaJ20 maintains the stability of photosystem I/II under chilling stress.
School of Biological Sciences, Jining Medical University, Ri'zhao, 276800, P.R. China.
DnaJ proteins are key molecular chaperones that act as a part of the stress response to stabilize plant proteins, thereby maintaining protein homeostasis under stressful conditions. Herein we used transgenic plants to explore the role of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SlDnaJ20 chloroplast DnaJ protein in to the resistance of these proteins to cold. When chilled, transgenic plants exhibited superior cold resistance, with reduced growth inhibition and cellular damage and increased fresh mass and chlorophyll content relative to control. These transgenic plants further exhibited increased Fv/Fm, P700 oxidation, phi(Ro), and delta(Ro) relative to control plants under chilling conditions. Under these same cold conditions, these transgenic plants also exhibited higher levels of core proteins in the photosystem I (PSI) and II (PSII) complexes (PsaA and PsaB; D1 and D2) relative to control wild-type plants. Together these results suggested that the overexpression of SlDnaJ20 is sufficient to maintain PSI and PSII complex stability and to alleviate associated photoinhibition of these complexes, thereby increasing transgenic plant resistance to cold stress.
PMID: 36408837
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2022 Dec , V17 (1) : P2129289 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2129289
Exogenous melatonin confers cold tolerance in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) seedlings by improving antioxidants and genes expression.
Key Laboratory Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan, China.; Seed Administration Bureau of Hubei Province, Wuhan, China.
Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oilseed crop globally. However, its growth and production are significantly influenced by cold stress. To reveal the protective role of exogenous melatonin (MEL) in cold tolerance, rapeseed seedlings were pretreated with different concentrations of MEL before cold stress. The results indicated that the survival rate was increased significantly by the MEL pretreatment under cold stress. Seedlings pretreated with 0.01 g L(-1) MEL were all survived and were used to analyze the physiological characteristics and the expression level of various genes related to cold tolerance. Under cold stress, exogenous MEL significantly increased the contents of proline, soluble sugar, and soluble protein; while the malondialdehyde content was decreased by exogenous MEL under cold stress. On the other hand, the activities of antioxidant defense enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase were also significantly enhanced. The results also showed that MEL treatment significantly upregulated the expression of Cu-SOD, COR6.6 (cold-regulated), COR15, and CBFs (C-repeat binding factor) genes under cold stress. It was suggested exogenous MEL improved the content of osmotic regulatory substances to maintain the balance of cellular osmotic potential under cold stress and improved the scavenging capacity of reactive oxygen species by strengthening the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the cold-related genes expression.
PMID: 36205498
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2022 Dec , V17 (1) : P2081420 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2081420
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of DREB genes in alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in response to cold stress.
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Key Lab of Plant-Soil Interaction, MOE, Center for Resources, Environment and Food Security, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.; Hunan Tobacco Science Institute, Changsha, China.
Dehydration-responsive element-binding proteins (DREBs) belong to members of the AP2/ERF transcription factor superfamily, which has been reported to involve various abiotic-stress responses and tolerance in plants. However, research on the DREB-family is still limited in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a forage legume cultivated worldwide. The recent genome-sequence release of the alfalfa cultivar "XinJiangDaYe" allowed us to identify 172 DREBs by a multi-step homolog search. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that such MsDREBs could be classified into 5 groups, namely A-1 (56 members), A-2 (39), A-3 (3), A-4 (61) and 13 (A-5 (13), thus adding substantial new members to the DREB-family in alfalfa. Furthermore, a comprehensive survey in silico of conserved motif, gene structure, molecular weight, and isoelectric point (pI) as well as gene expression was conducted. The resulting data showed that, for cold-stress response, 33 differentially expressed MsDREBs were identified with a threshold of Log2-fold > 1, and most of which were transcriptionally upregulated within 48 h during a cold treatment(s). Moreover, the expression profiling of MsDREBs from two ecotypes of alfalfa subspecies i.e. M. sativa ssp. falcata (F56, from a colder region of Central Asia) and M. sativa ssp. sativa (B47, from Near East) revealed that most of the cold-stress responsive MsDREBs exhibited a significantly lower expression in F56, leading to a proposal of the existence of a distinct mechanism(s) for cold tolerance regulated by DREB-related action, which would have been evolved in alfalfa with a genotypic specificity. Additionally, by examining the transcriptome of a freezing-tolerance species (M. sativa cv. Zhaodong), eight DREBs were found to be implicated in a long-term freezing-stress adaptation with a great potential. Taken together, the current genome-wide identification in alfalfa points to the importance of some MsDREBs in the cold-stress response, providing some promising molecular targets to be functionally characterized for the improvement of cold tolerance in crops including alfalfa.
