Science , IF:47.728 , 2023 May , V380 (6647) : P835-840 doi: 10.1126/science.adf2027
Shifting microbial communities can enhance tree tolerance to changing climates.
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Climate change is pushing species outside of their evolved tolerances. Plant populations must acclimate, adapt, or migrate to avoid extinction. However, because plants associate with diverse microbial communities that shape their phenotypes, shifts in microbial associations may provide an alternative source of climate tolerance. Here, we show that tree seedlings inoculated with microbial communities sourced from drier, warmer, or colder sites displayed higher survival when faced with drought, heat, or cold stress, respectively. Microbially mediated drought tolerance was associated with increased diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, whereas cold tolerance was associated with lower fungal richness, likely reflecting a reduced burden of nonadapted fungal taxa. Understanding microbially mediated climate tolerance may enhance our ability to predict and manage the adaptability of forest ecosystems to changing climates.
PMID: 37228219
Annu Rev Plant Biol , IF:26.379 , 2023 May , V74 : P341-366 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.
PMID: 36854477
Trends Plant Sci , IF:18.313 , 2023 Jul , V28 (7) : P808-824 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
ACS Nano , IF:15.881 , 2023 Jun , V17 (11) : P10760-10773 doi: 10.1021/acsnano.3c02215
Engineering Climate-Resilient Rice Using a Nanobiostimulant-Based "Stress Training" Strategy.
State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.; Institute of Plant Protection, Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang 110101, China.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.; Key Laboratory for Land Satellite Remote Sensing Applications of Ministry of Natural Resources, School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and NWAFU-Purdue Joint Research Center, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&FUniversity, Yangling 712100, China.; The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States.
Under a changing climate, cultivating climate-resilient crops will be critical to maintaining food security. Here, we propose the application of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating nanoparticles as nanobiostimulants to trigger stress/immune responses and subsequently increase the stress resilience of plants. We established three regimens of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-based "stress training": seed training (ST), leaf training (LT), and combined seed and leaf training (SLT). Trained rice seedlings were then exposed to either rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) or chilling stress (10 degrees C). The results show that all "stress training" regimes, particularly SLT, significantly enhanced the resistance of rice against the fungal pathogen (lesion size reduced by 82% relative to untrained control). SLT also significantly enhanced rice tolerance to cold stress. The mechanisms for the enhanced resilience were investigated with metabolomics and transcriptomics, which show that "stress training" induced considerable metabolic and transcriptional reprogramming in rice leaves. AgNPs boosted ROS-activated stress signaling pathways by oxidative post-translational modifications of stress-related kinases, hormones, and transcriptional factors (TFs). These signaling pathways subsequently modulated the expression of defense genes, including specialized metabolites (SMs) biosynthesis genes, cell membrane lipid metabolism genes, and pathogen-plant interaction genes. Importantly, results showed that the "stress memory" can be transferred transgenerationally, conferring offspring seeds with improved seed germination and seedling vigor. This may provide an epigenetic breeding strategy to fortify stress resilience of crops. This nanobiostimulant-based stress training strategy will increase yield vigor against a changing climate and will contribute to sustainable agriculture by reducing agrochemical use.
PMID: 37256700
Sci Adv , IF:14.136 , 2023 May , V9 (19) : Peadg1012 doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg1012
Global crotonylatome and GWAS revealed a TaSRT1-TaPGK model regulating wheat cold tolerance through mediating pyruvate.
National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science/CIMMYT-China Wheat and Maize Joint Research Center/Agronomy College, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
Here, we reported the complete profiling of the crotonylation proteome in common wheat. Through a combination of crotonylation and multi-omics analysis, we identified a TaPGK associated with wheat cold stress. Then, we confirmed the positive role of TaPGK-modulating wheat cold tolerance. Meanwhile, we found that cold stress induced lysine crotonylation of TaPGK. Moreover, we screened a lysine decrotonylase TaSRT1 interacting with TaPGK and found that TaSRT1 negatively regulated wheat cold tolerance. We subsequently demonstrated TaSRT1 inhibiting the accumulation of TaPGK protein, and this inhibition was possibly resulted from decrotonylation of TaPGK by TaSRT1. Transcriptome sequencing indicated that overexpression of TaPGK activated glycolytic key genes and thereby increased pyruvate content. Moreover, we found that exogenous application of pyruvate sharply enhanced wheat cold tolerance. These findings suggest that the TaSRT1-TaPGK model regulating wheat cold tolerance is possibly through mediating pyruvate. This study provided two valuable cold tolerance genes and dissected diverse mechanism of glycolytic pathway involving in wheat cold stress.
PMID: 37163591
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2023 Jun doi: 10.1093/plcell/koad159
PUB25 and PUB26 dynamically modulate ICE1 stability via differential ubiquitination during cold stress in Arabidopsis.
State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.; Institute of Plant Stress Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Crop Stress Biology, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.; School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China.
Ubiquitination modulates protein turnover or activity depending on the number and location of attached ubiquitin moieties. Proteins marked by a lysine 48 (K48)-linked polyubiquitin chain are usually targeted to the 26S proteasome for degradation; however, other polyubiquitin chains, such as those attached to K63, usually regulate other protein properties. Here, we show that two PLANT U-BOX E3 ligases, PUB25 and PUB26, facilitate both K48- and K63-linked ubiquitination of the transcriptional regulator INDUCER OF C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF) EXPRESSION1 (ICE1) during different periods of cold stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), thus dynamically modulating ICE1 stability. Moreover, PUB25 and PUB26 attach both K48- and K63-linked ubiquitin chains to MYB15 in response to cold stress. However, the ubiquitination patterns of ICE1 and MYB15 mediated by PUB25 and PUB26 differ, thus modulating their protein stability and abundance during different stages of cold stress. Furthermore, ICE1 interacts with and inhibits the DNA-binding activity of MYB15, resulting in an upregulation of CBF expression. This study unravels a mechanism by which PUB25 and PUB26 add different polyubiquitin chains to ICE1 and MYB15 to modulate their stability, thereby regulating the timing and degree of cold stress responses in plants.
PMID: 37279565
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2023 Jun doi: 10.1111/nph.19072
SlMPK1- and SlMPK2-mediated SlBBX17 phosphorylation positively regulates CBF-dependent cold tolerance in tomato.
Department of Horticulture, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya, 572025, China.; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plants Growth and Development, Agricultural Ministry of China, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
B-box (BBX) proteins are an important class of zinc finger transcription factors that play a critical role in plant growth and stress response. However, the mechanisms of how BBX proteins participate in the cold response in tomato remain unclear. Here, using approaches of reverse genetics, biochemical and molecular biology we characterized a BBX transcription factor, SlBBX17, which positively regulates cold tolerance in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Overexpressing SlBBX17 enhanced C-repeat binding factor (CBF)-dependent cold tolerance in tomato plants, whereas silencing SlBBX17 increased plant susceptibility to cold stress. Crucially, the positive role of SlBBX17 in CBF-dependent cold tolerance was dependent on ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5). SlBBX17 physically interacted with SlHY5 to directly promote the protein stability of SlHY5 and subsequently increased the transcriptional activity of SlHY5 on SlCBF genes under cold stress. Further experiments showed that cold-activated mitogen-activated protein kinases, SlMPK1 and SlMPK2, also physically interact with and phosphorylate SlBBX17 to enhance the interaction between SlBBX17 and SlHY5, leading to enhanced CBF-dependent cold tolerance. Collectively, the study unveiled a mechanistic framework by which SlMPK1/2-SlBBX17-SlHY5 regulated transcription of SlCBFs to enhance cold tolerance, thereby shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of how plants respond to cold stress via multiple transcription factors.
PMID: 37322592
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2023 Jun , V238 (6) : P2440-2459 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
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
Crit Rev Biotechnol , IF:8.429 , 2023 Dec , V43 (5) : P680-697 doi: 10.1080/07388551.2022.2053056
Cold stress regulates accumulation of flavonoids and terpenoids in plants by phytohormone, transcription process, functional enzyme, and epigenetics.
Wenzhou Safety (Emergency) Institute of Tianjin University, Wenzhou, China.; School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.; Tianjin Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Tianjin, China.; National Resource Center for Chinese Meteria Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Plants make different defense mechanisms in response to different environmental stresses. One common way is to produce secondary metabolites. Temperature is the main environmental factor that regulates plant secondary metabolites, especially flavonoids and terpenoids. Stress caused by temperature decreasing to 4-10 degrees C is conducive to the accumulation of flavonoids and terpenoids. However, the accumulation mechanism under cold stress still lacks a systematic explanation. In this review, we summarize three aspects of cold stress promoting the accumulation of flavonoids and terpenoids in plants, that is, by affecting (1) the content of endogenous plant hormones, especially jasmonic acid and abscisic acid; (2) the expression level and activity of important transcription factors, such as bHLH and MYB families. This aspect also includes post-translational modification of transcription factors caused by cold stress; (3) key enzyme genes expression and activity in the biosynthesis pathway, in addition, the rate-limiting enzyme and glycosyltransferases genes are responsive to cold stress. The systematic understanding of cold stress regulates flavonoids, and terpenoids will contribute to the future research of genetic engineering breeding, metabolism regulation, glycosyltransferases mining, and plant synthetic biology.
PMID: 35848841
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 Jun doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad346
(Z)-3-hexenol integrates drought and cold stress signaling by activating abscisic acid glucosylation in tea plants.
State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, International Joint Laboratory on Tea Chemistry and Health Effects, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, Anhui, P. R. China.; Biotechnology of Natural Products, Technische Universitat Munchen, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 1, 85354 Freising, Germany.
Cold and drought stresses severely limit crop production and can occur simultaneously. Although some transcription factors and hormones have been characterized in plants subjected each stress, the role of metabolites, especially volatiles, in response to cold and drought stress exposure is rarely studied due to lack of suitable models. Here, we established a model for studying the role of volatiles in tea (Camellia sinensis) plants experiencing cold and drought stresses simultaneously. Using this model, we showed that volatiles induced by cold stress promote drought tolerance in tea plants by mediating reactive oxygen species and stomatal conductance. Needle trap micro-extraction combined with GC-MS identified the volatiles involved in the crosstalk and showed that cold-induced (Z)-3-hexenol improved the drought tolerance of tea plants. In addition, silencing CsADH2 (Camellia sinensis alcohol dehydrogenase 2) led to reduced (Z)-3-hexenol production and significantly reduced drought tolerance in response to simultaneous cold and drought stress. Transcriptome and metabolite analyses, together with plant hormones comparison and abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis pathway inhibition experiments, further confirmed the roles of ABA in (Z)-3-hexenol-induced drought tolerance of tea plants. (Z)-3-hexenol application and gene silencing results supported the hypothesis that (Z)-3-hexenol plays a role in the integration of cold and drought tolerance by stimulating the dual function glucosyltransferase UGT85A53, thereby altering ABA homeostasis in tea plants. Overall, we present a model for studying the roles of metabolites in plants under multiple stresses and reveal the roles of volatiles in integrating cold and drought stresses in plants.
PMID: 37315209
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 Jun doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad322
Low-temperature-induced regulatory network rewiring via WRKY regulators during banana peel browning.
Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.; Center for Disease Neurogenomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.; WIMI Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Changzhou 213000, China.
Banana (Musa spp.) fruits, as typical tropical fruits, are cold sensitive, and lower temperatures can disrupt cellular compartmentalization and lead to severe browning. How tropical fruits respond to low temperature compared to the cold response mechanisms of model plants remains unknown. Here, we systematically characterized the changes in chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, distal cis-regulatory elements, transcription factor binding, and gene expression levels in banana peels in response to low temperature. Dynamic patterns of cold-induced transcripts were generally accompanied by concordant chromatin accessibility and histone modification changes. These upregulated genes were enriched for WRKY binding sites in their promoters and/or active enhancers. Compared to banana peel at room temperature, large amounts of banana WRKYs were specifically induced by cold and mediated enhancer-promoter interactions regulating critical browning pathways, including phospholipid degradation, oxidation, and cold tolerance. This hypothesis was supported by DNA affinity purification sequencing, luciferase reporter assays and transient expression assay. Together, our findings highlight widespread transcriptional reprogramming via WRKYs during banana peel browning at low temperature and provide an extensive resource for studying gene regulation in tropical plants in response to cold stress, as well as potential targets for improving cold tolerance and shelf-life of tropical fruits.
PMID: 37279567
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 May doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad285
Lysine malonylation of DgnsLIPID TRANSFER PROTEIN1 at the K81 site improves cold resistance in chrysanthemum.
Department of Ornamental Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, People's Republic of China.
Lysine malonylation (Kmal) is a recently discovered post-translational modification, and its role in the response to abiotic stress has not been reported in plants. In this study, we isolated a non-specific lipid transfer protein, DgnsLTP1, from chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflorum var. Jinba). Overexpression and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene editing of DgnsLTP1 demonstrated that the protein endows chrysanthemum with cold tolerance. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), luciferase complementation imaging (LCI) and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experimental results showed that DgnsLTP1 interacts with a plasma membrane intrinsic protein DgPIP (plasma membrane intrinsic protein). Overexpressing DgPIP boosted the expression of DgGPX (Glutathione peroxidase), increased the activity of GPX, and decreased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby enhancing the low-temperature stress tolerance of chrysanthemum, while the CRISPR-Cas9-mediated mutant dgpip inhibited this process. Transgenic analyses in chrysanthemum showed that DgnsLTP1 improves the cold resistance of chrysanthemum in a DgPIP-dependent manner. Moreover, lysine malonylation of DgnsLTP1 at the K81 site prevented the degradation of DgPIP in Nicotiana benthamiana and chrysanthemum, further promoted DgGPX expression, enhanced GPX activity, and scavenged excess ROS produced by cold stress, thereby further enhancing the cold resistance of chrysanthemum.
PMID: 37202366
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 May , V192 (2) : P982-999 doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad121
Kiwifruit bZIP transcription factor AcePosF21 elicits ascorbic acid biosynthesis during cold stress.
Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiufeng 1 Road, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China.; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.; The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 11600, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.; The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 92169, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.
