Annu Rev Genet , IF:16.83 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-111523-102226
Regulatory Networks Underlying Plant Responses and Adaptation to Cold Stress.
State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; email: ding_yanglin@cau.edu.cn, yangshuhua@cau.edu.cn.
Cold is a key determinant for plant growth and flowering time as well as an important environmental factor limiting plant growth and development. Recent studies have revealed the complex regulatory networks associated with plant responses to cold and identified their interconnections with signaling pathways related to light, the circadian clock, plant hormones, and pathogen defense. In this article, we review recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of cold perception and signal transduction pathways. We also summarize recent developments in the study of cold-responsive growth and flowering. Finally, we propose future directions for the study of long-term cold sensing, RNA secondary structures in response to cold, and the development of cold-tolerant and high-yield crops.
PMID: 39018466
Nat Commun , IF:14.919 , 2024 Jul , V15 (1) : P5568 doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49769-x
Sirenian genomes illuminate the evolution of fully aquatic species within the mammalian superorder afrotheria.
Integrative Biology Laboratory, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.; BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China.; BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.; Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China.; Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China.; The Innovation Research Center for Aquatic Mammals, and Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.; Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.; School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Lucia, 4072, Australia.; School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, 5371, Australia.; BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China. fanguangyi@genomics.cn.; BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China. fanguangyi@genomics.cn.; Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China. fanguangyi@genomics.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China. fanguangyi@genomics.cn.; Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China. lish@idsse.ac.cn.; The Innovation Research Center for Aquatic Mammals, and Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China. lish@idsse.ac.cn.; Integrative Biology Laboratory, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China. inge@seimlab.org.; Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China. inge@seimlab.org.
Sirenians of the superorder Afrotheria were the first mammals to transition from land to water and are the only herbivorous marine mammals. Here, we generated a chromosome-level dugong (Dugong dugon) genome. A comparison of our assembly with other afrotherian genomes reveals possible molecular adaptations to aquatic life by sirenians, including a shift in daily activity patterns (circadian clock) and tolerance to a high-iodine plant diet mediated through changes in the iodide transporter NIS (SLC5A5) and its co-transporters. Functional in vitro assays confirm that sirenian amino acid substitutions alter the properties of the circadian clock protein PER2 and NIS. Sirenians show evidence of convergent regression of integumentary system (skin and its appendages) genes with cetaceans. Our analysis also uncovers gene losses that may be maladaptive in a modern environment, including a candidate gene (KCNK18) for sirenian cold stress syndrome likely lost during their evolutionary shift in daily activity patterns. Genomes from nine Australian locations and the functionally extinct Okinawan population confirm and date a genetic break ~10.7 thousand years ago on the Australian east coast and provide evidence of an associated ecotype, and highlight the need for whole-genome resequencing data from dugong populations worldwide for conservation and genetic management.
PMID: 38956050
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2024 Jul , V36 (7) : P2629-2651 doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae103
The S-acylation cycle of transcription factor MtNAC80 influences cold stress responses in Medicago truncatula.
College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.; College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
S-acylation is a reversible post-translational modification catalyzed by protein S-acyltransferases (PATs), and acyl protein thioesterases (APTs) mediate de-S-acylation. Although many proteins are S-acylated, how the S-acylation cycle modulates specific biological functions in plants is poorly understood. In this study, we report that the S-acylation cycle of transcription factor MtNAC80 is involved in the Medicago truncatula cold stress response. Under normal conditions, MtNAC80 localized to membranes through MtPAT9-induced S-acylation. In contrast, under cold stress conditions, MtNAC80 translocated to the nucleus through de-S-acylation mediated by thioesterases such as MtAPT1. MtNAC80 functions in the nucleus by directly binding the promoter of the glutathione S-transferase gene MtGSTU1 and promoting its expression, which enables plants to survive under cold stress by removing excess malondialdehyde and H2O2. Our findings reveal an important function of the S-acylation cycle in plants and provide insight into stress response and tolerance mechanisms.
PMID: 38552172
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2024 Jul , V36 (7) : P2607-2628 doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae100
Methyltransferase TaSAMT1 mediates wheat freezing tolerance by integrating brassinosteroid and salicylic acid signaling.
Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding/Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization (MOE)/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan Xi Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, PR China.
Cold injury is a major environmental stress affecting the growth and yield of crops. Brassinosteroids (BRs) and salicylic acid (SA) play important roles in plant cold tolerance. However, whether or how BR signaling interacts with the SA signaling pathway in response to cold stress is still unknown. Here, we identified an SA methyltransferase, TaSAMT1 that converts SA to methyl SA (MeSA) and confers freezing tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum). TaSAMT1 overexpression greatly enhanced wheat freezing tolerance, with plants accumulating more MeSA and less SA, whereas Tasamt1 knockout lines were sensitive to freezing stress and accumulated less MeSA and more SA. Spraying plants with MeSA conferred freezing tolerance to Tasamt1 mutants, but SA did not. We revealed that BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (TaBZR1) directly binds to the TaSAMT1 promoter and induces its transcription. Moreover, TaBZR1 interacts with the histone acetyltransferase TaHAG1, which potentiates TaSAMT1 expression via increased histone acetylation and modulates the SA pathway during freezing stress. Additionally, overexpression of TaBZR1 or TaHAG1 altered TaSAMT1 expression and improved freezing tolerance. Our results demonstrate a key regulatory node that connects the BR and SA pathways in the plant cold stress response. The regulatory factors or genes identified could be effective targets for the genetic improvement of freezing tolerance in crops.
PMID: 38537937
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2024 Jul , V36 (7) : P2587-2606 doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae096
INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION 1 promotes cold-enhanced immunity by directly activating salicylic acid signaling.
CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China.
Cold stress affects plant immune responses, and this process may involve the salicylic acid (SA) signaling pathway. However, the underlying mechanism by which low-temperature signals coordinate with SA signaling to regulate plant immunity remains unclear. Here, we found that low temperatures enhanced the disease resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. This process required INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION 1 (ICE1), the core transcription factor in cold-signal cascades. ICE1 physically interacted with NONEXPRESSER OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES 1 (NPR1), the master regulator of the SA signaling pathway. Enrichment of ICE1 on the PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENE 1 (PR1) promoter and its ability to transcriptionally activate PR1 were enhanced by NPR1. Further analyses revealed that cold stress signals cooperate with SA signals to facilitate plant immunity against pathogen attack in an ICE1-dependent manner. Cold treatment promoted interactions of NPR1 and TGACG-BINDING FACTOR 3 (TGA3) with ICE1 and increased the ability of the ICE1-TGA3 complex to transcriptionally activate PR1. Together, our results characterize a critical role of ICE1 as an indispensable regulatory node linking low-temperature-activated and SA-regulated immunity. Understanding this crucial role of ICE1 in coordinating multiple signals associated with immunity broadens our understanding of plant-pathogen interactions.
PMID: 38536743
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae217
A double-edged sword: Phosphorylation of Ca2+ channel CNGC20 fine-tunes plant freezing tolerance.
Assistant Features Editor, The Plant Cell, American Society of Plant Biologists.; Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, 210095, China.; The Key Laboratory of Plant Immunity, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
PMID: 39041852
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2024 Jul , V36 (7) : P2459-2460 doi: 10.1093/plcell/koae116
The chill coalition: A key regulatory node connecting salicylic acid and brassinosteroids in freezing tolerance.
Assistant Features Editor, The Plant Cell, American Society of Plant Biologists.; Department of Biology, Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ghent University, Gent B-9000, Belgium.
PMID: 38626212
Plant Biotechnol J , IF:9.803 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1111/pbi.14426
Genetic variation in the aquaporin TONOPLAST INTRINSIC PROTEIN 4;3 modulates maize cold tolerance.
State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Biological Sciences, Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding, Center for Crop Functional Genomics and Molecular Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.; Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northeast Agricultural Research Center of China), Changchun, China.; National Maize Improvement Center, Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Cold stress is a major abiotic stress that threatens maize (Zea mays L.) production worldwide. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance is crucial for breeding resilient maize varieties. Tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) are a subfamily of aquaporins in plants. Here, we report that TIP family proteins are involved in maize cold tolerance. The expression of most TIP genes was responsive to cold stress. Overexpressing TIP2;1, TIP3;2 or TIP4;3 reduced the cold tolerance of maize seedlings, while loss-of-function mutants of TIP4;3 exhibited enhanced cold tolerance. Candidate gene-based association analysis revealed that a 328-bp transposon insertion in the promoter region of TIP4;3 was strongly associated with maize cold tolerance. This transposon insertion conferred cold tolerance by repressing TIP4;3 expression through increased methylation of its promoter region. Moreover, TIP4;3 was found to suppress stomatal closure and facilitate reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under cold stress, thereby inhibiting the expression of cold-responsive genes, including DEHYDRATION-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING FACTOR 1 (DREB1) genes and a subset of peroxidase genes, ultimately attenuating maize cold tolerance. This study thus elucidates the mechanism underlying TIP-mediated cold tolerance and identifies a favourable TIP4;3 allele as a potential genetic resource for breeding cold-tolerant maize varieties.
PMID: 39024420
Plant Biotechnol J , IF:9.803 , 2024 Aug , V22 (8) : P2157-2172 doi: 10.1111/pbi.14336
OsKASI-2 is required for the regulation of unsaturation levels of membrane lipids and chilling tolerance in rice.
Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Crop Sterile Germplasm Resource Innovation and Application, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.; College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.; State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, China.; Key Laboratory of Southern Rice Innovation and Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hunan Engineering Laboratory of Disease and Pest Resistant Rice Breeding, Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co., Ltd, Changsha, China.
Chilling stress has seriously limited the global production and geographical distribution of rice. However, the molecular mechanisms associated with plant responses to chilling stress are less known. In this study, we revealed a member of beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase I family (KASI), OsKASI-2 which confers chilling tolerance in rice. OsKASI-2 encodes a chloroplast-localized KASI enzyme mainly expressed in the leaves and anthers of rice and strongly induced by chilling stress. Disruption of OsKASI-2 led to decreased KAS enzymatic activity and the levels of unsaturated fatty acids, which impairs degree of unsaturation of membrane lipids, thus increased sensitivity to chilling stress in rice. However, the overexpression of OsKASI-2 significantly improved the chilling tolerance ability in rice. In addition, OsKASI-2 may regulate ROS metabolism in response to chilling stress. Natural variation of OsKASI-2 might result in difference in chilling tolerance between indica and japonica accessions, and Hap1 of OsKASI-2 confers chilling tolerance in rice. Taken together, we suggest OsKASI-2 is critical for regulating degree of unsaturation of membrane lipids and ROS accumulation for maintenance of membrane structural homeostasis under chilling stress, and provide a potential target gene for improving chilling tolerance of rice.
PMID: 38506090
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiae382
From Sensing to Acclimation: The Role of Membrane Lipid Remodeling in Plant Responses to Low Temperatures.
University of Nebraska Lincoln, Department of Biochemistry and Center for Plant Science Innovation.; Nyack High School, Nyack, New York.
Low temperatures pose a dramatic challenge to plant viability. Chilling and freezing disrupt cellular processes, forcing metabolic adaptations reflected in alterations to membrane compositions. Understanding the mechanisms of plant cold tolerance is increasingly important due to anticipated increases in the frequency, severity, and duration of cold events. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the adaptive changes of membrane glycerolipids, sphingolipids, and phytosterols in response to cold stress. We delve into key mechanisms of low temperature membrane remodeling, including acyl editing and headgroup exchange, lipase activity, and phytosterol abundance changes, focusing on their impact at the subcellular level. Furthermore, we tabulate and analyze current gycerolipidomic data from cold treatments of Arabidopsis, maize, and sorghum. This analysis highlights congruencies of lipid abundance changes in response to varying degrees of cold stress. Ultimately, this review aids in rationalizing observed lipid fluctuations and pinpoints key gaps in our current capacity to fully understand how plants orchestrate these membrane responses to cold stress.
PMID: 39028871
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1111/pce.15052
FveDREB1B improves cold tolerance of woodland strawberry by positively regulating FveSCL23 and FveCHS.
Liaoning Key Laboratory of Strawberry Breeding and Cultivation, College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.
