Annu Rev Plant Biol , IF:26.379 , 2023 Feb doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-102820-102235
Temperature Sensing in Plants.
Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), Groẞbeeren, Germany; email: kerbler@igzev.de, wigge@igzev.de.; Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.
Temperature is a key environmental cue that influences the distribution and behavior of plants globally. Understanding how plants sense temperature and integrate this information into their development is important to determine how plants adapt to climate change and to apply this knowledge to the breeding of climate-resilient crops. The mechanisms of temperature perception in eukaryotes are only just beginning to be understood, with multiple molecular phenomena with inherent temperature dependencies, such as RNA melting, phytochrome dark reversion, and protein phase change, being exploited by nature to create thermosensory signaling networks. Here, we review recent progress in understanding how temperature sensing in four major pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana occurs: vernalization, cold stress, thermomorphogenesis, and heat stress. We discuss outstanding questions in the field and the importance of these mechanisms in the context of breeding climate-resilient crops. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 74 is May 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
PMID: 36854477
Trends Plant Sci , IF:18.313 , 2023 Apr doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.03.001
The role of ethylene in plant temperature stress response.
National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: huangjianyan@caas.cn.; Institute of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Zhejiang Province, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.; Plant Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.; Plant Biology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.; National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China. Electronic address: wangxinchao@caas.cn.
Temperature influences the seasonal growth and geographical distribution of plants. Heat or cold stress occur when temperatures exceed or fall below the physiological optimum ranges, resulting in detrimental and irreversible damage to plant growth, development, and yield. Ethylene is a gaseous phytohormone with an important role in plant development and multiple stress responses. Recent studies have shown that, in many plant species, both heat and cold stress affect ethylene biosynthesis and signaling pathways. In this review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the role of ethylene in plant temperature stress responses and its crosstalk with other phytohormones. We also discuss potential strategies and knowledge gaps that need to be adopted and filled to develop temperature stress-tolerant crops by optimizing ethylene response.
PMID: 37055243
Nucleic Acids Res , IF:16.971 , 2023 Feb , V51 (4) : P1823-1842 doi: 10.1093/nar/gkac1275
Cold-induced inhibition of photosynthesis-related genes integrated by a TOP6 complex in rice mesophyll cells.
Guangzhou City Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding, Pazhou Dadao Rd 17-19, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 510000, China.; Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518000, China.; Laboratory of Photosynthesis and Environment, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.; Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, Sanya 572025, China.
Photosynthesis is the most temperature-sensitive process in the plant kingdom, but how the photosynthetic pathway responds during low-temperature exposure remains unclear. Herein, cold stress (4 degrees C) induced widespread damage in the form DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in the mesophyll cells of rice (Oryza sativa), subsequently causing a global inhibition of photosynthetic carbon metabolism (PCM) gene expression. Topoisomerase genes TOP6A3 and TOP6B were induced at 4 degrees C and their encoded proteins formed a complex in the nucleus. TOP6A3 directly interacted with KU70 to inhibit its binding to cold-induced DSBs, which was facilitated by TOP6B, finally blocking the loading of LIG4, a component of the classic non-homologous end joining (c-NHEJ) pathway. The repression of c-NHEJ repair imposed by cold extended DSB damage signaling, thus prolonging the inhibition of photosynthesis in leaves. Furthermore, the TOP6 complex negatively regulated 13 crucial PCM genes by directly binding to their proximal promoter regions. Phenotypically, TOP6A3 overexpression exacerbated the gamma-irradiation-triggered suppression of PCM genes and led to the hypersensitivity of photosynthesis parameters to cold stress, dependent on the DSB signal transducer ATM. Globally, the TOP6 complex acts as a signal integrator to control PCM gene expression and synchronize cold-induced photosynthesis inhibition, which modulates carbon assimilation rates immediately in response to changes in ambient temperature.
PMID: 36660855
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A , IF:11.205 , 2023 Apr , V120 (16) : Pe2216183120 doi: 10.1073/pnas.2216183120
Clock-regulated coactivators selectively control gene expression in response to different temperature stress conditions in Arabidopsis.
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.; School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8502, Japan.; College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan.; Laboratory of Basic Science on Healthy Longevity, Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.; Gene Discovery Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan.; Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan.
Plants respond to severe temperature changes by inducing the expression of numerous genes whose products enhance stress tolerance and responses. Dehydration-responsive element (DRE)-binding protein 1/C-repeat binding factor (DREB1/CBF) transcription factors act as master switches in cold-inducible gene expression. Since DREB1 genes are rapidly and strongly induced by cold stress, the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of DREB1 expression is vital for the recognition of the initial responses to cold stress in plants. A previous study indicated that the circadian clock-related MYB-like transcription factors REVEILLE4/LHY-CCA1-Like1 (RVE4/LCL1) and RVE8/LCL5 directly activate DREB1 expression under cold stress conditions. These RVEs function in the regulation of circadian clock-related gene expression under normal temperature conditions. They also activate the expression of HSF-independent heat-inducible genes under high-temperature conditions. Thus, there are thought to be specific regulatory mechanisms whereby the target genes of these transcription factors are switched when temperature changes are sensed. We revealed that NIGHT LIGHT-INDUCIBLE AND CLOCK-REGULATED (LNK) proteins act as coactivators of RVEs in cold and heat stress responses in addition to regulating circadian-regulated genes at normal temperatures. We found that among the four Arabidopsis LNKs, LNK1 and LNK2 function under normal and high-temperature conditions, and LNK3 and LNK4 function under cold conditions. Thus, these LNK proteins play important roles in inducing specific genes under different temperature conditions. Furthermore, LNK3 and LNK4 are specifically phosphorylated under cold conditions, suggesting that phosphorylation is involved in their activation.
PMID: 37036986
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1111/nph.18882
The transcription factor MYB43 antagonizes with ICE1 to regulate freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis.
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, 230009, China.; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, 230009, China.; School of Horticulture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, 230036, China.
Previous discovering meticulously illustrates the post-translational modifications and protein stability regulation of ICE1 and their role in cold stress. However, the studies on the interaction of ICE1 with other transcription factors, and their function in modulation cold stress tolerance, as well as in the transition between cold stress and growth are largely insufficient. In this work, we found that maltose binding protein (MBP) 43 directly binds to the promoters of CBF genes to repress their expression, thereby negatively regulating freezing tolerance. Biochemical and genetic analyses showed that MYB43 interacts and antagonizes with ICE1 to regulate the expression of CBF genes and plant's freezing stress tolerance. PLEIOTROPIC REGULATORY LOCUS 1 (PRL1) accumulates under cold stress and promotes MYB43 protein degradation; however, when cold stress disappears, PRL1 restores normal protein levels, causing MYB43 protein to re-accumulate to normal levels. Furthermore, PRL1 positively regulates freezing tolerance by promoting degradation of MYB43 to attenuate its repression of CBF genes and antagonism with ICE1. Thus, our study reveals that MYB43 inhibits CBF genes expression under normal growth condition, while PRL1 promotes MYB43 protein degradation to attenuate its repression of CBF genes and antagonism with ICE1, and thereby to the precise modulation of plant cold stress responses.
PMID: 36922399
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2023 Mar , V237 (6) : P2268-2283 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 worldwide resulting in substantial economic losses. The farmers for decades noticed that the chilling temperature before 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, abscisic acid and gibberellin. Our results provide a novel insight into the cold stress regulated malformation of fruit.
PMID: 36564973
Plant Biotechnol J , IF:9.803 , 2023 May , V21 (5) : P1033-1043 doi: 10.1111/pbi.14016
A natural promoter variation of SlBBX31 confers enhanced cold tolerance during tomato domestication.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.; Sanya Institute of Henan University, Sanya, Hainan, China.; Yunnan Key Laboratory of Potato Biology, The AGISCAAS-YNNU Joint Academy of Potato Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, China.; College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.; School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, China.; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.; Institute of Advanced Biotechnology and School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.; Center for Advanced Bioindustry Technologies, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
Cold stress affects crop growth and productivity worldwide. Understanding the genetic basis of cold tolerance in germplasms is critical for crop improvement. Plants can coordinate environmental stimuli of light and temperature to regulate cold tolerance. However, it remains unknown which gene in germplasms could have such function. Here, we utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) to investigate the cold tolerance of wild and cultivated tomato accessions and discovered that increased cold tolerance is accompanied with tomato domestication. We further identified a 27-bp InDel in the promoter of the CONSTANS-like transcription factor (TF) SlBBX31 is significantly linked with cold tolerance. Coincidentally, a key regulator of light signalling, SlHY5, can directly bind to the SlBBX31 promoter to activate SlBBX31 transcription while the 27-bp InDel can prevent S1HY5 from transactivating SlBBX31. Parallel to these findings, we observed that the loss of function of SlBBX31 results in impaired tomato cold tolerance. SlBBX31 can also modulate the cold-induced expression of several ERF TFs including CBF2 and DREBs. Therefore, our study has uncovered that SlBBX31 is possibly selected during tomato domestication for cold tolerance regulation, providing valuable insights for the development of hardy tomato varieties.
PMID: 36704926
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad187
The RNA binding protein MdHYL1 modulates cold tolerance and disease resistance in apple.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
Apple (Malus domestica) trees often experience various abiotic and biotic stresses. However, due to the long juvenile period of apple and its high degree of genetic heterozygosity, only limited progress has been made in developing cold-hardy and disease-resistant cultivars through traditional approaches. Numerous studies reveal that biotechnology is a feasible approach to improve stress tolerance in woody perennial plants. HYPONASTIC LEAVES1 (HYL1), a double-stranded RNA binding protein, is a key regulator involved in apple drought stress response. However, whether HYL1 participates in apple cold response and pathogen resistance remains unknown. In this study, we revealed that MdHYL1 plays a positive role in cold tolerance and pathogen resistance in apple. MdHYL1 acted upstream to positively regulate freezing tolerance and Alternaria alternata resistance by positively modulating transcripts of MdMYB88 and MdMYB124 in response to cold stress or A. alternata infection. In addition, MdHYL1 regulated the biogenesis of several miRNAs responsive to cold and A. alternata infection in apple. Furthermore, we identified Mdm-miRNA156 (Mdm-miR156) as a negative regulator of cold tolerance, Mdm-miRNA172 (Mdm-miR172) as a positive regulator of cold tolerance, and that Mdm-miRNA160 (Mdm-miR160) decreased plant resistance to infection by A. alternata. In summary, we highlight the molecular role of MdHYL1 regarding cold tolerance and A. alternata infection resistance, thereby providing candidate genes for breeding apple with freezing tolerance and A. alternata resistance using biotechnology.
PMID: 36970784
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad147
Transcription factors MhDREB2A/MhZAT10 Play a Role in Drought and Cold Stress Response Crosstalk in Apple.
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 100093, P.R.China.
Drought and cold stresses seriously affect tree growth and fruit yield during apple (Malus domestica) production, with combined stress causing injury such as shoot shriveling. However, the molecular mechanism underlying crosstalk between responses to drought and cold stress remains to be clarified. In this study, we characterized the zinc finger transcription factor ZINC FINGER OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA 10 (ZAT10) through comparative analysis of shoot-shriveling tolerance between tolerant and sensitive apple rootstocks. MhZAT10 responded to both drought and cold stress. Heterologous expression of MhZAT10 in the sensitive rootstock 'G935' from domesticated apple (Malus domestica) promoted shoot-shriveling tolerance, while silencing of MhZAT10 expression in the tolerant rootstock 'SH6' of Malus honanensis reduced stress tolerance. We determined that the apple transcription factor DEHYDRATION RESPONSE ELEMENT-BINDING PROTEIN 2A (DREB2A) is a direct regulator activating the expression of MhZAT10 in response to drought stress. Apple plants overexpressing both MhDREB2A and MhZAT10 genes exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought and cold stress, while plants overexpressing MhDREB2A but with silenced expression of MhZAT10 showed reduced tolerance, suggesting a critical role of MhDREB2A-MhZAT10 in the crosstalk between drought and cold stress responses. We further identified drought-tolerant MhWRKY31 and cold-tolerant MhMYB88 and MhMYB124 as downstream regulatory target genes of MhZAT10. Our findings reveal a MhDREB2A-MhZAT10 module involved in crosstalk between drought and cold stress responses, which may have applications in apple rootstock breeding programs aimed at developing shoot-shriveling tolerance.
PMID: 36880407
Food Chem , IF:7.514 , 2023 Sep , V419 : P136089 doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.136089
MaC2H2-like regulates chilling stress response of 'Fenjiao' banana by modulating flavonoid synthesis and fatty acid desaturation.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Engineering Research Center for Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops in South China, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China; Key Laboratory of Food Processing Technology and Quality Control in Shandong Province, College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Engineering Research Center for Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops in South China, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Engineering Research Center for Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops in South China, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China. Electronic address: xiaoyang_zhu@scau.edu.cn.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Engineering Research Center for Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops in South China, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510642, China. Electronic address: lxp88@scau.edu.cn.
Chilling injury (CI) is a major problem that affects fruit quality and ripening. Herein, chilling stress severely inhibited the expression of transcription factor MaC2H2-like. MaC2H2-like activates the expression of genes associated with flavonoid synthesis (MaC4H-like1, Ma4CL-like1, MaFLS, and MaFLS3) and fatty acid desaturation (MaFAD6-2 and MaFAD6-3), the leading indicators of chilling tolerance. MaC2H2-like interacts with MaEBF1 and boosts the transcriptional activity of MaFAD6-2, MaFAD6-3, Ma4CL-like1, and MaFLS. The overexpression of MaC2H2-like reduced fruit CI, induced the expression of these genes and increased the content of flavonoid and unsaturated fatty acid. Meanwhile, the silencing of MaC2H2-like increased fruit CI and downregulated the expression of those genes and reduced the content of flavonoid and unsaturated fatty acid. These results indicate that MaC2H2-like function as new player in modulating fruit CI by regulating flavonoid synthesis and fatty acid desaturation. MaC2H2-like could be a useful candidate gene for improving cold tolerance in 'Fenjiao' banana.
PMID: 37023674
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
Free Radic Biol Med , IF:7.376 , 2023 Apr , V199 : P2-16 doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.02.008
OsLPXC negatively regulates tolerance to cold stress via modulating oxidative stress, antioxidant defense and JA accumulation in rice.
International Genome Center, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.; Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; International Genome Center, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China. Electronic address: jianchen@ujs.edu.cn.
Exposure of crops to low temperature (LT) during emerging and reproductive stages influences their growth and development. In this study, we have isolated a cold induced, nucleus-localized lipid A gene from rice named OsLPXC, which encodes a protein of 321 amino acids. Knockout of OsLPXC resulted in enhance sensitivity to LT stress in rice, with increased accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage, while expression and activities of antioxidant enzymes were significantly suppressed. The accumulation of chlorophyll content and net photosynthetic rate of knockout plants were also decreased compared with WT under LT stress. The functional analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), showed that numerous genes associated with antioxidant defense, photosynthesis, cold signaling were solely expressed and downregulated in oslpxc plants compared with WT under LT. The accumulation of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) in leave and several DEGs related to the jasmonate biosynthesis pathway were significantly downregulated in OsLPXC knockout plants, which showed differential levels of MeJA regulation in WT and knockout plants in response to cold stress. These results indicated that OsLPXC positively regulates cold tolerance in rice via stabilizing the expression and activities of ROS scavenging enzymes, photosynthetic apparatus, cold signaling genes, and jasmonate biosynthesis.
PMID: 36775108
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2023 Apr , V46 (4) : P1402-1418 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
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2023 Apr , V74 (8) : P2680-2691 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erad039
Cell wall fucosylation in Arabidopsis influences control of leaf water loss and alters stomatal development and mechanical properties.
Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, UK.; Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, UK.; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
The Arabidopsis sensitive-to-freezing8 (sfr8) mutant exhibits reduced cell wall (CW) fucose levels and compromised freezing tolerance. To examine whether CW fucosylation also affects the response to desiccation, we tested the effect of leaf excision in sfr8 and the allelic mutant mur1-1. Leaf water loss was strikingly higher than in the wild type in these, but not other, fucosylation mutants. We hypothesized that reduced fucosylation in guard cell (GC) walls might limit stomatal closure through altering mechanical properties. Multifrequency atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements revealed a reduced elastic modulus (E'), representing reduced stiffness, in sfr8 GC walls. Interestingly, however, we discovered a compensatory mechanism whereby a concomitant reduction in the storage modulus (E'') maintained a wild-type viscoelastic time response (tau) in sfr8. Stomata in intact leaf discs of sfr8 responded normally to a closure stimulus, abscisic acid, suggesting that the time response may relate more to closure properties than stiffness does. sfr8 stomatal pore complexes were larger than those of the wild type, and GCs lacked a fully developed cuticular ledge, both potential contributors to the greater leaf water loss in sfr8. We present data that indicate that fucosylation-dependent dimerization of the CW pectic domain rhamnogalacturonan-II may be essential for normal cuticular ledge development and leaf water retention.
PMID: 36715637
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2023 Mar , V74 (6) : P2173-2187 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erad027
Integration of chromatin accessibility and gene expression reveals new regulators of cold hardening to enhance freezing tolerance in Prunus mume.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, Engineering Research Center of Landscape Environment of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants of Ministry of Education, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.; College of Landscape and Tourism, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, China.; Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization at College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
Low temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors limiting the growth, development and geographical distribution of plants. Prunus mume is an attractive woody ornamental plant that blooms in early spring in Beijing. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cold hardening to enhance freezing tolerance in Prunus genus remains elusive. This study examined the dynamic physiological responses induced by cold hardening, and identified freezing-tolerance genes by RNA-seq and ATAC-seq analyses. Cold hardening elevated the content of soluble substances and enhanced freezing resistance in P. mume. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the candidate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were those enriched in Ca2+ signalling, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, abscisic acid signalling, and inducer of CBF expression 1 (ICE)-C-repeat binding factor (CBF) signalling pathways. The openness of gene chromatin positively correlated with the expression level of these genes. Thirteen motifs were identified in the open chromatin regions in the treatment group subjected to freezing after cold hardening. The chromatin opening of transcription start site at the proximal -177 region of cold-shock protein CS120-like (PmCSL) was markedly increased, while the expression level of PmCSL was significantly up-regulated. Overexpression of PmCSL in Arabidopsis significantly improved the freezing tolerance of transgenic plants. These findings provide new insights into the regulatory mechanism of freezing tolerance to improve breeding of cold-hardy P. mume plants.
PMID: 36655907
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2023 Mar , V238 : P124064 doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124064
Recent genome-wide replication promoted expansion and functional differentiation of the JAZs in soybeans.
The Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metablism and Regulation, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China.; Hybrid Rapeseed Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: chliwang262@163.com.; The Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Plant Secondary Metablism and Regulation, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China. Electronic address: liangzs@ms.iswc.ac.cn.