Cold stress seriously affects plant development, resulting in heavy agricultural losses. L-ascorbic acid (AsA, vitamin C) is an antioxidant implicated in abiotic stress tolerance and metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Understanding whether and how cold stress elicits AsA biosynthesis to reduce oxidative damage is important for developing cold-resistant plants. Here, we show that the accumulation of AsA in response to cold stress is a common mechanism conserved across the plant kingdom, from single-cell algae to angiosperms. We identified a basic leucine zipper domain (bZIP) transcription factor (TF) of kiwifruit (Actinidia eriantha Benth.), AcePosF21, which was triggered by cold and is involved in the regulation of kiwifruit AsA biosynthesis and defense responses against cold stress. AcePosF21 interacted with the R2R3-MYB TF AceMYB102 and directly bound to the promoter of the gene encoding GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase 3 (AceGGP3), a key conduit for regulating AsA biosynthesis, to up-regulate AceGGP3 expression and produce more AsA, which neutralized the excess ROS induced by cold stress. On the contrary, VIGS or CRISPR-Cas9-mediated editing of AcePosF21 decreased AsA content and increased the generation of ROS in kiwifruit under cold stress. Taken together, we illustrated a model for the regulatory mechanism of AcePosF21-mediated regulation of AceGGP3 expression and AsA biosynthesis to reduce oxidative damage by cold stress, which provides valuable clues for manipulating the cold resistance of kiwifruit.
PMID: 36823691
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 May , V192 (2) : P1466-1482 doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad112
m6A mRNA modification promotes chilling tolerance and modulates gene translation efficiency in Arabidopsis.
State Key Laboratory for Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Bioinformatics Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China.; Gene Sequencing Center, Jiangbei New Area Biopharmaceutical Public Service Platform Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China.; Plant Biology Section, School of Integrated Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca 14850, NY, USA.
N 6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent mRNA modification in eukaryotes, is an emerging player of gene regulation at transcriptional and translational levels. Here, we explored the role of m6A modification in response to low temperature in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Knocking down mRNA adenosine methylase A (MTA), a key component of the modification complex, by RNA interference (RNAi) led to drastically reduced growth at low temperature, indicating a critical role of m6A modification in the chilling response. Cold treatment reduced the overall m6A modification level of mRNAs especially at the 3' untranslated region. Joint analysis of the m6A methylome, transcriptome and translatome of the wild type (WT) and the MTA RNAi line revealed that m6A-containing mRNAs generally had higher abundance and translation efficiency than non-m6A-containing mRNAs under normal and low temperatures. In addition, reduction of m6A modification by MTA RNAi only moderately altered the gene expression response to low temperature but led to dysregulation of translation efficiencies of one third of the genes of the genome in response to cold. We tested the function of the m6A-modified cold-responsive gene ACYL-COA:DIACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE 1 (DGAT1) whose translation efficiency but not transcript level was reduced in the chilling-susceptible MTA RNAi plant. The dgat1 loss-of-function mutant exhibited reduced growth under cold stress. These results reveal a critical role of m6A modification in regulating growth under low temperature and suggest an involvement of translational control in chilling responses in Arabidopsis.
PMID: 36810961
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2023 May , V192 (1) : P648-665 doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad085
Tetratricopeptide repeat protein SlREC2 positively regulates cold tolerance in tomato.
College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.; College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.; College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China.; Henan International Joint Laboratory of Stress Resistance Regulation and Safe Production of Protected Vegetables, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China.; National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Northern Horticultural Facilities Design & Application Technology (Liaoning), Shenyang 110866, China.; Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture, Ministry of Education, Shenyang 110866, China.
Cold stress is a key environmental constraint that dramatically affects the growth, productivity, and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified REDUCED CHLOROPLAST COVERAGE 2 (SlREC2) encoding a tetratricopeptide repeat protein that positively regulates tomato cold tolerance. Disruption of SlREC2 largely reduced abscisic acid (ABA) levels, photoprotection, and the expression of C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF)-pathway genes in tomato plants under cold stress. ABA deficiency in the notabilis (not) mutant, which carries a mutation in 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE 1 (SlNCED1), strongly inhibited the cold tolerance of SlREC2-silenced plants and empty vector control plants and resulted in a similar phenotype. In addition, foliar application of ABA rescued the cold tolerance of SlREC2-silenced plants, which confirms that SlNCED1-mediated ABA accumulation is required for SlREC2-regulated cold tolerance. Strikingly, SlREC2 physically interacted with beta-RING CAROTENE HYDROXYLASE 1b (SlBCH1b), a key regulatory enzyme in the xanthophyll cycle. Disruption of SlBCH1b severely impaired photoprotection, ABA accumulation, and CBF-pathway gene expression in tomato plants under cold stress. Taken together, this study reveals that SlREC2 interacts with SlBCH1b to enhance cold tolerance in tomato via integration of SlNCED1-mediated ABA accumulation, photoprotection, and the CBF-pathway, thus providing further genetic knowledge for breeding cold-resistant tomato varieties.
PMID: 36760172
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
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2023 May doi: 10.1111/pce.14611
lncRNA MtCIR2 positively regulates plant-freezing tolerance by modulating CBF/DREB1 gene clusters.
State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Emerging evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in regulation of plant response to environmental stress. CBF/DREB1s are highly conserved transcription factors that regulate response to cold stress in plants. However, very few lncRNAs were found to regulate expression of CBFs and cold tolerance in plant. Here, we identified a cold-responsive long intergenic noncoding RNA (MtCIR2) of CBF/DREB1 genes that were located in a major freezing tolerance QTL region of legume Medicago truncatula. We found that response of MtCIR2 transcription was more rapid than that of MtCBF/DREB1s during cold treatment. MtCIR2 positively regulated M. truncatula freezing tolerance, such that overexpression of MtCIR2 led to higher survival rate and lower cell membrane damage than wild-type plants, while mutation of MtCIR2 rendered the mutants more sensitive to cold stress. In addition, expression levels of MtCBF/DREB1s were up-regulated in the MtCIR2 overexpressing lines and down-regulated in the mutants. Among the MtCIR2-regulated genes, the strongest enriched genes were those involved in polysaccharide metabolic processes. In addition, we demonstrated that overexpression of MtCIR2 led to increases in contents of soluble sugars. These results highlight that MtCIR2 positively regulates tolerance to freezing by regulating MtCBF/DREB1s expression and glycometabolism in M. truncatula.
PMID: 37249093
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2023 May doi: 10.1111/pce.14608
A meta-analysis reveals differential sensitivity of cold stress responses in the maize leaf.
Laboratory for Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES), Antwerp University, Antwerp, Belgium.; Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Maize (Zea mays), a cold-sensitive crop, requires cold tolerance for extending the length of the growing season in temperate climates. However, response curves to different cold temperatures and exposure durations are lacking. We used a meta-analysis approach using data from literature to investigate the effect of cold stress in the maize leaf. We constructed response curves to temperature and exposure durations for 18 key parameters related to leaf growth, photosynthesis, oxidative stress, antioxidants, and the phytohormone ABA. To determine their relevance for cold tolerance, we compared cold tolerant Flint and cold sensitive Dent lines. Treatment temperatures ranged from -20 degrees C to 20 degrees C for cold and from 12 degrees C to 30 degrees C for control and exposure duration from 3 min to 60 days. We found interacting effects of temperature and exposure durations on different response parameters. The strongest difference between Flint and Dent was observed for electrolyte leakage (EL). Our results show that the commonly used 4 degrees C for cold and 25 degrees C for control with medium cold exposure (1-7 days) induces a 50% decrease in shoot dry weight and leaf area and that EL is an easy and reliable indicator for cold tolerance studies.
PMID: 37170821
J Integr Plant Biol , IF:7.061 , 2023 May doi: 10.1111/jipb.13506
MaBEL1 regulates banana fruit ripening by activating cell wall and starch degradation-related genes.
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, 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.
Banana is a typical subtropical fruit, sensitive to chilling injuries and prone to softening disorder. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms of the softening disorder caused by cold stress remain obscure. Herein, we found that BEL1-LIKE HOMEODOMAIN transcription factor 1 (MaBEL1) and its associated proteins regulate the fruit softening and ripening process. The transcript and protein levels of MaBEL1 were up-regulated with fruit ripening but severely repressed by the chilling stress. Moreover, the MaBEL1 protein interacted directly with the promoters of the cell wall and starch degradation-related genes, such as MaAMY3, MaXYL32, and MaEXP-A8. The transient overexpression of MaBEL1 alleviated fruit chilling injury and ripening disorder caused by cold stress and promoted fruit softening and ripening of "Fenjiao" banana by inducing ethylene production and starch and cell wall degradation. The accelerated ripening was also validated by the ectopic overexpression in tomatoes. Conversely, MaBEL1-silencing aggravated the chilling injury and ripening disorder and repressed fruit softening and ripening by inhibiting ethylene production and starch and cell wall degradation. MaABI5-like and MaEBF1, the two positive regulators of the fruit softening process, interacted with MaBEL1 to enhance the promoter activity of the starch and cell wall degradation-related genes. Moreover, the F-box protein MaEBF1 does not modulate the degradation of MaBEL1, which regulates the transcription of MaABI5-like protein. Overall, we report a novel MaBEL1-MaEBF1-MaABI5-like complex system that mediates the fruit softening and ripening disorder in "Fenjiao" bananas caused by cold stress.
PMID: 37177912
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2023 May , V74 (10) : P3142-3162 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erad073
Nitrogen supply alleviates cold stress by increasing photosynthesis and nitrogen assimilation in maize seedlings.
Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing 100081, China.
Cold stress inhibits the early growth of maize, leading to reduced productivity. Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient that stimulates maize growth and productivity, but the relationship between N availability and cold tolerance is poorly characterized. Therefore, we studied the acclimation of maize under combined cold stress and N treatments. Exposure to cold stress caused a decline in growth and N assimilation, but increased abscisic acid (ABA) and carbohydrate accumulation. The application of different N concentrations from the priming stage to the recovery period resulted in the following observations: (i) high N supply alleviated cold stress-dependent growth inhibition, as shown by increased biomass, chlorophyll and Rubisco content and PSII efficiency; (ii) cold stress-induced ABA accumulation was repressed under high N, presumably due to enhanced stomatal conductance; (iii) the mitigating effects of high N on cold stress could be due to the increased activities of N assimilation enzymes and improved redox homeostasis. After cold stress, the ability of maize seedlings to recover increased under high N treatment, indicating the potential role of high N in the cold stress tolerance of maize seedlings.
PMID: 36847687
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2023 Jul , V242 (Pt 4) : P125090 doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125090
Poplar CCR4-associated factor PtCAF1I is necessary for poplar development and defense response.
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: wangpu@njfu.edu.cn.; Jiangsu Academy of Forestry, Nanjing 211153, China.; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: czswb@njfu.edu.cn.; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.; Jiangsu Provincial Key Construction Laboratory of Special Biomass Resource Utilization, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing 211171, China.; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: dwli@njfu.edu.cn.; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: qzhuge@njfu.edu.cn.
Poplar is one of the most widely used tree species in afforestation projects. CCR4 associated factor 1 (CAF1) is a major member of CCR4-NOT and plays an important role in eukaryotic mRNA deadenylation. However, its role in poplar remains unclear. In this study, the full-length cDNA of the PtCAF1I gene was cloned from the poplar by screening the highly expressed PtCAF1I gene in the identified PtCAF1 gene family by poplar sterilization. PtCAF1I was localized in the nucleus. Through sequence alignment, it was found that the PtCAF1I sequence contains three motifs and is highly similar to the CAF1 protein sequence of other species. In the quantitative expression analysis of tissues, the expression of PtCAF1I in different tissues of Populus trichocarpa, 'Nanlin895', and Shanxinyang was not much different. In addition, the analysis of the expression of the PtCAF1I gene under different stress treatments showed that PtCAF1I responded to abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), NaCl, PEG(6000), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and cold stress to different degrees. To study the potential biological functions of PtCAF1I, 6 transgenic lines were obtained through transformation using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens infection system. The transcriptome sequencing results showed that DEGs were mainly concentrated in pathways of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and carotenoid biosynthesis. Compared with WT poplar, the contents of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, total sugar, and flavonoids, and the cell wall thickness of PtCAF1I overexpression poplars were significantly higher. Under Septotinia populiperda treatment, transgenic poplars clearly exhibited certain disease resistance. Meanwhile, upregulation of the expression of JA and SA pathway-related genes also contributed to improving the disease tolerance of transgenic poplar. In conclusion, our results suggest that PtCAF1I plays an important role in the growth and development of poplars and their resistance to pathogens.
PMID: 37247707
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2023 May , 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 Jun , 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
Sci Data , IF:6.444 , 2023 Jun , V10 (1) : P399 doi: 10.1038/s41597-023-02307-8
A phylotranscriptomic dataset of angiosperm species under cold stress.
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Hangzhou, China.; Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Yumin Road 7, Sanya, 572025, China.; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, 311300, Hangzhou, China. wwwu@zafu.edu.cn.
Angiosperms are one of the most diverse and abundant plant groups that are widely distributed on Earth, from tropical to temperate and polar zones. The wide distribution of angiosperms may be attributed to the evolution of sophisticated mechanisms of environmental adaptability, including cold tolerance. Since the development of high-throughput sequencing, transcriptome has been widely utilized to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of plants in response to cold stress. However, previous studies generally focused on single or two species, and comparative transcriptome analyses for multispecies responding to cold stress were limited. In this study, we selected 11 representative angiosperm species, performed phylotranscriptome experiments at four time points before and after cold stress, and presented a profile of cold-induced transcriptome changes in angiosperms. Our multispecies cold-responsive RNA-seq datasets provide valuable references for exploring conserved and evolutionary mechanisms of angiosperms in adaptation to cold stress.
PMID: 37349352
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2023 Jun , V114 (6) : P1301-1318 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 Jun , V114 (6) : P1385-1404 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
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 Jun , V24 (12) doi: 10.3390/ijms241210059
Transcriptome Analysis Reveals That Ascorbic Acid Treatment Enhances the Cold Tolerance of Tea Plants through Cell Wall Remodeling.