Cold stress has seriously inhibited the growth and development of strawberry during production. CBF/DREB1 is a key central transcription factor regulating plant cold tolerance, but its regulatory mechanisms are varied in different plants. Especially in strawberry, the molecular mechanism of CBF/DREB1 regulating cold tolerance is still unclear. In this study, we found that FveDREB1B was most significantly induced by cold stress in CBF/DREB1 family of diploid woodland strawberry. FveDREB1B was localized to the nucleus, and DREB1B sequences were highly conserved in diploid and octoploid strawberry, and even similar in Rosaceae. And FveDREB1B overexpressed strawberry plants showed delayed flowering and increased cold tolerance, while FveDREB1B silenced plants showed early flowering and decreased cold tolerance. Under cold stress, FveDREB1B activated FveSCL23 expression by directly binding to its promoter. Meanwhile, FveDREB1B and FveSCL23 interacted with FveDELLA, respectively. In addition, we also found that FveDREB1B promoted anthocyanin accumulation in strawberry leaves by directly activating FveCHS expression after cold treatment and recovery to 25 degrees C. DREB1B genes were also detected to be highly expressed in cold-tolerant strawberry resources 'Fragaria mandschurica' and 'Fragaria nipponica'. In conclusion, our study reveals the molecular mechanism of FveDREB1B-FveSCL23-FveDELLA module and FveDREB1B-FveCHS module to enhance the cold tolerance of woodland strawberry. It provides a new idea for improving the cold tolerance of cultivated strawberry and evaluating the cold tolerance of strawberry germplasm resources.
PMID: 39051467
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1111/pce.15053
The invertase gene PWIN1 confers chilling tolerance of rice at the booting stage via mediating pollen development.
Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, China.
Pollen fertility is a primary regulator of grain yield and is highly susceptible to cold and other environmental stress. We revealed the roles of rice cell wall invertase gene PWIN1 in pollen development and chilling tolerance. We uncovered its preferential expression in microspores and bicellular pollen and identified its knock-down and knock-out mutants. pwin1 mutants produced a higher proportion of abnormal pollen than wild-type plants. The contents of sucrose, glucose, and fructose were increased, while ATP content and primary metabolism activity were reduced in the mutant pollen. Furthermore, the loss of function of PWIN1 coincided with an increase in SnRK1 activity and a decrease in TOR activity. Under chilling conditions, pwin1 mutants displayed significantly reduced pollen viability and seed-setting rate, while overexpressing PWIN1 notably increased pollen viability and seed-setting rate as compared with the wild-type, indicating that PWIN1 is essential for rice pollen development and grain yield under cold stress. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying rice pollen fertility during chilling stress, and a new module to improve chilling tolerance of rice at the booting stage by molecular design.
PMID: 39051263
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2024 Aug , V47 (8) : P3132-3146 doi: 10.1111/pce.14933
SlNAC3 suppresses cold tolerance in tomatoes by enhancing ethylene biosynthesis.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Growth and Developmental Regulation for Protected Vegetable Crops, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.; Umea Plant Science Centre, UMEA, Sweden.
Low temperature stress poses a significant challenge to the productivity of horticultural crops. The dynamic expression of cold-responsive genes plays a crucial role in plant cold tolerance. While NAC transcription factors have been extensively studied in plant growth and development, their involvement in regulating plant cold tolerance remains poorly understood. In this study, we focused on the identification and characterisation of SlNAC3 as the most rapid and robust responsive gene in tomato under low temperature conditions. Manipulating SlNAC3 through overexpression or silencing resulted in reduced or enhanced cold tolerance, respectively. Surprisingly, we discovered a negative correlation between the expression of CBF and cold tolerance in the SlNAC3 transgenic lines. These findings suggest that SlNAC3 regulates tomato cold tolerance likely through a CBF-independent pathway. Furthermore, we conducted additional investigations to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying SINAC3-mediated cold tolerance in tomatoes. Our results revealed that SlNAC3 controls the transcription of ethylene biosynthetic genes, thereby bursting ethylene release in response to cold stress. Indeed, the silencing of these genes led to an augmentation in cold tolerance. This discovery provides valuable insights into the regulatory pathways involved in ethylene-mediated cold tolerance in tomatoes, offering potential strategies for developing innovative approaches to enhance cold stress resilience in this economically important crop species.
PMID: 38693781
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2024 Aug , V47 (8) : P3046-3062 doi: 10.1111/pce.14922
Appropriate induction of TOC1 ensures optimal MYB44 expression in ABA signaling and stress response in Arabidopsis.
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Function and Regulation in Agricultural Organisms, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Plants possess the remarkable ability to integrate the circadian clock with various signalling pathways, enabling them to quickly detect and react to both external and internal stress signals. However, the interplay between the circadian clock and biological processes in orchestrating responses to environmental stresses remains poorly understood. TOC1, a core component of the plant circadian clock, plays a vital role in maintaining circadian rhythmicity and participating in plant defences. Here, our study reveals a direct interaction between TOC1 and the promoter region of MYB44, a key gene involved in plant defence. TOC1 rhythmically represses MYB44 expression, thereby ensuring elevated MYB44 expression at dawn to help the plant in coping with lowest temperatures during diurnal cycles. Additionally, both TOC1 and MYB44 can be induced by cold stress in an Abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent and independent manner. TOC1 demonstrates a rapid induction in response to lower temperatures compared to ABA treatment, suggesting timely flexible regulation of TOC1-MYB44 regulatory module by the circadian clock in ensuring a proper response to diverse stresses and maintaining a balance between normal physiological processes and energy-consuming stress responses. Our study elucidates the role of TOC1 in effectively modulating expression of MYB44, providing insights into the regulatory network connecting the circadian clock, ABA signalling, and stress-responsive genes.
PMID: 38654596
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2024 Aug , V47 (8) : P2971-2985 doi: 10.1111/pce.14917
Freezing treatment under light conditions leads to a dramatic enhancement of freezing tolerance in cold-acclimated Arabidopsis.
The United Graduate School of Agricultural and Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate, Japan.; Department of Plant-bioscience, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate, Japan.
Overwintering plants survive subzero temperatures by cold acclimation (CA), wherein they acquire freezing tolerance through short-term exposure to low temperatures above 0 degrees C. The freezing tolerance of CA plants increases when they are subsequently exposed to mild subzero temperatures, a phenomenon known as second-phase cold hardening (2PH). Here, we explored the molecular mechanism and physiological conditions of 2PH. The results show that, compared with supercooling, a freezing treatment during 2PH after CA enhanced the freezing tolerance of Arabidopsis. This required CA as a pretreatment, and was designated as second-phase freezing acclimation (2PFA). Light increased the effect of 2PFA to enhance freezing tolerance after CA. C-repeat binding factor and cold-regulated genes were downregulated by light during the 2PFA treatment, a different transcription profile from that during CA. The freezing tolerance of 2PFA plants was decreased by the presence of the photosynthetic electron transfer inhibitor 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea during the 2PFA treatment. Compared with wild-type plants, phototropin1,2 and phyb mutants showed lower freezing tolerance after 2PFA treatment. These results show that exposure to freezing after CA increases freezing tolerance as a secondary process, and that freezing under light conditions further increases freezing tolerance via pathways involving photoreceptors and photosynthetic electron transfer.
PMID: 38630014
J Integr Plant Biol , IF:7.061 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1111/jipb.13737
Genomic variation of 363 diverse tea accessions unveils the genetic diversity, domestication, and structural variations associated with tea adaptation.
State Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology and Utilization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.; School of Information and Artificial Intelligence, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China.; School of Computer and Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Normal University, Hefei, 230061, China.; Tea Research Institute, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
Domestication has shaped the population structure and agronomic traits of tea plants, yet the complexity of tea population structure and genetic variation that determines these traits remains unclear. We here investigated the resequencing data of 363 diverse tea accessions collected extensively from almost all tea distributions and found that the population structure of tea plants was divided into eight subgroups, which were basically consistent with their geographical distributions. The genetic diversity of tea plants in China decreased from southwest to east as latitude increased. Results also indicated that Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA) illustrated divergent selection signatures with Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS). The domesticated genes of CSA were mainly involved in leaf development, flavonoid and alkaloid biosynthesis, while the domesticated genes in CSS mainly participated in amino acid metabolism, aroma compounds biosynthesis, and cold stress. Comparative population genomics further identified ~730 Mb novel sequences, generating 6,058 full-length protein-encoding genes, significantly expanding the gene pool of tea plants. We also discovered 217,376 large-scale structural variations and 56,583 presence and absence variations (PAVs) across diverse tea accessions, some of which were associated with tea quality and stress resistance. Functional experiments demonstrated that two PAV genes (CSS0049975 and CSS0006599) were likely to drive trait diversification in cold tolerance between CSA and CSS tea plants. The overall findings not only revealed the genetic diversity and domestication of tea plants, but also underscored the vital role of structural variations in the diversification of tea plant traits.
PMID: 38990113
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1093/jxb/erae263
Cold tolerance of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is linked to Cold Box Factor 4 and the dehydrin Xero2.
Molecular Cell Biology, Joseph Kolreuter Institute for Plant Sciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Fritz-Haber-Weg 4, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.; Max Rubner-Institut, Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food, Department of Safety and Quality of Fruit and Vegetables, Haid-und-Neu-Strasse 9, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.; Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt.; Vegetable Crops Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.; Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), Agricultural Research Center (ARC), 9 Gamma-Street, Giza-12619, Egypt.; School of Biotechnology, Nile University, Juhayna Square, 26th of July Corridor, El Sheikh Zayed, Giza, Egypt.
Domesticated strawberry is susceptible to sudden frost episodes, limiting the productivity of this cash crop in regions, where they are grown during early spring. In contrast, the ancestral woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) has successfully colonised many habitats of the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, this species seems to harbour genetic factors promoting cold tolerance. Screening a germplasm established in frame of the German Gene Bank for Crop Wild Relatives we identified, among 70 wild accessions, a pair contrasting with respect to cold tolerance. By following the physiological, biochemical, molecular, and metabolic responses of this contrasting pair, we identified the transcription factor Cold Box Factor 4 and the dehydrin Xero-2 as molecular markers associated with superior tolerance to cold stress. Overexpression of GFP fusions with Xero-2 in tobacco BY-2 cells conferred cold tolerance to these recipient cells. A detailed analysis of the metabolome for the two contrasting genotypes allows to define metabolic signatures correlated with cold tolerance versus cold stress. This work provides a proof-of-concept for the value of crop wild relatives as genetic resources to identify genetic factors suitable to increase the stress resilience of crop plants.
PMID: 39023232
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2024 Jul , V75 (13) : P4038-4051 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erae123
Monosaccharide transporter OsMST6 is activated by transcription factor OsERF120 to enhance chilling tolerance in rice seedlings.
Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Chilling stress caused by extreme weather is threatening global rice (Oryza sativa L.) production. Identifying components of the signal transduction pathways underlying chilling tolerance in rice would advance molecular breeding. Here, we report that OsMST6, which encodes a monosaccharide transporter, positively regulates the chilling tolerance of rice seedlings. mst6 mutants showed hypersensitivity to chilling, while OsMST6 overexpression lines were tolerant. During chilling stress, OsMST6 transported more glucose into cells to modulate sugar and abscisic acid signaling pathways. We showed that the transcription factor OsERF120 could bind to the DRE/CRT element of the OsMST6 promoter and activate the expression of OsMST6 to positively regulate chilling tolerance. Genetically, OsERF120 was functionally dependent on OsMST6 when promoting chilling tolerance. In summary, OsERF120 and OsMST6 form a new downstream chilling regulatory pathway in rice in response to chilling stress, providing valuable findings for molecular breeding aimed at achieving global food security.
PMID: 38490694
Int J Biol Macromol , IF:6.953 , 2024 Jul : P133245 doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133245
Genome-wide and functional analysis of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) genes during dormancy and sprouting periods of kernel consumption apricots (P. armeniaca L. x P. sibirica L.).
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China. Electronic address: Lisf@caf.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Non-timber Forestry Research and Development Center, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, PR China. Electronic address: tanatanan@caf.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Non-timber Forestry Research and Development Center, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, PR China. Electronic address: wanglinjt@caf.ac.cn.; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China. Electronic address: happyth@caf.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China. Electronic address: zhangyaodan@caf.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China. Electronic address: wshaoli@iccas.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China. Electronic address: yxxia@caf.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China. Electronic address: liuxx@caf.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Experimental Center of Forestry in North China, National Permanent Scientific Research Base for Warm Temperate Zone Forestry of Jiulong Mountain in Beijing, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, PR China.; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botany Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, Jiangsu Province, PR China. Electronic address: fennilv@cnbg.net.; Experimental Center of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Pingxiang 532600, PR China. Electronic address: xjhsoso@163.com.; Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100093, PR China. Electronic address: tangzm@caf.ac.cn.
Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins play a crucial role in protecting cells from stress, making them potential contributors to abiotic stress tolerance. This study focuses on apricot (P. armeniaca L. x P. sibirica L.), where a comprehensive genome-wide analysis identified 54 LEA genes, categorized into eight subgroups based on phylogenetic relationships. Synteny analysis revealed 14 collinear blocks containing LEA genes between P. armeniaca x P. sibirica and Arabidopsis thaliana, with an additional 9 collinear blocks identified between P. armeniaca x P. sibirica and poplar. Examination of gene structure and conserved motifs indicated that these subgroups exhibit consistent exon-intron patterns and shared motifs. The expansion and duplication of LEA genes in P. armeniaca x P. sibirica were driven by whole-genome duplication (WGD), segmental duplication, and tandem duplication events. Expression analysis, utilizing RNA-seq data and quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), indicated induction of PasLEA2-20, PasLEA3-2, PasLEA6-1, Pasdehydrin-3, and Pasdehydrin-5 in flower buds during dormancy and sprouting phases. Coexpression network analysis linked LEA genes with 15 cold-resistance genes. Remarkably, during the four developmental stages of flower buds in P. armeniaca x P. sibirica - physiological dormancy, ecological dormancy, sprouting period, and germination stage - the expression patterns of all PasLEAs coexpressed with cold stress-related genes remained consistent. Protein-protein interaction networks, established using Arabidopsis orthologs, emphasized connections between PasLEA proteins and cold resistance pathways. Overexpression of certain LEA genes in yeast and Arabidopsis conferred advantages under cold stress, including increased pod length, reduced bolting time and flowering time, improved survival and seed setting rates, elevated proline accumulation, and enhanced antioxidative enzymatic activities. Furthermore, these overexpressed plants exhibited upregulation of genes related to flower development and cold resistance. The Y1H assay confirmed that PasGBF4 and PasDOF3.5 act as upstream regulatory factors by binding to the promoter region of PasLEA3-2. PasDOF2.4, PasDnaJ2, and PasAP2 were also found to bind to the promoter of Pasdehydrin-3, regulating the expression levels of downstream genes. This comprehensive study explores the evolutionary relationships among PasLEA genes, protein interactions, and functional analyses during various stages of dormancy and sprouting in P. armeniaca x P. sibirica. It offers potential targets for enhancing cold resistance and manipulating flower bud dormancy in this apricot hybrid.
PMID: 38977045
J Environ Manage , IF:6.789 , 2024 Jul , V363 : P121374 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121374
Improving the productivity of Xinjiang cotton in heat-limited regions under two life history strategies.
Henan Collaborative Innovation Centre of Modern Biological Breeding, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, Henan, China.; Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, Xinjiang Production and Construction Group, Shihezi, University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China. Electronic address: aziz@lzu.edu.cn.; Xinjiang Dejia Technology Seed Industry Co., Ltd., Aksu, Xinjiang, China.; Henan Collaborative Innovation Centre of Modern Biological Breeding, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, Henan, China. Electronic address: zhangzhiyong@hist.edu.cn.
Cotton is a major cash crop globally, playing a pivotal role in the textile sector. However, cotton growers in Xinjiang region are experiencing cotton yield penalty caused by limited heat environment. In this region, limited heat conditions strongly arrest cotton plant growth and development resulting in recued productivity. To counteract this problem, there is an urgent need to robustly identify efficient management strategies to improve plant performance and increase cotton yield under heat-limited situations. This will hold crucial implications for agricultural sustainability and global cotton supply. This review article identified challenges faced by cotton producers under heat limited environments with potential solutions to enhance cotton productivity. Specifically, we focused on the implementation of two life history strategies including planting early maturing and cold tolerant cultivars, and adjusting sowing date that can promote early maturity and increase cold stress tolerance. These strategies have shown promising results in protecting cotton plants from limited heat injury and consequently improved cotton productivity. By focusing on Xinjiang province unique climate and associated agronomic practices, valuable insights can be gained, which may have broader applications in other heat-limited cotton-growing regions globally. This comprehensive review endeavors to provide a foundation for future research and practical interventions aimed at boosting cotton yields under limited heat areas.
PMID: 38843734
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1111/tpj.16925
The transcription factor ERF110 promotes cold tolerance by directly regulating sugar and sterol biosynthesis in citrus.
National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.; Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, 430070, China.; College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.; College of Life Sciences, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, 430070, China.
ERFs (ethylene-responsive factors) are known to play a key role in orchestrating cold stress signal transduction. However, the regulatory mechanisms and target genes of most ERFs are far from being well deciphered. In this study, we identified a cold-induced ERF, designated as PtrERF110, from trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf., also known as Citrus trifoliata L.), an elite cold-hardy plant. PtrERF110 is a nuclear protein with transcriptional activation activity. Overexpression of PtrERF110 remarkably enhanced cold tolerance in lemon (Citrus limon) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), whereas VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing)-mediated knockdown of PtrERF110 drastically impaired the cold tolerance. RNA sequence analysis revealed that PtrERF110 overexpression resulted in global transcriptional reprogramming of a range of stress-responsive genes. Three of the genes, including PtrERD6L16 (early responsive dehydration 6-like transporters), PtrSPS4 (sucrose phosphate synthase 4), and PtrUGT80B1 (UDP-glucose: sterol glycosyltransferases 80B1), were confirmed as direct targets of PtrERF110. Consistently, PtrERF110-overexpressing plants exhibited higher levels of sugars and sterols compared to their wild type counterparts, whereas the VIGS plants had an opposite trend. Exogenous supply of sucrose restored the cold tolerance of PtrERF110-silencing plants. In addition, knockdown of PtrSPS4, PtrERD6L16, and PtrUGT80B1 substantially impaired the cold tolerance of P. trifoliata. Taken together, our findings indicate that PtrERF110 positively modulates cold tolerance by directly regulating sugar and sterol synthesis through transcriptionally activating PtrERD6L16, PtrSPS4, and PtrUGT80B1. The regulatory modules (ERF110-ERD6L16/SPS4/UGT80B1) unraveled in this study advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sugar and sterol accumulation in plants subjected to cold stress.
PMID: 38985498
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2024 Jul , V119 (2) : P998-1013 doi: 10.1111/tpj.16812
MORN motif-containing protein OsMORN1 and OsMORN2 are crucial for rice pollen viability and cold tolerance.
Seed Science Center, The Advanced Seed Institute, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Breeding, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510640, China.; Hainan Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya, 572025, China.
The pollen viability directly affects the pollination process and the ultimate grain yield of rice. Here, we identified that the MORN motif-containing proteins, OsMORN1 and OsMORN2, had a crucial role in maintaining pollen fertility. Compared with the wild type (WT), the pollen viability of the osmorn1 and osmorn2 mutants was reduced, and pollen germination was abnormal, resulting in significantly lower spikelet fertility, seed-setting rate, and grain yield per plant. Further investigation revealed that OsMORN1 was localized to the Golgi apparatus and lipid droplets. Lipids associated with pollen viability underwent alterations in osmorn mutants, such as the diacylglyceride (18:3_18:3) was 5.1-fold higher and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (18:2_18:2) was 5.2-fold lower in osmorn1, while the triacylglycerol (TG) (16:0_18:2_18:3) was 8.3-fold higher and TG (16:0_18:1_18:3) was 8.5-fold lower in osmorn2 than those in WT. Furthermore, the OsMORN1/2 was found to be associated with rice cold tolerance, as osmorn1 and osmorn2 mutants were more sensitive to chilling stress than WT. The mutants displayed increased hydrogen peroxide accumulation, reduced antioxidant enzyme activities, elevated malondialdehyde content, and a significantly decreased seedling survival rate. Lipidomics analysis revealed distinct alterations in lipids under low temperature, highlighting significant changes in TG (18:2_18:3_18:3) and TG (18:4_18:2_18:2) in osmorn1, TG (16:0_18:2_18:2) and PI (17:2_18:3) in osmorn2 compared to the WT. Therefore, it suggested that OsMORN1 and OsMORN2 regulate both pollen viability and cold tolerance through maintaining lipid homeostasis.
PMID: 38761113
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2024 Jul , V25 (14) doi: 10.3390/ijms25147968
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of U-Box Gene Family Members and Analysis of Their Expression Patterns in Phaseolus vulgaris L. under Cold Stress.
MARA Key Laboratory of Sustainable Crop Production in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434025, China.; State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an economically important food crop grown worldwide; however, its production is affected by various environmental stresses, including cold, heat, and drought stress. The plant U-box (PUB) protein family participates in various biological processes and stress responses, but the gene function and expression patterns of its members in the common bean remain unclear. Here, we systematically identified 63 U-box genes, including 8 tandem genes and 55 non-tandem genes, in the common bean. These PvPUB genes were unevenly distributed across 11 chromosomes, with chromosome 2 holding the most members of the PUB family, containing 10 PUB genes. The analysis of the phylogenetic tree classified the 63 PUB genes into three groups. Moreover, transcriptome analysis based on cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive varieties identified 4 differentially expressed PvPUB genes, suggesting their roles in cold tolerance. Taken together, this study serves as a valuable resource for exploring the functional aspects of the common bean U-box gene family and offers crucial theoretical support for the development of new cold-tolerant common bean varieties.
PMID: 39063210
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2024 Jul , V25 (14) doi: 10.3390/ijms25147821
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of ADK Gene Family Members in Cotton under Abiotic Stress.
College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.; State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-Breeding and Integrated Utilization, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang 455000, China.; Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji 831100, China.; College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 518000, China.
Adenosine kinase (ADK) is a key enzyme widely distributed in plants, playing an important role in maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and regulating plant growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses. However, research on ADK genes in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), an economically significant crop, has been limited. This study identified 92 ADK genes from four cotton species (G. arboreum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense) using HMMER and Local BLASTP methods and classified them into six groups. Chromosomal localization revealed a random distribution of ADK genes in G. hirsutum, with 13 genes located on the At subgenome and 14 genes on the Dt subgenome. Gene structure analysis showed consistency in exon-intron organization within subgroups, while conserved motif analysis identified subgroup-specific motifs, indicating functional diversity. Synteny and collinearity mapping analysis revealed that the primary expansion mechanisms of the ADK gene family in cotton are polyploidy and segmental duplication. Cis-regulatory elements in GhADK promoters were classified into light response, hormone response, developmental regulation, and stress response. We also analyzed the expression patterns of GhADK genes under a low temperature (4 degrees C) and drought conditions. Most GhADK genes responded to cold stress with different expression patterns, indicating their roles in rapid response and long-term cold adaptation. Under drought stress, expression patterns varied, with some genes showing sustained high expression levels. The qRT-PCR validation of transcriptomic data confirmed the stress-induced expression patterns of selected GhADK genes. Functional analysis through the VIGS silencing of GhADK25 demonstrated its importance in cold and drought stress responses, with silencing resulting in poor growth under stress, highlighting its significance in stress tolerance. This study provides a basis for further understanding the evolutionary relationships and functions of the cotton ADK gene family.
PMID: 39063069
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2024 Jul , V25 (14) doi: 10.3390/ijms25147614
Genome-Wide Characterization and Expression Profiling of the AP2/ERF Gene Family in Fragaria vesca L.
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Development and Utilization of Small Fruits in Cold Regions, College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
The wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.; F. vesca) represents a resilient and extensively studied model organism. While the AP2/ERF gene family plays a pivotal role in plant development, its exploration within F. vesca remains limited. In this study, we characterized the AP2/ERF gene family in wild strawberries using the recently released genomic data (F. vesca V6.0). We conducted an analysis of the gene family expansion pattern, we examined gene expression in stem segments and leaves under cold conditions, and we explored its functional attributes. Our investigation revealed that the FvAP2/ERF family comprises 86 genes distributed among four subfamilies: AP2 (17), RAV (6), ERF (62), and Soloist (1). Tandem and segmental duplications significantly contributed to the growth of this gene family. Furthermore, predictive analysis identified several cis-acting elements in the promoter region associated with meristematic tissue expression, hormone regulation, and resistance modulation. Transcriptomic analysis under cold stress unveiled diverse responses among multiple FvAP2/ERFs in stem segments and leaves. Real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) results confirmed elevated expression levels of select genes following the cold treatment. Additionally, overexpression of FvERF23 in Arabidopsis enhanced cold tolerance, resulting in significantly increased fresh weight and root length compared to the wild-type control. These findings lay the foundation for further exploration into the functional roles of FvAP2/ERF genes.
PMID: 39062854
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2024 Jul , V25 (13) doi: 10.3390/ijms25137437
Overexpression of a Grape WRKY Transcription Factor VhWRKY44 Improves the Resistance to Cold and Salt of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Afairs/National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Development and Utilization of Small Fruits in Cold Regions, College of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.; Horticulture Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150040, China.