PMID: 35642507
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2022 Dec , V17 (1) : P2013638 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2021.2013638
Cold acclimation alleviates cold stress-induced PSII inhibition and oxidative damage in tobacco leaves.
Institute of Biological Engineering, Xinxiang Institute of Engineering, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
This study aimed to explore how cold acclimation (CA) modulates cold stress in tobacco leaves and reveal the relationship between CA and cold stress resistance, and the mechanism of CA-induced plant resistance to cold stress. This study examined the effects of CA treatment (at 8-10℃ for 2 d) on the cold tolerance of tobacco leaves under 4 degrees C cold stress treatment using seedlings without CA treatment as the control (NA). In both CA and NA leaves, cold stress treatment resulted in a decrease in maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (F(v)/F(m)), increase in relative variable fluorescence (V(J)) at 2 ms on the standardized OJIP curve, inhibition of PSII activity, and impairment of electron transfer on the acceptor side. Besides increasing the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrolyte leakage rate, the cold stress exacerbated the degree of membrane peroxidation. The CA treatment also induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion (O(2).(-)) and H(2)O(2,) and increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX). The CA treatment also enhanced the accumulation of soluble sugar (SS) and soluble protein (SP), cyclic electron flow (CEF), and the proportion of regulatory energy dissipation Y(NPQ). Moreover, CA+ cold stress treatment significantly reduced CEF and Y(NPQ) in tobacco leaves than under NA+ cold stress treatment, thus significantly alleviating the degree of PSII photoinhibition. In conclusion, CA treatment significantly alleviated PSII photoinhibition and oxidative damage in tobacco leaves under cold stress treatment. Improvement in cold resistance of tobacco leaves is associated with the induction of antioxidant enzyme activity, accumulation of osmoregulation substances, and initiation of photoprotective mechanisms.
PMID: 34964430
Curr Issues Mol Biol , IF:2.081 , 2022 Nov , V44 (11) : P5622-5637 doi: 10.3390/cimb44110381
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the NAC Gene Family in Kandelia obovata, a Typical Mangrove Plant.
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Polysaccharide Materials and Modification, School of Marine Sciences and Biotechnology, Guangxi Minzu University, 158 West Daxue Road, Nanning 530008, China.; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Special Non-Wood Forest Cultivation and Utilization, Guangxi Forestry Research Institute, 23 Yongwu Road, Nanning 530002, China.
The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) gene family, one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, acts as positive or negative regulators in plant response and adaption to various environmental stresses, including cold stress. Multiple reports on the functional characterization of NAC genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and other plants are available. However, the function of the NAC genes in the typical woody mangrove (Kandelia obovata) remains poorly understood. Here, a comprehensive analysis of NAC genes in K. obovata was performed with a pluri-disciplinary approach including bioinformatic and molecular analyses. We retrieved a contracted NAC family with 68 genes from the K. obovata genome, which were unevenly distributed in the chromosomes and classified into ten classes. These KoNAC genes were differentially and preferentially expressed in different organs, among which, twelve up-regulated and one down-regulated KoNAC genes were identified. Several stress-related cis-regulatory elements, such as LTR (low-temperature response), STRE (stress response element), ABRE (abscisic acid response element), and WUN (wound-responsive element), were identified in the promoter regions of these 13 KoNAC genes. The expression patterns of five selected KoNAC genes (KoNAC6, KoNAC15, KoNAC20, KoNAC38, and KoNAC51) were confirmed by qRT-PCR under cold treatment. These results strongly implied the putative important roles of KoNAC genes in response to chilling and other stresses. Collectively, our findings provide valuable information for further investigations on the function of KoNAC genes.
PMID: 36421665
Curr Issues Mol Biol , IF:2.081 , 2022 Nov , V44 (11) : P5579-5592 doi: 10.3390/cimb44110378
Cold Tolerance of ScCBL6 Is Associated with Tonoplast Transporters and Photosynthesis in Arabidopsis.
Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.; College of Resource and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.; School of Information Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China.