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.; Key Laboratory of Tea Science in Universities of Fujian Province, College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.; College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
Cold stress is a major environmental factor that adversely affects the growth and productivity of tea plants. Upon cold stress, tea plants accumulate multiple metabolites, including ascorbic acid. However, the role of ascorbic acid in the cold stress response of tea plants is not well understood. Here, we report that exogenous ascorbic acid treatment improves the cold tolerance of tea plants. We show that ascorbic acid treatment reduces lipid peroxidation and increases the Fv/Fm of tea plants under cold stress. Transcriptome analysis indicates that ascorbic acid treatment down-regulates the expression of ascorbic acid biosynthesis genes and ROS-scavenging-related genes, while modulating the expression of cell wall remodeling-related genes. Our findings suggest that ascorbic acid treatment negatively regulates the ROS-scavenging system to maintain ROS homeostasis in the cold stress response of tea plants and that ascorbic acid's protective role in minimizing the harmful effects of cold stress on tea plants may occur through cell wall remodeling. Ascorbic acid can be used as a potential agent to increase the cold tolerance of tea plants with no pesticide residual concerns in tea.
PMID: 37373207
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 May , V24 (11) doi: 10.3390/ijms24119514
Cloning and Functional Characterization of Cold-Inducible MYB-like 17 Transcription Factor in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan 430062, China.
Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important crop for edible oil, vegetables, and biofuel. Rapeseed growth and development require a minimum temperature of ~1-3 degrees C. Notably, frost damage occurs during overwintering, posing a serious threat to the productivity and yield of rapeseed. MYB proteins are important transcription factors (TFs) in plants, and have been proven to be involved in the regulation of stress responses. However, the roles of the MYB TFs in rapeseed under cold stress conditions are yet to be fully elucidated. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of one MYB-like 17 gene, BnaMYBL17, in response to low temperature, the present study found that the transcript level of BnaMYBL17 is induced by cold stress. To characterize the gene's function, the 591 bp coding sequence (CDS) from rapeseed was isolated and stably transformed into rapeseed. The further functional analysis revealed significant sensitivity in BnaMYBL17 overexpression lines (BnaMYBL17-OE) after freezing stress, suggesting its involvement in freezing response. A total of 14,298 differentially expressed genes relative to freezing response were found based on transcriptomic analysis of BnaMYBL17-OE. Overall, 1321 candidate target genes were identified based on differential expression, including Phospholipases C1 (PLC1), FCS-like zinc finger 8 (FLZ8), and Kinase on the inside (KOIN). The qPCR results confirmed that the expression levels of certain genes showed fold changes ranging from two to six when compared between BnaMYBL17-OE and WT lines after exposure to freezing stress. Furthermore, verification indicated that BnaMYBL17 affects the promoter of BnaPLC1, BnaFLZ8, and BnaKOIN genes. In summary, the results suggest that BnaMYBL17 acts as a transcriptional repressor in regulating certain genes related to growth and development during freezing stress. These findings provide valuable genetic and theoretical targets for molecular breeding to enhance freezing tolerance in rapeseed.
PMID: 37298461
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 May , V24 (11) doi: 10.3390/ijms24119381
Transcription Factor VvDREB2A from Vitis vinifera Improves Cold Tolerance.
Key Lab of Plant Biotechnology in University of Shandong Province, College of Life Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.
Low temperatures restrict the growth of the grapevine industry. The DREB transcription factors are involved in the abiotic stress response. Here, we isolated the VvDREB2A gene from Vitis vinifera cultivar 'Zuoyouhong' tissue culture seedlings. The full-length VvDREB2A cDNA was 1068 bp, encoding 355 amino acids, which contained an AP2 conserved domain belonging to the AP2 family. Using transient expression in leaves of tobacco, VvDREB2A was localized to the nucleus, and it potentiated transcriptional activity in yeasts. Expression analysis revealed that VvDREB2A was expressed in various grapevine tissues, with the highest expression in leaves. VvDREB2A was induced by cold and the stress-signaling molecules H(2)S, nitric oxide, and abscisic acid. Furthermore, VvDREB2A-overexpressing Arabidopsis was generated to analyze its function. Under cold stress, the Arabidopsis overexpressing lines exhibited better growth and higher survival rates than the wild type. The content of oxygen free radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde decreased, and antioxidant enzyme activities were enhanced. The content of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) also increased in the VvDREB2A-overexpressing lines. Moreover, the expression of cold stress-related genes (COR15A, COR27, COR6.6, and RD29A) was also enhanced. Taken together, as a transcription factor, VvDREB2A improves plants resistance to cold stress by scavenging reactive oxygen species, increasing the RFO amount, and inducing cold stress-related gene expression levels.
PMID: 37298332
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 May , V24 (11) doi: 10.3390/ijms24119186
Effects of Low Temperature on Pedicel Abscission and Auxin Synthesis Key Genes of Tomato.
College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.; Modern Protected Horticulture Engineering & Technology Center, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.; National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Northern Horticultural Facilities Design & Application Technology (Liaoning), Shenyang 110866, China.; Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Ministry of Education, Shenyang 110866, China.
Cold stress usually causes the abscission of floral organs and a decline in fruit setting rate, seriously reducing tomato yield. Auxin is one of the key hormones that affects the abscission of plant floral organs; the YUCCA (YUC) family is a key gene in the auxin biosynthesis pathway, but there are few research reports on the abscission of tomato flower organs. This experiment found that, under low temperature stress, the expression of auxin synthesis genes increased in stamens but decreased in pistils. Low temperature treatment decreased pollen vigor and pollen germination rate. Low night temperature reduced the tomato fruit setting rate and led to parthenocarpy, and the treatment effect was most obvious in the early stage of tomato pollen development. The abscission rate of tomato pTRV-Slfzy3 and pTRV-Slfzy5 silenced plants was higher than that of the control, which is the key auxin synthesis gene affecting the abscission rate. The expression of Solyc07g043580 was down-regulated after low night temperature treatment. Solyc07g043580 encodes the bHLH-type transcription factor SlPIF4. It has been reported that PIF4 regulates the expression of auxin synthesis and synthesis genes, and is a key protein in the interaction between low temperature stress and light in regulating plant development.
PMID: 37298137
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 May , V24 (10) doi: 10.3390/ijms24108829
Genome-Wide Identification of the MAPK and MAPKK Gene Families in Response to Cold Stress in Prunus mume.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Ornamental Plants Germplasm Innovation and Molecular Breeding, National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture, Beijing Laboratory of Urban and Rural Ecological Environment, School of Landscape Architecture, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.; Center for Computational Biology, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China.
Protein kinases of the MAPK cascade family (MAPKKK-MAPKK-MAPK) play an essential role in plant stress response and hormone signal transduction. However, their role in the cold hardiness of Prunus mume (Mei), a class of ornamental woody plant, remains unclear. In this study, we use bioinformatic approaches to assess and analyze two related protein kinase families, namely, MAP kinases (MPKs) and MAPK kinases (MKKs), in wild P. mume and its variety P. mume var. tortuosa. We identify 11 PmMPK and 7 PmMKK genes in the former species and 12 PmvMPK and 7 PmvMKK genes in the latter species, and we investigate whether and how these gene families contribute to cold stress responses. Members of the MPK and MKK gene families located on seven and four chromosomes of both species are free of tandem duplication. Four, three, and one segment duplication events are exhibited in PmMPK, PmvMPK, and PmMKK, respectively, suggesting that segment duplications play an essential role in the expansion and evolution of P. mume and its gene variety. Moreover, synteny analysis suggests that most MPK and MKK genes have similar origins and involved similar evolutionary processes in P. mume and its variety. A cis-acting regulatory element analysis shows that MPK and MKK genes may function in P. mume and its variety's development, modulating processes such as light response, anaerobic induction, and abscisic acid response as well as responses to a variety of stresses, such as low temperature and drought. Most PmMPKs and PmMKKs exhibited tissue-specifific expression patterns, as well as time-specific expression patterns that protect them through cold. In a low-temperature treatment experiment with the cold-tolerant cultivar P. mume 'Songchun' and the cold-sensitive cultivar 'Lve', we find that almost all PmMPK and PmMKK genes, especially PmMPK3/5/6/20 and PmMKK2/3/6, dramatically respond to cold stress as treatment duration increases. This study introduces the possibility that these family members contribute to P. mume's cold stress response. Further investigation is warranted to understand the mechanistic functions of MAPK and MAPKK proteins in P. mume development and response to cold stress.
PMID: 37240174
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 May , V24 (10) doi: 10.3390/ijms24108755
Genome-Wide Identification and Analysis of OsSPXs Revealed Its Genetic Influence on Cold Tolerance of Dongxiang Wild Rice (DXWR).
Rice National Engineering Research Center (Nanchang), Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang 330200, China.; Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China.
SPX-domain proteins (small proteins with only the SPX domain) have been proven to be involved in phosphate-related signal transduction and regulation pathways. Except for OsSPX1 research showing that it plays a role in the process of rice adaptation to cold stress, the potential functions of other SPX genes in cold stress are unknown. Therefore, in this study, we identified six OsSPXs from the whole genome of DXWR. The phylogeny of OsSPXs has a strong correlation with its motif. Transcriptome data analysis showed that OsSPXs were highly sensitive to cold stress, and real-time PCR verified that the levels of OsSPX1, OsSPX2, OsSPX4, and OsSPX6 in cold-tolerant materials (DXWR) during cold treatment were higher than that of cold-sensitive rice (GZX49). The promoter region of DXWR OsSPXs contains a large number of cis-acting elements related to abiotic stress tolerance and plant hormone response. At the same time, these genes have expression patterns that are highly similar to cold-tolerance genes. This study provides useful information about OsSPXs, which is helpful for the gene-function research of DXWR and genetic improvements during breeding.
PMID: 37240100
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2023 May , V24 (10) doi: 10.3390/ijms24108670
BcMYB111 Responds to BcCBF2 and Induces Flavonol Biosynthesis to Enhance Tolerance under Cold Stress in Non-Heading Chinese Cabbage.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (East China), Engineering Research Center of Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization of Horticultural Crops, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.; Nanjing Suman Plasma Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., Nanjing 211162, China.
Flavonols have been shown to respond to a variety of abiotic stresses in plants, including cold stress. Higher total flavonoid content was found in non-heading Chinese cabbage (NHCC, Brassica campestris (syn. Brassica rapa) ssp. chinensis) after cold stress. A non-targeted metabolome analysis showed a significant increase in flavonol content, including that of quercetin and kaempferol. Here, we found that an R2R3-MYB transcription factor, BcMYB111, may play a role in this process. BcMYB111 was up-regulated in response to cold treatment, with an accompanying accumulation of flavonols. Then, it was found that BcMYB111 could regulate the synthesis of flavonols by directly binding to the promoters of BcF3H and BcFLS1. In the transgenic hairy roots of NHCC or stable transgenic Arabidopsis, overexpression of BcMYB111 increased flavonol synthesis and accumulation, while these were reduced in virus-induced gene silencing lines in NHCC. After cold stress, the higher proline content and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content showed that there was less damage in transgenic Arabidopsis than in the wild-type (WT). The BcMYB111 transgenic lines performed better in terms of antioxidant capacity because of their lower H(2)O(2) content and higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) enzyme activities. In addition, a key cold signaling gene, BcCBF2, could specifically bind to the DRE element and activate the expression of BcMYB111 in vitro and in vivo. The results suggested that BcMYB111 played a positive role in enhancing the flavonol synthesis and cold tolerance of NHCC. Taken together, these findings reveal that cold stress induces the accumulation of flavonols to increase tolerance via the pathway of BcCBF2-BcMYB111-BcF3H/BcFLS1 in NHCC.
PMID: 37240015
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1159016 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1159016
Genome-wide association analysis provides insights into the genetic basis of photosynthetic responses to low-temperature stress in spring barley.
Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.; Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.; Bio Industrial Services Division, InnoTech Alberta Inc., Vegreville, AB, Canada.; International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Giza, Egypt.; Department of Renewable Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.; Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Low-temperature stress (LTS) is among the major abiotic stresses affecting the geographical distribution and productivity of the most important crops. Understanding the genetic basis of photosynthetic variation under cold stress is necessary for developing more climate-resilient barley cultivars. To that end, we investigated the ability of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (F(V)F(M,) and F(V)F(0)) to respond to changes in the maximum quantum yield of Photosystem II photochemistry as an indicator of photosynthetic energy. A panel of 96 barley spring cultivars from different breeding zones of Canada was evaluated for chlorophyll fluorescence-related traits under cold acclimation and freeze shock stresses at different times. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed using a mixed linear model (MLM). We identified three major and putative genomic regions harboring 52 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) on chromosomes 1H, 3H, and 6H for low-temperature tolerance. Functional annotation indicated several QTNs were either within the known or close to genes that play important roles in the photosynthetic metabolites such as abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, hydrolase activity, protein kinase, and transduction of environmental signal transduction at the posttranslational modification levels. These outcomes revealed that barley plants modified their gene expression profile in response to decreasing temperatures resulting in physiological and biochemical modifications. Cold tolerance could influence a long-term adaption of barley in many parts of the world. Since the degree and frequency of LTS vary considerably among production sites. Hence, these results could shed light on potential approaches for improving barley productivity under low-temperature stress.
PMID: 37346141
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1189662 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1189662
A genome-wide association study of freezing tolerance in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) germplasm of European origin.
Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), As, Norway.; Plant Sciences Unit, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Melle, Belgium.; INRAE P3F, Lusignan, France.; IBERS, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom.; Group of Fodder Plant Breeding, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland.; Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Improvement of persistency is an important breeding goal in red clover (Trifolium pratense L.). In areas with cold winters, lack of persistency is often due to poor winter survival, of which low freezing tolerance (FT) is an important component. We conducted a genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify loci associated with freezing tolerance in a collection of 393 red clover accessions, mostly of European origin, and performed analyses of linkage disequilibrium and inbreeding. Accessions were genotyped as pools of individuals using genotyping-by-sequencing (pool-GBS), generating both single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and haplotype allele frequency data at accession level. Linkage disequilibrium was determined as a squared partial correlation between the allele frequencies of pairs of SNPs and found to decay at extremely short distances (< 1 kb). The level of inbreeding, inferred from the diagonal elements of a genomic relationship matrix, varied considerably between different groups of accessions, with the strongest inbreeding found among ecotypes from Iberia and Great Britain, and the least found among landraces. Considerable variation in FT was found, with LT50-values (temperature at which 50% of the plants are killed) ranging from -6.0 degrees C to -11.5 degrees C. SNP and haplotype-based GWAS identified eight and six loci significantly associated with FT (of which only one was shared), explaining 30% and 26% of the phenotypic variation, respectively. Ten of the loci were found within or at a short distance (<0.5 kb) from genes possibly involved in mechanisms affecting FT. These include a caffeoyl shikimate esterase, an inositol transporter, and other genes involved in signaling, transport, lignin synthesis and amino acid or carbohydrate metabolism. This study paves the way for a better understanding of the genetic control of FT and for the development of molecular tools for the improvement of this trait in red clover through genomics assisted breeding.