Plants are often exposed to biotic or abiotic stress, which can seriously impede their growth and development. In recent years, researchers have focused especially on the study of plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress. As one of the most widely planted grapevine rootstocks, 'Beta' has been extensively proven to be highly resistant to stress. However, further research is needed to understand the mechanisms of abiotic stress in 'Beta' rootstocks. In this study, we isolated and cloned a novel WRKY transcription factor, VhWRKY44, from the 'Beta' rootstock. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that VhWRKY44 was a nuclear-localized protein. Tissue-specific expression analysis indicated that VhWRKY44 had higher expression levels in grape roots and mature leaves. Further research demonstrated that the expression level of VhWRKY44 in grape roots and mature leaves was highly induced by salt and cold treatment. Compared with the control, Arabidopsis plants overexpressing VhWRKY44 showed stronger resistance to salt and cold stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were significantly increased, and the contents of proline, malondialdehyde (MDA) and chlorophyll were changed considerably. In addition, significantly higher levels of stress-related genes were detected in the transgenic lines. The results indicated that VhWRKY44 was an important transcription factor in 'Beta' with excellent salt and cold tolerance, providing a new foundation for abiotic stress research.
PMID: 39000546
Genomics , IF:5.736 , 2024 Jul , V116 (4) : P110871 doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2024.110871
Dynamic DNA methylation modifications in the cold stress response of cassava.
School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China; Xinglin College, Nantong University, Qidong 226236, China.; Qingdao Smart Rural Development Service Center, Qingdao 266000, China.; Xinglin College, Nantong University, Qidong 226236, China.; Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA.; School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China. Electronic address: kwang5@ntu.edu.cn.; School of Life Sciences, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China. Electronic address: jinleihan@ntu.edu.cn.
Cassava, a crucial tropical crop, faces challenges from cold stress, necessitating an exploration of its molecular response. Here, we investigated the role of DNA methylation in moderating the response to moderate cold stress (10 degrees C) in cassava. Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, we examined DNA methylation patterns in leaf blades and petioles under control conditions, 5 h, and 48 h of cold stress. Tissue-specific responses were observed, with leaf blades exhibiting subtle changes, while petioles displayed a pronounced decrease in methylation levels under cold stress. We identified cold stress-induced differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that demonstrated both tissue and treatment specificity. Importantly, these DMRs were enriched in genes with altered expression, implying functional relevance. The cold-response transcription factor ERF105 associated with DMRs emerged as a significant and conserved regulator across tissues and treatments. Furthermore, we investigated DNA methylation dynamics in transposable elements, emphasizing the sensitivity of MITEs with bHLH binding motifs to cold stress. These findings provide insights into the epigenetic regulation of response to cold stress in cassava, contributing to an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying stress adaptation in this tropical plant.
PMID: 38806102
Theor Appl Genet , IF:5.699 , 2024 Jul , V137 (8) : P178 doi: 10.1007/s00122-024-04685-y
Cold tolerance SNPs and candidate gene mining in the soybean germination stage based on genome-wide association analysis.
College of Life Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China.; Hebei Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Breeding, National Soybean Improvement Center Shijiazhuang Sub-center, Hebei-Huai-Hai Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Soybean, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Cereal and Oil Crops, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China.; Heihe Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Heihe, 164300, China.; The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement (NFCRI)/Key Laboratory of Germplasm and Biotechnology (MARA), Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.; Heihe Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Heihe, 164300, China. 13845674288@163.com.; College of Life Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China. maqian51856@126.com.; Hebei Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Breeding, National Soybean Improvement Center Shijiazhuang Sub-center, Hebei-Huai-Hai Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Soybean, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Cereal and Oil Crops, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 050035, Hebei, China. dragonyan1979@163.com.
Three QTLs associated with low-temperature tolerance were identified by genome-wide association analysis, and 15 candidate genes were identified by haplotype analysis and gene expression analyses. Low temperature is a critical factor affecting the geographical distribution, growth, development, and yield of soybeans, with cold stress during seed germination leading to substantial productivity loss. In this study, an association panel comprising 260 soybean accessions was evaluated for four germination traits and four cold tolerance index traits, revealing extensive variation in cold tolerance. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 10 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with cold tolerance, utilizing 30,799 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and four GWAS models. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis positioned these QTNs within three cold-tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTL) and, with QTL19-1, was positioned by three multi-locus models, underscoring its importance as a key QTL. Integrative haplotype analysis, supplemented by transcriptome analysis, uncovered 15 candidate genes. The haplotypes within the genes Glyma.18G044200, Glyma.18G044300, Glyma.18G044900, Glyma.18G045100, Glyma.19G222500, and Glyma.19G222600 exhibited significant phenotypic variations, with differential expression in materials with varying cold tolerance. The QTNs and candidate genes identified in this study offer substantial potential for marker-assisted selection and gene editing in breeding cold-tolerant soybeans, providing valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying cold tolerance during soybean germination.
PMID: 38976061
Plant Cell Physiol , IF:4.927 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcae072
ATBS1-INTERACTING FACTOR 2 Positively Regulates Freezing Tolerance via INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION 1/C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR-Induced Cold Acclimation Pathway.
Division of Biological Science and Technology, Yonsei University, 1 Yonseidae -Gil, Wonju-Si 220-710, Republic of Korea.; Department of Systems Biotechnology, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
The INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION 1/C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (ICE1/CBF) pathway plays a crucial role in plant responses to cold stress, impacting growth and development. Here, we demonstrated that ATBS1-INTERACTING FACTOR 2 (AIF2), a non-DNA-binding basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, positively regulates freezing tolerance through the ICE1/CBF-induced cold tolerance pathway in Arabidopsis. Cold stress transcriptionally upregulated AIF2 expression and induced AIF2 phosphorylation, thereby stabilizing the AIF2 protein during early stages of cold acclimation. The AIF2 loss-of-function mutant, aif2-1, exhibited heightened sensitivity to freezing before and after cold acclimation. In contrast, ectopic expression of AIF2, but not the C-terminal-deleted AIF2 variant, restored freezing tolerance. AIF2 enhanced ICE1 stability during cold acclimation and promoted the transcriptional expression of CBFs and downstream cold-responsive genes, ultimately enhancing plant tolerance to freezing stress. MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASES 3 and 6 (MPK3/6), known negative regulators of freezing tolerance, interacted with and phosphorylated AIF2, subjecting it to protein degradation. Furthermore, transient co-expression of MPK3/6 with AIF2 and ICE1 downregulated AIF2/ICE1-induced transactivation of CBF2 expression. AIF2 interacted preferentially with BIN2 and MPK3/6 during the early and later stages of cold acclimation, respectively, thereby differentially regulating AIF2 activity in a cold acclimation time-dependent manner. Moreover, AIF2 acted additively in a gain-of-function mutant of BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (BZR1; bzr1-1D) and a triple knockout mutant of BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE 2 (BIN2) and its homologs (bin2bil1bil2) to induce CBFs-mediated freezing tolerance. This suggests that cold-induced AIF2 coordinates freezing tolerance along with BZR1 and BIN2, key positive and negative components, respectively, of brassinosteroid signaling pathways.
PMID: 38957969
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2024 Sep , V346 : P112172 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112172
Receptor-like kinase ERECTA negatively regulates anthocyanin accumulation in grape.
College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, No. 100, Daxue Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China.; Key Laboratory of Genetics and Fruit Development, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, 1st Weigang Rd., Nanjing 210095, China.; Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.; College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, No. 100, Daxue Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530004, China. Electronic address: jiahaifeng@gxu.edu.cn.
Receptor-like kinase (ERECTA, ER) is essential for mediating growth, development, and stress response signaling pathway in plants. In this study, we investigated the effect of VvER on anthocyanin synthesis as a regulatory factor in transgenic grape callus in response to chilling stress. Results showed that overexpression of VvER reduced the expression of transcription factors VvMYBA1, VvMYB5b, VvMYC2, and VvWDR1, as well as the structural genes VvCHS, VvCHI, VvDFR, VvLDOX, and VvUFGT, and inhibited the anthocyanins synthesis of grape callus at 25℃. VvER reduced proline content and antioxidant enzymes activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), and inhibited the expression of anthocyanin synthesis genes to reduce the cold resistance of grape callus. In transgenic Arabidopsis, overexpression of VvER promoted the elongation of Arabidopsis rosettes and sprigs. Under strong light treatment, VvER inhibited the accumulation of anthocyanins in Arabidopsis; Transient expression in strawberry fruit showed that VvER inhibited the synthesis of anthocyanin in strawberry fruit by inhibiting the expression of FaCHI, FaCHS, FaDFR and FaUFGT under low temperature treatment at 10 degrees C, but not under the normal temperature of 25℃. Using Yeast two-hybrid, we found that VvER interacted with transcription factor proteins including VvMYBA1, VvMYB5b and VvWDR1. Furthermore, VvER led to the repression of VvUFGT promoter activity and decreased the anthocyanin biosynthesis genes expression by downregulation MBW complex activity. Totally, VvER could inhibit anthocyanin biosynthesis and involve in the grape plant susceptible to cold stress for grape cultivation in northern China.
PMID: 38942388
Front Genet , IF:4.599 , 2024 , V15 : P1390411 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1390411
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the CONSTANS-like family in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).
Guizhou Institute of Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, China.; Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Resources and Germplasm Innovation in Karst Region, Guiyang, China.; Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agriculture Biotechnology, Guiyang, China.
The CONSTANS-like (COL) gene plays important roles in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress. A total of 15 COL genes are unevenly distributed on eight chromosomes in the potato genome. The amino acid length of the family members was 347-453 aa, the molecular weight was 38.65-49.92 kD, and the isoelectric point was 5.13-6.09. The StCOL family can be divided into three subfamilies by evolutionary tree analysis, with conserved motifs and similar gene structure positions in each subfamily. The analysis of promoter cis-acting elements showed 17 cis-acting elements related to plant hormones, stress, and light response. Collinearity analysis of COL genes of tomato, potato, and Arabidopsis showed that 13 StCOL genes in the different species may have a common ancestor. A total of 10 conserved motifs and six kinds of post-translational modifications in the 15 StCOL proteins were identified. The 15 StCOL genes exhibit a genomic structure consisting of exons and introns, typically ranging from two to four in number. The results showed that 10 genes displayed significant expression across all potato tissues, while the remaining five genes were down-expressed in potato transcriptome data. The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis exhibited differential expression of 8 StCOL genes in the potato leaves and tubers at different growth stages, as well as 7 StCOL genes under 2 degrees C treatment conditions. These results suggested that the StCOL gene family may play an important role in regulating potato tuberization and responding to cold stress.
PMID: 39045317
Plant Cell Rep , IF:4.57 , 2024 Jul , V43 (7) : P185 doi: 10.1007/s00299-024-03264-1
Deciphering molecular regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) signalling networks in Oryza genus amid environmental stress.
School of Basic Sciences, Department of Botany, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, Punjab, India.; School of Basic Sciences, Department of Botany, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, 151401, Punjab, India. prashant.swapnil@cup.edu.in.; Department of Botany, University of Delhi, New Delhi, 110007, Delhi, India.; Laboratory of Phytopathology and Microbial Biotechnology, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India. mukeshmeenamlsu@gmail.com.
The Oryza genus, containing Oryza sativa L., is quintessential to sustain global food security. This genus has a lot of sophisticated molecular mechanisms to cope with environmental stress, particularly during vulnerable stages like flowering. Recent studies have found key involvements and genetic modifications that increase resilience to stress, including exogenous application of melatonin, allantoin, and trehalose as well as OsSAPK3 and OsAAI1 in the genetic realm. Due to climate change and anthropogenic reasons, there is a rise in sea level which raises a concern of salinity stress. It is tackled through osmotic adjustment and ion homeostasis, mediated by genes like P5CS, P5CR, GSH1, GSH2, and SPS, and ion transporters like NHX, NKT, and SKC, respectively. Oxidative damage is reduced by a complex action of antioxidants, scavenging RONS. A complex action of genes mediates cold stress with studies highlighting the roles of OsWRKY71, microRNA2871b, OsDOF1, and OsICE1. There is a need to research the mechanism of action of proteins like OsRbohA in ROS control and the action of regulatory genes in stress response. This is highly relevant due to the changing climate which will raise a lot of environmental changes that will adversely affect production and global food security if certain countermeasures are not taken. Overall, this study aims to unravel the molecular intricacies of ROS and RNS signaling networks in Oryza plants under stress conditions, with the ultimate goal of informing strategies for enhancing stress tolerance and crop performance in this important agricultural genus.