Jasmonate Zim-domain (JAZ) protein is an inhibitor of the jasmonate (JA) signal transduction pathway, and plays an important role in regulating plant growth, development, and defense. However, there have been few studies on its function under environmental stress in soybeans. In this study, a total of 275 JAZs protein-coding genes were identified in 29 soybean genomes. SoyC13 contained the least JAZ family members (26 JAZs), which was twice as high as AtJAZs. The genes are mainly generated by recent genome-wide replication (WGD), which replicated during the Late Cenozoic Ice Age. In addition, transcriptome analysis showed that the differences in gene expression patterns in the roots, stems, and leaves of the 29 cultivars at the V1 stage were not significant, but there was a significant difference among the three seed development stages. Finally, qRT-PCR results showed that GmJAZs responded the most strongly to heat stress, followed by drought and cold stress. This is consistent with the reason for their expansion and promoter analysis results. Therefore, we explored the significant role of conserved, duplicated, and neofunctionalized JAZs in the evolution of soybeans, which will contribute to the functional characterization of GmJAZ and the improvement of crops.
PMID: 36933593
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2023 Feb , V229 : P766-777 doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.12.330
Genome-wide identification, characterization and evolutionary dynamic of invertase gene family in apple, and revealing its roles in cold tolerance.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: limingjun@nwsuaf.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: bqma87@nwsuaf.edu.cn.
Invertases are ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze the unalterable cleavage of sucrose into glucose and fructose, and are crucially involved in plant growth, development and stress response. In this study, a total of 17 putative invertase genes, including 3 cell wall invertases, 3 vacuolar invertases, and 11 neutral invertases were identified in apple genome. Subcellular localization of MdNINV7 and MdNINV11 indicated that both invertases were located in the cytoplasm. Comprehensive analyses of physicochemical properties, chromosomal localization, genomic characterization, and gene evolution of MdINV family were conducted. Gene duplication revealed that whole-genome or segmental duplication and random duplication might have been the major driving force for MdINVs expansion. Selection index values, omega, showed strong evidence of positive selection signatures among the INV clusters. Gene expression analysis indicated that MdNINV1/3/6/7 members are crucially involved in fruit development and sugar accumulation. Similarly, expression profiles of MdCWINV1, MdVINV1, and MdNINV1/2/7/11 suggested their potential roles in response to cold stress. Furthermore, overexpression of MdNINV11 in apple calli at least in part promoted the expression of MdCBF1-5 and H(2)O(2) detoxification in response to cold. Overall, our results will be useful for understanding the functions of MdINVs in the regulation of apple fruit development and cold stress response.
PMID: 36610562
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2023 Apr , V240 : P124479 doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124479
The alteration of proteins and metabolites in leaf apoplast and the related gene expression associated with the adaptation of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus to winter freezing stress.
Key Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Metabolomics, Minzu University of China, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China; Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environment in Minority Areas, Minzu University of China, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China.; Key Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Metabolomics, Minzu University of China, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China; Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environment in Minority Areas, Minzu University of China, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: zhouyijun@muc.edu.cn.; Key Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Metabolomics, Minzu University of China, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China; Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environment in Minority Areas, Minzu University of China, National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: gaofei@muc.edu.cn.
Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, an evergreen broad-leaved plant, can tolerate severe freezing stress (temperatures as low as -20 degrees C in winter). The apoplast is the space outside the plasma membrane that plays an important role in plant responses to environmental stress. Here, we investigated, using a multi-omics approach, the dynamic alterations in the levels of proteins and metabolites in the apoplast and related gene expression changes involved in the adaptation of A. mongolicus to winter freezing stress. Of the 962 proteins identified in the apoplast, the abundance of several PR proteins, including PR3 and PR5, increased significantly in winter, which may contribute to winter freezing-stress tolerance by functioning as antifreeze proteins. The increased abundance of the cell-wall polysaccharides and cell wall-modifying proteins, including PMEI, XTH32, and EXLA1, may enhance the mechanical properties of the cell wall in A. mongolicus. Accumulation of flavonoids and free amino acids in the apoplast may be beneficial for ROS scavenging and the maintenance of osmotic homeostasis. Integrated analyses revealed gene expression changes associated with alterations in the levels of apoplast proteins and metabolites. Our study improved the current understanding of the roles of apoplast proteins and metabolites in plant adaptation to winter freezing stress.
PMID: 37072058
Development , IF:6.868 , 2023 Apr , V150 (7) doi: 10.1242/dev.201476
MERISTEM-DEFECTIVE regulates the balance between stemness and differentiation in the root meristem through RNA splicing control.
Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK.; National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.; College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.; Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
Plants respond to environmental stresses through controlled stem cell maintenance and meristem activity. One level of gene regulation is RNA alternative splicing. However, the mechanistic link between stress, meristem function and RNA splicing is poorly understood. The MERISTEM-DEFECTIVE (MDF) Arabidopsis gene encodes an SR-related family protein, required for meristem function and leaf vascularization, and is the likely orthologue of the human SART1 and yeast Snu66 splicing factors. MDF is required for the correct splicing and expression of key transcripts associated with root meristem function. We identified RSZ33 and ACC1, both known to regulate cell patterning, as splicing targets required for MDF function in the meristem. MDF expression is modulated by osmotic and cold stress, associated with differential splicing and specific isoform accumulation and shuttling between nucleus and cytosol, and acts in part via a splicing target SR34. We propose a model in which MDF controls splicing in the root meristem to promote stemness and to repress stress response, cell differentiation and cell death pathways.
PMID: 36971700
Hortic Res , IF:6.793 , 2023 Mar , V10 (3) : Puhad013 doi: 10.1093/hr/uhad013
RsERF40 contributes to cold stress tolerance and cell expansion of taproot in radish (Raphanus sativus L.).
National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and utilization, Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic Improvement (East China) of MOAR, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
The growth and development of taproots are inhibited by cold stress in radish (Raphanus sativus L.). Ethylene-responsive element binding factors (ERF) are key participators in the cold stress response and growth regulation of plants. However, the function of ERF genes in cold tolerance and root development in radish remains elusive. Here, we showed that the secondary growth of radish taproots was inhibited by cold stress. Comparative transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the RsERF40 gene is an important regulator of the cold stress response and root growth regulation. The cold tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the RsERF40 gene was significantly improved. Overexpressing RsERF40 in the cold-sensitive radish genotype and silencing RsERF40 in the cold-tolerant radish genotype indicated that RsERF40 was beneficial for alleviating oxidative damage under cold stress in radish. Transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings showed an increase in the elongation and radial growth of dark-grown roots. RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression of the cold-related genes (CORs) RsCOR78 and RsCOR413PM1 and the cell wall strengthening-related genes RsCESA6 and RsEXPB3 was upregulated in transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings. Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase reporter assays (DLA) revealed that RsERF40 directly regulates RsCOR78, RsCOR413PM1, RsCESA6 and RsEXPB3 expression, illustrating that RsERF40 enhances cold tolerance and taproot growth by modulating osmotic adjustment and cell wall mechanical strength in radish. In this study, the RsERF40-regulon was firstly found to be a new cold response pathway independent of the CBF-COR pathway conferring cold stress tolerance with increasing radish taproot growth. These results provided novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying cold stress response and would facilitate the genetic improvement of cold tolerance in radish and other root vegetable crops.
PMID: 36968181
Cells , IF:6.6 , 2023 Apr , V12 (7) doi: 10.3390/cells12071096
Comprehensive Analysis of BrHMPs Reveals Potential Roles in Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Pollen-Stigma Interaction in Brassica rapa.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, China.; College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, China.
Heavy metal-associated proteins (HMPs) participate in heavy metal detoxification. Although HMPs have been identified in several plants, no studies to date have identified the HMPs in Brassica rapa (B. rapa). Here, we identified 85 potential HMPs in B. rapa by bioinformatic methods. The promoters of the identified genes contain many elements associated with stress responses, including response to abscisic acid, low-temperature, and methyl jasmonate. The expression levels of BrHMP14, BrHMP16, BrHMP32, BrHMP41, and BrHMP42 were upregulated under Cu(2+), Cd(2+), Zn(2+), and Pb(2+) stresses. BrHMP06, BrHMP30, and BrHMP41 were also significantly upregulated after drought treatment. The transcripts of BrHMP06 and BrHMP11 increased mostly under cold stress. After applying salt stress, the expression of BrHMP02, BrHMP16, and BrHMP78 was induced. We observed increased BrHMP36 expression during the self-incompatibility (SI) response and decreased expression in the compatible pollination (CP) response during pollen-stigma interactions. These changes in expression suggest functions for these genes in HMPs include participating in heavy metal transport, detoxification, and response to abiotic stresses, with the potential for functions in sexual reproduction. We found potential co-functional partners of these key players by protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis and found that some of the predicted protein partners are known to be involved in corresponding stress responses. Finally, phosphorylation investigation revealed many phosphorylation sites in BrHMPs, suggesting post-translational modification may occur during the BrHMP-mediated stress response. This comprehensive analysis provides important clues for the study of the molecular mechanisms of BrHMP genes in B. rapa, especially for abiotic stress and pollen-stigma interactions.
PMID: 37048168
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1111/tpj.16194
Ornithine delta-aminotransferase OsOAT is critical for male fertility and cold tolerance during rice plant development.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.; Institute of Plant and Food Science, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China.; Shenzhen Institute of Molecular Crop Design, Shenzhen, 518107, China.
Cold stress is a major factor limiting the production and geographical distribution of rice (Oryza sativa) varieties. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance remain to be elucidated. Here, we report that ornithine delta-aminotransferase (OsOAT) contributes to cold tolerance during the vegetative and reproductive development of rice. osoat mutant was identified as a temperature-sensitive male sterile mutant with deformed floral organs and seedlings sensitive to cold stress. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that OsOAT mutation and cold treatment of the wild-type plant led to similar changes in the global gene expression profiles in anthers. OsOAT genes in indica rice Huanghuazhan (HHZ) and japonica rice Wuyungeng (WYG) are different in gene structure and response to cold. OsOAT is cold-inducible in WYG but cold-irresponsive in HHZ. Further studies showed that indica varieties carry both WYG-type and HHZ-type OsOAT, whereas japonica varieties mostly carry WYG-type OsOAT. Cultivars carrying HHZ-type OsOAT are mainly distributed in low-latitude regions, whereas varieties carrying WYG-type OsOAT are distributed in both low- and high-latitude regions. Moreover, indica varieties carrying WYG-type OsOAT generally have higher seed-setting rates than those carrying HHZ-type OsOAT under cold stress at reproductive stage, highlighting the favorable selection for WYG-type OsOAT during domestication and breeding to cope with low temperatures.
PMID: 36932862
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1111/tpj.16199
Salicylic acid regulates two photosystem II protection pathways in tomato under chilling stress mediated by ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3-like proteins.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, 271018, China.
Chilling stress seriously impairs photosynthesis and activates a series of molecular responses in plants. Previous studies have shown that ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3 (EIN3) and EIN3-like (SlEIL) proteins mediate ethylene signaling and reduce plant tolerance to freezing in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the specific molecular mechanisms underlying an EIN3/EILs-mediated photoprotection pathway under chilling stress are unclear. Here, we discovered that salicylic acid (SA) participates in photosystem II (PSII) protection via SlEIL2 and SlEIL7. Under chilling stress, the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase gene SlPAL5 plays an important role in the production of SA, which also induces WHIRLY1 (SlWHY1) transcription. The resulting accumulation of SlWHY1 activates SlEIL7 expression under chilling stress. SlEIL7 then binds to and blocks the repression domain of the heat shock factor SlHSFB-2B, releasing its inhibition of HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 21 (HSP21) expression to maintain PSII stability. In addition, SlWHY1 indirectly represses SlEIL2 expression, allowing the expression of l-GALACTOSE-1-PHOSPHATE PHOSPHATASE3 (SlGPP3). The ensuing higher SlGPP3 abundance promotes the accumulation of ascorbic acid (AsA), which scavenges reactive oxygen species produced upon chilling stress and thus protects PSII. Our study demonstrates that SlEIL2 and SlEIL7 protect PSII under chilling stress via two different SA response mechanisms: one involving the antioxidant AsA and the other involving the photoprotective chaperone protein HSP21.
PMID: 36948885
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2023 Apr , V114 (2) : P262-278 doi: 10.1111/tpj.16132
Mdm-miR160-MdARF17-MdWRKY33 module mediates freezing tolerance in apple.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.; Ningxia Engineering and Technology Research Center of Grape and Wine, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, Ningxia, China.
Apple (Malus domestica) trees are vulnerable to freezing temperatures. Cold resistance in woody perennial plants can be improved through biotechnological approaches. However, genetic engineering requires a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the tree's response to cold. In this study, we demonstrated that the Mdm-miR160-MdARF17-MdWRKY33 module is crucial for apple freezing tolerance. Mdm-miR160 plays a negative role in apple freezing tolerance, whereas MdARF17, one of the targets of Mdm-miR160, is a positive regulator of apple freezing tolerance. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that in apple, MdARF17 mediates the cold response by influencing the expression of cold-responsive genes. EMSA and ChIP-qPCR assays demonstrated that MdARF17 can bind to the promoter of MdWRKY33 and promotes its expression. Overexpression of MdWRKY33 enhanced the cold tolerance of the apple calli. In addition, we found that the Mdm-miR160-MdARF17-MdWRKY33 module regulates cold tolerance in apple by regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, as revealed by (i) increased H(2) O(2) levels and decreased peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities in Mdm-miR160e OE plants and MdARF17 RNAi plants and (ii) decreased H(2) O(2) levels and increased POD and CAT activities in MdmARF17 OE plants and MdWRKY33 OE calli. Taken together, our study uncovered the molecular roles of the Mdm-miR160-MdARF17-MdWRKY33 module in freezing tolerance in apple, thus providing support for breeding of cold-tolerant apple cultivars.
PMID: 36738108
Sci China Life Sci , IF:6.038 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1007/s11427-022-2265-6
Melanin precursors mediated adaption to temperature changes in fungus and animal via inhibition of lipid-mediated ferroptosis.
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, and Key Laboratory for Southwest Microbial Diversity of the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650032, China.; Kunming Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Kunming University, Kunming, 650214, China.; State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China. shli@mail.kib.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, and Key Laboratory for Southwest Microbial Diversity of the Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650032, China. xmniu@ynu.edu.cn.
The discovery of biological activities of natural products plays a vital part in drug development. The mechanism by which organisms respond to temperature changes via biosynthesis of natural products remained largely cryptic. A thermophilic fungus under cold stress turned black and accumulated a polyketide metabolite 1 and lipid mass. Deficiency in 1 caused melanin loss and accumulated extra lipid mass, unexpectedly leading to seriously damaged mitochondria diagnostic for ferroptosis. Further analysis revealed that lipid mass induced by cold stress intensively increased ferroptosis risk and 1 functioned as cell wall reinforcer against mass lipid accumulation and as reactive oxygen species scavenger against lipid peroxidation. We also found that melanin in mice lowered lipid level but enhanced animal resistance to cold stress. Treatment with melanin precursors significantly increased mouse cell survival rate under cold stress. Our results unveiled a metabolite-lipid-ferroptosis-cold relationship, which provided mechanistic insights into the functions of most common metabolites and into diseases related to cold stress. These findings opened a perspective for developing anti-cold and anti-ferroptosis therapeutics and agents.
PMID: 36949229
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Apr , V24 (8) doi: 10.3390/ijms24087162
Whole-Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals a ceRNA Regulatory Network Associated with the Process of Periodic Albinism under Low Temperature in Baiye No. 1 (Camellia sinensis).
College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.; Guizhou Key Laboratory of Propagation and Cultivation on Medicinal Plants, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.; College of Food and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang 550003, China.
The young shoots of the tea plant Baiye No. 1 display an albino phenotype in the early spring under low environmental temperatures, and the leaves re-green like those of common tea cultivars during the warm season. Periodic albinism is precisely regulated by a complex gene network that leads to metabolic differences and enhances the nutritional value of tea leaves. Here, we identified messenger RNAs (mRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) to construct competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks. We performed whole-transcriptome sequencing of 12 samples from four periods (Bud, leaves not expanded; Alb, albino leaves; Med, re-greening leaves; and Gre, green leaves) and identified a total of 6325 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs), 667 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), 1702 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), and 122 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs). Furthermore, we constructed ceRNA networks on the basis of co-differential expression analyses which comprised 112, 35, 38, and 15 DEmRNAs, DEmiRNAs, DElncRNAs, and DEcircRNAs, respectively. Based on the regulatory networks, we identified important genes and their interactions with lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs during periodic albinism, including the ceRNA regulatory network centered on miR5021x, the GAMYB-miR159-lncRNA regulatory network, and the NAC035-miR319x-circRNA regulatory network. These regulatory networks might be involved in the response to cold stress, photosynthesis, chlorophyll synthesis, amino acid synthesis, and flavonoid accumulation. Our findings provide novel insights into ceRNA regulatory mechanisms involved in Baiye No. 1 during periodic albinism and will aid future studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying albinism mutants.
PMID: 37108322
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Apr , V24 (8) doi: 10.3390/ijms24087102
Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Expression Analyses of AP2/ERF Family Transcription Factors in Erianthus fulvus.
College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.; Sugarcane Research Institute, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.; The Key Laboratory for Crop Production and Smart Agriculture of Yunnan Province, Kunming 650201, China.
The AP2/ERF transcription factor family is one of the most important gene families in plants and plays a vital role in plant abiotic stress responses. Although Erianthus fulvus is very important in the genetic improvement of sugarcane, there are few studies concerning AP2/ERF genes in E. fulvus. Here, we identified 145 AP2/ERF genes in the E. fulvus genome. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into five subfamilies. Evolutionary analysis showed that tandem and segmental duplication contributed to the expansion of the EfAP2/ERF family. Protein interaction analysis showed that twenty-eight EfAP2/ERF proteins and five other proteins had potential interaction relationships. Multiple cis-acting elements present in the EfAP2/ERF promoter were related to abiotic stress response, suggesting that EfAP2/ERF may contribute to adaptation to environmental changes. Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that EfDREB10, EfDREB11, EfDREB39, EfDREB42, EfDREB44, EfERF43, and EfAP2-13 responded to cold stress, EfDREB5 and EfDREB42 responded to drought stress, and EfDREB5, EfDREB11, EfDREB39, EfERF43, and EfAP2-13 responded to ABA treatment. These results will be helpful for better understanding the molecular features and biological role of the E. fulvus AP2/ERF genes and lay a foundation for further research on the function of EfAP2/ERF genes and the regulatory mechanism of the abiotic stress response.
PMID: 37108264
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Apr , V24 (8) doi: 10.3390/ijms24086934
Genome-Wide Identification and Chilling Stress Analysis of the NF-Y Gene Family in Melon.
College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
The nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) transcription factor contains three subfamilies: NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC. The NF-Y family have been reported to be key regulators in plant growth and stress responses. However, little attention has been given to these genes in melon (Cucumis melo L.). In this study, twenty-five NF-Ys were identified in the melon genome, including six CmNF-YAs, eleven CmNF-YBs, and eight CmNF-YCs. Their basic information (gene location, protein characteristics, and subcellular localization), conserved domains and motifs, and phylogeny and gene structure were subsequently analyzed. Results showed highly conserved motifs exist in each subfamily, which are distinct between subfamilies. Most CmNF-Ys were expressed in five tissues and exhibited distinct expression patterns. However, CmNF-YA6, CmNF-YB1/B2/B3/B8, and CmNF-YC6 were not expressed and might be pseudogenes. Twelve CmNF-Ys were induced by cold stress, indicating the NF-Y family plays a key role in melon cold tolerance. Taken together, our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of CmNF-Y genes in the development and stress response of melon and provide genetic resources for solving the practical problems of melon production.