PMID: 37235014
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2023 , V14 : P1140270 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1140270
Cold stress resilience of Iranian olive genetic resources: evidence from autochthonous genotypes diversity.
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran.; Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.; Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Perugia, Italy.
Olive (Olea europaea L.) is one of the most cultivated tree species in Iran. This plant is characterized by its tolerance to drought, salt, and heat stresses while being vulnerable to frost. During the last decade, periods of frost have occurred several times in Golestan Province, in the northeast of Iran, which caused severe damage to olive groves. This study aimed to evaluate and individuate autochthonous Iranian olive varieties with regard to frost tolerance and good agronomic performance. For this purpose, 218 frost-tolerant olive trees were selected from 150,000 adult olive trees (15-25 years old), following the last harsh autumn of 2016. The selected trees were reassessed at different intervals, i.e., 1, 4, and 7 months after the cold stress in field conditions. Using 19 morpho-agronomic traits, 45 individual trees with relatively stable frost-tolerance were reevaluated and selected for this research. Ten highly discriminating microsatellite markers were used for the genetic profiling of the 45 selected olive trees, and, ultimately, five genotypes with the highest tolerance among 45 selected ones were placed in a cold room at freezing temperatures for image analyses of cold damage. The results of morpho-agronomic analyses evidenced no bark splitting or symptoms of leaf drop in the 45 cold-tolerant olives (CTOs). The oil content of the cold-tolerant trees comprised almost 40% of the fruit dry weight, highlighting the potential of these varieties for oil production. Moreover, through molecular characterization, 36 unique molecular profiles were individuated among the 45 analyzed CTOs that were genetically more similar to the Mediterranean olive cultivars than the Iranian ones. The present study demonstrated the high potential of local olive varieties, which would be promising and more suitable than commercial olive varieties, with regard to the establishment of olive groves under cold climate conditions. This could be a valuable genetic resource for future breeding activities to face climate changes.
PMID: 37229112
Theor Appl Genet , IF:5.699 , 2023 May , V136 (6) : P135 doi: 10.1007/s00122-023-04388-w
qCTB7 positively regulates cold tolerance at booting stage in rice.
Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.; Institute of Crop Cultivation and Cultivation, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150086, China.; Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China. hualongneau@163.com.; Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China. dtzouneau@126.com.
LOC_Os07g07690 on qCTB7 is associated with cold tolerance at the booting stage in rice, and analysis of transgenic plants demonstrated that qCTB7 influenced cold tolerance by altering the morphology and cytoarchitecture of anthers and pollen. Cold tolerance at the booting stage (CTB) in rice can significantly affect yield in high-latitude regions. Although several CTB genes have been isolated, their ability to induce cold tolerance is insufficient to ensure adequate rice yields in cold regions at high latitudes. Here, we identified the PHD-finger domain-containing protein gene qCTB7 using QTL-seq and linkage analysis through systematic measurement of CTB differences and the spike fertility of the Longjing31 and Longdao3 cultivars, resulting in the derivation of 1570 F2 progeny under cold stress. We then characterized the function of qCTB7 in rice. It was found that overexpression of qCTB7 promoted CTB and the same yield as Longdao3 under normal growing conditions while the phenotype of qctb7 knockout showed anther and pollen failure under cold stress. When subjected to cold stress, the germination of qctb7 pollen on the stigma was reduced, resulting in lower spike fertility. These findings indicate that qCTB7 regulates the appearance, morphology, and cytoarchitecture of the anthers and pollen. Three SNPs in the promoter region and coding region of qCTB7 were identified as recognition signals for CTB in rice and could assist breeding efforts to improve cold tolerance for rice production in high latitudes.
PMID: 37222778
Front Microbiol , IF:5.64 , 2023 , V14 : P1123632 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1123632
Role of melatonin in enhancing arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and mitigating cold stress in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.).
State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Melatonin is a biomolecule that affects plant development and is involved in protecting plants from environmental stress. However, the mechanisms of melatonin's impact on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis and cold tolerance in plants are still unclear. In this research, AM fungi inoculation and exogenous melatonin (MT) were applied to perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) seedlings alone or in combination to investigate their effect on cold tolerance. The study was conducted in two parts. The initial trial examined two variables, AM inoculation, and cold stress, to investigate the involvement of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis in endogenous melatonin accumulation and the transcriptional levels of its synthesis genes in the root system of perennial ryegrass under cold stress. The subsequent trial was designed as a three-factor analysis, encompassing AM inoculation, cold stress, and melatonin application, to explore the effects of exogenous melatonin application on plant growth, AM symbiosis, antioxidant activity, and protective molecules in perennial ryegrass subjected to cold stress. The results of the study showed that compared to non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants, cold stress promoted an increase in the accumulation of melatonin in the AM-colonized counterparts. Acetylserotonin methyltransferase (ASMT) catalyzed the final enzymatic reaction in melatonin production. Melatonin accumulation was associated with the level of expression of the genes, LpASMT1 and LpASMT3. Treatment with melatonin can improve the colonization of AM fungi in plants. Simultaneous utilization of AM inoculation and melatonin treatment enhanced the growth, antioxidant activity, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) activity, while simultaneously reducing polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity and altering osmotic regulation in the roots. These effects are expected to aid in the mitigation of cold stress in Lolium perenne. Overall, melatonin treatment would help Lolium perenne to improve growth by promoting AM symbiosis, improving the accumulation of protective molecules, and triggering in antioxidant activity under cold stress.
PMID: 37283923
Front Microbiol , IF:5.64 , 2023 , V14 : P1139679 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1139679
The transcription factor Ste12-like increases the mycelial abiotic stress tolerance and regulates the fruiting body development of Flammulina filiformis.
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Protection, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, China.; Mycological Research Center, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
INTRODUCTION: Flammulina filiformis is one of the most commercially important edible fungi worldwide, with its nutritional value and medicinal properties. It becomes a good model species to study the tolerance of abiotic stress during mycelia growth in edible mushroom cultivation. Transcription factor Ste12 has been reported to be involved in the regulation of stress tolerance and sexual reproduction in fungi. METHODS: In this study, identification and phylogenetic analysis of ste12-like was performed by bioinformatics methods. Four ste12-like overexpression transformants of F. filiformis were constructed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Phylogenetic analysis showed that Ste12-like contained conserved amino acid sequences. All the overexpression transformants were more tolerant to salt stress, cold stress and oxidative stress than wild-type strains. In the fruiting experiment, the number of fruiting bodies of overexpression transformants increased compared with wild-type strains, but the growth rate of stipes slowed down. It suggested that gene ste12-like was involved in the regulation of abiotic stress tolerance and fruiting body development in F. filiformis.
PMID: 37213522
J Agric Food Chem , IF:5.279 , 2023 May , V71 (19) : P7348-7358 doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c00559
Integrated Physiological, Transcriptomic, and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of Guvermectin Promoting Seed Germination in Direct-Seeded Rice under Chilling Stress.
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.; State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.
Rice direct seeding technology has been considered as a promising alternative to traditional transplanting because of its advantages in saving labor and water. However, the poor emergence and seedling growth caused by chill stress are the main bottlenecks in wide-scale adoption of direct-seeded rice in Heilongjiang Province, China. Here, we found that natural plant growth regulator guvermectin (GV) effectively improved rice seed germination and seedling growth under chilling stress. Results from 2 year field trials showed that seed-soaking with GV not only enhanced the emergence rate and seedling growth but also increased the panicle number per plant and grain number per panicle, resulting in 9.0 and 6.8% increase in the yield of direct-seeded rice, respectively. Integrative physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic assays revealed that GV promoted seed germination under chilling stress mainly by enhancing the activities of alpha-amylase and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase), increasing the contents of soluble sugar and soluble protein, improving the biosynthesis of glutathione and flavonoids, as well as activating gibberellin-responsive transcription factors and inhibiting the abscisic acid signaling pathway. These findings indicate that seed-soaking with GV has good potential to improve seedling establishment and yield of direct-seeded rice even under chilling stress.
PMID: 37129443
Metabolites , IF:4.932 , 2023 May , V13 (5) doi: 10.3390/metabo13050672
Changes in the Carbohydrate Profile in Common Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) Seedlings Induced by Cold Stress and Dehydration.
Department of Plant Physiology, Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury, Oczapowskiego 1a, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland.
Plant species are sensitive to stresses, especially at the seedling stage, and they respond to these conditions by making metabolic changes to counteract the negative effects of this. The objectives of this study were to determine carbohydrate profile in particular organs (roots, hypocotyl, and cotyledons) of common buckwheat seedlings and to verify whether carbohydrate accumulation is similar or not in the organs in response to cold stress and dehydration. Roots, hypocotyl, and cotyledons of common buckwheat seedlings have various saccharide compositions. The highest concentrations of cyclitols, raffinose, and stachyose were found in the hypocotyl, indicating that they may be transported from cotyledons, although this needs further studies. Accumulation of raffinose and stachyose is a strong indicator of the response of all buckwheat organs to introduced cold stress. Besides, cold conditions reduced d-chiro-inositol content, but did not affect d-pinitol level. Enhanced accumulation of raffinose and stachyose were also a distinct response of all organs against dehydration at ambient temperature. The process causes also a large decrease in the content of d-pinitol in buckwheat hypocotyl, which may indicate its transformation to d-chiro-inositol whose content increased at that time. In general, the sucrose and its galactosides in hypocotyl tissues were subject to the highest changes to the applied cold and dehydration conditions compared to the cotyledons and roots. This may indicate tissue differences in the functioning of the protective system(s) against such threats.
PMID: 37233712
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
Front Genet , IF:4.599 , 2023 , V14 : P1201535 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1201535
Characterization of HSP70 family in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus): identification, structure, evolution, and potential function in response to ABA, cold and drought stress.
School of Wine and Horticulture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China.; Key Laboratory of Modern Molecular Breeding for Dominant and Special Crops in Ningxia, Yinchuan, China.; Ningxia Modern Facility Horticulture Engineering Technology Research Center, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.; Ningxia Facility Horticulture Technology Innovation Center, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China.
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) as a crop with important economic value, is widely cultivated around the world. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family in plant is indispensable under stress conditions. However, no comprehensive analysis of watermelon HSP70 family is reported to date. In this study, 12 ClHSP70 genes were identified from watermelon, which were unevenly located in 7 out of 11 chromosomes and divided into three subfamilies. ClHSP70 proteins were predicted to be localized primarily in cytoplasm, chloroplast, and endoplasmic reticulum. Two pairs of segmental repeats and 1 pair of tandem repeats existed in ClHSP70 genes, and ClHSP70s underwent strong purification selection. There were many abscisic acid (ABA) and abiotic stress response elements in ClHSP70 promoters. Additionally, the transcriptional levels of ClHSP70s in roots, stems, true leaves, and cotyledons were also analyzed. Some of ClHSP70 genes were also strongly induced by ABA. Furthermore, ClHSP70s also had different degrees of response to drought and cold stress. The above data indicate that ClHSP70s may be participated in growth and development, signal transduction and abiotic stress response, laying a foundation for further analysis of the function of ClHSP70s in biological processes.
PMID: 37323666
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2023 Jun : Pe13953 doi: 10.1111/ppl.13953
Biochemical changes after cold acclimation in Nordic red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) accessions with contrasting levels of freezing tolerance.
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Dept. of Plant Sciences, As, Norway.; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Quebec City, QB, Canada.; Centre for Veterinary Drug Residues, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.; College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
The ability to tolerate low freezing temperatures is an important component of winter survival and persistence of red clover. Cold acclimation (CA) allows plants to acquire higher levels of freezing tolerance. However, the biochemical responses to cold and the importance of such changes for the plant to acquire adequate freezing tolerance have not been investigated in red clover of Nordic origin, which has a distinct genetic background. To shed light on this, we selected five freezing tolerant (FT) and five freezing susceptible (FS) accessions and studied the effect of CA on the contents of carbohydrates, amino acids and phenolic compounds in the crowns. Among those compounds which increased during CA, FT accessions had higher contents of raffinose, pinitol, arginine, serine, alanine, valine, phenylalanine and one phenolic compound (a pinocembrin hexoside derivative) than FS accessions, suggesting a role for these compounds in the freezing tolerance in the selected accessions. These findings, together with a description of the phenolic profile of red clover crowns, significantly add to the current knowledge of the biochemical changes during CA and their role in freezing tolerance in Nordic red clover. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 37318218
Sci Rep , IF:4.379 , 2023 Jun , V13 (1) : P10138 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-37038-8
A statistical modeling approach based on the small-scale field trial and meteorological data for preliminary prediction of the impact of low temperature on Eucalyptus globulus trees.
Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.; Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan. ta1oguchi@gene.tsukuba.ac.jp.; Tsukuba Plant Innovation Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Gene Research Center Bldg., Ten-Nodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan. ta1oguchi@gene.tsukuba.ac.jp.; Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.; Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.; Tsukuba Plant Innovation Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Gene Research Center Bldg., Ten-Nodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan.
Eucalyptus trees are important for industrial forestry plantations because of their high potential for biomass production, but their susceptibility to damage at low temperatures restricts their plantation areas. In this study, a 6-year field trial of Eucalyptus globulus was conducted in Tsukuba, Japan, which is the northernmost reach of Eucalyptus plantations, and leaf damage was quantitatively monitored over four of six winters. Leaf photosynthetic quantum yield (QY) levels, an indicator of cold stress-induced damage, fluctuated synchronously with temperature in the winters. We performed a maximum likelihood estimation of the regression model explaining leaf QY using training data subsets for the first 3 years. The resulting model explained QY by the number of days when the daily maximum temperature was below 9.5 degrees C over approximately the last 7 weeks as an explanatory variable. The correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination of prediction by the model between the predicted and observed values were 0.84 and 0.70, respectively. The model was then used to perform two kinds of simulations. Geographical simulations of potential Eucalyptus plantation areas using global meteorological data from more than 5,000 locations around the world successfully predicted an area that generally agreed with the global Eucalyptus plantation distribution reported previously. Another simulation based on meteorological data of the past 70 years suggested that global warming will increase the potential E. globulus plantation area in Japan approximately 1.5-fold over the next 70 years. These results suggest that the model developed herein would be applicable to preliminary predictions of E. globulus cold damage in the field.