PMID: 38951279
Physiol Plant , IF:4.5 , 2024 Jul-Aug , V176 (4) : Pe14409 doi: 10.1111/ppl.14409
Autophagy is suppressed by low temperatures and is dispensable for cold acclimation in Arabidopsis.
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan.; Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Plants have evolved various mechanisms to adapt to the ever-changing external environment. Autophagy is one such mechanism and has been suggested to play a key role in responding to and adapting to abiotic stresses in plants. However, the role of autophagy in adaptation to cold and freezing stresses remains to be characterized in detail. Here, we investigated the role of autophagy in the low-temperature response of Arabidopsis using atg mutants. Both the atg5-1 and atg10-1 mutants exhibited normal freezing tolerance, regardless of cold acclimation. A comparison of fresh weights indicated that the difference in growth between the wild-type and atg plants under cold conditions was rather small compared with that under normal conditions. Analysis of COLD-REGULATED gene expression showed no significant differences between the atg mutants and wild type. Treatment with 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, did not impair the induction of COR15Apro::LUC expression upon exposure to low temperature. Evaluation of autophagic activity using transgenic plants expressing RBCS-mRFP demonstrated that autophagy was rarely induced by cold exposure, even in the dark. Taken together, these data suggest that autophagy is suppressed by low temperatures and is dispensable for cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis.
PMID: 38973450
Sci Rep , IF:4.379 , 2024 Jul , V14 (1) : P16564 doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58754-9
Comparative transcriptomics analysis of tolerant and sensitive genotypes reveals genes involved in the response to cold stress in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.).
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Institute of Vegetable Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China.; College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China.; Nanjing Innovation Vegetable Molecular Breeding Research Institute, Nanjing, 211899, China.; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Institute of Vegetable Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China. xuhai407@163.com.; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Institute of Vegetable Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, 210014, China. longzhengchen@qq.com.
Bitter gourd is an economically important horticultural crop for its edible and medicinal value. However, the regulatory mechanisms of bitter gourd in response to cold stress are still poorly elucidated. In this study, phytohormone determination and comparative transcriptome analyses in XY (cold-tolerant) and QF (cold-sensitive) after low temperature treatment were conducted. Under cold stress, the endogenous contents of abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) in XY were significantly increased at 24 h after treatment (HAT), indicating that ABA, JA and SA might function in regulating cold resistance. RNA-seq results revealed that more differentially expressed genes were identified at 6 HAT in QF and 24 HAT in XY, respectively. KEGG analysis suggested that the plant hormone signal transduction pathway was significantly enriched in both genotypes at all the time points. In addition, transcription factors showing different expression patterns between XY and QF were identified, including CBF3, ERF2, NAC90, WRKY51 and WRKY70. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis suggested MARK1, ERF17, UGT74E2, GH3.1 and PPR as hub genes. These results will deepen the understanding of molecular mechanism of bitter gourd in response to cold stress and the identified genes may help to facilitate the genetic improvement of cold-resistant cultivars.
PMID: 39019887
Sci Rep , IF:4.379 , 2024 Jul , V14 (1) : P17208 doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-68005-6
Foliar spraying with amino acids and their chitosan nanocomposites as promising way to alleviate abiotic stress in iceberg lettuce grown at different temperatures.
Department of Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29 Listopada 54, 31-425, Krakow, Poland. andrzej.kalisz@urk.edu.pl.; Institute of Biology and Earth Sciences, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Podchorazych 2, 30-084, Krakow, Poland. andrzej.kornas@up.krakow.pl.; Department of Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29 Listopada 54, 31-425, Krakow, Poland.; Institute of Biology and Earth Sciences, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Podchorazych 2, 30-084, Krakow, Poland.; Polymer Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran.; Department of Herbal and Animal Production, Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Igdir University, Igdir, Turkey.; Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Maragheh, Maragheh, Iran.; Department of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology and Food Science, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus.
We analyzed the effects of foliar spraying with amino acids, chitosan (CHS) and nanocomposites (NCs) of chitosan with the amino acids proline, L-cysteine and glycine betaine (CHS-Pro NCs; CHS-Cys NCs, CHS-GB NCs, respectively) on the changes in the physiological and biochemical parameters of iceberg lettuce grown at the control temperature (20 degrees C) and under chilling conditions (4 degrees C). The physicochemical parameters of the phospholipid monolayers (PLs) extracted from plants showed the effects of the treatments on the properties of the monolayers, namely, the packing density and flexibility. We observed increased accumulation of proline at 4 degrees C, and differences in the concentrations of sugars in most of the analyzed variants were a consequence of the lowered temperature and/or the use of organic compounds. A temperature of 4 degrees C caused a significant increase in the L-ascorbic acid level compared with that at 20 degrees C. Differences were also found in glutathione (GSH) content depending on the temperature and treatment with the tested organic compounds. CHS NCs loaded with Pro and GB were effective at increasing the amount of phenols under stress temperature conditions. We noted that a significant increase in the antioxidant activity of plants at 4 degrees C occurred after priming with Cys, CHS-Cys NCs, Pro and CHS-Pro NCs, and the CHS nanocomposites were more effective in this respect. Both low-temperature stress and foliar spraying of lettuce with various organic compounds caused changes in the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Two forms of dismutase (SOD), iron superoxide dismutase (FeSOD) and copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/ZnSOD), were identified in extracts from the leaves of iceberg lettuce seedlings. The application of the tested organic compounds, alone or in combination with CHS, increased the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) in plants grown under controlled temperature conditions. Chilling caused an increase in the content of MDA, but some organic compounds mitigated the impact of low temperature. Compared with that of plants subjected to 20 degrees C, the fresh weight of plants exposed to chilling decreased. However, the tested compounds caused a decrease in fresh weight at 4 degrees C compared with the corresponding control samples. An interesting exception was the use of Cys, for which the difference in the fresh weight of plants grown at 20 degrees C and 4 degrees C was not statistically significant. After Cys application, the dry weight of the chilled plants was greater than that of the chilled control plants but was also greater than that of the other treated plants in this group. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that engineered chitosan-amino acid nanocomposites could be applied as innovative protective agents to mitigate the effects of chilling stress in crop plants.
PMID: 39060430
Ann Bot , IF:4.357 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1093/aob/mcae117
Floral freezing tolerance is tied to flowering time in North American woody plant species.
Biology Department, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, USA.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: As winter and spring temperatures continue to increase, the timing of flowering and leaf out is advancing in many seasonally cold regions. This advancement could put plants that flower early in the spring at risk of decreased reproduction in years when there are late freeze events. Unfortunately, relatively little is known about floral freezing tolerance in forest communities. In this study, we examined the impact of freezing temperatures on the flowers of woody plants in a region where there is rapid winter warming in North America. METHODS: We subjected the flowers of twenty-five woody species to a hard (-5 masculineC) and a light freeze (0 masculineC). We assessed tissue damage using electrolyte leakage. In a subset of species, we also examined the impact of a hard freeze on pollen tube growth. To determine if the vulnerability of flowers to freezing damage relates to flowering time and to examine the responsiveness of flowering time to spring temperature, we recorded the date of first flower for our study species for three years. KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Across species, we found that floral freezing tolerance was strongly tied to flowering time with the highest freezing tolerance occurring in plants that bloomed earlier in the year. We hypothesize that these early blooming species are unlikely to be impacted by a false spring. Instead, the most vulnerable species to a false spring should be those that bloom later in the season. The flowering time in these species is also more sensitive to temperature, putting them at a great risk of experiencing a false spring. Ultimately, floral damage in one year will not have a large impact on species fitness, but if false springs become more frequent, there could be long-term impacts on reproduction of vulnerable species.
PMID: 39066503
Ann Bot , IF:4.357 , 2024 Jul , V134 (2) : P283-294 doi: 10.1093/aob/mcae072
High freezing sensitivity of legumes relative to other herbaceous species in northern temperate plant communities.
Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St. N, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Reduced snow cover and increased air temperature variability are predicted to expose overwintering herbaceous plants to more severe freezing in some northern temperate regions. Legumes are a key functional group that may exhibit lower freezing tolerance than other species in these regions, but this trend has been observed only for non-native legumes. Our aim was to confirm if this trend is restricted to non-native legumes or whether native legumes in these regions also exhibit low freezing tolerance. METHODS: First, we transplanted legumes (five non-native species and four native species) into either an old field (non-native) or a prairie (native) and used snow removal to expose the plots to increased soil freezing. Second, we grew plants in mesocosms (old field) and pots (prairie species) and exposed them in controlled environment chambers to a range of freezing treatments (control, 0, -5 or -10 degrees C) in winter or spring. We assessed freezing responses by comparing differences in biomass, cover and nodulation between freezing (or snow removal) treatments and controls. KEY RESULTS: Among legume species, lower freezing tolerance was positively correlated with a lower proportion of nodulated plants and active nodules, and under controlled conditions, freezing-induced reductions in above-ground biomass were lower on average in native legumes than in non-native legumes. Nevertheless, both non-native and native legumes (except Desmodium canadense) exhibited greater reductions in biomass in response to increased freezing than their non-leguminous neighbours, both in controlled environments and in the field. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that both native and non-native legumes exhibit low freezing tolerance relative to other herbaceous species in northern temperate plant communities. By reducing legume biomass and nodulation, increased soil freezing could reduce nitrogen inputs into these systems.
PMID: 38742700
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2024 Aug , V213 : P108863 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108863
SMRT sequencing of a full-length transcriptome reveals cold induced alternative splicing in Vitis amurensis root.
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.; Turpan Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Xinjiang, 830091, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China; Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China. Electronic address: xinhaiping@wbgcas.cn.
Alternative splicing enhances diversity at the transcriptional and protein levels that widely involved in plant response to biotic and abiotic stresses. V. amurensis is an extremely cold-tolerant wild grape variety, however, studies on alternative splicing (AS) in amur grape at low temperatures are currently poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed full-length transcriptome and RNA seq data at 0, 2, and 24 h after cold stress in V. amurensis roots. Following quality control and correction, 221,170 high-quality full-length non-concatemer (FLNC) reads were identified. A total of 16,181 loci and 30,733 isoforms were identified. These included 22,868 novel isoforms from annotated genes and 2815 isoforms from 2389 novel genes. Among the distinguished novel isoforms, 673 Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) and 18,164 novel isoforms open reading frame (ORF) region were found. A total of 2958 genes produced 8797 AS events, of which 189 genes were involved in the low-temperature response. Twelve transcription factors show AS during cold treatment and VaMYB108 was selected for initial exploration. Two transcripts, Chr05.63.1 (VaMYB108(short)) and Chr05.63.2 (VaMYB108(normal)) of VaMYB108, display up-regulated expression after cold treatment in amur grape roots and are both localized in the nucleus. Only VaMYB108(normal) exhibits transcriptional activation activity. Overexpression of either VaMYB108(short) or VaMYB108(normal) in grape roots leads to increased expression of the other transcript and both increased chilling resistance of amur grape roots. The results improve and supplement the genome annotations and provide insights for further investigation into AS mechanisms during cold stress in V. amurensis.
PMID: 38917739
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2024 Jul , V212 : P108743 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108743
Genome-wide identification and role of HSFs in antioxidant response of hot water treated zucchini fruit during cold storage.
College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China.; College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China. Electronic address: pjin@njau.edu.cn.
Zucchini squashes are cold-sensitive and vulnerable to chilling injury (CI) resulting from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hot water (HW) immersing effectively reduce CI symptoms during cold storage. However, mechanism involved in reduced ROS due to HW treatment has not been characterized well. In this study, tender green zucchini fruit were treated with HW for 15 min at 45 +/- 1 degrees C and stored for 15 d at 4 +/- 1 degrees C and above 90 % relative humidity. Results showed substantial reduction in CI index, electrolyte leakage, malonaldehyde (MDA) contents and ROS accumulation along with increased activity of ROS-scavenging enzymes due to HW treatment. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism involved in antioxidant defense system, transcriptomic analysis revealed that heat shock factors (HSF) accumulated due to HW treatment regulated the ROS pathway during cold stress. CpHSFA4a was one of the highly expressed transcription factors (TF) due to HW treatment that regulated the transcription of ROS enzymes related genes. CpHSFA4a bind actively with heat shock element (HSE) in promoter regions of CpSOD, CpCAT, CpAPX1, CpAPX2, and CpAPX3, activated and increased the expression of these genes. In conclusion, HW treatment alleviated the CI by maintaining ROS homeostasis through CpHSFA4a mediated ROS pathway in zucchini squashes during cold storage.
PMID: 38788295
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2024 Jul , V214 : P108954 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108954
Phytochrome interacting factor ZmPIF6 simultaneously enhances chilling tolerance and grain size in rice.