PMID: 37108097
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Apr , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076727
OsLUX Confers Rice Cold Tolerance as a Positive Regulatory Factor.
College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China.; Jiaxing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiaxing 314016, China.; Taizhou Academy Agricultural of Sciences, Taizhou 317000, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
During the early seedling stage, rice (Oryza sativa L.) must overcome low-temperature stress. While a few cold-tolerance genes have been characterized, further excavation of cold-resistance genes is still needed. In this study, we identified a cold-induced transcription factor-LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX)-in rice. OsLUX was found to be specifically expressed in leaf blades and upregulated by both cold stress and circadian rhythm. The full-length OsLUX showed autoactivation activity, and the OsLUX protein localized throughout the entire onion cell. Overexpressing OsLUX resulted in increased cold tolerance and reduced ion leakage under cold-stress conditions during the seedling stage. In contrast, the knockout of OsLUX decreased seedling cold tolerance and showed higher ion leakage compared to the wild type. Furthermore, overexpressing OsLUX upregulated the expression levels of oxidative stress-responsive genes, which improved reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability and enhanced tolerance to chilling stress. Promoter analysis showed that the OsLUX promoter contains two dehydration-responsive element binding (DREB) motifs at positions -510/-505 (GTCGGa) and -162/-170 (cCACCGccc), which indicated that OsDREB1s and OsDREB2s probably regulate OsLUX expression by binding to the motif to respond to cold stress. Thus, OsLUX may act as a downstream gene of the DREB pathway. These results demonstrate that OsLUX serves as a positive regulatory factor of cold stress and that overexpressing OsLUX could be used in rice breeding programs to enhance abiotic stress tolerance.
PMID: 37047700
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Apr , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076603
Abiotic Stress in Crop Production.
Department of Molecular Biology and Radiobiology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic.
The vast majority of agricultural land undergoes abiotic stress that can significantly reduce agricultural yields. Understanding the mechanisms of plant defenses against stresses and putting this knowledge into practice is, therefore, an integral part of sustainable agriculture. In this review, we focus on current findings in plant resistance to four cardinal abiotic stressors-drought, heat, salinity, and low temperatures. Apart from the description of the newly discovered mechanisms of signaling and resistance to abiotic stress, this review also focuses on the importance of primary and secondary metabolites, including carbohydrates, amino acids, phenolics, and phytohormones. A meta-analysis of transcriptomic studies concerning the model plant Arabidopsis demonstrates the long-observed phenomenon that abiotic stressors induce different signals and effects at the level of gene expression, but genes whose regulation is similar under most stressors can still be traced. The analysis further reveals the transcriptional modulation of Golgi-targeted proteins in response to heat stress. Our analysis also highlights several genes that are similarly regulated under all stress conditions. These genes support the central role of phytohormones in the abiotic stress response, and the importance of some of these in plant resistance has not yet been studied. Finally, this review provides information about the response to abiotic stress in major European crop plants-wheat, sugar beet, maize, potatoes, barley, sunflowers, grapes, rapeseed, tomatoes, and apples.
PMID: 37047573
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076502
Combined lncRNA and mRNA Expression Profiles Identified the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Modules Regulating the Cold Stress Response in Ammopiptanthus nanus.
Key Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Metabolomics (Minzu University of China), National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China.; Key Laboratory of Ecology and Environment in Minority Areas (Minzu University of China), National Ethnic Affairs Commission, Beijing 100081, China.; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China.; College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100080, China.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play critical regulatory roles in plants. Ammopiptanthus nanus can survive under severe low-temperature stress, and lncRNAs may play crucial roles in the gene regulation network underlying the cold stress response in A. nanus. To investigate the roles of lncRNAs in the cold stress response of A. nanus, a combined lncRNA and mRNA expression profiling under cold stress was conducted. Up to 4890 novel lncRNAs were identified in A. nanus and 1322 of them were differentially expressed under cold stress, including 543 up-regulated and 779 down-regulated lncRNAs. A total of 421 lncRNAs were found to participate in the cold stress response by forming lncRNA-mRNA modules and regulating the genes encoding the stress-related transcription factors and enzymes in a cis-acting manner. We found that 31 lncRNAs acting as miRNA precursors and 8 lncRNAs acting as endogenous competitive targets of miRNAs participated in the cold stress response by forming lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory modules. In particular, a cold stress-responsive lncRNA, TCONS00065739, which was experimentally proven to be an endogenous competitive target of miR530, contributed to the cold stress adaptation by regulating TZP in A. nanus. These results provide new data for understanding the biological roles of lncRNAs in response to cold stress in plants.
PMID: 37047474
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076288
CsCIPK11-Regulated Metalloprotease CsFtsH5 Mediates the Cold Response of Tea Plants.
Key Laboratory of Biology, Genetics and Breeding of Special Economic Animals and Plants, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National Center for Tea Plant Improvement, Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 9th South of Meiling Road, Hangzhou 310008, China.; College of Horticulture & Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.; College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Photosystem II repair in chloroplasts is a critical process involved in maintaining a plant's photosynthetic activity under cold stress. FtsH (filamentation temperature-sensitive H) is an essential metalloprotease that is required for chloroplast photosystem II repair. However, the role of FtsH in tea plants and its regulatory mechanism under cold stress remains elusive. In this study, we cloned a FtsH homolog gene in tea plants, named CsFtsH5, and found that CsFtsH5 was located in the chloroplast and cytomembrane. RT-qPCR showed that the expression of CsFtsH5 was increased with leaf maturity and was significantly induced by light and cold stress. Transient knockdown CsFtsH5 expression in tea leaves using antisense oligonucleotides resulted in hypersensitivity to cold stress, along with higher relative electrolyte leakage and lower Fv/Fm values. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying CsFtsH5 involvement in the cold stress, we focused on the calcineurin B-like-interacting protein kinase 11 (CsCIPK11), which had a tissue expression pattern similar to that of CsFtsH5 and was also upregulated by light and cold stress. Yeast two-hybrid and dual luciferase (Luc) complementation assays revealed that CsFtsH5 interacted with CsCIPK11. Furthermore, the Dual-Luc assay showed that CsCIPK11-CsFtsH5 interaction might enhance CsFtsH5 stability. Altogether, our study demonstrates that CsFtsH5 is associated with CsCIPK11 and plays a positive role in maintaining the photosynthetic activity of tea plants in response to low temperatures.
PMID: 37047263
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076215
Peruvian Amaranth (kiwicha) Accumulates Higher Levels of the Unsaturated Linoleic Acid.
Molecular Cell Biology, Joseph Kolreuter Institute for Plant Sciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.; Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
Grain amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is an emerging crop rich in proteins and other valuable nutrients. It was domesticated twice, in Mexico and Peru. Although global trade is dominated by Mexican species of amaranth, Peruvian amaranth (A. caudatus, kiwicha) has remained neglected, although it harbours valuable traits. In the current study, we investigate the accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, comparing four genotypes of A. caudatus with K432, a commercial variety deriving from the Mexican species A. hypochondriacus under the temperate environment of Southwest Germany. We show that the A. caudatus genotypes flowered later (only in late autumn), such that they were taller as compared to the Mexican hybrid but yielded fewer grains. The oil of kiwicha showed a significantly higher content of unsaturated fatty acids, especially of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid compared to early flowering genotype K432. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms behind these differences, we sequenced the genomes of the A. hypochondriacus x hybridus variety K432 and the Peruvian kiwicha genotype 8300 and identified the homologues for genes involved in the omega3 fatty-acid pathway and concurrent oxylipin metabolism, as well as of key factors for jasmonate signalling and cold acclimation. We followed the expression of these transcripts over three stages of seed development in all five genotypes. We find that transcripts for Delta6 desaturases are elevated in kiwicha, whereas in the Mexican hybrid, the concurrent lipoxygenase is more active, which is followed by the activation of jasmonate biosynthesis and signalling. The early accumulation of transcripts involved in cold-stress signalling reports that the Mexican hybrid experiences cold stress already early in autumn, whereas the kiwicha genotypes do not display indications for cold stress, except for the very final phase, when there were already freezing temperatures. We interpret the higher content of unsaturated fatty acids in the context of the different climatic conditions shaping domestication (tropical conditions in the case of Mexican amaranth, sharp cold snaps in the case of kiwicha) and suggest that kiwicha oil has high potential as functional food which can be developed further by tailoring genetic backgrounds, agricultural practice, and processing.
PMID: 37047191
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076202
Integrated Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses Revealed Improved Cold Tolerance in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) by Exogenous Chitosan Oligosaccharide.
College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, 120 Dongling Road Shenhe District, Shenyang 110866, China.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), sensitive to cold stress, is one of the most economically important vegetables. Here, we systematically investigated the roles of exogenous glycine betaine, chitosan, and chitosan oligosaccharide in alleviating cold stress in cucumber seedlings. The results showed that 50 mg.L(-1) chitosan oligosaccharide had the best activity. It effectively increases plant growth, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic capacity, osmotic regulatory substance content, and antioxidant enzyme activities while reducing relative electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde levels in cucumber seedlings under cold stress. To reveal the protective effects of chitosan oligosaccharide in cold stress, cucumber seedlings pretreated with 50 mg.L(-1) chitosan oligosaccharide were sampled after 0, 3, 12, and 24 h of cold stress for transcriptome analysis, with distilled water as a control. The numbers of differentially expressed genes in the four comparison groups were 656, 1274, 1122, and 957, respectively. GO functional annotation suggested that these genes were mainly involved in "voltage-gated calcium channel activity", "carbohydrate metabolic process", "jasmonic acid biosynthetic", and "auxin response" biological processes. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that these genes performed important functions in "phenylpropanoid biosynthesis", "MAPK signaling pathway-plant", "phenylalanine metabolism", and "plant hormone signal transduction." These findings provide a theoretical basis for the use of COS to alleviate the damage caused by cold stress in plant growth and development.
PMID: 37047175
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076137
Genome-Wide Characterization and Expression Analysis of Transcription Factor Families in Desert Moss Syntrichia caninervis under Abiotic Stresses.
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100045, China.; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830000, China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Transcription factor (TF) families play important roles in plant stress responses. S. caninervis is a new model moss for plant desiccation tolerance studies. Here, we report a high-confidence identification and characterization of 591 TFs representing 52 families that covered all chromosomes in S. caninervis. GO term and KEGG pathway analysis showed that TFs were involved in the regulation of transcription, DNA-templated, gene expression, binding activities, plant hormone signal transduction, and circadian rhythm. A number of TF promoter regions have a mixture of various hormones-related cis-regulatory elements. AP2/ERF, bHLH, MYB, and C2H2-zinc finger TFs were the overrepresented TF families in S. caninervis, and the detailed classification of each family is performed based on structural features. Transcriptome analysis revealed the transcript abundances of some ScAP2/ERF, bHLH, MYB, and C2H2 genes were accumulated in the treated S. caninervis under cold, dehydration, and rehydration stresses. The RT-qPCR results strongly agreed with RNA-seq analysis, indicating these TFs might play a key role in S. caninervis response to abiotic stress. Our comparative TF characterization and classification provide the foundations for functional investigations of the dominant TF genes involved in S. caninervis stress response, as well as excellent stress tolerance gene resources for plant stress resistance breeding.
PMID: 37047111
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (6) doi: 10.3390/ijms24065762
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Cysteine-Rich Polycomb-like Protein (CPP) Gene Family in Tomato.
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
The cysteine-rich polycomb-like protein (CPP) gene family is a class of transcription factors containing conserved cysteine-rich CRC structural domains that is involved in the regulation of plant growth and stress tolerance to adversity. Relative to other gene families, the CPP gene family has not received sufficient attention. In this study, six SlCPPs were identified for the first time using the most recent genome-wide identification data of tomato. Subsequently, a phylogenetic analysis classified SlCPPs into four subfamilies. The analysis of cis-acting elements in the promoter indicates that SlCPPs are involved in plant growth and development and also stress response. We present for the first time the prediction of the tertiary structure of these SlCPPs proteins using the AlphaFold2 artificial intelligence system developed by the DeepMind team. Transcriptome data analysis showed that SlCPPs were differentially expressed in different tissues. Gene expression profiling showed that all SlCPPs except SlCPP5 were up-regulated under drought stress; SlCPP2, SlCPP3 and SlCPP4 were up-regulated under cold stress; SlCPP2 and SlCPP5 were up-regulated under salt stress; all SlCPPs were up-regulated under inoculation with Cladosporium fulvum; and SlCPP1, SlCPP3, and SlCPP4 were up-regulated under inoculation with Stemphylium lycopersici. We performed a virus-induced gene silencing experiment on SlCPP3, and the results indicated that SlCPP3 was involved in the response to drought stress. Finally, we predicted the interaction network of the key gene SlCPP3, and there was an interaction relationship between SlCPP3 and 10 genes, such as RBR1 and MSI1. The positive outcome showed that SlCPPs responded to environmental stress. This study provides a theoretical and empirical basis for the response mechanisms of tomato in abiotic stresses.
PMID: 36982833
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (6) doi: 10.3390/ijms24065261
Overexpression of a Fragaria vesca 1R-MYB Transcription Factor Gene (FvMYB114) Increases Salt and Cold Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
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.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crops Germplasm Resources Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Research Institute of Pomology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xingcheng 125100, China.; Institute of Agricultural Processing Research, Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ningbo 315040, China.
The MYB (v-MYB avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog) transcription factor (TF) family has numerous members with complex and diverse functions, which play an indispensable role in regulating the response of plants to stress. In this study, a new 1R-MYB TF gene was obtained from Fragaria vesca (a diploid strawberry) by cloning technology and given a new name, FvMYB114. According to the subcellular localization results, FvMYB114 protein was a nuclear localization protein. Overexpression of FvMYB114 greatly enhanced the adaptability and tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana to salt and low temperature. Under salt and cold stress, the transgenic plants had greater proline and chlorophyll contents and higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) than the wild-type (WT) and unloaded-line (UL) A. thaliana. However, malondialdehyde (MDA) was higher in the WT and UL lines. These results suggested that FvMYB114 may be involved in regulating the response of A. thaliana to salt stress and cold stress. FvMYB114 can also promote the expression of genes, such as the genes AtSOS1/3, AtNHX1 and AtLEA3 related to salt stress and the genes AtCCA1, AtCOR4 and AtCBF1/3 related to cold stress, further improving the tolerance of transgenic plants to salt and cold stress.
PMID: 36982335
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Mar , V24 (5) doi: 10.3390/ijms24055013
CaSPDS, a Spermidine Synthase Gene from Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), Plays an Important Role in Response to Cold Stress.
College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.; Institute for Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products, Chengdu Academy of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Chengdu 611130, China.; Institute of Pomology and Olericulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Spermidine synthase (SPDS) is a key enzyme in the polyamine anabolic pathway. SPDS genes help regulate plant response to environmental stresses, but their roles in pepper remain unclear. In this study, we identified and cloned a SPDS gene from pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), named CaSPDS (LOC107847831). Bioinformatics analysis indicated that CaSPDS contains two highly conserved domains: an SPDS tetramerisation domain and a spermine/SPDS domain. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction results showed that CaSPDS was highly expressed in the stems, flowers, and mature fruits of pepper and was rapidly induced by cold stress. The function of CaSPDS in cold stress response was studied by silencing and overexpressing it in pepper and Arabidopsis, respectively. Cold injury was more serious and reactive oxygen species levels were greater in the CaSPDS-silenced seedlings than in the wild-type (WT) seedlings after cold treatment. Compared with the WT plants, the CaSPDS-overexpression Arabidopsis plants were more tolerant to cold stress and showed higher antioxidant enzyme activities, spermidine content, and cold-responsive gene (AtCOR15A, AtRD29A, AtCOR47, and AtKIN1) expression. These results indicate that CaSPDS plays important roles in cold stress response and is valuable in molecular breeding to enhance the cold tolerance of pepper.
PMID: 36902443
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Apr , V24 (7) doi: 10.3390/ijms24076702
The Role and Mechanism of Hydrogen-Rich Water in the Cucumis sativus Response to Chilling Stress.
College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.; Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.
Cucumber is a warm climate vegetable that is sensitive to chilling reactions. Chilling can occur at any period of cucumber growth and development and seriously affects the yield and quality of cucumber. Hydrogen (H(2)) is a type of antioxidant that plays a critical role in plant development and the response to stress. Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) is the main way to use exogenous hydrogen. This study explored the role and mechanism of HRW in the cucumber defense response to chilling stress. The research results showed that applying 50% saturated HRW to the roots of cucumber seedlings relieved the damage caused by chilling stress. The growth and development indicators, such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, dry weight, fresh weight, and root length, increased under the HRW treatment. Photosynthetic efficiency, chlorophyll content, and Fv/Fm also improved and reduced energy dissipation. In addition, after HRW treatment, the REC and MDA content were decreased, and membrane lipid damage was reduced. NBT and DAB staining results showed that the color was lighter, and the area was smaller under HRW treatment. Additionally, the contents of O(2)(-) and H(2)O(2) also decreased. Under chilling stress, the application of HRW increased the activity of the antioxidases SOD, CAT, POD, GR, and APX and improved the expression of the SOD, CAT, POD, GR, and APX antioxidase genes. The GSSG content was reduced, and the GSH content was increased. In addition, the ASA content also increased. Therefore, exogenous HRW is an effective measure for cucumber to respond to chilling stress.
PMID: 37047675
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1149832 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1149832
Primary plant nutrients modulate the reactive oxygen species metabolism and mitigate the impact of cold stress in overseeded perennial ryegrass.
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.; Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.; Department of Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.; College of Management, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.; Chengdu Institute of Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.; School of Geography and Resources Science, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang, China.; College of Grassland Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Overseeded perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) turf on dormant bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon Pers. L) in transitional climatic zones (TCZ) experience a severe reduction in its growth due to cold stress. Primary plant nutrients play an important role in the cold stress tolerance of plants. To better understand the cold stress tolerance of overseeded perennial ryegrass under TCZ, a three-factor and five-level central composite rotatable design (CCRD) with a regression model was used to study the interactive effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilization on lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and their detoxification by the photosynthetic pigments, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. The study demonstrated substantial effects of N, P, and K fertilization on ROS production and their detoxification through enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways in overseeded perennial ryegrass under cold stress. Our results demonstrated that the cold stress significantly enhanced malondialdehyde, electrolyte leakage, and hydrogen peroxide contents, while simultaneously decreasing ROS-scavenging enzymes, antioxidants, and photosynthetic pigments in overseeded perennial ryegrass. However, N, P, and K application mitigated cold stress-provoked adversities by enhancing soluble protein, superoxide dismutase, peroxide dismutase, catalase, and proline contents as compared to the control conditions. Moreover, N, P, and, K application enhanced chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids in overseeded perennial ryegrass under cold stress as compared to the control treatments. Collectively, this 2-years study indicated that N, P, and K fertilization mitigated cold stress by activating enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants defense systems, thereby concluding that efficient nutrient management is the key to enhanced cold stress tolerance of overseeded perennial ryegrass in a transitional climate. These findings revealed that turfgrass management will not only rely on breeding new varieties but also on the development of nutrient management strategies for coping cold stress.