PMID: 37349519
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Jul , V200 : P107768 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107768
The transcription factor VaNAC72-regulated expression of the VaCP17 gene from Chinese wild Vitis amurensis enhances cold tolerance in transgenic grape (V. vinifera).
College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China. Electronic address: qhx19971104@163.com.; College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China. Electronic address: 2319909797@qq.com.; College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China. Electronic address: 1272351337@qq.com.; College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China. Electronic address: zhangjx666@126.com.
Papain-like cysteine proteases (PLCP) play diverse roles in plant biology. In our previous studies, a VaCP17 gene from the cold-tolerant Vitis amurensis accession 'Shuangyou' was isolated and its role in cold tolerance was preliminarily verified in Arabidopsis. Here, we confirmed the function of VaCP17 in cold tolerance by stably overexpressing VaCP17 in the cold-sensitive Vitis vinifera cultivar 'Thompson Seedless' and transiently silencing VaCP17 in 'Shuangyou' leaves. The results showed that overexpression of VaCP17 improved the cold tolerance in 'Thompson Seedless' as manifested by reduced electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde accumulation, chlorophyll homeostasis, increased antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase) activitiy, and rapid up-regulation of stress-related genes (VvKIN2, VvRD29B, and VvNCED1) compared with wild-type line. Conversely, RNA interfere-mediated knockdown of VaCP17 in 'Shuangyou' leaves resulted in opposite physiological and biochemical responses and exacerbated leaves wilting compared with control. Subsequently, by yeast one-hybrid, dual-luciferase assays, and transient overexpression of VaNAC72 in 'Shuangyou' leaves, a VaCP17-interacting protein VaNAC72 was confirmed to promote the expression of VaCP17 under cold stress, which depends on abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate, and salicylic acid signaling. By yeast two-hybrids, bimolecular fluorescence complementation and luciferase complementation assays, it was found that VaNAC72 could form homodimers or heterodimers with VaCBF2. Furthermore, co-expression analysis confirmed that VaNAC72 works synergistically with VaCBF2 or VaCP17 to up-regulate the expression of VaCP17. In conclusion, the study revealed that the VaNAC72-VaCP17 module positively regulated cold tolerance in grapevine, and this knowledge is useful for further revealing the cold-tolerance mechanism of V. amurensis and grape molecular breeding.
PMID: 37247556
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Jun , V199 : P107737 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107737
Genome-wide analysis of fatty acid desaturase genes in chia (Salvia hispanica) reveals their crucial roles in cold response and seed oil formation.
Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapeseed, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Crop Quality Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture of Ministry of Education, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.; Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapeseed, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Crop Quality Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture of Ministry of Education, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Faculte des Sciences Agronomiques, Universite Pedagogique Nationale (UPN), Kinshasa, Congo.; Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Rapeseed, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Crop Quality Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture of Ministry of Education, Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China. Electronic address: chaiyourong2@163.com.
Chia (Salvia hispanica) is a functional food crop with high alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the omega-3 essential fatty acid, but its worldwide plantation is limited by cold-intolerance and strict short-photoperiod flowering feature. Fatty acid desaturases (FADs) are responsible for seed oil accumulation, and play important roles in cold stress tolerance of plants. To date, there is no report on systemically genome-wide analysis of FAD genes in chia (ShiFADs). In this study, 31 ShiFAD genes were identified, 3 of which contained 2 alternative splicing transcripts, and they were located in 6 chromosomes of chia. Phylogenetic analysis classified the ShiFAD proteins into 7 groups, with conserved gene structure and MEME motifs within each group. Tandem and segmental duplications coursed the expansion of ShiFAD genes. Numerous cis-regulatory elements, including hormone response elements, growth and development elements, biotic/abiotic stress response elements, and transcription factor binding sites, were predicted in ShiFAD promoters. 24 miRNAs targeting ShiFAD genes were identified at whole-genome level. In total, 15 SSR loci were predicted in ShiFAD genes/promoters. RNA-seq data showed that ShiFAD genes were expressed in various organs with different levels. qRT-PCR detection revealed the inducibility of ShiSAD2 and ShiSAD7 in response to cold stress, and validated the seed-specific expression of ShiSAD11a. Yeast expression of ShiSAD11a confirmed the catalytic activity of its encoded protein, and its heterologous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana significantly increased seed oleic acid content. This work lays a foundation for molecular dissection of chia high-ALA trait and functional study of ShiFAD genes in cold tolerance.
PMID: 37163804
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Jun , V199 : P107708 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107708
Genome-wide identification and functional analysis of ICE genes reveal that Gossypium thurberi "GthICE2" is responsible for cold and drought stress tolerance.
Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University/Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Anyang, China; School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China.; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China; School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226019, China.; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China; National Nanfan Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Sanya, 572025, China.; Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University/Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Anyang, China; School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China; National Nanfan Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Sanya, 572025, China. Electronic address: liufcri@163.com.; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China. Electronic address: zhonglizhou@163.com.; Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University/Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Anyang, China; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, China; National Nanfan Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Sanya, 572025, China. Electronic address: cxycri@163.com.
Cold stress has been found to have a negative impact on cotton growth and annual production. To address this issue, the utilization of cold-tolerant gene resources from wild species of Gossypium is crucial for genetic improvements in cultivated cotton. ICE (inducer of CBF expression) are the key regulators of cold tolerance in plants, however, there is relatively little information on ICE genes in cotton. Herein, we performed comprehensive bioinformatics analyses of the ICE gene family in eight cotton species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 52 ICE genes were clustered into four subgroups. Cis-regulatory elements analysis suggests that the expression of ICE genes might be regulated by light, plant hormones, and various environment stresses. Higher expression of GthICE2 was observed in leaves as compared to roots and stems, in response to cold, drought, and exogenous hormone ABA. Furthermore, overexpression of GthICE2 in A. thaliana led to higher germination and survival rates, longer root length, lower ion leakage, and induction under cold and drought stress. Histochemical staining showed that oxidative damage in transgenic lines was much lower compared to wild-type plants. Lower MDA contents and higher SOD and POD activities were observed in overexpressed plants. Y1H and LUC assays revealed that GthICE2 might activate the expression of GthCBF4, a cold-responsive gene, by connecting with the MYC cis-element present in the promoter of GthCBF4. GthICE2 confers cold and drought stress tolerance in cotton. Our findings add significantly to the existing knowledge regarding cold stress tolerance and helps to elucidate cold response mechanisms in cotton.
PMID: 37116225
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 May , V201 : P107799 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107799
Transcriptomic and physiological analyses reveal changes in secondary metabolite and endogenous hormone in ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) in response to postharvest chilling stress.
Spice Crops Research Institute, College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434025, Hubei, China.; Jingzhou Jiazhiyuan Biotechnology Co. Ltd., Jingzhou, 434025, Hubei, China.; College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434025, Hubei, China.; Spice Crops Research Institute, College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434025, Hubei, China. Electronic address: liung906@163.com.; Spice Crops Research Institute, College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434025, Hubei, China. Electronic address: xbnlzyx@163.com.
Storing postharvest ginger at low temperatures can extend its shelf life, but can also lead to chilling injury, loss of flavor, and excessive water loss. To investigate the effects of chilling stress on ginger quality, morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic changes were examined after storage at 26 degrees C, 10 degrees C, and 2 degrees C for 24 h. Compared to 26 degrees C and 10 degrees C, storage at 2 degrees C significantly increased the concentrations of lignin, soluble sugar, flavonoids, and phenolics, as well as the accumulation of H(2)O(2), O(2-), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Additionally, chilling stress inhibited the levels of indoleacetic acid, while enhancing gibberellin, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid, which may have increased postharvest ginger's adaptation to chilling. Storage at 10 degrees C decreased lignin concentration and oxidative damage, and induced less fluctuant changes in enzymes and hormones than storage at 2 degrees C. RNA-seq revealed that the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) increased with decreasing temperature. Functional enrichment analysis of the 523 DEGs that exhibited similar expression patterns between all treatments indicated that they were primarily enriched in phytohormone signaling, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and cold-associated MAPK signaling pathways. Key enzymes related to 6-gingerol and curcumin biosynthesis were downregulated at 2 degrees C, suggesting that cold storage may negatively impact ginger quality. Additionally, 2 degrees C activated the MKK4/5-MPK3/6-related protein kinase pathway, indicating that chilling may increase the risk of ginger pathogenesis.
PMID: 37271022
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2023 Jun , V199 : P107747 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2023.107747
Unraveling molecular mechanisms underlying low-temperature adaptation in Laguncularia racemosa.
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China.; State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China.; State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China. Electronic address: yangych68@mail.sysu.edu.cn.; Mangrove institute, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, 524048, China. Electronic address: Zhangyingred@lingnan.edu.cn.; Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China. Electronic address: hnsylq@163.com.
Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F. Gaertn is a controversial species in China, in terms of being a pioneer species for mangrove restoration and a putative invasive species occupying natural habitats. The tolerance to chilling stress allows L. racemosa to adapt to extreme climate change. However, little is known about the molecular-level chilling resistance mechanisms in L. racemosa, which restricts our understanding of its biological features and invasion potential. In this study, L. racemosa seedlings were treated with freezing temperature (0 degrees C) at four durations (0 h, 3 h, 12 h and 24 h of recovery after treatment), and both physiological and transcriptional regulations underlying chilling stress resistance were investigated. Chilling stress caused damage to the cell membrane system and reduced photosynthesis efficiency of L. racemosa seedlings. To combat the adverse impacts, plasma membrane biosynthesis and antioxidant processes were substantially enhanced. After 24 h of recovery, the seedlings nearly recovered to normal growth condition, except for the processes related to photosynthesis, indicating their vigorous adaptation to short-term chilling stress. Importantly, the individuals from higher latitude displayed better adaptation to chilling injury than those from lower latitude, highlighting the role of long-term heredity x environment interactions in promoting the chilling resistance capacity of L. racemosa. These features allow L. racemosa to survive in extremely cold weather, but may also increase its risk of invasion into intertidal ecosystems. Together, our findings present a comprehensive view of the chilling-adaptative mechanisms of L. racemosa, which provide clues for better evaluating the invasive potential of L. racemosa.
PMID: 37182276
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2023 May , V23 (1) : P260 doi: 10.1186/s12870-023-04269-w
High-resolution Hi-C maps highlight multiscale chromatin architecture reorganization during cold stress in Brachypodium distachyon.
School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China.; School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China. kwang5@ntu.edu.cn.; School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China. jinleihan@ntu.edu.cn.
BACKGROUND: The adaptation of plants to cold stress involves changes in gene expression profiles that are associated with epigenetic regulation. Although the three-dimensional (3D) genome architecture is considered an important epigenetic regulator, the role of 3D genome organization in the cold stress response remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study, we developed high-resolution 3D genomic maps using control and cold-treated leaf tissue of the model plant Brachypodium distachyon using Hi-C to determine how cold stress affects the 3D genome architecture. We generated ~ 1.5 kb resolution chromatin interaction maps and showed that cold stress disrupts different levels of chromosome organization, including A/B compartment transition, a reduction in chromatin compartmentalization and the size of topologically associating domains (TADs), and loss of long-range chromatin loops. Integrating RNA-seq information, we identified cold-response genes and revealed that transcription was largely unaffected by the A/B compartment transition. The cold-response genes were predominantly localized in compartment A. In contrast, transcriptional changes are required for TAD reorganization. We demonstrated that dynamic TAD events were associated with H3K27me3 and H3K27ac state alterations. Moreover, a loss of chromatin looping, rather than a gain of looping, coincides with alterations in gene expression, indicating that chromatin loop disruption may play a more important role than loop formation in the cold-stress response. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the multiscale 3D genome reprogramming that occurs during cold stress and expands our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation in response to cold stress in plants.
PMID: 37193952
Tree Physiol , IF:4.196 , 2023 May doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpad065
Cold temperature and aridity shape the evolution of drought tolerance traits in Tasmanian species of Eucalyptus.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia.
Perennial plant species from water-limiting environments (including climates of extreme drought, heat, and freezing temperatures) have evolved traits that allow them to tolerate these conditions. As such, traits that are associated with water stress may show evidence of adaptation to climate when compared among closely related species inhabiting contrasting climatic conditions. In this study, we tested whether key hydraulic traits linked to drought stress, including the vulnerability of leaves to embolism (P50 leaf) and the minimum diffusive conductance of shoots (gmin) were associated with climatic characteristics of fourteen Tasmanian eucalypt species from sites that vary in precipitation and temperature. Across species, greater cavitation resistance (more negative P50 leaf) was associated with increasing aridity and decreasing minimum temperature. In contrast, gmin showed strong associations with aridity only. Among these Tasmanian eucalypts, evidence suggests that trait variation is influenced by both cold and dry conditions, highlighting the need to consider both aspects when exploring adaptive trait-climate relationships.
PMID: 37208009
Genes (Basel) , IF:4.096 , 2023 May , V14 (6) doi: 10.3390/genes14061140
Genome-Wide Identification and an Evolution Analysis of Tonoplast Monosaccharide Transporter (TMT) Genes in Seven Gramineae Crops and Their Expression Profiling in Rice.
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering for Agriculture, Institute of Biotechnology, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350003, China.; State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.; The Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China.; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan 430074, China.