Plants that are adapted to harsh environments offer enormous opportunity to understand stress responses in ecological systems. Stipa capillacea is widely distributed in the frigid and arid region of the Tibetan Plateau, but its signal transduction system under cold stress has not been characterized. In this study, we isolated a cDNA encoding the signal transduction protein, ScCBL6, from S. capillacea, and evaluated its role in cold tolerance by ectopically expressing it in Arabidopsis. Full-length ScCBL6 encode 227 amino acids, and are clustered with CBL6 in Stipa purpurea and Oryza sativa in a phylogenetic analysis. Compared with tolerance in wild-type (WT) plants, ScCBL6-overexpressing plants (ScCBL6-OXP) were more tolerant to cold stress but not to drought stress, as confirmed by their high photosynthetic capacity (Fv/Fm) and survival rate under cold stress. We further compared their cold-responsive transcriptome profiles by RNA sequencing. In total, 3931 genes were differentially expressed by the introduction of ScCBL6. These gene products were involved in multiple processes such as the immune system, lipid catabolism, and secondary metabolism. A KEGG pathway analysis revealed that they were mainly enriched in plant hormone signal transduction and biomacromolecule metabolism. Proteins encoded by differentially expressed genes were predicted to be localized in chloroplasts, mitochondria, and vacuoles, suggesting that ScCBL6 exerts a wide range of functions. Based on its tonoplast subcellular location combined with integrated transcriptome and physiological analyses of ScCBL6-OXP, we inferred that ScCBL6 improves plant cold stress tolerance in Arabidopsis via the regulation of photosynthesis, redox status, and tonoplast metabolite transporters.
PMID: 36354690
Genetica , IF:1.082 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1007/s10709-022-00176-4
Comparative analysis of cold-responsive genes under short-term cold stimulation and cold-adaptive genes under long-term heterogeneous environments reveals a cold adaptation mechanism in weeping forsythia.
Innovation Platform of Molecular Biology, College of Landscape and Art, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.; Horticultural Research Institute, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China.; School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.; College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China. 28474257@qq.com.
Identifying cold-related genes can provide insights into the cold adaptation mechanism of weeping forsythia. In this study, we compared the changes in gene expressions and physiological and biochemical indices under short-term cold stimulation with the changes in gene sequences under a long-term heterogeneous environment to investigate the cold adaptation mechanism in weeping forsythia. The data of adaptive gene sequence changes, e.g., single nucleotide polymorphisms, were obtained from previous landscape genomics studies. The physiological and biochemical indicators and transcriptome results showed that weeping forsythia initiated a series of programs, including increasing cell osmotic pressures, scavenging ROS, activating the defense mechanism that crosses with pathogen infection, and upregulating CBF/DREB1 transcription factor 1, to cope with short-term cold stress. A reanalysis of landscape genomic data suggested that weeping forsythia responded to long-term heterogeneous cold stress by the differentiation of genes related to synthesis of aromatic substances and adenosine triphosphate. Our results supported the hypothesis that the adaptation mechanisms of species to short-term environmental stimulation and long-term stress in heterogeneous environments are different. The differences in cold tolerance among populations are not necessarily obtained by changing cold-responsive gene sequences. This study provides new insights into the cold adaptation mechanisms of plants.
PMID: 36436173
Biotechnol Rep (Amst) , 2022 Dec , V36 : Pe00762 doi: 10.1016/j.btre.2022.e00762
Callus induction and regeneration in high-altitude Himalayan rice genotype SR4 via seed explant.
Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190006, India.; Department of Botany, Central University of Kashmir, Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, India.; Division of Plant Biotechnology, SKUAST-K Shalimar, Srinagar-190025, India.
SR4 genotype of rice is high altitude Himalayan rice prone to various abiotic stresses such as cold stress and therefore gives a poor yield. An efficient protocol for callusing and regeneration via direct and indirect means was established using mature seeds as an explant which can be utilized for molecular studies for genetic advancement of Himalayan rice genotype SR4 through transformation. Highest frequency (96.6%) of callus induction was obtained on MS media 3.0 mg/L 2, 4-D. While maximum regeneration frequency (100%), number of shoots with maximum length 9.14 +/- 0.204 (cm) from callus was recovered from MS media amended with 5.0 mg/L BAP in combination with 0.5 mg/L NAA with highest number of shoots having an average shoot length 9.14 +/- 0.204 (cm) after four weeks of culture. Direct multiple shoot regeneration from seed explants was obtained using various concentrations of TDZ and BAP with highest regeneration frequency was observed on MS media fortified with 6 mg/L of TDZ with maximum number of shoots. The shoots developed roots on MS media supplemented with 0.6 mg/L IBA.
PMID: 36110199