PMID: 37063220
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1138048 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1138048
Omics-assisted characterization of two-component system genes from Gossypium Raimondii in response to salinity and molecular interaction with abscisic acid.
Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.; Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.; Department of Biology, Faculty of Applied Science, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences & Arts, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Biology, College of Science, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Biology, A1-Jumum University College, Umm A1-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The two-component system (TCS) genes are involved in a wide range of physiological processes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In plants, the TCS elements help in a variety of functions, including cell proliferation, response to abiotic and biotic stresses, leaf senescence, nutritional signaling, and division of chloroplasts. Three different kinds of proteins make up the TCS system in plants. These are known as HKs (histidine kinases), HPs (histidine phosphotransfer), and RRs (response regulators). We investigated the genome of Gossypium raimondii and discovered a total of 59 GrTCS candidates, which include 23 members of the HK family, 8 members of the HP family, and 28 members of the RR family. RR candidates are further classified as type-A (6 members), type-B (11 members), type-C (2 members), and pseudo-RRs (9 members). The GrTCS genes were analyzed in comparison with the TCS components of other plant species such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Cicer arietinum, Sorghum bicolor, Glycine max, and Oryza sativa. This analysis revealed both conservation and changes in their structures. We identified 5 pairs of GrTCS syntenic homologs in the G. raimondii genome. All 59 TCS genes in G. raimondii are located on all thirteen chromosomes. The GrTCS promoter regions have several cis-regulatory elements, which function as switches and respond to a wide variety of abiotic stresses. RNA-seq and real-time qPCR analysis showed that the majority of GrTCS genes are differentially regulated in response to salt and cold stress. 3D structures of GrTCS proteins were predicted to reveal the specific function. GrTCSs were docked with abscisic acid to assess their binding interactions. This research establishes the groundwork for future functional studies of TCS elements in G. raimondii, which will further focus on stress resistance and overall development.
PMID: 37063177
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1153902 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1153902
Integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics of peach under cold stress.
Changli Research Institute of Fruit Trees, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Hebei, China.
Low temperature is one of the environmental factors that restrict the growth and geographical distribution of peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch). To explore the molecular mechanisms of peach brunches in response to cold, we analyzed the metabolomics and transcriptomics of 'Donghe No.1' (cold-tolerant, CT) and '21(st) Century' (cold-sensitive, CS) treated by different temperatures (-5 to -30 degrees C) for 12 h. Some cold-responsive metabolites (e.g., saccharides, phenolic acids and flavones) were identified with upregulation only in CT. Further, we identified 1991 cold tolerance associated genes in these samples and they were significantly enriched in the pathways of 'galactose metabolism', 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis' and 'flavonoids biosynthesis'. Weighted gene correlation network analysis showed that soluble sugar, flavone, and lignin biosynthetic associated genes might play a key role in the cold tolerance of peach. In addition, several key genes (e.g., COMT, CCR, CAD, PER and F3'H) were substantially expressed more in CT than CS under cold stress, indicating that they might be major factors during the adaptation of peach to low temperature. This study will not only improve our understanding towards the molecular mechanisms of peach trees under cold stress but also contribute to the screening and breeding program of peach in the future.
PMID: 37051086
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1097158 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1097158
Arabidopsis LFR, a SWI/SNF complex component, interacts with ICE1 and activates ICE1 and CBF3 expression in cold acclimation.
Hebei Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Ministry of Education, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline of Cell Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling, College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Hebei, China.
Low temperatures restrict the growth and geographic distribution of plants, as well as crop yields. Appropriate transcriptional regulation is critical for cold acclimation in plants. In this study, we found that the mutation of Leaf and flower related (LFR), a component of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex (CRC) important for transcriptional regulation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), resulted in hypersensitivity to freezing stress in plants with or without cold acclimation, and this defect was successfully complemented by LFR. The expression levels of CBFs and COR genes in cold-treated lfr-1 mutant plants were lower than those in wild-type plants. Furthermore, LFR was found to interact directly with ICE1 in yeast and plants. Consistent with this, LFR was able to directly bind to the promoter region of CBF3, a direct target of ICE1. LFR was also able to bind to ICE1 chromatin and was required for ICE1 transcription. Together, these results demonstrate that LFR interacts directly with ICE1 and activates ICE1 and CBF3 gene expression in response to cold stress. Our work enhances our understanding of the epigenetic regulation of cold responses in plants.
PMID: 37025149
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1116237 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1116237
ZmG6PDH1 in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase family enhances cold stress tolerance in maize.
National Coarse Cereals Engineering Research Center, Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop-Pest Interaction Biology and Ecological Control, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, Heilongjiang, China.; Key Lab of Maize Genetics and Breeding, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.; College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is a key enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway responsible for the generation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), thereby playing a central role in facilitating cellular responses to stress and maintaining redox homeostasis. This study aimed to characterize five G6PDH gene family members in maize. The classification of these ZmG6PDHs into plastidic and cytosolic isoforms was enabled by phylogenetic and transit peptide predictive analyses and confirmed by subcellular localization imaging analyses using maize mesophyll protoplasts. These ZmG6PDH genes exhibited distinctive expression patterns across tissues and developmental stages. Exposure to stressors, including cold, osmotic stress, salinity, and alkaline conditions, also significantly affected the expression and activity of the ZmG6PDHs, with particularly high expression of a cytosolic isoform (ZmG6PDH1) in response to cold stress and closely correlated with G6PDH enzymatic activity, suggesting that it may play a central role in shaping responses to cold conditions. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of ZmG6PDH1 on the B73 background led to enhanced cold stress sensitivity. Significant changes in the redox status of the NADPH, ascorbic acid (ASA), and glutathione (GSH) pools were observed after exposure of the zmg6pdh1 mutants to cold stress, with this disrupted redox balance contributing to increased production of reactive oxygen species and resultant cellular damage and death. Overall, these results highlight the importance of cytosolic ZmG6PDH1 in supporting maize resistance to cold stress, at least in part by producing NADPH that can be used by the ASA-GSH cycle to mitigate cold-induced oxidative damage.
PMID: 36968417
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1045112 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1045112
MicroRNA162 regulates stomatal conductance in response to low night temperature stress via abscisic acid signaling pathway in tomato.
Department of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.; Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Education Ministry and Liaoning Province, Shenyang, China.; Collaborative Innovation Center of Protected Vegetable Surrounds Bohai Gulf Region, Shenyang, China.; Tongliao Agricultural Technology Extension Center, Tongliao, China.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) mediate the degradation of target mRNA and inhibit mRNA translation to regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in response to environmental stress in plants. We characterized the post-transcriptional mechanism by deep sequencing small RNA (sRNA) to examine how miRNAs were involved in low night temperature (LNT) stress in tomato and whether the molecular mechanism depended on the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway. We annotated conserved miRNAs and novel miRNAs with four sRNA libraries composed of wild-type (WT) tomato plants and ABA-deficient mutant (sit) plants under normal growth and LNT stress conditions. Reverse genetics analysis suggested that miR162 participated in LNT resistance and the ABA-dependent signaling pathway in tomato. miR162-overexpressing (pRI-miR162) and miR162-silenced (pRNAi-miR162) transgenic tomato plants were generated to evaluate miR162 functions in response to LNT stress. miR162 deficiency exhibited high photosynthetic capacity and regulated stomatal opening, suggesting negative regulation of miR162 in the ABA-dependent signaling pathway in response to LNT stress. As feedback regulation, miR162 positively regulated ABA to maintain homeostasis of tomato under diverse abiotic stresses. The mRNA of DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1) was targeted by miR162, and miR162 inhibited DCL1 cleavage in LNT response, including the regulation of miRNA160/164/171a and their targets. The DCL1-deficient mutants (dcl1) with CRISPR/Cas9 prevented stomatal opening to influence photosynthesis in the ABA signaling pathway under LNT stress. Finally, we established the regulatory mechanism of ABA-miR162-DCL1, which systematically mediated cold tolerance in tomato. This study suggests that post-transcriptional modulators acted as systemic signal responders via the stress hormone signaling pathway, and the model at the post-transcriptional level presents a new direction for research in plant abiotic stress resistance.
PMID: 36938045
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1142562 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1142562
Genome-wide characterization of R2R3-MYB gene family in Santalum album and their expression analysis under cold stress.
Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants (Ministry of Education), School of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China.; College of Bioscience and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.
Sandalwood (Santalum album) is a high-value multifunctional tree species that is rich in aromatic substances and is used in medicine and global cosmetics. Due to the scarcity of land resources in tropical and subtropical regions, land in temperate regions is a potential resource for the development of S. album plantations in order to meet the needs of S. album production and medicine. The R2R3-MYB transcription factor family is one of the largest in plants and plays an important role in the response to various abiotic stresses. However, the R2R3-MYB gene family of S. album has not been studied. In this study, 144 R2R3-MYB genes were successfully identified in the assembly genome sequence, and their characteristics and expression patterns were investigated under various durations of low temperature stress. According to the findings, 31 of the 114 R2R3-MYB genes showed significant differences in expression after cold treatment. Combining transcriptome and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed three key candidate genes (SaMYB098, SaMYB015, and SaMYB068) to be significantly involved in the regulation of cold resistance in S. album. The structural characteristics, evolution, and expression pattern of the R2R3-MYB gene in S. album were systematically examined at the whole genome level for the first time in this study. It will provide important information for future research into the function of the R2R3-MYB genes and the mechanism of cold stress response in S. album.
PMID: 36938022
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1112354 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1112354
Genome-wide analysis of the laccase (LAC) gene family in Aeluropus littoralis: A focus on identification, evolution and expression patterns in response to abiotic stresses and ABA treatment.
Department of Genetic Engineering and Biology, Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute of Tabarestan (GABIT), Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University (SANRU), Sari, Iran.; RG Heterosis, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany.; National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran.; Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran.
Laccases are plant enzymes with essential functions during growth and development. These monophenoloxidases are involved in lignin polymerization, and their expression respond to environmental stress. However, studies of laccases in some plants and fungi have highlighted that many structural and functional aspects of these genes are still unknown. Here, the laccase gene family in Aeluropus littoralis (AlLAC) is described based on sequence structure and expression patterns under abiotic stresses and ABA treatment. Fifteen non-redundant AlLACs were identified from the A. littoralis genome, which showed differences in physicochemical characteristics and gene structure. Based on phylogenetic analysis, AlLACs and their orthologues were classified into five groups. A close evolutionary relationship was observed between LAC gene family members in rice and A. littoralis. According to the interaction network, AlLACs interact more with proteins involved in biological processes such as iron incorporation into the metallo-sulfur cluster, lignin catabolism, regulation of the symbiotic process and plant-type primary cell wall biogenesis. Gene expression analysis of selected AlLACs using real-time RT (reverse transcription)-PCR revealed that AlLACs are induced in response to abiotic stresses such as cold, salt, and osmotic stress, as well as ABA treatment. Moreover, AlLACs showed differential expression patterns in shoot and root tissues. Our findings indicate that AlLACs are preferentially involved in the late response of A. littoralis to abiotic stress.
PMID: 36938021
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1146285 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1146285
Effects of various seed priming on morphological, physiological, and biochemical traits of rice under chilling stress.
Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.; Rice Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rice Genetics and Breeding, Nanning, China.
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Direct-seeded rice is exceptionally vulnerable to chilling stress, especially at the seed germination and seedling growth stages in the early season of the double cropping system. METHODS: Therefore, we conducted two experiments to evaluate the role of various seed primings and their different concentrations of plant growth regulators [experiment 1-abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA(3)), salicylic acid (SA), brassinolide (BR), paclobutrazol, uniconazole (UN), melatonin (MT), and jasmonic acid (JA)] and osmopriming substances (chitosan, polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000), and CaCl(2)) and experiment 2-GA, BR (two best), CaCl(2) (worst), and control (CK)] on rice seedlings under low temperature condition. RESULTS: Results showed that the maximum germination rate of 98% was recorded in GA(3) (10 mgL(-1)) and BR (0.3 mgL(-1)) among treatments. Compared to CK, root and shoot length were improved in ABA (0.5 mgL(-1)) and GA(3) (100 mgL(-1)) by 64% and 68%, respectively. At the same time, root and shoot weights (fresh and dry) were enhanced in Paclobutrazol (300 mgL(-1)) and GA3 among treatments. Furthermore, the average root volume, average root diameter, and total root surface area were increased by 27%, 38%, and 33% in Paclobutrazol (300 mgL(-1)), Paclobutrazol (200 mgL(-1)) and JA (1 mgL(-1)) treatments, respectively compared to CK. In the second experiment, a respective increase of 26%, 19%, 38%, and 59% was noted in SOD, POD, CAT, and APX enzyme activities in GA treatment compared to CK. Similarly, proline, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and GA content were also improved by 42%, 25.74%, 27%, and 19%, respectively, in GA treatment compared to CK. However, a respective reduction of 21% and 18% was noted in MDA and ABA content in GA treatment compared to CK. Our finding highlighted that better germination of primed-rice seedlings was associated with fresh and dry weights of the roots and shoots and the average root volume of the seedlings. DISCUSSION: Our results suggested that GA(3) (10 mg L(-1)) and BR (0.3 mg L(-1)) seed priming prevent rice seedlings from chilling-induced oxidative stress by regulating antioxidant enzyme activities and maintaining ABA, GA, MDA, soluble sugar, and protein content. However, further studies (transcriptome and proteome) are needed to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in seed priming-induced chilling tolerance under field conditions.
PMID: 36993861
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1091077 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1091077
Exogenous application of salicylic acid improves freezing stress tolerance in alfalfa.
College of Grassland Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China.
Freezing stress is one of the most detrimental environmental factors that can seriously impact the growth, development, and distribution of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Exogenous salicylic acid (SA) has been revealed as a cost-effective method of improving defense against freezing stress due to its predominant role in biotic and abiotic stress resistance. However, how the molecular mechanisms of SA improve freezing stress resistance in alfalfa is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we used leaf samples of alfalfa seedlings pretreatment with 200 muM and 0 muM SA, which were exposed to freezing stress (-10 degrees C) for 0, 0.5, 1, and 2h and allowed to recover at normal temperature in a growth chamber for 2 days, after which we detect the changes in the phenotypical, physiological, hormone content, and performed a transcriptome analysis to explain SA influence alfalfa in freezing stress. The results demonstrated that exogenous SA could improve the accumulation of free SA in alfalfa leaves primarily through the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase pathway. Moreover, the results of transcriptome analysis revealed that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway-plant play a critical role in SA alleviating freezing stress. In addition, the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) found that MPK3, MPK9, WRKY22 (downstream target gene of MPK3), and TGACG-binding factor 1 (TGA1) are candidate hub genes involved in freezing stress defense, all of which are involved in the SA signaling pathway. Therefore, we conclude that SA could possibly induce MPK3 to regulate WRKY22 to participate in freezing stress to induced gene expression related to SA signaling pathway (NPR1-dependent pathway and NPR1-independent pathway), including the genes of non-expresser of pathogenesis-related gene 1 (NPR1), TGA1, pathogenesis-related 1 (PR1), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and heat shock protein (HSP). This enhanced the production of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, POD, and APX, which increases the freezing stress tolerance of alfalfa plants.
PMID: 36968407
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1136626 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1136626
A MYB-related transcription factor from peanut, AhMYB30, improves freezing and salt stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis through both DREB/CBF and ABA-signaling pathways.
Key Laboratory of Peanut Biology, Genetic & Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao, China.; Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine, Qingdao Customs, Qingdao, China.; Division for Guidance of Cooperative Economy, Binzhou Agricultural Technology Extension Center, Binzhou, China.
Abiotic stresses such as salinity and low temperature have serious impact on peanut growth and yield. The present work investigated the function of a MYB-related transcription factor gene AhMYB30 obtained from peanut under salt and low temperature stresses by transgenic methods. The results indicated that the overexpression of AhMYB30 in Arabidopsis could enhance the resistance of transgenic plants to freezing and salt stresses. The expression of stress-response genes RD29A (Response-to-Dehydration 29A), COR15A (Cold-Regulated 15A), KIN1 (Kinesin 1) and ABI2 (Abscisic acid Insensitive 2) increased in transgenic plants compared with in wild-type. Subcellular localization and transcriptional autoactivation validation demonstrated that AhMYB30 has essential features of transcription factors. Therefore, AhMYB30 may increase salt and freezing stress tolerance as the transcription factor (TF) in Arabidopsis through both DREB/CBF and ABA-signaling pathways. Our results lay the theoretical foundation for exploring stress resistance mechanisms of peanut and offering novel genetic resources for molecular breeding.
PMID: 36925750
Theor Appl Genet , IF:5.699 , 2023 Apr , V136 (5) : P116 doi: 10.1007/s00122-023-04362-6
QTL-seq and transcriptomic integrative analyses reveal two positively regulated genes that control the low-temperature germination ability of MTP-maize introgression lines.
Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.; Institute of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, China.; Crop Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, 610066, Sichuan, China.; Mianyang Teacher's College, Mianyang, 621000, Sichuan, China.; Sericultural Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchong, 637000, Sichuan, China.; Maize Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. tangqilin71@163.com.
Two candidate genes (ZmbZIP113 and ZmTSAH1) controlling low-temperature germination ability were identified by QTL-seq and integrative transcriptomic analyses. The functional verification results showed that two candidate genes positively regulated the low-temperature germination ability of IB030. Low-temperature conditions cause slow maize (Zea mays L.) seed metabolism, resulting in slow seedling emergence and irregular seedling emergence, which can cause serious yield loss. Thus, improving a maize cultivar's low-temperature germination ability (LTGA) is vital for increasing yield production. Wild relatives of maize, such as Z. perennis and Tripsacum dactyloides, are strongly tolerant of cold stress and can thus be used to improve the LTGA of maize. In a previous study, the genetic bridge MTP was constructed (from maize, T. dactyloides, and Z. perennis) and used to obtain a highly LTGA maize introgression line (IB030) by backcross breeding. In this study, IB030 (Strong-LTGA) and Mo17 (Weak-LTGA) were selected as parents to construct an F(2) offspring. Additionally, two major QTLs (qCS1-1 and qCS10-1) were mapped. Then, RNA-seq was performed using seeds of IB030 and the recurrent parent B73 treated at 10 degrees C for 27 days and 25 degrees C for 7 days, respectively, and two candidate genes (ZmbZIP113 and ZmTSAH1) controlling LTGA were located using QTL-seq and integrative transcriptomic analyses. The functional verification results showed that the two candidate genes positively regulated LTGA of IB030. Notably, homologous cloning showed that the source of variation in both candidate genes was the stable inheritance of introgressed alleles from Z. perennis. This study was thus able to analyze the LTGA mechanism of IB030 and identify resistance genes for genetic improvement in maize, and it proved that using MTP genetic bridge confers desirable traits or phenotypes of Z. perennis and tripsacum essential to maize breeding systems.
PMID: 37093290
J Agric Food Chem , IF:5.279 , 2023 Apr doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c08723
SlMAPK3 Positively Regulates the Ethylene Production of Postharvest Tomato Fruits and Is Involved in Ethylene-Mediated Cold Tolerance.
College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.; School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China.