The tonoplast monosaccharide transporter (TMT) family plays essential roles in sugar transport and plant growth. However, there is limited knowledge about the evolutionary dynamics of this important gene family in important Gramineae crops and putative function of rice TMT genes under external stresses. Here, the gene structural characteristics, chromosomal location, evolutionary relationship, and expression patterns of TMT genes were analyzed at a genome-wide scale. We identified six, three, six, six, four, six, and four TMT genes, respectively, in Brachypodium distachyon (Bd), Hordeum vulgare (Hv), Oryza rufipogon (Or), Oryza sativa ssp. japonica (Os), Sorghum bicolor (Sb), Setaria italica (Si), and Zea mays (Zm). All TMT proteins were divided into three clades based on the phylogenetic tree, gene structures, and protein motifs. The transcriptome data and qRT-PCR experiments suggested that each clade members had different expression patterns in various tissues and multiple reproductive tissues. In addition, the microarray datasets of rice indicated that different rice subspecies responded differently to the same intensity of salt or heat stress. The Fst value results indicated that the TMT gene family in rice was under different selection pressures in the process of rice subspecies differentiation and later selection breeding. Our findings pave the way for further insights into the evolutionary patterns of the TMT gene family in the important Gramineae crops and provide important references for characterizing the functions of rice TMT genes.
PMID: 37372320
Plant Genome , IF:4.089 , 2023 Jun , V16 (2) : 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 Jun , V24 (1) : P297 doi: 10.1186/s12864-023-09376-4
Metabolomics-based exploration the response mechanisms of Saussurea involucrata leaves under different levels of low temperature stress.
Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China.; Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Phytomedicine Resource and Utilization of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China. zhuxxshz@126.com.
BACKGROUND: Saussurea involucrata (Sik.) is alpine plant that have developed special adaptive mechanisms to resist adverse environmental conditions such as low temperature chilling during long-term adaptation and evolution. Exploring the changes of its metabolites under different temperature stresses is helpful to gain insight into its cold stress tolerance. METHODS: Ultra-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry were used to analyze the metabolites in the leaves of Sik. under low different temperature stress conditions. RESULTS: A total of 753 metabolites were identified, and 360 different metabolites were identified according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and amino acids and sugars. Sucrose and trehalose synthesis, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, glutamic acid-mediated proline biosynthesis, purine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, phenylpropane synthesis pathway metabolites all respond to low temperature stress. Under cold stress conditions, carbohydrates in Sik. leaves accumulate first than under freezing conditions, and the lower the temperature under freezing conditions, the less amino acids accumulate, while the phenolic substances increase. The expression of various substances in LPE and LPC increased more than 10-fold after low temperature stress compared with the control, but the content of LPE and LPC substances decreased after cold adaptation. In addition, purines and phenolics decreased and amino acids accumulated significantly under freezing conditions. CONCLUSION: The metabolic network of Sik. leaves under different low temperature stress conditions was proposed, which provided a reference for further exploration of the metabolic mechanism related to low temperature stress tolerance of Sik.
PMID: 37264318
BMC Genomics , IF:3.969 , 2023 May , V24 (1) : P250 doi: 10.1186/s12864-023-09337-x
Effects of differentially expressed microRNAs induced by rootstocks and silicon on improving chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus L.).
College of Horticultural Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China.; Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Environment Controlled Agricultural Engineering in Huang-Huai-Hai Region, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Taian, 271018, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Taian, 271018, China.; Collaborative Innovation Center of Fruit & Vegetable Quality and Efficient Production in Shandong, Taian, 271018, China.; College of Horticultural Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China. minwei@sdau.edu.cn.; Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Environment Controlled Agricultural Engineering in Huang-Huai-Hai Region, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Taian, 271018, China. minwei@sdau.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Taian, 271018, China. minwei@sdau.edu.cn.; Collaborative Innovation Center of Fruit & Vegetable Quality and Efficient Production in Shandong, Taian, 271018, China. minwei@sdau.edu.cn.
BACKGROUND: Rootstocks can improve the chilling tolerance of grafted cucumbers, but their effectiveness varies. Rootstocks with strong de-blooming capacity may result in lower chilling tolerance of grafted cucumbers compared to those with weak de-blooming capacity, while also reducing the silicon absorption. However, it remains unclear whether this reduction in chilling tolerance is due to differences in rootstock genotypes or the reduction in silicon absorption. RESULTS: The chilling tolerance of cucumber seedlings was improved by using rootstocks and silicon nutrition. Rootstocks had a more significant effect than silicon nutrition, and the weak de-blooming rootstock 'Yunnan figleaf gourd' was superior to the strong de-blooming rootstock 'Huangchenggen No. 2'. Compared to self-rooted cucumber, twelve miRNAs were regulated by two rootstocks, including seven identical miRNAs (novel-mir23, novel-mir26, novel-mir30, novel-mir37, novel-mir46, miR395a and miR398a-3p) and five different miRNAs (novel-mir32, novel-mir38, novel-mir65, novel-mir78 and miR397a). Notably, four of these miRNAs (novel-mir38, novel-mir65, novel-mir78 and miR397a) were only identified in 'Yunnan figleaf gourd'-grafted cucumbers. Furthermore, six miRNAs (miR168a-5p, miR390a-5p, novel-mir26, novel-mir55, novel-mir67 and novel-mir70) were found to be responsive to exogenous silicon. Target gene prediction for 20 miRNAs resulted in 520 genes. Functional analysis of these target genes showed that 'Yunnan figleaf gourd' improves the chilling tolerance of cucumber by regulating laccase synthesis and sulfate metabolism, while 'Huangchenggen No. 2' and exogenous silicon reduced chilling stress damage to cucumber by regulating ROS scavenging and protein protection, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among the identified miRNAs, novel-mir46 and miR398a-3p were found in cucumbers in response to chilling stress and two types of rootstocks. However, no identical miRNAs were identified in response to chilling stress and silicon. In addition, the differential expression of novel-mir38, novel-mir65, novel-mir78 and miR397a may be one of the important reasons for the differences in chilling tolerance of grafted cucumbers caused by two types of rootstocks.
PMID: 37165319
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Jun , V12 (12) doi: 10.3390/plants12122373
The Global Changes of N6-methyldeoxyadenosine in Response to Low Temperature in Arabidopsis thaliana and Rice.
National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Bioinformatics Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
N6-methyldeoxyadenosine (6mA) is a recently discovered DNA modification involved in regulating plant adaptation to abiotic stresses. However, the mechanisms and changes of 6mA under cold stress in plants are not yet fully understood. Here, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of 6mA and observed that 6mA peaks were predominantly present within the gene body regions under both normal and cold conditions. In addition, the global level of 6mA increased both in Arabidopsis and rice after the cold treatment. The genes that exhibited an up-methylation showed enrichment in various biological processes, whereas there was no significant enrichment observed among the down-methylated genes. The association analysis revealed a positive correlation between the 6mA level and the gene expression level. Joint analysis of the 6mA methylome and transcriptome of Arabidopsis and rice unraveled that fluctuations in 6mA levels caused by cold exposure were not correlated to changes in transcript levels. Furthermore, we discovered that orthologous genes modified by 6mA showed high expression levels; however, only a minor amount of differentially 6mA-methylated orthologous genes were shared between Arabidopsis and rice under low-temperature conditions. In conclusion, our study provides information on the role of 6mA in response to cold stress and reveals its potential for regulating the expression of stress-related genes.
PMID: 37375998
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 Jun , V12 (12) doi: 10.3390/plants12122346
Genome-Wide Analysis of ZAT Gene Family in Osmanthus fragrans and the Function Exploration of OfZAT35 in Cold Stress.
Key Laboratory of Landscape Architecture, Jiangsu Province, College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.; Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Osmanthus fragrans is a popular ornamental and odorant plant with high commercial value, but its cultivation and exploitation are limited by low temperature. The ZAT (zinc finger of Arabidopsis thaliana) genes as a subclass of the C2H2-type zinc finger proteins (C2H2-ZFP) family play essential roles in various abiotic stresses. However, their roles in cold stress response in O. fragrans remain unclear. This study identified 38 OfZATs, which could be divided into 5 subgroups based on the phylogenetic tree, with OfZATs in the same subgroup harboring similar gene structures and motif patterns. In addition, 49 segmental and 5 tandem duplication events were detected among OfZAT genes, while some OfZAT genes exhibited specific expression patterns in different tissues. Furthermore, two OfZATs were induced in salt stress and eight OfZATs responded to cold stress. Interestingly, OfZAT35 showed a continuously increasing expression trend under cold stress, while its protein showed nucleus localization with no transcriptional activation activity. Transiently transformed tobacco overexpressing OfZAT35 exhibited a significantly higher relative electrolyte leakage (REL) level and increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), while there was significantly decreased activity of catalase (CAT). Moreover, CAT, DREB3, and LEA5, which are associated with cold stress, were dramatically decreased after cold treatment in transiently transformed tobacco, suggesting that overexpression of OfZAT35 negatively regulated cold stress. This study provides a basis for exploring the roles of ZAT genes and contributes to uncovering the mechanism of ZAT-mediated cold stress response in O. fragrans.
PMID: 37375971
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 May , V12 (11) doi: 10.3390/plants12112172
The Metabolic Profile of Young, Watered Chickpea Plants Can Be Used as a Biomarker to Predict Seed Number under Terminal Drought.
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, 4 Marsden Park Road, Calala, NSW 2340, Australia.; Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney Mass Spectrometry, The University of Sydney, John Hopkins Drive, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia.; Plant Breeding Institute, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, 12656 Newell Hwy, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia.; CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australian Cotton Research Institute, 21888 Kamilaroi Hwy, Narrabri, NSW 2390, Australia.; Sydney Institute of Agriculture, The University of Sydney, 380 Werombi Road, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.; The School of Life, Earth and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, 380 Werombi Road, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Chickpea is the second-most-cultivated legume globally, with India and Australia being the two largest producers. In both of these locations, the crop is sown on residual summer soil moisture and left to grow on progressively depleting water content, finally maturing under terminal drought conditions. The metabolic profile of plants is commonly, correlatively associated with performance or stress responses, e.g., the accumulation of osmoprotective metabolites during cold stress. In animals and humans, metabolites are also prognostically used to predict the likelihood of an event (usually a disease) before it occurs, e.g., blood cholesterol and heart disease. We sought to discover metabolic biomarkers in chickpea that could be used to predict grain yield traits under terminal drought, from the leaf tissue of young, watered, healthy plants. The metabolic profile (GC-MS and enzyme assays) of field-grown chickpea leaves was analysed over two growing seasons, and then predictive modelling was applied to associate the most strongly correlated metabolites with the final seed number plant(-1). Pinitol (negatively), sucrose (negatively) and GABA (positively) were significantly correlated with seed number in both years of study. The feature selection algorithm of the model selected a larger range of metabolites including carbohydrates, sugar alcohols and GABA. The correlation between the predicted seed number and actual seed number was R(2) adj = 0.62, demonstrating that the metabolic profile could be used to predict a complex trait with a high degree of accuracy. A previously unknown association between D-pinitol and hundred-kernel weight was also discovered and may provide a single metabolic marker with which to predict large seeded chickpea varieties from new crosses. The use of metabolic biomarkers could be used by breeders to identify superior-performing genotypes before maturity is reached.
PMID: 37299151
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 May , V12 (11) doi: 10.3390/plants12112086
Inflorescence Emergence and Flowering Response of Olive Cultivars Grown in Olive Reference Collection of Portugal (ORCP).
Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Agraria e Veterinaria, I.P. (INIAV), UEIS Biotecnologia e Recursos Geneticos, Estrada de Gil Vaz-Apartado 6, 7350-404 Elvas, Portugal.; Plant Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain.
In olive trees, fluctuations in the onset of phenological stages have been reported due to weather conditions. The present study analyses the reproductive phenology of 17 olive cultivars grown in Elvas (Portugal) in 3 consecutive years (2012-2014). Through 2017-2022, the phenological observations continued with four cultivars. The phenological observations followed the BBCH scale. Over the course of the observations, the bud burst (stage 51) occurred gradually later; a few cultivars did not follow this trend in 2013. The flower cluster totally expanded phase (stage 55) was achieved gradually earlier, and the period between stages 51-55 was shortened, especially in 2014. Date of bud burst showed a negative correlation with minimum temperature (Tmin) of November-December, and, in 'Arbequina' and 'Cobrancosa', the interval stage 51-55 showed a negative correlation with both the Tmin of February and the Tmax of April, whereas in 'Galega Vulgar' and 'Picual' there was instead a positive correlation with the Tmin of March. These two seemed to be more responsive to early warm weather, whereas 'Arbequina' and 'Cobrancosa' were less sensitive. This investigation revealed that olive cultivars behaved differently under the same environmental conditions and, in some genotypes, the ecodormancy release may be linked to endogenous factors in a stronger way.
PMID: 37299068
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 May , V12 (9) doi: 10.3390/plants12091876
Hydrotime Model Parameters Estimate Seed Vigor and Predict Seedling Emergence Performance of Astragalus sinicus under Various Environmental Conditions.
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Specialty Plant Germplasm Innovation and Utilization in Saline Soils of Coastal Beach, College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China.; College of Animal Science and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.
Seed vigor is an important aspect of seed quality. High-vigor seeds show rapid and uniform germination and emerge well, especially under adverse environmental conditions. Here, we determined hydrotime model parameters by incubating seeds at different water potentials (0.0, -0.2, -0.4, -0.6, and -0.8 MPa) in the laboratory, for 12 seed lots of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus) (CMV), a globally important legume used as forage, green manure, and a rotation crop. Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the seedling emergence performance of 12 CMV seed lots under control, water stress, salinity stress, deep sowing, and cold stress conditions. Meanwhile, the field emergence performance was evaluated on two sowing dates in June and October 2022. Correlation and regression analyses were implemented to explore the relationships between hydrotime model parameters and seedling emergence performance under various environmental conditions. The seed germination percentage did not differ significantly between seed lots when seeds were incubated at 0.0 MPa, whereas it did differ significantly between seed lots at water potentials of -0.2, -0.4, and -0.6 MPa. The emergence percentage, seedling dry weight, and simplified vigor index also differed significantly between the 12 seed lots under various environmental conditions. Psi(b(50)) showed a significant correlation with germination and emergence performance under various environmental conditions; however, little correlation was observed between theta(H) or sigma(phib) and germination and emergence. These results indicate that Psi(b(50)) can be used to estimate seed vigor and predict seedling emergence performance under diverse environmental conditions for CMV and similar forage legumes. This study will enable seed researchers, plant breeders, and government program directors to target higher seed vigor more effectively for forage legumes.
PMID: 37176935
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2023 May , V12 (9) doi: 10.3390/plants12091893
Acquisition of Freezing Tolerance of Resurrection Species from Gesneriaceae, a Comparative Study.
Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, University of Prishtina "Hasan Prishtina", Eqerem Cabej Str No 51, 10020 Prishtina, Kosovo.
Resurrection plants have the unique ability to restore normal physiological activity after desiccation to an air-dry state. In addition to their desiccation tolerance, some of them, such as Haberlea rhodopensis and Ramonda myconi, are also freezing-tolerant species, as they survive subzero temperatures during winter. Here, we compared the response of the photosynthetic apparatus of two other Gesneriaceae species, Ramonda serbica and Ramonda nathaliae, together with H. rhodopensis, to cold and freezing temperatures. The role of some protective proteins in freezing tolerance was also investigated. The water content of leaves was not affected during cold acclimation but exposure of plants to -10 degrees C induced dehydration of plants. Freezing stress strongly reduced the quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Y(II)) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) on the abaxial leaf side. In addition, the decreased ratio of F(v)/F(m) suggested photoinhibition or sustained quenching. Freezing-induced desiccation resulted in the inhibition of PSII activity, which was accompanied by increased thermal energy dissipation. In addition, an increase of dehydrins and ELIPs was detected, but the protein pattern differed between species. During recovery, the protein abundance decreased and plants completely recovered their photosynthetic activity. Thus, our results showed that R. serbica, R. nathaliae, and H. rhodopensis survive freezing stress due to some resurrection-linked traits and confirmed their freezing tolerance.
PMID: 37176950
Life (Basel) , IF:3.817 , 2023 Jun , V13 (6) doi: 10.3390/life13061359
Effects of Fogging System and Nitric Oxide on Growth and Yield of 'Naomi' Mango Trees Exposed to Frost Stress.
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.; Soils and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt.; Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.; Department of Agriculture Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11651, Egypt.; Horticultural Science Department, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida/IFAS, Quincy, FL 32351, USA.; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, AL-Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo 11651, Egypt.; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
In years with unfavorable weather, winter frost during the blossoming season can play a significant role in reducing fruit yield and impacting the profitability of cultivation. The mango Naomi cultivar Mangifera indica L. has a low canopy that is severely affected by the effects of frost stress. As a result of the canopy being exposed to physiological problems, vegetative development is significantly inhibited. The current investigation aimed to study the influence of spraying nitric oxide and fogging spray systems on Naomi mango trees grafted on 'Succary' rootstock under frost stress conditions. The treatments were as follows: nitric oxide (NO) 50 and 100 muM, fogging spray system, and control. In comparison to the control, the use of nitric oxide and a fogging system significantly improved the leaf area, photosynthesis pigments of the leaf, the membrane stability index, yield, and physical and chemical characteristics of the Naomi mango cultivar. For instance, the application of 50 muM NO, 100 muM NO, and the fogging spray system resulted in an increase in yield by 41.32, 106.12, and 121.43% during the 2020 season, and by 39.37, 101.30, and 124.68% during the 2021 season compared to the control, respectively. The fogging spray system and highest level of NO decreased electrolyte leakage, proline content, total phenolic content, catalase (CAT), peroxidases (POX), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme activities in leaves. Furthermore, the number of damaged leaves per shoot was significantly reduced after the application of fogging spray systems and nitric oxide in comparison to the control. Regarding vegetative growth, our results indicated that the fogging spray system and spraying nitric oxide at 100 muM enhanced the leaf surface area compared to the control and other treatments. A similar trend was noticed regarding yield and fruit quality, whereas the best values were obtained when the fogging spray system using nitric oxide was sprayed at a concentration of 100 muM. The application of fogging spray systems and nitric oxide can improve the production and fruit quality of Naomi mango trees by reducing the effects of adverse frost stress conditions.
PMID: 37374143
J Plant Physiol , IF:3.549 , 2023 Jul , V286 : P154006 doi: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154006
Overexpression of CdtCIPK21 from triploid bermudagrass reduces salt and drought tolerance but increases chilling tolerance in transgenic rice.
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Grassland Science, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: 20181002003@scau.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Grassland Science, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: huangshilian@gdaas.cn.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Grassland Science, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: 20182002006@scau.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Grassland Science, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: 15989086243@126.com.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Grassland Science, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: yrluo@scau.edu.cn.; College of Grassland Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China. Electronic address: zfguo@njau.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Grassland Science, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. Electronic address: turflab@scau.edu.cn.
Calcineurin B-like-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) is a serine/threonine kinase, which transmits the Ca(2+) signal sensed by CBL proteins. A CdtCIPK21 showing highly identical to OsCIPK21 in rice was isolated from triploid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis). CdtCIPK21 transcript could be detected in roots, rhizomes, stems, stolons, and leaves, with highest level in roots. It was induced by salinity, dehydration and chilling, but reduced by ABA treatment. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing CdtCIPK21 had decreased salt and drought tolerance as well as ABA sensitivity but increased chilling tolerance. Lower SOD and CAT activities was observed in transgenic lines under salinity and drought stress conditions, but higher levels under chilling stress. Similarly, lower levels of proline concentration and P5CS1 and P5CS2 transcripts were maintained in transgenic lines under salinity and drought stresses, and higher levels were maintained under chilling. In addition, transgenic lines had lower transcript levels of ABA-independent genes (OsDREB1A, OsDREB1B, and OsDREB2A) and ABA responsive genes (OsLEA3, OsLIP9, and OsRAB16A) under salinity and drought but higher levels under chilling compared with WT. The results suggest that CdtCIPK21 regulates salt and drought tolerance negatively and chilling tolerance positively, which are associated with the altered ABA sensitivity, antioxidants, proline accumulation and expression of ABA-dependent and ABA-independent stress responsive genes.
PMID: 37196413
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
PLoS One , IF:3.24 , 2023 , V18 (6) : Pe0286324 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286324
Cold-responsive transcription factors in Arabidopsis and rice: A regulatory network analysis using array data and gene co-expression network.
Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.; Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
Plant growth and development can be influenced by cold stress. Responses of plants to cold are regulated in part by transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs, which their determination would be necessary in comprehension of the corresponding molecular cues. Here, transcriptomes of Arabidopsis and rice were analyzed to computationally determine TFs and microRNAs that are differentially responsive to cold treatment, and their co-expression networks were established. Among 181 Arabidopsis and 168 rice differentially expressed TF genes, 37 (26 novel) were up- and 16 (8 novel) were downregulated. Common TF encoding genes were from ERF, MYB, bHLH, NFY, bZIP, GATA, HSF and WRKY families. NFY A4/C2/A10 were the significant hub TFs in both plants. Phytohormone responsive cis-elements such as ABRE, TGA, TCA and LTR were the common cis-elements in TF promoters. Arabidopsis had more responsive TFs compared to rice possibly due to its greater adaptation to ranges geographical latitudes. Rice had more relevant miRNAs probably because of its bigger genome size. The interacting partners and co-expressed genes were different for the common TFs so that of the downstream regulatory networks and the corresponding metabolic pathways. Identified cold-responsive TFs in (A + R) seemed to be more engaged in energy metabolism esp. photosynthesis, and signal transduction, respectively. At post-transcriptional level, miR5075 showed to target many identified TFs in rice. In comparison, the predictions showed that identified TFs are being targeted by diverse groups of miRNAs in Arabidopsis. Novel TFs, miRNAs and co-expressed genes were introduced as cold-responsive markers that can be harnessed in future studies and development of crop tolerant varieties.
PMID: 37289769
J Appl Genet , IF:3.24 , 2023 May doi: 10.1007/s13353-023-00761-z
Comprehensive analyses of microtubule-associated protein MAP65 family genes in Cucurbitaceae and CsaMAP65s expression profiles in cucumber.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China. masi@cau.edu.cn.; Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China. tianyq1984@cau.edu.cn.
MAP65 is a microtubule-binding protein family in plants and plays crucial roles in regulating cell growth and development, intercellular communication, and plant responses to various environmental stresses. However, MAP65s in Cucurbitaceae are still less understood. In this study, a total of 40 MAP65s were identified from six Cucurbitaceae species (Cucumis sativus L., Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo L., Cucurbita moschata, Lagenaria siceraria, and Benincasa hispida) and classified into five groups by phylogenetic analysis according to gene structures and conserved domains. A conserved domain (MAP65_ASE1) was found in all MAP65 proteins. In cucumber, we isolated six CsaMAP65s with different expression patterns in tissues including root, stem, leaf, female flower, male flower, and fruit. Subcellular localizations of CsaMAP65s verified that all CsaMAP65s were localized in microtubule and microfilament. Analyses of the promoter regions of CsaMAP65s have screened different cis-acting regulatory elements involved in growth and development and responses to hormone and stresses. In addition, CsaMAP65-5 in leaves was significantly upregulated by salt stress, and this promotion effect was higher in cucumber cultivars with salt tolerant than that without salt tolerant. CsaMAP65-1 in leaves was significantly upregulated by cold stress, and this promotion was higher in cold-tolerant cultivar than intolerant cultivar. With the genome-wide characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Cucurbitaceae MAP65s, and the expression profile of CsaMAP65s in cucumber, this study laid a foundation for further study on MAP65 functions in developmental processes and responses to abiotic stress in Cucurbitaceae species.
PMID: 37219731
G3 (Bethesda) , IF:3.154 , 2023 May doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad116
Genomics and Phenomics Enabled Prebreeding Improved Early-Season Chilling Tolerance in Sorghum.
Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.; USDA-ARS, Plant Stress & Germplasm Development Unit, Cropping Systems Research Lab, Lubbock, TX 79415, USA.; Western Kansas Agricultural Research Center, Kansas State University, Hays, Kansas 67601, USA.; Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Wimauma, FL 33598, USA.; Center for Desert Agriculture, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.; Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
In temperate climates, earlier planting of tropical-origin crops can provide longer growing seasons, reduce water loss, suppress weeds, and escape post-flowering drought stress. However, chilling sensitivity of sorghum, a tropical-origin cereal crop, limits early planting and over 50 years of conventional breeding has been stymied by coinheritance of chilling tolerance (CT) loci with undesirable tannin and dwarfing alleles. In this study, phenomics and genomics-enabled approaches were used for prebreeding of sorghum early-season CT. Uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) high-throughput phenotyping platform tested for improving scalability showed moderate correlation between manual and UAS phenotyping. UAS normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from the chilling nested association mapping population detected CT QTL that colocalized with manual phenotyping CT QTL. Two of the four first-generation KASP molecular markers, generated using the peak QTL SNPs, failed to function in an independent breeding program as the CT allele was common in diverse breeding lines. Population genomic FST analysis identified SNP CT alleles that were globally rare but common to the CT donors. Second-generation markers, generated using population genomics, were successful in tracking the donor CT allele in diverse breeding lines from two independent sorghum breeding programs. Marker-assisted breeding, effective in introgressing CT allele from Chinese sorghums into chilling-sensitive US elite sorghums, improved early-planted seedling performance ratings in lines with CT alleles by up to 13-24% compared to the negative control under natural chilling stress. These findings directly demonstrate the effectiveness of high-throughput phenotyping and population genomics in molecular breeding of complex adaptive traits.
PMID: 37232400
Funct Plant Biol , IF:3.101 , 2023 Jun , V50 (6) : P470-481 doi: 10.1071/FP22310
Overexpression of ClRAP2.4 in Chrysanthemum enhances tolerance to cold stress.
College of Agricultural, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin 133002, China.; College of Agricultural, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin 133002, China; and Yanbian Forestry Research Institute, Yanji, Jilin 133002, China.
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
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2023 Jun , V25 (4) : P541-550 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
Transgenic Res , IF:2.788 , 2023 Jun doi: 10.1007/s11248-023-00355-9
Development of Agrobacterium-mediated in planta transformation protocol through coleoptile in rice.
Faculty of Life Science, Kim Il Sung University, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. uh.ho@ryongnamsan.edu.kp.; Faculty of Life Science, Kim Il Sung University, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.; The Sci-Tech Complex, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.; Pyongyang Floriculture Institute, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.; Branch of Biotechnology, The State Academy of Science, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Genetic modification of rice is mainly carried out by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of callus accompanied by tissue culture. It is time consuming, laborious and unapplicable for cultivars unable to induce callus. In this study, we have reported a novel gene transfer protocol that involves pulling out primary leaf from coleoptile and injection of Agrobacterium culture into the empty channel. Out of 25 plants survived after injection of Agrobacterium tumefaciens EHA105 culture harboring pCAMBIA1301-RD29A-AtDREB1A, 8 T(0) plants revealed the expected size of around 811 bp corresponding to AtDREB1A gene and Southern blotting analysis on 18 T(1) plants suggested introgression of AtDREB1A. 3 T(2) lines (7-9, 12-3, 18-6) exhibited accumulation of free proline and soluble sugars, yet increase of chlorophyll content, but decrease of electrolyte leakage and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde under cold stress condition at the vegetative growth stage. Yield components investigation on T(2) lines showed earlier heading date and no yield loss compared to wild type plants grown under normal condition. GUS expression analysis and integrated transgene detection in T(0) and T(1) plants followed by evaluation of cold stress tolerance in T(2) lines suggest the advantage of this in planta transformation protocol to obtain transgenic rice.
PMID: 37318700
3 Biotech , IF:2.406 , 2023 Jul , V13 (7) : P228 doi: 10.1007/s13205-023-03650-8
Isolation of 5' regulatory region of COLD1 gene and its functional characterization through transient expression analysis in tobacco and sugarcane.