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.; Hezhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hezhou, 542813, China.; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China. Electronic address: guoml@yzu.edu.cn.; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding/Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China. Electronic address: gaoyong@yzu.edu.cn.
Chilling is a prevalent type of abiotic stress that adversely affects agricultural productivity worldwide. Phytochrome interacting factors (PIFs) are a group of transcription factor that are crucial for plant abiotic stress response. Our research reveals that the maize PIF family gene ZmPIF6 is responsive to chilling stress, which mitigates the negative impacts of chilling through reducing reactive oxygen species content and enhancing cell membrane stability at the physiological and biochemical levels. We also found that the ZmPIF6 overexpression lines showed a significant increase in grain size, encompassing both length and width, which mainly due to the increase in cell size. In addition, digital gene expression results suggested that ZmPIF6 regulates the expression of cold-related and grain size-related genes in rice. In light of these findings, ZmPIF6 has a hopeful prospect as a candidate gene of chilling tolerance and crop productivity in the transgenic breeding.
PMID: 39053314
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2024 Aug , V213 : P108832 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108832
Coronatine-treated seedlings increase the tolerance of cotton to low-temperature stress.
Research Institute of Nuclear Technology and Biotechnology, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Desert Oasis Ministry of Agriculture, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China; Xinjiang Crop Chemical Regulation Engineering Technology Research Center and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China; The State Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation of Crop Resistance in Arid Desert Regions (Preparation), Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biotechnology, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China.; Xinjiang Crop Chemical Regulation Engineering Technology Research Center and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China; State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology & Biochemistry, Engineering Research Center of PGR, Ministry of Education & College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, and China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.; Xinjiang Crop Chemical Regulation Engineering Technology Research Center and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China.; College of Agricultural, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, 830091, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology & Biochemistry, Engineering Research Center of PGR, Ministry of Education & College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, and China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China. Electronic address: dls@bua.edu.cn.; Research Institute of Nuclear Technology and Biotechnology, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in Desert Oasis Ministry of Agriculture, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China; Xinjiang Crop Chemical Regulation Engineering Technology Research Center and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China; The State Key Laboratory of Genetic Improvement and Germplasm Innovation of Crop Resistance in Arid Desert Regions (Preparation), Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Crop Biotechnology, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830091, China. Electronic address: leib668@xaas.ac.cn.
Coronatine, an analog of Jasmonic acid (JA), has been shown to enhance crop tolerance to abiotic stresses, including chilling stress. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of Coronatine on cotton seedlings under low temperature using transcriptomic and metabolomics analysis. Twelve cDNA libraries from cotton seedlings were constructed, and pairwise comparisons revealed a total of 48,322 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis identified the involvement of these unigenes in various metabolic pathways, including Starch and sucrose metabolism, Sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid biosynthesis, Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, alpha-Linolenic acid metabolism, ABC transporters, and Plant hormone signal transduction. Additionally, substantial accumulations of jasmonates (JAs), abscisic acid and major cell wall metabolites were observed. Transcriptome analysis revealed differential expression of regulatory genes, and qRT-PCR analysis confirmed the expression patterns of 9 selected genes. Co-expression analysis showed that the JA-responsive genes might form a network module with ABA biosynthesis genes or cell wall biosynthesis genes, suggesting the existence of a COR-JA-cellulose and COR-JA-ABA-cellulose regulatory pathway in cotton seedlings. Collectively, our findings uncover new insights into the molecular basis of coronatine--associated cold tolerance in cotton seedlings.
PMID: 38896915
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2024 Jul , V24 (1) : P713 doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05423-8
Mitigating cold stress in rice: a study of genotype performance and sowing time.
Rice Research Department, Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Sakha, Kafr El-sheikh, 33717, Egypt.; Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt.; Department of Agriculture Botany, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt.; Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.; Centro de Investigaciones Biotecnologicas del Ecuador (CIBE), Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km. 30.5 Via Perimetral, Guayaquil, 090902, Ecuador. gmaridue@espol.edu.ec.; Department of Biology, Laboratory for Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research (IMPRES), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.; Plant Production Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, SRTA-City. Borg El Arab, Alexandria, Egypt.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is an essential food for half of the global population and is vital in maintaining global food security. Climate change, increasing population and recent incident of COVID pandemic has generated financial burden and threaten the global food security. Due to theses factors rice cultivation also has to face significant challenges. frequent weather changes pose a considerable challenge to agricultural planning, which was previously relaying on consistent seasonal variations. In this context, rice cultivation is particularly sensitive to cold, where its development and productivity inhibited by low temperatures (< 18 degrees C). Developing rice varietes with low temprature tolerence and good yield potential is one of the major goals of current breeding efforts of plant scientists. For this purpose, short duration and early rice varieties are most favorable to avoid cold stress and yield more in less number of days. this study was designed to investigate the effect of low temperatures on different rice varieties. the study was designed to identify low temprature tolerent genotypes with early and regular cultivation. For this, thirty-four genotypes were evaluated in two gorwing seasons (2018-2019) with four different sowing times. Statistically sowing time showed significant interaction between all yield contributing parameters. The data indicate that exposure to low temperatures during the reproductive phase prolongs the maturation period of the crop, also length of the panicle and the fertility of the spikelets drops, resulting in a significant decrease in the production of sensitive varieties. Some varieties are more sensitive to cold stress compared to others. In the Egyptian context, Giza176, Sakha104, and Sakha107 are recommended for early cultivation, while the genotypes Giza 179, Sakha101, Sakha104, and GZ 9730-1-1-1-1 are indicated for the normal cultivation period. The Sakha104 variety is particularly notable, as it is recommended for both purposes. In addition, the data obtained in this study provide valuable information for selecting rice varieties suitable for double cropping in the North Delta of Egypt. This study also contributes to the existing literature, providing insights into the resilience of rice cultivation in the face of climate change.
PMID: 39060959
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2024 Jul , V24 (1) : P698 doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05422-9
Shallow water seeding cultivation enhances cold tolerance in tobacco seedlings.
College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China.; Xiangxi Branch of Hunan Provincial Tobacco Corporation, Xiangxi, China.; Hunan Research Institute of Tobacco Science, Changsha, China.; Hunan Provincial Tobacco Corporation, Changsha, China.; College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China. zyy@hunau.edu.cn.
Cold stress can impact plant biology at both the molecular and morphological levels. We cultivated two different types of tobacco seedlings using distinct seeding methods, observing significant differences in their cold tolerance at 4 degrees C. After 12 h cold stress, shallow water seeding cultivation treatment demonstrates a relatively good growth state with slight wilting of the leaves. Tobacco grown using the float system exhibited short, thick roots, while those cultivated through shallow water seeding had elongated roots with more tips and forks. After cold stress, the shallow water seeding cultivation treatment demonstrated higher antioxidant enzyme activity, and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content.Transcriptome analysis was performed on the leaves of these tobacco seedlings at three stages of cold treatment (before cold stress, after cold stress, and after 3 days of recovery). Upon analyzing the raw data, we found that the shallow water seeding cultivation treatment was associated with significant functional enrichment of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis and NAD metabolism before cold stress, enrichment of functions related to the maintenance of cellular structure after cold stress, and substantial functional enrichment related to photosynthesis during the recovery period. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted, identifying several hub genes that may contribute to the differences in cold tolerance between the two tobacco seedlings. Hub genes related to energy conversion were predominantly identified in shallow water seeding cultivation treatment during our analysis, surpassing findings in other areas. These include the AS gene, which controls the synthesis of NAD precursors, the PED1 gene, closely associated with fatty acid beta-oxidation, and the RROP1 gene, related to ATP production.Overall, our study provides a valuable theoretical basis for exploring improved methods of cultivating tobacco seedlings. Through transcriptome sequencing technology, we have elucidated the differences in gene expression in different tobacco seedlings at three time points, identifying key genes affecting cold tolerance in tobacco and providing possibilities for future gene editing.
PMID: 39044176
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2024 Jul , V24 (1) : P631 doi: 10.1186/s12870-024-05285-0
Integrated analysis of DNA methylome and transcriptome revealing epigenetic regulation of CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance.
National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, P.R. China.; College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, P.R. China.; National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, P.R. China. lishuxia@itbb.org.cn.; National Key Laboratory for Tropical Crop Breeding, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Sanya Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, 571101, P.R. China. ruanmengbin@itbb.org.cn.
BACKGROUND: DNA methylation contributes to the epigenetic regulation of nuclear gene expression, and is associated with plant growth, development, and stress responses. Compelling evidence has emerged that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) regulates DNA methylation. Previous genetic and physiological evidence indicates that lncRNA-CRIR1 plays a positive role in the responses of cassava plants to cold stress. However, it is unclear whether global DNA methylation changes with CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance. RESULTS: In this study, a comprehensive comparative analysis of DNA methylation and transcriptome profiles was performed to reveal the gene expression and epigenetic dynamics after CRIR1 overexpression. Compared with the wild-type plants, CRIR1-overexpressing plants present gained DNA methylation in over 37,000 genomic regions and lost DNA methylation in about 16,000 genomic regions, indicating a global decrease in DNA methylation after CRIR1 overexpression. Declining DNA methylation is not correlated with decreased/increased expression of the DNA methylase/demethylase genes, but is associated with increased transcripts of a few transcription factors, chlorophyll metabolism and photosynthesis-related genes, which could contribute to the CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, a first set of transcriptome and epigenome data was integrated in this study to reveal the gene expression and epigenetic dynamics after CRIR1 overexpression, with the identification of several TFs, chlorophyll metabolism and photosynthesis-related genes that may be involved in CRIR1-promoted cold tolerance. Therefore, our study has provided valuable data for the systematic study of molecular insights for plant cold stress response.
PMID: 38965467
FEBS Lett , IF:4.124 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.14969
The HPE1 RNA-binding protein modulates chloroplast RNA editing to promote photosynthesis under cold stress in Arabidopsis.
Institute of Medical Plant Physiology and Ecology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China.; School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.; Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Resource from Lingnan (Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine), Ministry of Education, China.; Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Research on Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China.; State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, China.
Cold stress has severe negative consequences for plant growth and crop yield. Here, we report that an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant that lacks the HPE1 gene, which encodes an RNA-binding protein, maintains higher photosynthetic activity under cold stress, together with higher accumulation of thylakoid proteins. We showed that HPE1 interacts with MORF2 and MORF9 and thereby mediates RNA editing in chloroplasts. Loss of HPE1 function increased the editing efficiency at four RNA editing sites, rpoC-488, ndhB-149, ndhB-746 and matK-706, under cold stress and altered the expression of nuclear photosynthesis-related genes and cold-responsive genes. We propose that HPE1-mediated RNA editing acts as a trigger for retrograde signaling that affects photosynthesis under cold stress.
PMID: 38977940
Planta , IF:4.116 , 2024 Jul , V260 (3) : P55 doi: 10.1007/s00425-024-04484-1
Physiological, transcriptomic and metabolomic insights of three extremophyte woody species living in the multi-stress environment of the Atacama Desert.
Laboratorio de Fisiologia y Biologia Molecular Vegetal, Departamento de Ciencias Agronomicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Medioambiente & Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.; Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.; Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Vicosa, Vicosa, Minas Gerais, 36570-900, Brazil.; Departamento de Ciencias Quimicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ingenieria y Ciencias, Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.; Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris (iEES), Sorbonne Universite, UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, 75005, Paris, France.; Research Group On Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de Les Illes Balears/Institute of Agro-Environmental Research and Water Economy-INAGEA, Carretera de Valldemossa, 07122, Palma, Spain.; Laboratorio de Fisiologia y Biologia Molecular Vegetal, Departamento de Ciencias Agronomicas y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Medioambiente & Scientific and Technological Bioresource Nucleus, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. leon.bravo@ufrontera.cl.