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades and ethylene are crucial for plant growth, development, and stress responses, but their potential mechanisms in cold resistance remain unclear. We revealed that SlMAPK3 transcript levels were dramatically induced by cold treatment in an ethylene-dependent manner. Under cold stress, the proline content of SlMAPK3-overexpression fruit was 96.5 and 115.9% higher than that of wild-type fruit (WT), respectively, while the ion leakage was 37.3 and 32.5% lower than that of WT. RNA sequencing revealed that overexpression of SlMAPK3 caused upregulation of genes that are enriched in the ethylene-activated signaling pathway (GO:0009873), cold signaling pathway (GO:0009409), and heat signaling pathway (GO:0009408). RT-qPCR demonstrated that the expression levels of SlACS2, SlACS4, SlSAHH, SlCBF1, SlDREB, SlGolS1, and SlHSP17.7 in the OE.MAPK3 fruits were consistent with the RNA sequencing results. Meanwhile, the knockout of SlMAPK3 reduced the ethylene content, ACC content, and ACS activity. Moreover, the knockout of SlMAPK3 reduced the positive effect of ethylene in cold stress, while suppressing the expression of SlICE1 and SlCBF1. In conclusion, our study demonstrated a novel mechanism by which SlMAPK3 positively regulates the ethylene production of postharvest tomato fruits and is involved in ethylene-mediated cold tolerance.
PMID: 37023258
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2023 Jun , V331 : P111669 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111669
The BrAFP1 promoter drives gene-specific expression in leaves and stems of winter rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.) under cold induction.
State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China. Electronic address: lzgworking@163.com.
BrAFP1(antifreeze protein in winter turnip rape) effectively limits recrystallization and growth of ice crystals. The BrAFP1 expression level determines whether the freezing-induced damage to winter turnip rape plants is avoided. This study analyzed the activity of the BrAFP1 promoters of several varieties at various cold tolerance levels. We cloned the BrAFP1 promoters from five winter rapeseed cultivars. The multiple sequence alignment revealed the presence of one inDel and eight single-nucleotide mutations (SNMs) in the promoters. One of these SNMs (base mutation from C to T) at the -836 site away from the transcription start site (TSS) enhanced the transcriptional activity of the promoter at low temperature. The promoter activity was specific in cotyledons and hypocotyls during the seedling stage and was referential in stems, leaves, and flowers but not the calyx. This consequently drove the downstream gene to be specifically expressed in leaves and stems, but not in roots at low temperature. The truncated fragment GUS staining assays revealed that the core region of the BrAFP1 promoter was included in the 98 bp fragment from the -933 to -836 site away from the TSS, which was necessary for transcriptional activity. The LTR element of the promoter significantly enhanced expression at low temperatures and suppressed expression at moderate temperatures. Moreover, the BrAFP1 5'-UTR intron bound the scarecrow-like transcription factor and enhanced expression at low temperature.
PMID: 36870371
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2023 Apr , V329 : P111621 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111621
JA-induced TaMPK6 enhanced the freeze tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana through regulation of ICE-CBF-COR module and antioxidant enzyme system.
College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.; Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China. Electronic address: wangyuying@ibcas.ac.cn.; College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China. Electronic address: zhangda@neau.edu.cn.
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play important roles in the stress response of plants. However, the function of MPK proteins in freeze-resistance in wheat remains unclear. Dongnongdongmai No.1 (Dn1) is a winter wheat variety with a strong freezing resistance at extremely low temperature. In this study, we demonstrated that TaMPK6 is induced by JA signaling and is involved in the modulation of Dn1 freeze resistance. Overexpression of TaMPK6 in Arabidopsis increased the survival rate of plant at -10 ℃. The scavenging ability of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expression of cold-responsive genes CBFs and CORs were significantly enhanced in TaMPK6-overexpressed Arabidopsis, suggesting a role of TaMPK6 in activating the ICE-CBF-COR module and antioxidant enzyme system to resist freezing stress. Furthermore, TaMPK6 is localized in the nucleus and TaMPK6 interacts with TaICE41, TaCBF14, and TaMYC2 proteins, the key components in JA signaling and the ICE-CBF-COR pathway. These results suggest that JA-induced TaMPK6 may regulate freezing-resistance in wheat by interacting with the TaICE41, TaCBF14, and TaMYC2 proteins, which in turn enhances the ICE-CBF-COR pathway. Our study revealed the molecular mechanism of TaMPK6 involvement in the cold resistance pathway in winter wheat under cold stress, which provides a basis for enriching the theory of wheat cold resistance.
PMID: 36736462
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2023 Mar , 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 Apr , V329 : P111604 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111604
Overexpression of major latex protein 423 (NtMLP423) enhances the chilling stress tolerance in Nicotiana tabacum.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, PR China; Linyi University, Linyi 276005, Shandong, PR China.; State Key Laboratories of Agrobiotechnology, Department of Pomology, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, PR China.; Linyi University, Linyi 276005, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: chengnn2002@163.com.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, PR China. Electronic address: yyhzhang@sdau.edu.cn.
Chilling stress impedes plant growth and hinders crop development and productivity. In this study, we identified the major latex protein (MLP) in tobacco (NtMLP423) and examined its roles in chilling resistance. NtMLP423 expression was considerably upregulated in response to chilling stress. NtMLP423 function was assessed and compared in plants with overexpression and antisense characteristics. Under chilling stress, plants with overexpression characteristics grew better than wild-type and antisense plants. NtMLP423 overexpression reduced membrane lipid damage, increased antioxidant enzyme activity, and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under chilling stress. Here, we screened for the first time the upstream transcription factor NtMYB108, which regulates NtMLP423 expression under chilling stress. The NtMYB108 transcription factor directly binds to the NtMLP423 promoter and improves NtMLP423 resistance to chilling stress. Subjecting NtMYB018 to virus-induced gene silencing reduced chilling stress tolerance. Overall, NtMLP423 overexpression enhances chilling stress tolerance, while its suppression has the opposite effect.
PMID: 36709884
Front Genet , IF:4.599 , 2023 , V14 : P1129460 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1129460
Novel QTL for chilling tolerance at germination and early seedling stages in sorghum.
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, United States.
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) a drought tolerant staple crop for half a billion people in Africa and Asia, an important source of animal feed throughout the world and a biofuel feedstock of growing importanceorghum's originated from tropical regions rendering the crop to be cold sensitive. Low temperature stresses such as chilling and frost greatly affect the agronomic performance of sorghum and limit its geographical distribution, posing a major problem in temperate environments when sorghum is planted early. Understanding the genetic basis of wide adaptability and of sorghum would facilitate molecular breeding programs and studies of other C4 crops. The objective of this study is to conduct quantitative trait loci analysis using genotying by sequencing for early seed germination and seedling cold tolerance in two sorghum recombinant inbred lines populations. To accomplish that, we used two populations of recombinant inbred lines (RIL) developed from crosses between cold-tolerant (CT19, ICSV700) and cold-sensitive (TX430, M81E) parents. The derived RIL populations were evaluated for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) using genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) in the field and under controlled environments for their response to chilling stress. Linkage maps were constructed with 464 and 875 SNPs for the CT19 X TX430 (C(1)) and ICSV700 X M81 E (C(2)) populations respectively. Using quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, we identified QTL conferring tolerance to chilling tolerance at the seedling stage. A total of 16 and 39 total QTL were identified in the C(1) and C(2) populations, respectively. Two major QTL were identified in the C(1) population, and three major QTL were mapped in the C(2) population. Comparisons between the two populations and with previously identified QTL show a high degree of similarity in QTL locations. Given the amount of co-localization of QTL across traits and the direction of allelic effect supports that these regions have a pleiotropic effect. These QTL regions were also identified to be highly enriched for genes encoding chilling stress and hormonal response genes. This identified QTL can be useful in developing tools for molecular breeding of sorghums with improved low-temperature germinability.
PMID: 37007950
Plant Cell Rep , IF:4.57 , 2023 Apr , V42 (4) : P707-722 doi: 10.1007/s00299-023-02984-0
Comparative transcriptomics and co-expression networks reveal cultivar-specific molecular signatures associated with reproductive-stage cold stress in rice.
School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai'an, 223003, China.; Huaiyin Institute of Agricultural Science in Xuhuai Region of Jiangsu Province, Huai'an, 223001, China. bs_cheng1981@163.com.; Shanghai Bioelectronica Limited Liability Company, Shanghai, 200131, China.; School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai'an, 223003, China. hgzgl@sina.com.; State Key Laboratory of Soil and Agricultural Sustainable Development, Nanjing, 210008, China. hgzgl@sina.com.; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Attapulgite Clay Resource Utilization, Huai'an, 223003, China. hgzgl@sina.com.
The resistance of Huaidao5 results from the high constitutive expression of tolerance genes, while that of Huaidao9 is due to the cold-induced resistance in flag leaves and panicles. The regulation mechanism of rice seedlings' cold tolerance is relatively clear, and knowledge of its underlying mechanisms at the reproductive stage is limited. We performed differential expression and co-expression network analyses to transcriptomes from panicle and flag leaf tissues of a cold-tolerant cultivar (Huaidao5), and a sensitive cultivar (Huaidao9), under reproductive-stage cold stress. The results revealed that the expression levels of genes in stress-related pathways such as MAPK signaling pathway, diterpenoid biosynthesis, glutathione metabolism, plant-pathogen interaction and plant hormone signal transduction were constitutively highly expressed in Huaidao5, especially in panicles. Moreover, the Hudaidao5's panicle sample-specific (under cold) module contained some genes related to rice yield, such as GW5L, GGC2, SG1 and CTPS1. However, the resistance of Huaidao9 was derived from the induced resistance to cold in flag leaves and panicles. In the flag leaves, the responses included a series of stress response and signal transduction, while in the panicles nitrogen metabolism was severely affected, especially 66 endosperm-specific genes. Through integrating differential expression with co-expression networks, we predicted 161 candidate genes (79 cold-responsive genes common to both cultivars and 82 cold-tolerance genes associated with differences in cold tolerance between cultivars) potentially affecting cold response/tolerance, among which 85 (52.80%) were known to be cold-related genes. Moreover, 52 (65.82%) cold-responsive genes (e.g., TIFY11C, LSK1 and LPA) could be confirmed by previous transcriptome studies and 72 (87.80%) cold-tolerance genes (e.g., APX5, OsFbox17 and OsSTA109) were located within QTLs associated with cold tolerance. This study provides an efficient strategy for further discovery of mechanisms of cold tolerance in rice.
PMID: 36723676
Plant Cell Rep , IF:4.57 , 2023 Mar , V42 (3) : P505-520 doi: 10.1007/s00299-022-02972-w
VaSUS2 confers cold tolerance in transgenic tomato and Arabidopsis by regulation of sucrose metabolism and ROS homeostasis.
College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.; College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. maojuan@gsau.edu.cn.; College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China. bhch@gsau.edu.cn.
VaSUS2 enhances cold tolerance of transgenic tomato and Arabidopsis by regulating sucrose metabolism and improving antioxidant enzymes activity. Sucrose synthetase (SUS) is a key enzyme of sugar metabolism, and plays an important role in response to abiotic stress in plant. However, the function of VaSUS2 remains unknown in cold tolerance. Here, the cloning and functional characterization of the plasma membrane-localized VaSUS2 gene isolated from Vitis amurensis was studied. The transcript level of VaSUS2 was up-regulated under cold stress in Vitis amurensis. Heterologous expression of VaSUS2 in tomato increased SUS activity, which promoted the accumulation of glucose and fructose under cold treatment. The transgenic tomato and Arabidopsis exhibited higher levels of antioxidant enzymes activity, lower relative electrolyte leakage (REL), malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) content compared to wild type under cold stress. Importantly, the ability of scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in transgenic plants was significantly improved. Moreover, yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) indicated that VaSnRK1 might be a potential interaction protein of VaSUS2. qRT-PCR showed that sucrose metabolism-related genes SlSUS, SlSPS and SlINV were significantly up-regulated in transgenic tomatoes. Meanwhile, the expression levels of antioxidant enzyme genes and cold-related genes CBF1, COR47 and ICE1 were up-regulated in transgenic plants. Taken together, these results suggested that VaSUS2 was involved in cold tolerance by increasing the levels of soluble sugars, improving the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and up-regulating the expression of cold-related genes in transgenic tomatoes and Arabidopsis.
PMID: 36645437
Sci Rep , IF:4.379 , 2023 Apr , V13 (1) : P6279 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33398-3
Genome-wide transcriptional profiling provides clues to molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance in chickpea.
Department of Plant Production and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran.; Department of Plant Production and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran. ismaili.a@lu.ac.ir.; Genetic Research Department, Seed and Plant Improvement Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran.; Department of Systems Biology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran. shobbar@abrii.ac.ir.
Chickpea is an important food legume cultivated in several countries. A sudden drop in autumn temperature, freezing winter temperature, and late spring cold events result in significant losses in chickpea production. The current study used RNA sequencing of two cold tolerant (Saral) and sensitive (ILC533) Kabuli chickpea genotypes to identify cold tolerance-associated genes/pathways. A total of 200.85 million raw reads were acquired from the leaf samples by Illumina sequencing, and around 86% of the clean reads (199 million) were mapped to the chickpea reference genome. The results indicated that 3710 (1980 up- and 1730 down-regulated) and 3473 (1972 up- and 1501 down-regulated) genes were expressed differentially under cold stress in the tolerant and sensitive genotypes, respectively. According to the GO enrichment analysis of uniquely down-regulated genes under cold stress in ILC533, photosynthetic membrane, photosystem II, chloroplast part, and photosystem processes were enriched, revealing that the photosynthesis is severely sensitive to cold stress in this sensitive genotype. Many remarkable transcription factors (CaDREB1E, CaMYB4, CaNAC47, CaTCP4, and CaWRKY33), signaling/regulatory genes (CaCDPK4, CaPP2C6, CaMKK2, and CaHSFA3), and protective genes (CaCOR47, CaLEA3, and CaGST) were identified among the cold-responsive genes of the tolerant genotype. These findings would help improve cold tolerance across chickpea genotypes by molecular breeding or genetic engineering.
PMID: 37072529
Sci Rep , IF:4.379 , 2023 Apr , V13 (1) : P6297 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33250-8
Genomic-regions associated with cold stress tolerance in Asia-adapted tropical maize germplasm.
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, India.; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), ICRISAT Campus, Patancheru, Telangana, India. v.madhumalthayil@cgiar.org.; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), ICRISAT Campus, Patancheru, Telangana, India.; Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), Ludhiana, Punjab, India.; Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, India.
Maize is gaining impetus in non-traditional and non-conventional seasons such as off-season, primarily due to higher demand and economic returns. Maize varieties directed for growing in the winter season of South Asia must have cold resilience as an important trait due to the low prevailing temperatures and frequent cold snaps observed during this season in most parts of the lowland tropics of Asia. The current study involved screening of a panel of advanced tropically adapted maize lines to cold stress during vegetative and flowering stage under field conditions. A suite of significant genomic loci (28) associated with grain yield along and agronomic traits such as flowering (15) and plant height (6) under cold stress environments. The haplotype regression revealed 6 significant haplotype blocks for grain yield under cold stress across the test environments. Haplotype blocks particularly on chromosomes 5 (bin5.07), 6 (bin6.02), and 9 (9.03) co-located to regions/bins that have been identified to contain candidate genes involved in membrane transport system that would provide essential tolerance to the plant. The regions on chromosome 1 (bin1.04), 2 (bin 2.07), 3 (bin 3.05-3.06), 5 (bin5.03), 8 (bin8.05-8.06) also harboured significant SNPs for the other agronomic traits. In addition, the study also looked at the plausibility of identifying tropically adapted maize lines from the working germplasm with cold resilience across growth stages and identified four lines that could be used as breeding starts in the tropical maize breeding pipelines.
PMID: 37072497
Sci Rep , IF:4.379 , 2023 Mar , V13 (1) : P4024 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-31023-x
Growth changes of tomato seedlings responding to sodium salt of alpha-naphthalene acetic acid and potassium salt of fulvic acid.
College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, People's Republic of China.; College of Horticulture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, 030801, Shanxi, People's Republic of China.; College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, People's Republic of China. wangweiqin@hunau.edu.cn.; College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, People's Republic of China. qytang@hunau.edu.cn.
In present study, sodium salt of alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (NA), potassium salt of fulvic acid (KF) and their combinations were applied to the growth substrates of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under chilling stress. The changes in aboveground biomass, root attributes, pigment contents, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthesis, osmotic regulation substances, and antioxidant enzymes activity of the tomato seedlings in response to NA and KF were investigated. The application of NA, KF and their combination could promote the growth of plant height and stem diameter of tomato seedlings under chilling stress to varying degrees, and improve root characteristics by increasing root volume, root length and root activity, and increase dry matter accumulation. In addition, the combined use of NA and KF improved the seedling leaf chlorophyll content, qP, Fv/Fm, PhiPSII , Pn and increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the tomato plants. The above results suggested a synergistic effect between NA and KF to stimulate the seedlings growth and to enhance the ROS scavenging ability of tomato, which has never been reported in previous research before. However, further researches are needed to explore the physiological and molecular mechanism underlying the synergistic effect between NA and KF.
PMID: 36899076
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Apr , V197 : P107646 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107646
Sensing, signalling, and regulatory mechanism of cold-stress tolerance in plants.
Division of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Ghaziabad, 201002, India.; Division of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Ghaziabad, 201002, India. Electronic address: rohitjoshi@ihbt.res.in.
Cold stress is a crucial environmental factor influencing growth and distribution and possessing yield penalties. To survive in the cold, plants have evolved to use a range of molecular mechanisms. The major regulatory pathway under low-temperature stress involves the conversion of external stimulus into an internal signal that triggers a defence mechanism through a transcriptional cascade to counter stress. Cold-receptive mechanism and cell signalling involve cold-related signalling molecules, sensors, calcium signals, MAPK cascade, and ICE-COR-CBF pathway that modulate signal transduction in plants. Of these, the ICE-CBF-COR signalling is considered to be an important regulator for cold-stress acclimation. ICE stimulates acclimation to cold and plays a pivotal role in regulating CBF-mediated cold-tolerance mechanism. Thus, CBFs regulate COR gene expression by binding to its promoter. Similarly, the C-repeat binding factor-dependent signalling cascade also stimulates osmotic stress-regulatory gene expression. This review elucidates the regulatory mechanism underlying cold stress, i.e., signal molecules, cold receptors, signal-transduction pathways, metabolic regulation under cold stress, and crosstalk of regulatory pathways with other abiotic stresses in plants. The results may pave the way for crop improvement in low-temperature environments.
PMID: 36958153
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Mar , V196 : P484-496 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.01.055
CgMYB1, an R2R3-MYB transcription factor, can alleviate abiotic stress in an annual halophyte Chenopodium glaucum.
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China.; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830017, China. Electronic address: lanhaiyan@xju.edu.cn.
MYB transcription factors (TFs) are important regulators of the stress response in plants. In the present study, we characterized the CgMYB1 gene in Chenopodium glaucum, a member of the R2R3-MYB TF family. CgMYB1 was located in the nucleus with an activating domain at the C terminus. The CgMYB1 gene could be induced by salt and cold stress in C. glaucum. Overexpressing CgMYB1 in Arabidopsis significantly enhanced salt and cold tolerance, probably by improving physiological performance and stress-related gene expression. Further analysis suggests that the positive response of CgMYB1 to abiotic stress may partially be attributed to the interaction between CgMYB1 and the CgbHLH001 promoter followed by activation of downstream stress-responsive genes, which mediates stress tolerance. Our findings should contribute to further understanding of the function of R2R3 MYB TF in response to abiotic stress.