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641007 India Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute. GRID: grid.459991.9. ISNI: 0000 0004 0505 3259; Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641046 India Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiar University. GRID: grid.411677.2. ISNI: 0000 0000 8735 2850
Chilling Tolerant Divergence 1 (COLD1) gene consists of Golgi pH Receptor (GPHR) as well as Abscisic Acid-linked G Protein-Coupled Receptor (ABA_GPCR), which are the major transmembrane proteins in plants. This gene expression has been found to be differentially regulated, under various stress conditions, in wild Saccharum-related genera, Erianthus arundinaceus, compared to commercial sugarcane variety. In this study, Rapid Amplification of Genomic Ends (RAGE) technique was employed to isolate the 5' upstream region of COLD1 gene to gain knowledge about the underlying stress regulatory mechanism. The current study established the cis-acting elements, main promoter regions, and Transcriptional Start Site (TSS) present within the isolated 5' upstream region (Cold1P) of COLD1, with the help of specific bioinformatics techniques. Phylogenetic analysis results revealed that the isolated Cold1P promoter is closely related to the species, Sorghum bicolor. Cold1P promoter-GUS gene construct was generated in pCAMBIA 1305.1 vector that displayed a constitutive expression of the GUS reporter gene in both monocot as well as dicot plants. The histochemical GUS assay outcomes confirmed that Cold1P can drive expression in both monocot as well as dicot plants. Cold1P's activities under several abiotic stresses such as cold, heat, salt, and drought, revealed its differential expression profile in commercial sugarcane variety. The highest activity of the GUS gene was found after 24 h of cold stress, driven by the isolated Cold1P promoter. The outcomes from GUS fluorimetric assay correlated with that of the GUS expression findings. This is the first report on Cold1P isolated from the species, E. arundinaceus. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03650-8.
PMID: 37304407
J Insect Physiol , IF:2.354 , 2023 Jun , V147 : P104520 doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104520
The interspecific variations in molecular responses to various doses of heat and cold stress: The case of cereal aphids.
Universite de Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystemes, biodiversite, evolution)] - UMR 6553, 35000 Rennes, France; School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; Climate Change Biology Research Group, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No 2, Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.; School of Life Science, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding 071002, China; Climate Change Biology Research Group, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No 2, Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.; Climate Change Biology Research Group, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No 2, Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China.; Universite de Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystemes, biodiversite, evolution)] - UMR 6553, 35000 Rennes, France.; Universite de Rennes, CNRS, ECOBIO [(Ecosystemes, biodiversite, evolution)] - UMR 6553, 35000 Rennes, France. Electronic address: herve.colinet@univ-rennes1.fr.
Insects are currently subjected to unprecedented thermal stress due to recent increases in the frequency and amplitude of temperature extremes. Understanding molecular responses to thermal stress is critically important to appreciate how species react to thermal stress. Three co-occurring cosmopolitan species are found within the guild of cereal aphids: Sitobion avenae, Ropalosiphum padi and Metopolophium dirhodum. Earlier reports have shown that increasing frequency of temperature extremes causes a shift in dominant species within guilds of cereal aphids by differently altering the population's growth. We hypothesize that a differential molecular response to stress among species may partially explain these changes. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones well known to play an important role in protecting against the adverse effects of thermal stress. However, few studies on molecular chaperones have been conducted in cereal aphids. In this study, we compared the heat and cold tolerance between three aphid species by measuring the median lethal time (Lt(50)) and examined the expression profiles of seven hsp genes after exposures to comparable thermal injury levels and also after same exposure durations. Results showed that R. padi survived comparatively better at high temperatures than the two other species but was more cold-sensitive. Hsp genes were induced more strongly by heat than cold stress. Hsp70A was the most strongly up-regulated gene in response to both heat and cold stress. R. padi had more heat inducible genes and significantly higher mRNA levels of hsp70A, hsp10, hsp60 and hsp90 than the other two species. Hsps ceased to be expressed at 37 degrees C in M. dirhodum and S. avenae while expression was maintained in R. padi. In contrast, M. dirhodum was more cold tolerant and had more cold inducible genes than the others. These results confirm species-specific differences in molecular stress responses and suggest that differences in induced expression of hsps may be related to species' thermal tolerance, thus causing the changes in the relative abundance.
PMID: 37148996
J Insect Physiol , IF:2.354 , 2023 Jun , V147 : P104519 doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104519
Acute cold stress and supercooling capacity of Mediterranean fruit fly populations across the Northern Hemisphere (Middle East and Europe).
Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece.; Department of Entomology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan, Israel.; Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.; Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Rural Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece. Electronic address: nikopap@uth.gr.
The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), holds an impressive record of successful invasion events promoted by globalization in fruit trade and human mobility. In addition, C. capitata is gradually expanding its geographic distribution to cooler temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Cold tolerance of C. capitata seems to be a crucial feature that promotes population establishment and hence invasion success. To elucidate the interplay between the invasion process in the northern hemisphere and cold tolerance of geographically isolated populations of C. capitata, we determined (a) the response to acute cold stress survival of adults, and (b) the supercooling capacity (SCP) of immature stages and adults. To assess the phenotypic plasticity in these populations, the effect of acclimation to low temperatures on acute cold stress survival in adults was also examined. The results revealed that survival after acute cold stress was positively related to low temperature acclimation, except for females originating from Thessaloniki (northern Greece). Adults from the warmer environment of South Arava (Israel) were less tolerant after acute cold stress compared with those from Heraklion (Crete, Greece) and Thessaloniki. Plastic responses to cold acclimation were population specific, with the South Arava population being more plastic compared to the two Greek populations. For SCP, the results revealed that there is little to no correlation between SCP and climate variables of the areas where C. capitata populations originated. SCP was much lower than the lowest temperature individuals are likely to experience in their respective habitats. These results set the stage for asking questions regarding the evolutionary adaptive processes that facilitate range expansions of C. capitata into cooler temperate areas of Europe.
PMID: 37121467
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2023 Dec , V18 (1) : P2213924 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2023.2213924
Genome-wide analysis of the CDPK gene family and their important roles response to cold stress in white clover.
Key Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics and Genetic Breeding of Heilongjiang Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.; International Agriculture Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.; Flower Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.; Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Baoshan, Yunnan, China.
Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are an important class of calcium-sensitive response proteins that play an important regulatory role in response to abiotic stresses. To date, little is known about the CDPK genes in white clover. White clover is a high-quality forage grass with high protein content, but it is susceptible to cold stress. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the CDPK gene family in white clover and identified 50 members of the CDPK genes. Phylogenetic analysis using CDPKs from the model plant Arabidopsis divided the TrCDPK genes into four groups based on their sequence similarities. Motif analysis showed that TrCDPKs within the same group had similar motif compositions. Gene duplication analysis revealed the evolution and expansion of TrCDPK genes in white clover. Meanwhile, a genetic regulatory network (GRN) containing TrCDPK genes was reconstructed, and gene ontology (GO) annotation analysis of these functional genes showed that they contribute to signal transduction, cellular response to stimuli, and biological regulation, all of which are important processes in response to abiotic stresses. To determine the function of TrCDPK genes, we analyzed the RNA-seq dataset and found that most TrCDPK genes were highly up-regulated under cold stress, particularly in the early stages of cold stress. These results were validated by qRT-PCR experiments, implying that TrCDPK genes are involved in various gene regulatory pathways in response to cold stress. Our study may help to further investigate the function of TrCDPK genes and their role in response to cold stress, which is important for understanding the molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance in white clover and improving its cold tolerance.
PMID: 37202838
Curr Microbiol , IF:2.188 , 2023 May , V80 (7) : P227 doi: 10.1007/s00284-023-03308-x
First Report on Novel Psychrotrophic Phosphorus-Solubilizing Ochrobactrum thiophenivorans EU-KL94 from Keylong Region in Great Himalayas and Their Role in Plant Growth Promotion of Oats (Avena sativa L.).
Department of Microbiology, Akal College of Basic Sciences, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, 173101, India.; Microbial Biotechnology Lab, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Khem Singh Gill Akal College of Agriculture, Eternal University, Baru Sahib, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh, 173101, India. ajarbiotech@gmail.com.; Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Persiaran Perdana BBN, 71800, Putra Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. ajarbiotech@gmail.com.
Cold stress leads to the disruption of the cellular homeostasis in plants and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and productivity losses. In the present study, 94 psychrotrophic phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria with multiple plant growth-promoting (PGP) capabilities were isolated from rhizosphere of wheat. The most efficient strain EU-KL94 showing highest amount of solubilized phosphorus and maximum number of PGP attributes was identified using 16S rRNA sequencing as Ochrobactrum thiophenivorans. Ochrobactrum thiophenivorans EU-KL94 along with recommended doses of the chemical fertilizers as controls were used for alleviation of cold stress in oats. The strain improved the root and shoot length, dry and fresh weight, proline, glycine betaine, chlorophyll content as well as the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities of oats under cold stress conditions. Ochrobactrum thiophenivorans with all promising plant growth activities under cold stress could be used as an environmental friendly strategy for mitigation of low temperature stress. To the best of our knowledge, Ochrobactrum thiophenivorans has been reported for the first time as P-solubilizer and as bioinoculants in oats for cold stress mitigation.
PMID: 37249717
Curr Microbiol , IF:2.188 , 2023 May , V80 (7) : P224 doi: 10.1007/s00284-023-03335-8
Combined Effect of Trehalose and Serendipita indica Inoculation Might Participate in Solanum lycopersicum Induced Cold Tolerance.
Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.; Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran. m.ghabooli@malayeru.ac.ir.; Department of Landscape Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.
The exploitation of symbiotic interactions between fungi and plants, coupled with the application of osmoprotectants such as trehalose (Tre), presents a promising strategy for mitigating environmental stress. To determine the mechanism of Serendipita indica and Tre-mediated cold stress tolerance, a comparative experiment was designed to study the impact of S. indica, Tre and their combination on tomato plants grown under cold stress. The results showed that cold stress significantly decreased biomass, relative water content, photosynthetic pigments and elements concomitantly with increasing antioxidant activities, malondialdehyde (MDA), electrolyte leakage, hydrogen peroxide and proline content. Meanwhile, S. indica and Tre treatments promoted biomass and enhanced carbohydrate, protein, proline, potassium, phosphorous, antioxidant enzymes and photosynthetic pigments content under cold stress. Furthermore, single or dual application of endophyte and Tre mitigated physiological disorders induced by cold stress and increased the integrity of cell membranes by decreasing hydrogen peroxide, MDA, and electrolyte leakage (EL). Our findings suggest that S. indica and Tre combination could significantly promote cold stress tolerance compared with single treatment. This study is novel in showing the cold adaptation of tomato plants by combination use of S. indica and Tre, which can be a promising strategy for improving cold tolerance. The underlying molecular mechanisms of sugar-fungus interaction must be further investigated.
PMID: 37222791
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
Genetica , IF:1.082 , 2023 Jun , V151 (3) : P225-239 doi: 10.1007/s10709-023-00190-0
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the Pisum sativum (L.) APETALA2/ethylene-responsive factor (AP2/ERF) gene family reveals functions in drought and cold stresses.
Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar, Guwahati, Assam, 781014, India.; Department of Biochemistry, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, Rajasthan, 305817, India.; Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Gopinath Bordoloi Nagar, Guwahati, Assam, 781014, India. preetomregon@gauhati.ac.in.
AP2/ERF (APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor) is a family of transcription factors that play essential roles in regulating gene expression in response to various environmental stimuli, including biotic and abiotic stresses, hormone signaling, and developmental processes. Pisum sativum (L.), commonly known as garden pea, is a winter crop sensitive to high temperatures and can also be affected by extreme cold and drought conditions. This study performed a genome-wide analysis of AP2/ERF genes and identified 153 AP2/ERF genes in P. sativum. Based on the conserved AP2/ERF domain and sequence homology, they were classified into AP2 (APETALA2), ERF (Ethylene Response Factor), DREB (Dehydration responsive element-binding), RAV (Related to Abscisic Acid Insensitive 3/ Viviparous 1) and Soloist subfamily. The DREB and ERF subfamily were further divided into groups A1-6 and B1-B6. Tandem and segmental duplication events were more frequent in the ERF subfamily, which can have important implications for their evolution and functional diversification. Under cold stress, the expression of DREB1A was highly induced in leaves, whereas DREB1B was suppressed. Similarly, the DREB2A, DREB2C, DREB2E, and DREB2F were induced in leaves under drought stress. The putative target genes of AP2/ERF transcription factors are highly diversified, suggesting that they play essential roles in various physiological responses in plants, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as developmental processes. Thus, this study of AP2/ERF genes and their functions provides valuable insight into how P. sativum responds to different environmental conditions, including cold and drought stresses.
PMID: 37269422
Mol Breed , 2023 May , V43 (5) : P34 doi: 10.1007/s11032-023-01376-2
Transcriptome analysis revealed molecular basis of cold response in Prunus mume.
Guiyang, 550000 People's Republic of China College of Agriculture, Guizhou University. GRID: grid.443382.a. ISNI: 0000 0004 1804 268X; Wuhan, 430070 People's Republic of China Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University. GRID: grid.35155.37. ISNI: 0000 0004 1790 4137; Wuhan, 430070 People's Republic of China Institute of Economic Crops, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences. GRID: grid.410632.2. ISNI: 0000 0004 1758 5180; Xianning, 437100 People's Republic of China School of Nuclear Technology and Chemistry and Biology, Hubei University of Science and Technology. GRID: grid.470508.e. ISNI: 0000 0004 4677 3586; Qingdao, 266109 People's Republic of China College of Landscape and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University. GRID: grid.412608.9. ISNI: 0000 0000 9526 6338
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is a traditional woody flower and fruit tree restrictedly cultivated in northern area due to its inability to survive harsh winters and early springs. In the current study, RNA-seq and physiological assay were used to study the cold response of P. mume 'Xuemei'. A total of 4705 genes were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the 21 pairwise comparisons among seven time points under 0 degrees C cold treatment, and 3678 of them showed differential levels compared with control at normal temperature. The gene expression profiles indicated that the number of upregulated genes increased with prolongation of treatment time throughout the whole 48 h. Hierarchical clustering suggested three obvious phases of the gene expression profiles. Gene ontology (GO) analysis of the 4705 DEGs resulted in 102 significantly enriched GO items in which the transcription activity was dominant. 225 DEGs were predicted to encode transcription factor (TF) genes. Some important TFs (ERF, CBF, WRKY, NAC, MYB, bHLH) were strongly induced during the whole cold treatment. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis suggested that plant signal transduction pathways such as plant hormone and calcium (Ca(2+)) were notable. Metabolic pathways such as sugar metabolism, especially RFOs (raffinose family oligosaccharides) were activated, which was accompanied by the accumulation of soluble sugars. SOD and POD enzyme activities coupled with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related gene expression profile implied a gradually induced ROS scavenging system under cold treatment. These results might shed light on the sensitivity to cold stress in Japanese apricot and provide new insights into hardiness studies in P. mume and its related species. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01376-2.
PMID: 37312744
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf , 2023 May , V22 (3) : P1722-1762 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