In contrast to Neltuma species, S. tamarugo exhibited higher stress tolerance, maintaining photosynthetic performance through enhanced gene expression and metabolites. Differentially accumulated metabolites include chlorophyll and carotenoids and accumulation of non-nitrogen osmoprotectants. Plant species have developed different adaptive strategies to live under extreme environmental conditions. Hypothetically, extremophyte species present a unique configuration of physiological functions that prioritize stress-tolerance mechanisms while carefully managing resource allocation for photosynthesis. This could be particularly challenging under a multi-stress environment, where the synthesis of multiple and sequential molecular mechanisms is induced. We explored this hypothesis in three phylogenetically related woody species co-occurring in the Atacama Desert, Strombocarpa tamarugo, Neltuma alba, and Neltuma chilensis, by analyzing their leaf dehydration and freezing tolerance and by characterizing their photosynthetic performance under natural growth conditions. Besides, the transcriptomic profiling, biochemical analyses of leaf pigments, and metabolite analysis by untargeted metabolomics were conducted to study gene expression and metabolomic landscape within this challenging multi-stress environment. S. tamarugo showed a higher photosynthetic capacity and leaf stress tolerance than the other species. In this species, a multifactorial response was observed, which involves high photochemical activity associated with a higher content of chlorophylls and beta-carotene. The oxidative damage of the photosynthetic apparatus is probably attenuated by the synthesis of complex antioxidant molecules in the three species, but S. tamarugo showed the highest antioxidant capacity. Comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses among the species showed the differential expression of genes involved in the biosynthetic pathways of key stress-related metabolites. Moreover, the synthesis of non-nitrogen osmoprotectant molecules, such as ciceritol and mannitol in S. tamarugo, would allow the nitrogen allocation to support its high photosynthetic capacity without compromising leaf dehydration tolerance and freezing stress avoidance.
PMID: 39020000
BMC Genomics , IF:3.969 , 2024 Jul , V25 (1) : P686 doi: 10.1186/s12864-024-10591-w
Unveiling the translational dynamics of lychee (Litchi chinesis Sonn.) in response to cold stress.
College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524008, China. mingming.chen@gdou.edu.cn.; National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, South China, Zhanjiang, 524008, China. mingming.chen@gdou.edu.cn.; Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518108, China. mingming.chen@gdou.edu.cn.; College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524008, China.; National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, South China, Zhanjiang, 524008, China.; College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524008, China. fengnaijie@gdou.edu.cn.; National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, South China, Zhanjiang, 524008, China. fengnaijie@gdou.edu.cn.; Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518108, China. fengnaijie@gdou.edu.cn.; College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524008, China. zhengdianfeng@gdou.edu.cn.; National Saline-Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center, South China, Zhanjiang, 524008, China. zhengdianfeng@gdou.edu.cn.; Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518108, China. zhengdianfeng@gdou.edu.cn.
Cold stress poses a significant threat to the quality and productivity of lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.). While previous research has extensively explored the genomic and transcriptomic responses to cold stress in lychee, the translatome has not been thoroughly investigated. This study delves into the translatomic landscape of the 'Xiangjinfeng' cultivar under both control and low-temperature conditions using RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling. We uncovered a significant divergence between the transcriptomic and translatomic responses to cold exposure. Additionally, bioinformatics analyses underscored the crucial role of codon occupancy in lychee's cold tolerance mechanisms. Our findings reveal that the modulation of translation via codon occupancy is a vital strategy to abiotic stress. Specifically, the study identifies ribosome stalling, particularly at the E site AAU codon, as a key element of the translation machinery in lychee's response to cold stress. This work enhances our understanding of the molecular dynamics of lychee's reaction to cold stress and emphasizes the essential role of translational regulation in the plant's environmental adaptability.
PMID: 38992605
BMC Genomics , IF:3.969 , 2024 Jul , V25 (1) : P716 doi: 10.1186/s12864-024-10613-7
Comparative transcriptomic profiles of Paulownia catalpifolia under different degrees of chilling stress during the seedling stage.
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China.; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China. hnzhen2002@163.com.
BACKGROUND: Paulownia, an ecologically and economically valuable plant species native to China, is notable for its excellent timber quality and strong adaptability. Among them, Paulownia catalpifolia displays the ability to survive in cold climate, a trait associated with northern China. Yet, the molecular information for its cold-tolerance has not been explored. This study was to investigate the changes in physiological indices and transcript levels of P. catalpifolia following cold exposure, which could provide evidence for revealing whether there were differences in the genetic basis of inducing physiological perturbations between moderate low temperature (MLT) and extreme low temperature (ELT). RESULTS: The detection of physiological indices under diverse degrees of chilling stress showed similar patterns of alteration. Enhanced accumulation of osmoregulatory substances, such as soluble sugar and soluble protein, were more conducive under ELT compared to MLT in P. catalpifolia. Moreover, we observed leaf wilting symptoms distinctly after exposure to ELT for 48 h, while this effect was not obvious after MLT exposure for 48 h. Comparative transcriptomic analysis between MLT and ELT demonstrated 13,688 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), most of them appeared after 12 h and 48 h of treatment. GO and KEGG analyses elucidated prominent enrichment in aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase activity term and carbohydrate metabolism pathways. Therefore, it was speculated that the DEGs involved in the above processes might be related to the difference in the contents of soluble protein and soluble sugar between MLT and ELT. Time series clustering analyses further highlighted several key genes engaged in the 'Glycosyltransferases', 'Galactose metabolism' and 'Starch and sucrose metabolism' pathways as well as the 'tyrosine decarboxylase activity' term. For instance, cellulose synthase-like A (CLSA2/9), raffinose synthase (RafS2), beta-amylase (BAM1) and tyrosine/DOPA decarboxylase (TYDC1/2/5) genes, diverging in their expression trends between MLT and ELT, might significantly affect the soluble sugar and soluble protein abundance within P. catalpifolia. CONCLUSION: Between MLT and ELT treatments, partial overlaps in response pathways of P. catalpifolia were identified, while several genes regulating the accumulation of osmotic adjustment substances had disparate expression patterns. These findings could provide a novel physiological and molecular perspective for P. catalpifolia to adapt to complex low temperature habitats.
PMID: 39048935
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2024 Jul , V13 (14) doi: 10.3390/plants13141911
Integrated Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis Reveals Molecular Mechanisms of the Cold Stress Response during the Overwintering Period in Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.).
College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China.; Liaoning Institute of Pomology, Yingkou 115009, China.
In China, the Liaodong Peninsula is an important growing area for blueberries because of the high organic matter content in the soil, the abundance of light, and the large temperature difference between day and night. However, the low temperature and relative humidity of the air during the winter and early spring in the Liaodong Peninsula are the main reasons for the damage to blueberry plants. Here, we documented the transcriptome and proteome dynamics in response to cold stress in three blueberry cultivars ('Northland', 'Bluecrop', and 'Berkeley'). Functional enrichment analysis indicated that many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were mainly involved in the pathways of protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, the glutathione metabolism pathway, and ribosomes. We identified 12,747 transcription factors (TFs) distributed in 20 families. Based on our findings, we speculated that cold tolerance development was caused by the expression of calcium-related genes (CDPKs and CMLs), glutathione proteins, and TFs (NAC, WRKY, and ERF). Our investigation found that three cultivars experienced cold damage when exposed to temperatures between -9 degrees C and -15 degrees C in the field. Therefore, the cold resistance of blueberries during overwintering should not only resist the influence of low temperatures but also complex environmental factors such as strong winds and low relative humidity in the air. The order of cold resistance strength in the three blueberry cultivars was 'Berkeley', 'Bluecrop', and 'Northland'. These results provide a comprehensive profile of the response to cold stress, which has the potential to be used as a selection marker for programs to improve cold tolerance in blueberries.
PMID: 39065438
Plants (Basel) , IF:3.935 , 2024 Jul , V13 (14) doi: 10.3390/plants13141885
Comparative Analysis Highlights Uniconazole's Efficacy in Enhancing the Cold Stress Tolerance of Mung Beans by Targeting Photosynthetic Pathways.
College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.; Shenzhen Research Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518108, China.
Soybean (Glycine max) and mung bean (Vigna radiata) are key legumes with global importance, but their mechanisms for coping with cold stress-a major challenge in agriculture-have not been thoroughly investigated, especially in a comparative study. This research aimed to fill this gap by examining how these two major legumes respond differently to cold stress and exploring the role of uniconazole, a potential stress mitigator. Our comprehensive approach involved transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, revealing distinct responses between soybean and mung bean under cold stress conditions. Notably, uniconazole was found to significantly enhance cold tolerance in mung bean by upregulating genes associated with photosynthesis, while its impact on soybean was either negligible or adverse. To further understand the molecular interactions, we utilized advanced machine learning algorithms for protein structure prediction, focusing on photosynthetic pathways. This enabled us to identify LOC106780309 as a direct binding target for uniconazole, confirmed through isothermal titration calorimetry. This research establishes a new comparative approach to explore how soybean and mung bean adapt to cold stress, offers key insights to improve the hardiness of legumes against environmental challenges, and contributes to sustainable agricultural practices and food security.
PMID: 39065416
Int J Biometeorol , IF:3.787 , 2024 Jul , V68 (7) : P1315-1326 doi: 10.1007/s00484-024-02668-8
Impact of windbreak design on microclimate in hot regions during cold waves: Numerical investigation.
Department of Environmental Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology E-JUST, New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt.; Department of Architecture Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Assiut University, Assuit, Egypt.; Department of Energy Resources, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology E-JUST, New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt.; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Assiut University, Assuit, Egypt.; Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, 226-8502, Japan.; Department of Environmental Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology E-JUST, New Borg El-Arab City, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt. hatem.Mahmoud@aswu.edu.eg.; Department of Architecture Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Aswan University, Aswan, 81542, Egypt. hatem.Mahmoud@aswu.edu.eg.
Winter cold wave adaptation strategies in hot climates due to climate change didn't receive the deserved attention from previous studies. Therefore, this study comprehensively investigates the impact of various windbreak parameters on mitigating winter cold stress in hot steppe-arid climate. A microclimate model for a residential campus was built and validated through on-site measurement on a typical winter day to assess thirty-two scenarios for tree characteristics and spatial configuration windbreak parameters based on PET, wind speed, and Air Temperature (AT). Moreover, four configurations, that had best results on mitigating cold stress in winter, were tested during typical summer conditions to couple the assessment of cold and hot seasons. Additionally, environmental analysis for all scenarios was conducted. The results revealed that the most effective parameters for mitigating cold stress are tree distribution, Leaf Area Density (LAD), row number, spacing, and shape. Double rows of high LAD and medium height trees with small spacing yielded the best cold stress mitigation effect. Furthermore, the windbreak reduced the cold stress in the morning and night by 19.31% and 18.06%, respectively. It reduced AT and wind speed at night by 0.79 degrees C and 2.56 m/s, respectively. During summer, very hot PET area was reduced by 21.79% and 19.5% at 12:00 and 15:00, respectively.
PMID: 38705900
Gene , IF:3.688 , 2024 Jul , V917 : P148467 doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148467
Overexpression of Rhodiola crenulata glutathione peroxidase 5 increases cold tolerance and enhances the pharmaceutical value of the hairy roots.
Pu'er People's Hospital, Yunnan, China; Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, China; Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.; Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, China; Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.; Pu'er People's Hospital, Yunnan, China.; Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, China; Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: sdqmd@tju.edu.cn.; Tianjin Chest Hospital, Tianjin, China; Chest Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: Zhigangguo2022@126.com.; School of Biotechnology and Food Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: zhanglp@tjcu.edu.cn.
Rhodiola crenulata, a plant of great medicinal value found in cold high-altitude regions, has been excessively exploited due to the difficulty in cultivation. Understanding Rhodiola crenulata's adaptation mechanisms to cold environment can provide a theoretical basis for artificial breeding. Glutathione peroxidases (GPXs), critical enzymes found in plants, play essential roles in antioxidant defense through the ascorbate-glutathione cycle. However, it is unknown whether GPX5 contributes to Rhodiola crenulata's cold tolerance. In this study, we investigated the role of GPX5 in Rhodiola crenulata's cold tolerance mechanisms. By overexpressing Rhodiola crenulata GPX5 (RcGPX5) in yeast and Arabidopsis thaliana, we observed down-regulation of Arabidopsis thaliana GPX5 (AtGPX5) and increased cold tolerance in both organisms. Furthermore, the levels of antioxidants and enzyme activities in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle were elevated, and cold-responsive genes such as AtCBFs and AtCORs were induced. Additionally, RcGPX5 overexpressing lines showed insensitivity to exogenous abscisic acid (ABA), suggesting a negative regulation of the ABA pathway by RcGPX5. RcGPX5 also promoted the expression of several thioredoxin genes in Arabidopsis and interacted with two endogenous genes of Rhodiola crenulata, RcTrx2-3 and RcTrxo1, located in mitochondria and chloroplasts. These findings suggest a significantly different model in Rhodiola crenulata compared to Arabidopsis thaliana, highlighting a complex network involving the function of RcGPX5. Moreover, overexpressing RcGPX5 in Rhodiola crenulata hairy roots positively influenced the salidroside synthesis pathway, enhancing its pharmaceutical value for doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. These results suggested that RcGPX5 might be a key component for Rhodiola crenulata to adapt to cold stress and overexpressing RcGPX5 could enhance the pharmaceutical value of the hairy roots.