PMID: 36764264
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Mar , V196 : P270-280 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.01.048
Isolation and preliminary functional analysis of FvICE1, involved in cold and drought tolerance in Fragaria vesca through overexpression and CRISPR/Cas9 technologies.
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.; 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. Electronic address: zlh15008205209@163.com.; 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. Electronic address: deguohan@neau.edu.cn.
Cold and drought stresses are serious problems of strawberry cultivation in temperate and subtropical regions. In the molecular regulation system of cold and drought stresses, ICE transcription factors (TFs) are crucial. In this research, the FvICE1 was isolated from Fragaria vesca 'Hawaii 4', a bioinformatics analysis was conducted, overexpression vector and CRISPR/cas9 vector were constructed. The results showed that FvICE1 was a member of the bHLH TF family, with a length of 1608 bp, encoding 535 amino acids, and its molecular formula was C(2504)H(3987)N(745)O(811)S(22). By observing the fusion protein 35S-FvICE1-GFP, it was found that FvICE1 was a nuclear protein. The qRT-PCR results demonstrated that FvICE1 was significantly upregulated in different tissues of Fragaria vesca after cold, drought, salt and heat treatments. The wild type (WT) strawberry was selected as the control group, FvICE1-overexpression strawberries showed high tolerance to cold and drought treatments at the phenotypic and physiological levels. On the contrary, fvice1 mutant strawberries obtained by CRISPR/cas9 editing technology had lower tolerance to cold and drought treatments. Moreover, the expression of FvCBF1, FvCBF2, FvCBF3, FvCOR413, FvRD22 and FvKIN1 was positively regulated in the FvICE1-overexpression strawberries and inhibited in fvice1 mutant strawberries. Overall, the current results suggested that FvICE1 functioned as a positively regulator of cold and drought resistances.
PMID: 36736009
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Mar , V196 : P1084-1097 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.03.015
Dissecting the effect of ethylene in the transcriptional regulation of chilling treatment in grapevine leaves.
Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture/Center of Economic Botany, Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.; Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT, 2601, Australia.; Institute of Fruit and Tea, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430064, China.; Turpan Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, 830091, China.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Grape Science and Enology, And CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100093, China.; Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture/Center of Economic Botany, Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. Electronic address: xinhaiping@wbgcas.cn.
Ethylene (ETH) plays important roles in various development programs and stress responses in plants. In grapevines, ETH increased dramatically under chilling stress and is known to positively regulate cold tolerance. However, the role of ETH in transcriptional regulation during chilling stress of grapevine leaves is still not clear. To address this gap, targeted hormone profiling and transcriptomic analysis were performed on leaves of Vitis amurensis under chilling stress with and without aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG, a inhibitor of ETH synthesis) treatment. APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSIVE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) and WRKY transcription factors (TF) were only the two highly enriched TF families that were consistently up-regulated during chilling stress but inhibited by AVG. The comparison of leaf transcriptomes between chilling treatment and chilling with AVG allowed the identification of potential ETH-regulated genes. Potential genes that are positively regulated by ETH are enriched in solute transport, protein biosynthesis, phytohormone action, antioxidant and carbohydrate metabolism. Conversely, genes related to the synthesis and signaling of ETH, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA) were up-regulated by chilling treatment but inhibited by AVG. The contents of ETH, ABA and IAA also paralleled with the transcriptome data, which suggests that the response of ABA and IAA during chilling stress may regulate by ETH signaling, and together may belong to an integrated network of hormonal signaling pathways underpinning chilling stress response in grapevine leaves. Together, these findings provide new clues for further studying the complex regulatory mechanism of ETH under low-temperature stress in plants more generally and new opportunities for breeding cold-resilient grapevines.
PMID: 36921558
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Apr , V197 : P107658 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107658
Leaf-branch vulnerability segmentation occurs all year round for three temperate evergreen tree species.
Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin, 150040, China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: lizhimin_eco@163.com.; Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin, 150040, China; Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
Vulnerability segmentation (VS) and Hydraulic segmentation (HS) hypotheses propose higher hydraulic resistance and vulnerability to embolism in leaves than in branches, respectively. The VS and HS are suggested as an acclimation strategy of trees to drought stress, but whether they occur during freezing stress has rarely been explored. We measured the leaf and branch hydraulic traits of three temperate evergreen tree species [Picea koraiensis (Korean spruce), Pinus koraiensis (Korean pine), and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (Mongolian pine)] during four seasons (winter, spring, summer, and autumn) across the year. We assessed the applicability of VS and HS all year round, particularly in winter. The water potential at which leaf hydraulic conductance lost 50% (P(50L)), was more negative in winter than in summer, while higher leaf mass per area was obtained in winter. These results suggest that these species invest more carbon into leaf (including hydraulic systems) to acclimate to winter frost drought. Leaf and branch hydraulic conductance (K(mL) and K(mB)) were lower, and the percentage loss of branch hydraulic conductance (PLC(B)) was higher in spring than in autumn. These results were probably because of more freeze-thaw cycles in spring (69 cycles) than in autumn (37 cycles). The water potential at which branch hydraulic conductance lost 50%, P(50B), was more negative than P(50L) across the year. The values of VS (P(50L) minus P(50B)) were positive, i.e. leaf was more vulnerable than the branch in all species and across seasons, with higher values occurring in spring or autumn. However, K(mL) positively correlated with K(mB), suggesting hydraulic coordination between leaf and branch, but did not support HS. Our findings indicate that leaf-branch vulnerability segmentation can occur all year round, including freezing stress, to protect branches from hydraulic failure in temperate evergreen conifers.
PMID: 37001301
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2023 Apr , V23 (1) : P204 doi: 10.1186/s12870-023-04208-9
Genome-wide analysis of UDP-glycosyltransferases family and identification of UGT genes involved in abiotic stress and flavonol biosynthesis in Nicotiana tabacum.
Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China.; Qujing Tobacco Company of Yunnan Province, Qujing, 655000, China.; Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China. yangaiguo@caas.cn.; China National Tobacco Corporation, Beijing, 100045, China. chenyong@tobacco.gov.cn.; Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China. chenshuai019@126.com.
BACKGROUND: Uridine disphosphate (UDP) glycosyltransferases (UGTs) act upon a huge variety of highly diverse and complex substrates, such as phytohormones and specialized metabolites, to regulate plant growth, development, disease resistance, and environmental interactions. However, a comprehensive investigation of UGT genes in tobacco has not been conducted. RESULTS: In this study, we carried out a genome-wide analysis of family-1 UDP glycosyltransferases in Nicotiana tabacum. We predicted 276 NtUGT genes, which were classified into 18 major phylogenetic subgroups. The NtUGT genes were invariably distributed among all the 24 chromosomes with structural diversity in exon/intron structure, conserved motifs, and cis-acting elements of promoters. Three groups of proteins which involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, plant growth and development, transportation and modification were identified that interact with NtUGT proteins using the PPI analysis. Expression analysis of NtUGT genes in cold stress, drought stress and different flower color using both online RNA-Seq data and the realtime PCR analysis, suggested the distinct role of NtUGT genes in resistance of cold, drought and in flavonoid biosynthesis. The enzymatic activities of seven NtUGT proteins that potentially involved in flavonoid glycosylation were analyzed, and found that all seven exhibited activity on myricetin; six (NtUGT108, NtUGT123, NtUGT141, NtUGT155, NtUGT179, and NtUGT195) showed activity on cyanidin; and three (NtUGT108, NtUGT195, and NtUGT217) were active on the flavonol aglycones kaempferol and quercetin, which catalyzing the substrates (myricetin, cyanidin or flavonol) to form new products. We further investigated the enzymatic products and enzymatic properties of NtUGT108, NtUGT195, and NtUGT217, suggested their diverse enzymatic activity toward flavonol, and NtUGT217 showed the highest catalyzed efficient toward quercetin. Overexpression of NtUGT217 significantly increase the content levels of the quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-rutinoside and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside in transgenic tobacco leaves. CONCLUSION: We identified 276 UGT genes in Nicotiana tabacum. Our study uncovered valuable information about the phylogenetic structure, distribution, genomic characters, expression patterns and enzymatic activity of NtUGT genes in tobacco. We further identified three NtUGT genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, and overexpressed NtUGT217 to validate its function in catalyze quercetin. The results provide key candidate NtUGT genes for future breeding of cold and drought resistance and for potential metabolic engineering of flavonoid compounds.
PMID: 37076827
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2023 Mar , V23 (1) : P135 doi: 10.1186/s12870-023-04126-w
Foliar application of putrescine, salicylic acid, and ascorbic acid mitigates frost stress damage in Vitis vinifera cv. ̒Giziluzum̕.
Department of Horticulture and Agronomy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.; Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. aebadi@ut.ac.ir.; Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran.
BACKGROUND: Cold stress is an effective factor in reducing production and injuring fruit trees. Various materials, such as salicylic acid, ascorbic acid, and putrescine, are used to alleviate the damage of abiotic stress. RESULTS: The effect of different treatments of putrescine, salicylic acid, and ascorbic acid on alleviating the damage of frost stress (- 3 degrees C) to grapes 'Giziluzum' was investigated. Frost stress increased the amount of H(2)O(2), MDA, proline, and MSI. On the other hand, it decreased the concentration of chlorophyll and carotenoids in the leaves. Putrescine, salicylic acid and ascorbic acid significantly increased the activities of catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase under frost stress. Following frost stress, the grapes treated with putrescine, salicylic acid, and ascorbic acid showed higher levels of DHA, AsA, and AsA/DHA than the untreated grapes. Our results showed that the treatment with ascorbic acid outperformed the other treatments in adjusting frost stress damages. CONCLUSION: The use of compounds, such as ascorbic ac id, salicylic acid, and putrescine, modulates the effects of frost stress, thereby increasing the antioxidant defense system of cells, reducing its damage, and stabilizing stable cell conditions, so it can be used to reduce frost damage to different grape cultivars.
PMID: 36899321
Genes (Basel) , IF:4.096 , 2023 Mar , V14 (4) doi: 10.3390/genes14040844
Comprehensive Transcriptome Analysis of Responses during Cold Stress in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China.; National Engineering Research Centre for Wheat/Henan Technology Innovation Centre of Wheat, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
Wheat production is often impacted by pre-winter freezing damage and cold spells in later spring. To study the influences of cold stress on wheat seedlings, unstressed Jing 841 was sampled once at the seedling stage, followed by 4 degrees C stress treatment for 30 days and once every 10 days. A total of 12,926 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the transcriptome. K-means cluster analysis found a group of genes related to the glutamate metabolism pathway, and many genes belonging to the bHLH, MYB, NAC, WRKY, and ERF transcription factor families were highly expressed. Starch and sucrose metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and plant hormone signal transduction pathways were found. Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) identified several key genes involved in the development of seedlings under cold stress. The cluster tree diagram showed seven different modules marked with different colors. The blue module had the highest correlation coefficient for the samples treated with cold stress for 30 days, and most genes in this module were rich in glutathione metabolism (ko00480). A total of eight DEGs were validated using quantitative real-time PCR. Overall, this study provides new insights into the physiological metabolic pathways and gene changes in a cold stress transcriptome, and it has a potential significance for improving freezing tolerance in wheat.
PMID: 37107602
Genes (Basel) , IF:4.096 , 2023 Mar , V14 (4) doi: 10.3390/genes14040811
Genome-Wide Analysis of DREB Family Genes and Characterization of Cold Stress Responses in the Woody Plant Prunus nana.
College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.; Zhengzhou Botanical Garden, Zhengzhou 450042, China.; Research Institute of Non-Timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450014, China.; Qingdao Landscape and Forestry Integrated Service Center, Qingdao 266003, China.
Dehydration response element binding factor (DREB) is a family of plant-specific transcription factors, whose members participate in the regulation of plant responses to various abiotic stresses. Prunus nana, also known as the wild almond, is a member of the Rosaceae family that is rare and found to grow in the wild in China. These wild almond trees are found in hilly regions in northern Xinjiang, and exhibit greater drought and cold stress resistance than cultivated almond varieties. However, the response of P. nana DREBs (PnaDREBs) under low temperature stress is still unclear. In this study, 46 DREB genes were identified in the wild almond genome, with this number being slightly lower than that in the sweet almond (Prunus dulcis cultivar 'Nonpareil'). These DREB genes in wild almond were separated into two classes. All PnaDREB genes were located on six chromosomes. PnaDREB proteins that were classified in the same groups contained specific shared motifs, and promoter analyses revealed that PnaDREB genes harbored a range of stress-responsive elements associated with drought, low-temperature stress, light responsivity, and hormone-responsive cis-regulatory elements within their promoter regions. MicroRNA target site prediction analyses also suggested that 79 miRNAs may regulate the expression of 40 of these PnaDREB genes, with PnaDREB2. To examine if these identified PnaDREB genes responded to low temperature stress, 15 of these genes were selected including seven homologous to Arabidopsis C-repeat binding factor (CBFs), and their expression was assessed following incubation for 2 h at 25 degrees C, 5 degrees C, 0 degrees C, -5 degrees C, or -10 degrees C. In summary, this analysis provides an overview of the P. nana PnaDREB gene family and provides a foundation for further studies of the ability of different PnaDREB genes to regulate cold stress responses in almond plants.
PMID: 37107569
Genes (Basel) , IF:4.096 , 2023 Mar , V14 (3) doi: 10.3390/genes14030692
Loss of Rose Fragrance under Chilling Stress Is Associated with Changes in DNA Methylation and Volatile Biosynthesis.
Flower Research Institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming 650205, China.; Institute of Resource Plants, Yunnan University, Kunming 650000, China.; National Engineering Research Center for Ornamental Horticulture, Kunming 650000, China.
Rose plants are widely cultivated as cut flowers worldwide and have economic value as sources of natural fragrance and flavoring. Rosa 'Crimson Glory', whose petals have a pleasant fragrance, is one of the most important cultivars of edible rose plants. Flower storage at low-temperature is widely applied in production to maintain quality; however, chilling results in a decrease in aromatic volatiles. To determine the molecular basis underlying the changes in aromatic volatile emissions, we investigated the changes in volatile compounds, DNA methylation patterns, and patterns of the transcriptome in response to chilling temperature. The results demonstrated that chilling roses substantially reduced aromatic volatile emissions. We found that these reductions were correlated with the changes in the methylation status of the promoters and genic regions of the genes involved in volatile biosynthesis. These changes mainly occurred for CHH (H = A, T, or C) which accounted for 51% of the total methylation. Furthermore, transcript levels of scent-related gene Germacrene D synthase (RhGDS), Nudix hydrolase 1 (RhNUDX1), and Phenylacetaldehyde reductase (RhPAR) of roses were strikingly depressed after 24 h at low-temperature and remained low-level after 24 h of recovery at 20 degrees C. Overall, our findings indicated that epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the chilling tolerance of roses and lays a foundation for practical significance in the production of edible roses.
PMID: 36980964
Plant Genome , IF:4.089 , 2023 Mar : Pe20318 doi: 10.1002/tpg2.20318
Homozygosity mapping identified loci and candidate genes responsible for freezing tolerance in Camelina sativa.
Department of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA.; USDA/ARS, Genetics and Animal Breeding, Clay Center, NE, USA.; USDA/ARS, Sunflower and Plant Biology Research Unit, Edward T, Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND, USA.
Homozygosity mapping is an effective tool for detecting genomic regions responsible for a given trait when the phenotype is controlled by a limited number of dominant or co-dominant loci. Freezing tolerance is a major attribute in agricultural crops such as camelina. Previous studies indicated that freezing tolerance differences between a tolerant (Joelle) and susceptible (CO46) variety of camelina were controlled by a small number of dominant or co-dominant genes. We performed whole genome homozygosity mapping to identify markers and candidate genes responsible for freezing tolerance difference between these two genotypes. A total of 28 F3 RILs were sequenced to approximately 30x coverage, and parental lines were sequenced to >30-40x coverage with Pacific Biosciences high fidelity technology and 60x coverage using Illumina whole genome sequencing. Overall, about 126k homozygous single nucleotide polymorphism markers were identified that differentiate both parents. Moreover, 617 markers were also homozygous in F3 families fixed for freezing tolerance/susceptibility. All these markers mapped to two contigs forming a contiguous stretch of chromosome 11. The homozygosity mapping detected 9 homozygous blocks among the selected markers and 22 candidate genes with strong similarity to regions in or near the homozygous blocks. Two such genes were differentially expressed during cold acclimation in camelina. The largest block contained a cold-regulated plant thionin and a putative rotamase cyclophilin 2 gene previously associated with freezing resistance in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The second largest block contains several cysteine-rich RLK genes and a cold-regulated receptor serine/threonine kinase gene. We hypothesize that one or more of these genes may be primarily responsible for freezing tolerance differences in camelina varieties.
PMID: 36896462
BMC Genomics , IF:3.969 , 2023 Apr , V24 (1) : P219 doi: 10.1186/s12864-023-09319-z
Genome-wide identification and molecular characterization of CRK gene family in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under cold stress and sclerotium rolfsii infection.
MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Paralakhemundi, 761211, India.; College of Landscape and Horticulture, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China.; Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Narkatiaganj, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa Samastipur, Bihar, 848125, India.; College of Landscape and Horticulture, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China. hwu1128@163.com.
BACKGROUND: The plant cysteine-rich receptor-like kinases (CRKs) are a large family having multiple roles, including defense responses under both biotic and abiotic stress. However, the CRK family in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) has been explored to a limited extent. In this study, a genome-wide characterization of the CRK family has been performed to investigate the structural and functional attributes of the cucumber CRKs under cold and fungal pathogen stress. RESULTS: A total of 15 C. sativus CRKs (CsCRKs) have been characterized in the cucumber genome. Chromosome mapping of the CsCRKs revealed that 15 genes are distributed in cucumber chromosomes. Additionally, the gene duplication analysis of the CsCRKs yielded information on their divergence and expansion in cucumbers. Phylogenetic analysis divided the CsCRKs into two clades along with other plant CRKs. Functional predictions of the CsCRKs suggested their role in signaling and defense response in cucumbers. The expression analysis of the CsCRKs by using transcriptome data and via qRT-PCR indicated their involvement in both biotic and abiotic stress responses. Under the cucumber neck rot pathogen, Sclerotium rolfsii infection, multiple CsCRKs exhibited induced expressions at early, late, and both stages. Finally, the protein interaction network prediction results identified some key possible interacting partners of the CsCRKs in regulating cucumber physiological processes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study identified and characterized the CRK gene family in cucumbers. Functional predictions and validation via expression analysis confirmed the involvement of the CsCRKs in cucumber defense response, especially against S. rolfsii. Moreover, current findings provide better insights into the cucumber CRKs and their involvement in defense responses.
PMID: 37101152
BMC Genomics , IF:3.969 , 2023 Apr , V24 (1) : P185 doi: 10.1186/s12864-023-09262-z
Comparative transcriptomic analysis of germinating rice seedlings to individual and combined anaerobic and cold stress.
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.; Present address: Section of Plant Breeding and Genetics, School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.; Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, Beaumont, TX, 77713, USA.; Genomics and Bioinformatics Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.; Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA. eseptiningsih@tamu.edu.
BACKGROUND: Rice is one of the most important cereals consumed worldwide. Two major abiotic factors affecting rice plants in different growth stages are flooding stress and cold stress. These abiotic stresses can take place independently or simultaneously and significantly affect rice plants during germination and seedling growth. Fortunately, a wide array of phenotypic responses conferring flooding stress and chilling stress tolerance exist within the rice germplasm, indicating the presence of different molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance to these stresses. Understanding these differences may assist in developing improved rice cultivars having higher tolerance to both stresses. In this study, we conducted a comparative global gene expression analysis of two rice genotypes with contrasting phenotypes under cold stress, anaerobic stress, and combined cold and anaerobic stress during germination. RESULTS: The differential gene expression analysis revealed that 5571 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 7206 DEGs, and 13279 DEGs were identified under anaerobic stress, cold stress, and combined stress, respectively. Genes involved in the carbohydrate metabolic process, glucosyltransferase activity, regulation of nitrogen compound metabolic process, protein metabolic process, lipid metabolic process, cellular nitrogen compound biosynthetic process, lipid biosynthetic process, and a microtubule-based process were enriched across all stresses. Notably, the common Gene Ontology (GO) analysis identified three hub genes, namely Os08g0176800 (similar to mRNA-associated protein mrnp 41), Os11g0454200 (dehydrin), and OS10g0505900 (expressed protein). CONCLUSION: A large number of differentially expressed genes were identified under anaerobic, cold conditions during germination and the combination of the two stress conditions in rice. These results will assist in the identification of promising candidate genes for possible manipulation toward rice crops that are more tolerant under flooding and cold during germination, both independently and concurrently.
PMID: 37024819
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Apr , V12 (8) doi: 10.3390/plants12081704
The Salt Tolerance-Related Protein (STRP) Is a Positive Regulator of the Response to Salt Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.; Ph.D. Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Salt stress is a major abiotic stress limiting plant survival and crop productivity. Plant adaptation to salt stress involves complex responses, including changes in gene expression, regulation of hormone signaling, and production of stress-responsive proteins. The Salt Tolerance-Related Protein (STRP) has been recently characterized as a Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA)-like, intrinsically disordered protein involved in plant responses to cold stress. In addition, STRP has been proposed as a mediator of salt stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana, but its role has still to be fully clarified. Here, we investigated the role of STRP in salt stress responses in A. thaliana. The protein rapidly accumulates under salt stress due to a reduction of proteasome-mediated degradation. Physiological and biochemical responses of the strp mutant and STRP-overexpressing (STRP OE) plants demonstrate that salt stress impairs seed germination and seedling development more markedly in the strp mutant than in A. thaliana wild type (wt). At the same time, the inhibitory effect is significantly reduced in STRP OE plants. Moreover, the strp mutant has a lower ability to counteract oxidative stress, cannot accumulate the osmocompatible solute proline, and does not increase abscisic acid (ABA) levels in response to salinity stress. Accordingly, the opposite effect was observed in STRP OE plants. Overall, obtained results suggest that STRP performs its protective functions by reducing the oxidative burst induced by salt stress, and plays a role in the osmotic adjustment mechanisms required to preserve cellular homeostasis. These findings propose STRP as a critical component of the response mechanisms to saline stress in A. thaliana.
PMID: 37111928
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Apr , V12 (8) doi: 10.3390/plants12081616
Genome-Wide Analysis and Abiotic Stress-Responsive Patterns of COBRA-like Gene Family in Liriodendron chinense.
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.; National Germplasm Bank of Chinese Fir at Fujian Yangkou Forest Farm, Nanping 353211, China.; Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing 211169, China.; Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
The COBRA gene encodes a plant-specific glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein (GAP), which plays an important role in cell wall cellulose deposition. In this study, a total of 7 COBRA-like (COBL) genes were identified in the genome of the rare and endangered woody plant Liriodendron chinense (L. chinense). Phylogenetic analysis showed that these LcCOBL genes can be divided into two subfamilies, i.e., SF I and II. In the conserved motif analysis of two subfamilies, SF I contained 10 predicted motifs, while SF II contained 4-6 motifs. The tissue-specific expression patterns showed that LcCOBL5 was highly expressed in the phloem and xylem, indicating its potential role in cellulose biosynthesis. In addition, the cis-element analysis and abiotic stress transcriptomes showed that three LcCOBLs, LcCOBL3, LcCOBL4 and LcCOBL5, transcriptionally responded to abiotic stresses, including cold, drought and heat stress. In particular, the quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis further confirmed that the LcCOBL3 gene was significantly upregulated in response to cold stress and peaked at 24-48 h, hinting at its potential role in the mechanism of cold resistance in L. chinense. Moreover, GFP-fused LcCOBL2, LcCOBL4 and LcCOBL5 were found to be localized in the cytomembrane. In summary, we expect these results to be beneficial for research on both the functions of LcCOBL genes and resistance breeding in L. chinense.
PMID: 37111840
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Mar , V12 (7) doi: 10.3390/plants12071437
Genome-Wide Identification of the U-Box E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Gene Family in Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) and Its Expression Analysis in Response to Cold Stress and Pathogen Infection.
College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.; Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
Plant U-box E3 ubiquitin ligases (PUBs) play an important role in growth, development, and stress responses in many species. However, the characteristics of U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase genes in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) are still unclear. Here, we carry out the genome-wide analysis of U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase genes in cabbage and identify 65 Brassica oleracea var. capitata U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase (BoPUB) genes in the cabbage genome. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that all 65 BoPUB genes are grouped into six subfamilies, whose members are relatively conserved in the protein domain and exon-intron structure. Chromosomal localization and synteny analyses show that segmental and tandem duplication events contribute to the expansion of the U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase gene family in cabbage. Protein interaction prediction presents that heterodimerization may occur in BoPUB proteins. In silico promoter analysis and spatio-temporal expression profiling of BoPUB genes reveal their involvement in light response, phytohormone response, and growth and development. Furthermore, we find that BoPUB genes participate in the biosynthesis of cuticular wax and in response to cold stress and pathogenic attack. Our findings provide a deep insight into the U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase gene family in cabbage and lay a foundation for the further functional analysis of BoPUB genes in different biological processes.
PMID: 37050063
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Mar , V12 (6) doi: 10.3390/plants12061393
Characterization of the NAC Transcription Factor in Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) and Functional Identification of PeNAC-19 in Cold Stress.
State Key Laboratory of Biological Breeding for Tropical Crops, Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Germplasm Repository of Passiflora, Hainan Province, Hainan 571101, China.; Sanya Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 571101, China.; Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, Sanya 571101, China.; College of Tropical Crops, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.
The NAC (NAM, ATAF and CUC) gene family plays an important role in plant development and abiotic stress response. However, up to now, the identification and research of the NAC (PeNAC) family members of passion fruit are still lacking. In this study, 25 PeNACs were identified from the passion fruit genome, and their functions under abiotic stress and at different fruit-ripening stages were analyzed. Furthermore, we analyzed the transcriptome sequencing results of PeNACs under four various abiotic stresses (drought, salt, cold and high temperature) and three different fruit-ripening stages, and verified the expression results of some genes by qRT-PCR. Additionally, tissue-specific analysis showed that most PeNACs were mainly expressed in flowers. In particular, PeNAC-19 was induced by four various abiotic stresses. At present, low temperatures have seriously endangered the development of passion fruit cultivation. Therefore, PeNAC-19 was transformed into tobacco, yeast and Arabidopsis to study their function of resisting low temperature. The results show that PeNAC-19 responded to cold stress significantly in tobacco and Arabidopsis, and could improve the low temperature tolerance of yeast. This study not only improved the understanding of the PeNAC gene family characteristics and evolution, but also provided new insights into the regulation of the PeNAC gene at different stages of fruit maturation and abiotic stresses.
PMID: 36987081
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Mar , V12 (6) doi: 10.3390/plants12061215
Identification and Expression Analysis of Hexokinases Family in Saccharum spontaneum L. under Drought and Cold Stresses.
Hunan Key Laboratory of Economic Crops Genetic Improvement and Integrated Utilization, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China.; Crop Research Institute, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha 410000, China.; Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture/National Engineering Research Center for Sugarcane, Ministry of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.; Key Laboratory of Ecological Remediation and Safe Utilization of Heavy Metal-Polluted Soils, College of Hunan Province, Xiangtan 411201, China.
In plants, the multi-gene family of dual-function hexokinases (HXKs) plays an important role in sugar metabolism and sensing, that affects growth and stress adaptation. Sugarcane is an important sucrose crop and biofuel crop. However, little is known about the HXK gene family in sugarcane. A comprehensive survey of sugarcane HXKs, including physicochemical properties, chromosomal distribution, conserved motifs, and gene structure was conducted, identifying 20 members of the SsHXK gene family that were located on seven of the 32 Saccharum spontaneum L. chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the SsHXK family could be divided into three subfamilies (group I, II and III). Motifs and gene structure were related to the classification of SsHXKs. Most SsHXKs contained 8-11 introns which was consistent with other monocots. Duplication event analysis indicated that HXKs in S. spontaneum L. primarily originated from segmental duplication. We also identified putative cis-elements in the SsHXK promoter regions which were involved in phytohormone, light and abiotic stress responses (drought, cold et al.). During normal growth and development, 17 SsHXKs were constitutively expressed in all ten tissues. Among them, SsHXK2, SsHXK12 and SsHXK14 had similar expression patterns and were more highly expressed than other genes at all times. The RNA-seq analysis showed that 14/20 SsHXKs had the highest expression level after cold stress for 6 h, especially SsHXK15, SsHXK16 and SsHXK18. As for drought treatment, 7/20 SsHXKs had the highest expression level after drought stress for 10 days, 3/20 (SsHKX1, SsHKX10 and SsHKX11) had the highest expression level after 10 days of recovery. Overall, our results revealed the potential biological function of SsHXKs, which may provide information for in-depth functional verification.
PMID: 36986904
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Mar , V12 (6) doi: 10.3390/plants12061250
De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Comparative Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes Involved in Cold Acclimation and Freezing Tolerance of the Arctic Moss Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr.
Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea.; Department of Biological Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea.; Polar Science, University of Science and Technology, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea.
Cold acclimation refers to a phenomenon in which plants become more tolerant to freezing after exposure to non-lethal low temperatures. Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr is a moss found in the Arctic that can be used to study the freezing tolerance of bryophytes. To improve our understanding of the cold acclimation effect on the freezing tolerance of A. turgidum, we compared the electrolyte leakage of protonema grown at 25 degrees C (non-acclimation; NA) and at 4 degrees C (cold acclimation; CA). Freezing damage was significantly lower in CA plants frozen at -12 degrees C (CA-12) than in NA plants frozen at -12 degrees C (NA-12). During recovery at 25 degrees C, CA-12 demonstrated a more rapid and greater level of the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II than NA-12, indicating a greater recovery capacity for CA-12 compared to NA-12. For the comparative analysis of the transcriptome between NA-12 and CA-12, six cDNA libraries were constructed in triplicate, and RNA-seq reads were assembled into 45,796 unigenes. The differential gene expression analysis showed that a significant number of AP2 transcription factor genes and pentatricopeptide repeat protein-coding genes related to abiotic stress and the sugar metabolism pathway were upregulated in CA-12. Furthermore, starch and maltose concentrations increased in CA-12, suggesting that cold acclimation increases freezing tolerance and protects photosynthetic efficiency through the accumulation of starch and maltose in A. turgidum. A de novo assembled transcriptome can be used to explore genetic sources in non-model organisms.
PMID: 36986936
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Mar , V12 (6) doi: 10.3390/plants12061329
Overwintering Camelina and Canola/Rapeseed Show Promise for Improving Integrated Weed Management Approaches in the Upper Midwestern U.S.
USDA-ARS, Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center, Fargo, ND 58102, USA.; Plant Sciences Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA.; USDA-ARS, North Central Soil Conservation Research Laboratory, Morris, MN 56267, USA.
Winter oilseed cash cover crops are gaining popularity in integrated weed management programs for suppressing weeds. A study was conducted at two field sites (Fargo, North Dakota, and Morris, Minnesota) to determine the freezing tolerance and weed-suppressing traits of winter canola/rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and winter camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] in the Upper Midwestern USA. The top 10 freezing tolerant accessions from a phenotyped population of winter canola/rapeseed were bulked and planted at both locations along with winter camelina (cv. Joelle) as a check. To phenotype our entire winter B. napus population (621 accessions) for freezing tolerance, seeds were also bulked and planted at both locations. All B. napus and camelina were no-till seeded at Fargo and Morris at two planting dates, late August (PD1) and mid-September (PD2) 2019. Data for winter survival of oilseed crops (plants m(-2)) and their corresponding weed suppression (plants m(-2) and dry matter m(-2)) were collected on two sampling dates (SD) in May and June 2020. Crop and SD were significant (p < 0.05) for crop plant density at both locations, and PD in Fargo and crop x PD interaction in Morris were significant for weed dry matter. At Morris and Fargo, PD1 produced greater winter B. napus survival (28% and 5%, respectively) and PD2 produced higher camelina survival (79% and 72%, respectively). Based on coefficient of determination (r(2)), ~50% of weed density was explained by camelina density, whereas 90% of fallow at both locations, whereas weed dry matter in B. napus was not significantly different from fallow at either PD. Genotyping of overwintering canola/rapeseed under field conditions identified nine accessions that survived at both locations, which also had excellent freezing tolerance under controlled conditions. These accessions are good candidates for improving freezing tolerance in commercial canola cultivars.
PMID: 36987017
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Mar , V12 (6) doi: 10.3390/plants12061213
Assessing the Benefits and Costs of the Hydrogen Cyanide Antiherbivore Defense in Trifolium repens.
Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada.; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada.; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada.
Understanding the evolution of plant defenses against herbivores requires identifying the benefits and costs of defense. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the benefits and costs of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) defense against herbivory on white clover (Trifolium repens) are temperature dependent. We first tested how temperature affected HCN production in vitro, and then examined how temperature influenced the efficacy of HCN defense of T. repens against a generalist slug (Deroceras reticulatum) herbivore using no-choice and choice feeding trial assays. To understand how temperature affected the costs of defense, plants were exposed to freezing, and HCN production, photosynthetic activity, and ATP concentration were quantified. HCN production increased linearly from 5 degrees C to 50 degrees C, and cyanogenic plants experienced reduced herbivory compared to acyanogenic plants only at warmer temperatures when fed upon by young slugs. Freezing temperatures induced cyanogenesis in T. repens and decreased chlorophyll fluorescence. Cyanogenic plants experienced lower ATP levels than acyanogenic plants due to freezing. Our study provides evidence that the benefits of HCN defense against herbivores are temperature dependent, and freezing may inhibit ATP production in cyanogenic plants, but the physiological performance of all plants recovered quickly following short-term freezing. These results contribute to understanding how varying environments alter the benefits and costs of defense in a model system for the study of plant chemical defenses against herbivores.
PMID: 36986901
Gene , IF:3.688 , 2023 Mar , V856 : 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.; 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.; 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
Protoplasma , IF:3.356 , 2023 May , V260 (3) : P707-721 doi: 10.1007/s00709-022-01807-5
Transcriptome meta-analysis of abiotic stresses-responsive genes and identification of candidate transcription factors for broad stress tolerance in wheat.
Biotechnology and Plant Improvement Laboratory, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, Road Sidi Mansour 6 km, P.O. Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia. saiidimn@gmail.com.; Biotechnology and Plant Improvement Laboratory, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, Road Sidi Mansour 6 km, P.O. Box 1177, 3018, Sfax, Tunisia.
Under field conditions, wheat is subjected to single or multiple stress conditions. The elucidation of the molecular mechanism of stress response is a key step to identify candidate genes for stress resistance in plants. In this study, RNA-seq data analysis identified 17.324, 10.562, 5.510, and 8.653 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under salt, drought, heat, and cold stress, respectively. Moreover, the comparison of DEGs from each stress revealed 2374 shared genes from which 40% showed highly conserved expression patterns. Moreover, co-expression network analysis and GO enrichment revealed co-expression modules enriched with genes involved in transcription regulation, protein kinase pathway, and genes responding to phytohormones or modulating hormone levels. The expression of 15 selected transcription factor encoding genes was analyzed under abiotic stresses and ABA treatment in durum wheat. The identified transcription factor genes are excellent candidates for genetic engineering of stress tolerance in wheat.
PMID: 36063229
Protoplasma , IF:3.356 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1007/s00709-023-01854-6
Comparative transcriptome analysis of grafting to improve chilling tolerance of cucumber.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops in Huanghuai Region, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, China.; Tai'an Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tai'an, 271000, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops in Huanghuai Region, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, Shandong, China. bhg163@163.com.
Grafting with pumpkin as rootstock could improve chilling tolerance of cucumber; however, the underlying mechanism of grafting-induced chilling tolerance remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the difference of physiological and transcriptional level between own-rooted (Cs/Cs) and hetero-grafted (Cs/Cm) cucumber seedlings under chilling stress. The results showed that grafting with pumpkin significantly alleviated the chilling injury as evidenced by slightly symptoms, lower contents of electrolyte leakage (EL), malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), and superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) and higher relative water content in Cs/Cm seedlings compared with Cs/Cs seedlings under chilling stress. RNA-seq data showed that grafting induced more DGEs at 8 degrees C/5 degrees C compared with 25 degrees C/18 degrees C. In accordance with the increase of the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX), grafting upregulated the expression of the regulated redox-related genes such as GST, SOD, and APX. Moreover, grafting increased the expression of genes participated in central carbon metabolism to promote the conversion and decomposition of sugar, which provided more energy for the growth of Cs/Cm seedlings under chilling stress. In addition, grafting regulated the genes involved in the intracellular signal transduction pathways such as calcium signal (CAML, CML, and CDPK) and inositol phospholipid signal (PLC), as well as changed the gene expression of plant hormone signal transduction pathways (ARF, GAI, ABF, and PYR/PYL). These results provide a physiological and transcriptional basis for the molecular mechanism of grafting-induced chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings.
PMID: 36949344
Funct Plant Biol , IF:3.101 , 2023 Apr doi: 10.1071/FP22310
Overexpression of ClRAP2.4 in Chrysanthemum enhances tolerance to cold stress.
The apetala/ethylene responsive factor (AP2/ERF) family is one of the largest plant-specific transcription factors and plays a vital role in plant development and response to stress. The apetala 2.4 (RAP2.4) gene is a member of the AP2/ERF family. In this study, ClRAP2.4 cDNA fragment with 768bp open reading frame was cloned and the resistance of ClRAP2.4 overexpression to low temperature was investigated to understand whether RAP2.4 is involved in low-temperature stress in chrysanthemum (Chrysamthemum lavandulifolium). Phylogenetic analysis showed that ClRAP2.4 belonged to the DREB subfamily and was most closely related to AT1G22190. ClRAP2.4 was localised in cell nucleus and promotes transcriptional activation in yeast. In addition, ClRAP2.4 was transformed by using the Agrobacterium-mediated leaf disc method, and four overexpression lines (OX-1, OX-2, OX-7, and OX-8) were obtained. The activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, and proline content in leaves in the four overexpression line were higher than those in the wild type (WT), whereas the electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde content were decreased, indicating that the tolerance of plants with ClRAP2.4 overexpression to cold stress was increased. RNA-Seq showed 390 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the transgenic and WT plants(229 upregulated, 161 downregulated). The number of ABRE, LTR, and DRE cis-elements in the promoters of DEGs were 175, 106, and 46, respectively. The relative expression levels of ClCOR, ClFe/MnSOD, ClPOD, ClNCL, ClPLK, ClFAD, and ClPRP in the transgenic plants were higher than those in WT plants at low temperatures. These data suggest that ClRAP2.4 may increase chrysanthemum tolerance to cold stress.
PMID: 37072372
Funct Plant Biol , IF:3.101 , 2023 Apr , V50 (4) : P277-293 doi: 10.1071/FP22211
Ultrasonic treatment to enhance seed germination and vigour of wheat (Triticum durum) in association with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) shunt pathway.
Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan.; Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
Treatments of wheat (Triticum durum L.) seeds with sonication or hydropriming may enhance seed germination and vigour in association with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the effect of sonication and hydropriming treatments on seed germination of wheat through the characterisation of seed germination performance, GABA shunt metabolite level (GABA, glutamate, and alanine), and the level of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) mRNA transcription. Wheat seeds were exposed to three treatments for 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20min: (1) sonication with water; (2) sonication without water; and (3) hydropriming without sonication. Treated seeds were evaluated for germination percentage, mean time to germinate, germination rate index in the warm germination test, and seedling emergence and shoot length in the cold test. GABA shunt metabolites level (GABA, glutamate, and alanine), and the level of GAD mRNA transcription were measured for the seeds after treatments and for seedlings during germination and cold tests. Seeds treated with sonication or hydropriming treatments had a higher germination rate index (faster germination) in the standard germination test, and higher seedling emergence and shoot length in the cold test. Seeds treated with sonication or hydropriming treatments showed an enhancement in GABA shunt and their metabolites (alanine and glutamate), and GAD mRNA transcription level compared to untreated-control seeds. In conclusion, the sonication or hydropriming treatments significantly improved the germination performance of wheat and enhanced GABA metabolism to maintain the C:N metabolic balance, especially under cold stress.
PMID: 36634915
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2023 Apr doi: 10.1111/plb.13529
Low-order fine roots of Picea asperata have different physiological mechanisms in response to seasonal freeze and freeze-thaw of soil.
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 416, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
Seasonal soil freeze (F) and freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) are common natural phenomena in high latitudes or altitudes areas of the world, and seriously affect the physiological processes of plant. However, studies involving the effect of soil F and FTCs on plant fine roots are much less common, especially in subalpine coniferous forests of western Sichuan. Therefore, we set up a controlled experiment in growth chambers to explore the effects of F and FTCs on low-order fine roots of Picea asperata and differential responses of the first-order roots and first three order roots (1(st) , 2(nd) and 3(rd) order roots combined as a unit). Soil F and FTCs resulted in serious destruction of cell membrane and root vitality of low-order fine roots, and companied with increased malondialdehyde content and O(2) (.-) production. Soil FTCs had a stronger effect than F treatment. In turn, low-order fine roots can be regarded as a unit respond to cold stress. They increased unsaturated fatty acids contents, antioxidant enzymes activities, osmolytes and plant hormones contents in acclimation to cold stress. The first-order roots were more sensitive to cold stress than first three order roots in several physiological process (e.g., antioxidant enzymes, osmolytes and plant hormones) due to their specific structures and physiological activities. This study explains the differential response of fine roots with different root orders to seasonal frozen soil physiologically, which improves the understanding of fine roots heterogeneity and provides support for agriculture and forestry management.
PMID: 37070367
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1111/plb.13520
High-throughput miRNA sequencing and identification of a novel ICE1-targeting miRNA in response to low temperature stress in Eucalyptus camaldulensis.
College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.; Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China.; Guangzhou Huayin Medical Laboratory Center Limited, Guangzhou, China.; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, Guangzhou, China.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in the growth, development, morphogenesis, signal transduction, and stress response in plants. The ICE (Inducer of CBF expression)-CBF (C-repeat binding factor)-COR (Cold-regulated gene) regulatory cascade is an important signalling pathway in plant response to low temperature stress, and it remains unknown whether this pathway is regulated by miRNAs. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was employed for predicting and identifying the miRNAs that were likely to target the ICE-CBF-COR pathway in Eucalyptus camaldulensis. A novel ICE1-targeting miRNA, eca-novel-miR-259-5p (nov-miR259), was further analysed. A total of 392 conserved miRNAs and 97 novel miRNAs were predicted, including 80 differentially expressed miRNAs. Of these, 30 miRNAs were predicted to be associated with the ICE-CBF-COR pathway. The full-length of mature nov-miR259 was 22 bp and its precursor gene was 60 bp in length, with a typical hairpin structure. The RNA ligase-mediated 5' amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RLM-RACE) and Agrobacterium-mediated tobacco transient expression assays demonstrated that nov-miR259 could cleave EcaICE1 in vivo. Moreover, qRT-PCR and Pearson's correlation analysis further revealed that the expression levels of nov-miR259 were almost significantly negatively correlated with those of its target gene, EcaICE1, and the other genes in the ICE-CBF-COR pathway. We first identified the nov-miR259 as a novel ICE1-targeting miRNA, and the nov-miR259-ICE1 module may be involved in regulating the cold stress response in E. camaldulensis.
PMID: 36971569
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2023 Apr , V25 (3) : P379-395 doi: 10.1111/plb.13510
Assessment of proline function in higher plants under extreme temperatures.
College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), Fuzhou, China.; State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Hangzhou, China.; Department of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.; Research Center on Ecological Sciences, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.; Department of Agricultural Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde, Turkey.; Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.; Department of Horticulture, School of Horticulture and Landscape, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.; Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi, India.; Group of Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Nitric Oxide in Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture, Department of Stress, Development and Signaling in Plants, Estacion Experimental del Zaidin, Spanish National Research Council, CSIC, Granada, Spain.; 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, China.; State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia.
Climate change and abiotic stress factors are key players in crop losses worldwide. Among which, extreme temperatures (heat and cold) disturb plant growth and development, reduce productivity and, in severe cases, lead to plant death. Plants have developed numerous strategies to mitigate the detrimental impact of temperature stress. Exposure to stress leads to the accumulation of various metabolites, e.g. sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids and amino acids. Plants accumulate the amino acid 'proline' in response to several abiotic stresses, including temperature stress. Proline abundance may result from de novo synthesis, hydrolysis of proteins, reduced utilization or degradation. Proline also leads to stress tolerance by maintaining the osmotic balance (still controversial), cell turgidity and indirectly modulating metabolism of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, the crosstalk of proline with other osmoprotectants and signalling molecules, e.g. glycine betaine, abscisic acid, nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide, soluble sugars, helps to strengthen protective mechanisms in stressful environments. Development of less temperature-responsive cultivars can be achieved by manipulating the biosynthesis of proline through genetic engineering. This review presents an overview of plant responses to extreme temperatures and an outline of proline metabolism under such temperatures. The exogenous application of proline as a protective molecule under extreme temperatures is also presented. Proline crosstalk and interaction with other molecules is also discussed. Finally, the potential of genetic engineering of proline-related genes is explained to develop 'temperature-smart' plants. In short, exogenous application of proline and genetic engineering of proline genes promise ways forward for developing 'temperature-smart' future crop plants.
PMID: 36748909
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2023 Mar , V25 (2) : P308-321 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
Food Sci Nutr , IF:2.863 , 2023 Apr , V11 (4) : P1728-1735 doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3202
Preparation of oral nanoparticles of Perillae Fructus oil and prevention application of cold stress in mice.
College of Biological and Food Engineering Huaihua University Huaihua China.; Key Laboratory of Research and Utilization of Ethnomedicinal Plant Resources of Hunan Province Huaihua China.; "Double First-Class" Applied Characteristic Discipline of Bioengineering in Hunan High Educational Institution Huaihua China.; School of Basic Medical Sciences Hunan University of Medicine Huaihua China.
Perillae Fructus oil has an important function in relieving cold stress. However, its application in this aspect has still been restricted because of instability and low bioavailability. In this study, Perillae Fructus oil was extracted through Soxhlet extraction, analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and nanopackaged into a yeast shell for the preparation of nanoparticles for oral administration. The characteristics of the nanoparticles were investigated using a Malvern zeta-size nanoinstrument, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Then, the roles of orally administered nanoparticles in relieving cold stress were evaluated by investigating blood physiological and biochemical indexes in mice. The results showed that the oil yield from Perillae Fructus and shell yield from yeast cells were ~48.37% and ~16.87%, respectively. Approximately 89.21% of the added oil was packaged into the yeast shell to form nanoparticles with an average diameter of 316.74 nm and a surface charge of +2.9 mV. The nanoparticles were stable in simulated gastric acid and could be effectively released in simulated intestinal fluid with an efficiency of ~91.34%. After oral administration of nanoparticles, the mouse blood indexes of white blood cells (WBCs), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malonaldehyde (MDA) content were recovered compared to those in model mice, with a more remarkable effect than oral administration of free Perillae Fructus oil. Overall, the stability and bioavailability were improved by packaging Perillae Fructus oil into a yeast shell. These nanoparticles are a new agent for the prevention of cold stress.
PMID: 37051352
J Plant Res , IF:2.629 , 2023 Mar , V136 (2) : P211-225 doi: 10.1007/s10265-023-01437-9
Morphological and antioxidant responses of Nopalea cochenillifera cv. Maya (edible Opuntia sp. "Kasugai Saboten") to chilling acclimatization.
Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku, Nagoya, 468-8502, Japan. ayumu@meijo-u.ac.jp.; Faculty of Agriculture, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku, Nagoya, 468-8502, Japan.
To clarify the wintering ability of the cactus Nopalea cochenillifera cv. Maya (edible Opuntia sp., common name "Kasugai Saboten"), we investigated the effects of temperature and antioxidant capacity on chilling acclimatization. We analyzed the anatomy of cladode chlorenchyma tissue of plants exposed to light under chilling. We found that chilling acclimatization can be achieved by exposure to approximately 15 degrees C for 2 weeks and suggest that it is affected by whether or not antioxidant capacity can recover. The overwintering cacti had the thinnest cuticle but firm cuticular wax, which is important in the acquisition of low temperature tolerance under strong light. In cacti with severe chilling injury, round swollen nuclei with clumping chloroplasts were localized in the upper part (axial side) of the cell, as though pushed up by large vacuoles in the lower part. In overwintering cacti, chloroplasts were arranged on the lateral side of the cell as in control plants, but they formed pockets: invaginations with a thin layer of chloroplast stroma that surrounded mitochondria and peroxisomes. Specific cellular structural changes depended on the degree of chilling stress and provide useful insights linking chloroplast behavior and structural changes to the environmental stress response.
PMID: 36690846
Braz J Microbiol , IF:2.476 , 2023 Mar , V54 (1) : P371-383 doi: 10.1007/s42770-023-00913-7
Alleviation of cold stress in wheat with psychrotrophic phosphorus solubilizing Acinetobacter rhizosphaerae EU-KL44.
Department of Microbiology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, 173101, India.; Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, 173101, India. ajar@eternaluniversity.edu.in.
Low-temperature stress can seriously impair plant physiology. Chilling injury leads to a complex array of cellular dysfunctions, and symptoms include chlorosis, sterility, loss of vigor, wilting, and even death of the plants. Furthermore, phosphorus limitations additionally halt the growth of plants. Low-temperature adaptive plant growth-promoting microbes through various direct and indirect mechanisms help in the survival of plants under stress conditions. The present investigation deals with isolation of P-solubilizing psychrotrophic bacteria from diverse cultivars of wheat grown in the Keylong region of Himachal Pradesh. A total of 33 P-solubilizing bacterial isolates were obtained. P-solubilizers were screened for different plant growth-promoting (PGP) attributes of K and Zn solubilization, production of IAA, siderophores, and different hydrolytic enzymes. Among 33 P-solubilizers, 8 efficient strains exhibiting multiple PGP attributes were used as bioinoculants for wheat under low-temperature stress in different in vitro and in vivo experiments. The psychrotrophic bacterial isolates positively influenced the growth and physiological parameters as well as nutrient uptake and yield of wheat and efficiently alleviated low-temperature stress. The potential of low-temperature stress adaptive and PGP microbes can be utilized in agricultural sector for amelioration of low-temperature stress and plant growth promotion. The present study deals with the isolation of psychrotrophic P-solubilizers with multiple PGP attributes and their role in alleviation of cold stress in wheat.
PMID: 36740643
Mol Biol Rep , IF:2.316 , 2023 Apr , V50 (4) : P3607-3616 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
Fly (Austin) , IF:2.16 , 2023 Dec , V17 (1) : P2157161 doi: 10.1080/19336934.2022.2157161
Larval nutritional-stress and tolerance to extreme temperatures in the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Diptera: Tephritidae).
Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon Letzion, Israel.; Laboratory of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Department of Agriculture Crop Production and Rural Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece.
Within the factors affecting insect tolerance to extreme environmental conditions, insect nutrition, particularly of immature stages, has received insufficient attention. In the present study, we address this gap by investigating the effects of larval nutrition on heat and cold tolerance of adult Bactrocera zonata - an invasive, polyphagous fruit fly pest. We manipulated the nutritional content in the larval diet by varying the amount of added yeast (2-10% by weight), while maintaining a constant sucrose content. Adults derived from the different larval diets were tested for their tolerance to extreme heat and cold stress. Restricting the amount of yeast reduced the efficacy of the larval diet (i.e. number of pupae produced per g of diet) as well as pupal and adult fresh weight, both being significantly lower for yeast-poor diets. Additionally, yeast restriction during the larval stage (2% yeast diet) significantly reduced the amount of protein but not lipid reserves of newly emerged males and females. Adults maintained after emergence on granulated sugar and water for 10 days were significantly more tolerant to extreme heat (i.e. knock-down time at 42 (o)C) when reared as larvae on yeast-rich diets (8% and 10% yeast) compared to counterparts developing on a diet containing 2% yeast. Nevertheless, the composition of the larval diet did not significantly affect adult survival following acute cold stress (exposure to -3 degrees C for 2 hrs.). These results are corroborated by previous findings on Drosophilid flies. Possible mechanisms leading to nutrition-based heat-tolerance in flies are discussed.
PMID: 36576164
Genes Genomics , IF:1.839 , 2023 Apr , V45 (4) : P401-412 doi: 10.1007/s13258-022-01321-1
Transcriptomic profiling of the cold stress and recovery responsiveness of two contrasting Guizhou HE rice genotypes.
Guizhou Rice Research Institute, Guizhou Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, 550006, China.; College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.; Guizhou Rice Research Institute, Guizhou Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, 550006, China. 13984033281@139.com.
BACKGROUND: At the seed germination stage, rice is sensitive to cold stress, which adversely affects its growth and development. Guizhou HE rice comprises several different landraces, most of which are cold tolerant. OBJECTIVE: To identify differentially expressed genes and molecular mechanism underlying the cold tolerance of Guizhou HE. METHODS: Two Guizhou HE genotypes, AC44 (cold-sensitive) and AC96 (cold-tolerant), which exhibit opposite phenotypes in response to cold treatment at the seed germination stage were used. Comprehensive gene expressions of AC44 and AC96 under 4 degrees C cold treatment and subsequent recovery conditions were comparatively analyzed by RNA sequencing. RESULTS: Overall, 11,082 and 7749 differentially expressed genes were detected in AC44 and AC96, respectively. Comparative transcriptome analysis demonstrated that, compared with AC44, AC96 presented fewer upregulated and downregulated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses demonstrated that AC96 presented more upregulated GO terms, especially terms associated with biological processes. However, AC44 presented more terms related to cellular components, mainly chloroplasts. Moreover, DEGs related to the auxin signaling pathway (including ARF and IAA family members) and transcription factors (including members of the F-box, bZIP, basic helix-loop-helix [bHLH], and MYB-like transcription factor families) were found to be expressed specifically in AC96; thus, these DEGs may be responsible for the cold tolerance of AC96. CONCLUSIONS: These findings present information about the cold tolerance mechanism of Guizhou HE rice at the germination stage, providing valuable resources and candidate genes for breeding cold-tolerant rice genotypes.
PMID: 36469228
Genetica , IF:1.082 , 2023 Apr , V151 (2) : P153-165 doi: 10.1007/s10709-023-00184-y
Genome-wide investigation of the WRKY transcription factor gene family in weeping forsythia: expression profile and cold and drought stress responses.
Innovation Platform of Molecular Biology, College of Landscape and Art, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.; School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA.; College of Life Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Huhehaote, China. liyongrui1@126.com.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China. liyongrui1@126.com.
Weeping forsythia is a wide-spread shrub in China with important ornamental, medicinal and ecological values. It is widely distributed in China's warm temperate zone. In plants, WRKY transcription factors play important regulatory roles in seed germination, flower development, fruit ripening and coloring, and biotic and abiotic stress response. To date, WRKY transcription factors have not been systematically studied in weeping forsythia. In this study, we identified 79 WRKY genes in weeping forsythia and classified them according to their naming rules in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that, except for IIe subfamily, whose clustering was inconsistent with A. thaliana clustering, other subfamily clustering groups were consistent. Cis-element analysis showed that WRKY genes related to pathogen resistance in weeping forsythia might be related to methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid-mediated signaling pathways. Combining cis-element and expression pattern analyses of WRKY genes showed that more than half of WRKY genes were involved in light-dependent development and morphogenesis in different tissues. The gene expression results showed that 13 WRKY genes were involved in drought response, most of which might be related to the abscisic acid signaling pathway, and a few of which might be regulated by MYB transcription factors. The gene expression results under cold stress showed that 17 WRKY genes were involved in low temperature response, and 9 of them had low temperature responsiveness cis-elements. Our study of WRKY family in weeping forsythia provided useful resources for molecular breeding and important clues for their functional verification.
PMID: 36853516
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf , 2023 Mar doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.13128
Application of chitosan nanoparticles in quality and preservation of postharvest fruits and vegetables: A review.
School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, China.; Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Ministry of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China.
Chitosan is an interesting alternative material for packaging development due to its biodegradability. However, its poor mechanical properties and low permeability limit its actual applications. Chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs) have emerged as a suitable solution to overcome these intrinsic limitations. In this review, all studies regarding the use of CHNPs to extend the shelf life and improve the quality of postharvest products are covered. The characteristics of CHNPs and their combinations with essential oils and metals, along with their effects on postharvest products, are compared and discussed throughout the manuscript. CHNPs enhanced postharvest antioxidant capacity, extended shelf life, increased nutritional quality, and promoted tolerance to chilling stress. Additionally, the CHNPs reduced the incidence of postharvest phytopathogens. In most instances, smaller CHNPs (<150 nm) conferred higher benefits than larger ones (>150 nm). This was likely a result of the greater plant tissue penetrability and surface area of the smaller CHNPs. The CHNPs were either applied after preparing an emulsion or incorporated into a film, with the latter often exhibiting greater antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. CHNPs were used to encapsulate essential oils, which could be released over time and may enhance the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the CHNPs. Even though most applications were performed after harvest, preharvest application had longer lasting effects.
PMID: 36856034