PMID: 38615983
Gene , IF:3.688 , 2024 Jun , V913 : P148398 doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148398
Genome-wide analysis of LOG family genes in castor and RcLOG5 enhances drought, salt, and cold stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
College of Agriculture, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China.; College of Agriculture, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China. Electronic address: xiangdianjun00@126.com.; College of Life Science and Food Engineering, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China.; College of Agriculture, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China. Electronic address: liupeng@imun.edu.cn.
The gene encoding the specific phosphohydrolase LONELY GUY (LOG) plays an important role in the activation of cytokinin and the stress response in plant cells. However, the role of LOG genes in castor bean (Ricinus communis) has not been reported. In this study, we identified a total of nine members of the LOG gene family in the castor bean genome and investigated the upregulated expression of the RcLOG5 gene using transcriptome data analysis. We found that the RcLOG5 gene exhibited tissue-specific expression and was activated by polyethylene glycol, NaCl, low temperature, and abscisic acid stress. The subcellular localization results showed that the RcLOG5 gene is mainly located in the cytoplasm. Based on phenotypic and physiological indicators, namely root length, peroxidase activity, and malondialdehyde content, overexpression of the RcLOG5 gene not only improved the drought resistance, salt tolerance, and cold tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis, but also shortened the dormancy period of the transgenic plants. Transcriptomic sequencing revealed that the overexpression of the RcLOG5 gene led to the enrichment of differentially expressed genes in the glutathione metabolism pathway in transgenic Arabidopsis. Moreover, the overexpression plants had higher levels of glutathione and a higher GSH/GSSG ratio under stress compared to the wild type. Therefore, we inferred that the RcLOG5 gene may be responsible for regulating cell membrane homeostasis by reducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species through the glutathione pathway. Overall, the overexpression of the RcLOG5 gene positively regulated the stress resistance of transgenic Arabidopsis. This study provides valuable gene resources for breeding stress-tolerant castor bean varieties.
PMID: 38518901
Plant Biol (Stuttg) , IF:3.081 , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1111/plb.13692
The gene CmPYL6 strongly contributes to cold tolerance in oriental melon.
Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Vegetable Research Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.; Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Flower Research Institute, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.; Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Agricultural Quality Standards and Testing Technology, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
The current simple and crude facilities make melon production more susceptible to cold stress during off-season cultivation in China. The ABA signalling pathway is an important target for breeding cold-tolerant melon. Cold-tolerant No. 330 and cold-sensitive No. 410 oriental melon genotypes were used to analyse the relationship between ABA and cold tolerance. 12 CmPYLs, ABA receptors, were identified from the melon genome database according to sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Gene function of CmPYL6 in cold tolerance was analysed using VIGS in No. 330 and overexpression in Arabidopsis WT. A total of 12 CmPYL members contain the representative domain and conserved sites. Under cold treatment, No.330 seedlings had lower electrolyte leakage and MDA content, higher ABA content and CmPYL6 expression than seedlings of No. 410. Exogenous application of ABA upregulated expression of CmPYL6 and enhanced cold tolerance of both genotypes, while inhibiting ABA accumulation reduced expression of CmPYL6 and cold tolerance of both genotypes. CmPYL6-silenced No. 330 seedlings had reduced cold tolerance, increased electrolyte leakage and MDA content as well as limited proline and soluble sugar content, while CmPYL6 overexpressed transgenic Arabidopsis plants had enhanced cold tolerance, with limited electrolyte leakage and MDA content, as well as increased proline and soluble sugar content. The CmPYL6 gene is probably an important ABA receptor in regulating cold tolerance of oriental melon. Our study provides a direction for improving breeding of cold tolerance of oriental melon.
PMID: 39032145
Insects , IF:2.769 , 2024 Jul , V15 (7) doi: 10.3390/insects15070554
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Different Responses in Three Developmental Stages of Mythimna loreyi to Cold Stress.
Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Pest Control, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Southern Region of North China, Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, China.; Luohe Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Luohe 462000, China.; College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
The loreyi leafworm Mythimna loreyi (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a serious pest of agriculture that causes particular damage to Gramineae crops in Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. Low temperature is one of the important environmental factors that limits the survival, distribution, colonization, and abundance of M. loreyi. However, the metabolic synthesis pathways of cold-tolerant substances in M. loreyi and the key genes involved in the regulation under cold stress remain largely unknown. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes of three developmental stages (larvae, pupae, and adults) of M. loreyi to discover the molecular mechanisms of their responses to cold stress. In total, sequencing generated 120.64 GB of clean data from 18 samples, of which 19,459 genes and 1740 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that many DEGs were mainly enriched in pathways associated with energy metabolism and hormone metabolism. Among these, genes encoding multiple metabolic enzymes, cuticle proteins (CPs), and heat shock proteins (HSPs) were differentially expressed. These results indicate that there are significant differences among the three developmental stages of M. loreyi exposed to cold stress and provide a basis for further studying the molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance in insects.
PMID: 39057286
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2024 Dec , V19 (1) : P2362518 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2024.2362518
Exploring cotton SFR2's conundrum in response to cold stress.
Department of Biochemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.; United States Department of Agriculture, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Cotton is an important agricultural crop to many regions across the globe but is sensitive to low-temperature exposure. The activity of the enzyme SENSITIVE TO FREEZING 2 (SFR2) improves cold tolerance of plants and produces trigalactosylsyldiacylglycerol (TGDG), but its role in cold sensitive plants, such as cotton remains unknown. Recently, it was reported that cotton SFR2 produced very little TGDG under normal and cold conditions. Here, we investigate cotton SFR2 activation and TGDG production. Using multiple approaches in the native system and transformation into Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as heterologous yeast expression, we provide evidence that cotton SFR2 activates differently than previously found among other plant species. We conclude with the hypothesis that SFR2 in cotton is not activated in a similar manner regarding acidification or freezing like Arabidopsis and that other regions of SFR2 protein are critical for activation of the enzyme than previously reported.
PMID: 38836385
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2024 Dec , V19 (1) : P2318514 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2024.2318514
Insights on the enhancement of chilling tolerance in Rice through over-expression and knock-out studies of OsRBCS3.
Rice Research Institute, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiamusi, China.; Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China.
Chilling stress is an important environmental factor that affects rice (Oryza sativa L.) growth and yield, and the booting stage is the most sensitive stage of rice to chilling stress. In this study, we focused on OsRBCS3, a rice gene related to chilling tolerance at the booting stage, which encodes the key enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) small subunit in photosynthesis. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role and mechanism of OsRBCS3 in rice chilling tolerance at the booting stage. The expression levels of OsRBCS3 under chilling stress were compared in two japonica rice cultivars with different chilling tolerances: Kongyu131 (KY131) and Longjing11 (LJ11). A positive correlation was found between OsRBCS3 expression and chilling tolerance. Over-expression (OE) and knock-out (KO) lines of OsRBCS3 were constructed using over-expression and CRISPR/Cas9 technology, respectively, and their chilling tolerance was evaluated at the seedling and booting stages. The results showed that OE lines exhibited higher chilling tolerance than wild-type (WT) lines at both seedling and booting stages, while KO lines showed lower chilling tolerance than WT lines. Furthermore, the antioxidant enzyme activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and Rubisco activity of four rice lines under chilling stress were measured, and it was found that OE lines had stronger antioxidant and photosynthetic capacities, while KO lines had the opposite effects. This study validated that OsRBCS3 plays an important role in rice chilling tolerance at the booting stage, providing new molecular tools and a theoretical basis for rice chilling tolerance breeding.
PMID: 38375792
Vet Med Sci , IF:1.95 , 2024 Sep , V10 (5) : Pe1542 doi: 10.1002/vms3.1542
Diets containing phytobiotics, l-arginine, vitamin E and captopril modulate ascites syndrome-related genes expression in broiler chickens exposed to low ambient temperature.
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.; Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.; Department of Laboratory Science, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.; Department of Ostrich, Special Domestic Animals Institute, Research Institute of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.; Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
BACKGROUND: Our hypothesis centred on the potential to mitigate ascites outbreaks in birds exposed to cold stress by inhibiting pulmonary artery contraction through dietary intervention. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of natural and synthetic medications on growth performance, ascites-related parameters and the expression of ascites-related genes in the lung tissue of broiler chickens under low ambient temperature. METHODS: We randomly assigned 450 one-day-old male Ross 308 chicks to six dietary treatments across five replicate pens, each containing 15 chicks. The treatments included a basal diet (control), and the basal diet was supplemented with hydroalcoholic extracts of sumac (HES, 200 mg/kg), Syrian mesquite (HEM, 200 mg/kg), l-arginine (40% above requirement), captopril (15 mg/kg) and vitamin E (100 mg/kg). RESULTS: Diets containing HEM, l-arginine and vitamin E resulted in increased average daily gain on days 8-14 and 0-28, whereas HES showed a similar effect only during days 8-14 compared to the control diet (p < 0.05). Additionally, feed additives decreased packed cell volume, left and right ventricle volumes and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). Moreover, chickens fed the control and l-arginine diets exhibited higher levels of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) mRNA in lung tissue compared to those fed HES, HEM and captopril (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, supplementation with HEM and l-arginine increased the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA in lung tissue compared to other treatments (p < 0.05). Regarding Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) expression, feed additives increased mRNA level in lung tissue, except for captopril (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the plant extracts may reduce the incidence of ascites syndrome not only through their antioxidant properties but also by modulating the expression of ACE, iNOS and Cu/Zn-SOD genes.
PMID: 39049705
Cryo Letters , IF:1.066 , 2024 Jul-Aug , V45 (4) : P221-230
Potential of fructans as natural cryoprotectant agents in plant cryopreservation: concept validation on Arabidopsis thaliana L.
Gebze Technical University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Kocaeli, Turkey.; KU Leuven, Sugar Metabolism Lab and KU Leuven Plant Institute, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.; IBSB, Department of Bioengineering, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.; Gebze Technical University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Kocaeli, Turkey; Gebze Technical University, Smart Agriculture Research and Application Center, Kocaeli, Turkey; Gebze Technical University, Central Research Laboratory (GTU-MAR), 41400, Kocaeli, Turkey.
BACKGROUND: Today, synthetic chemicals are used in vitrification solutions for cryopreservation studies to mimic natural cryoprotectants that supply tolerance to organisms in nature against freezing stress. In the case of plants, PVS2, containing glycerol, dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO), ethylene glycol and sucrose, is considered as the golden standard for successful cryopreservation. However, Me2SO can generally cause toxicity to certain plant cells, adversely affecting viability after freezing and/or thawing. Hence, the replacement (or substantial reduction) of Me2SO by cheap, non-toxic and natural cryoprotectants became a matter of high priority to vitrification solutions or reducing their content gained escalating importance for the cryopreservation of plants. Fructans, sucrose derivatives mainly consisting of fructose residues, are candidate cryoprotectants. OBJECTIVE: Inspired by their protective role in nature, we here explored, for the first time, the potential of an array of 8 structurally different fructans as cryoprotectants in plant cryopreservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Arabidopsis thaliana L. seedlings were used as a model system with a one-step vitrification method. PVS2 solutions with different Me2SO and fructan contents were evaluated. RESULTS: It was found that branched low DP graminan, extracted from milky stage wheat kernels, led to the highest recovery (85%) among tested fructans with 12.5% Me2SO after cryopreservation, which was remarkably close to the viability (90%) observed with the original PVS2 containing 15% Me2SO. Moreover, its protective efficacy could be further optimized by addition of vitamin C acting as an antioxidant. CONCLUSION: Such novel formulations offer great perspectives for cryopreservation of various crop species. Doi.org/10.54680/fr24410110512.
PMID: 38809786
Mol Breed , 2024 Aug , V44 (8) : P50 doi: 10.1007/s11032-024-01488-3
QTL detection and candidate gene identification of qCTB1 for cold tolerance in the Yunnan plateau landrace rice.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China. GRID: grid.22935.3f. ISNI: 0000 0004 0530 8290; Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193 China. ROR: https://ror.org/04v3ywz14. GRID: grid.22935.3f. ISNI: 0000 0004 0530 8290; Institute of Food Crop Research, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, 650205 China. ROR: https://ror.org/02z2d6373. GRID: grid.410732.3. ISNI: 0000 0004 1799 1111; Biotechnology and Germplasm Resources Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Kunming, 650205 China. ROR: https://ror.org/02z2d6373. GRID: grid.410732.3. ISNI: 0000 0004 1799 1111
Cold stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that affects rice growth and production worldwide. Dissection of the genetic basis is important for genetic improvement of cold tolerance in rice. In this study, a new source of cold-tolerant accession from the Yunnan plateau, Lijiangxiaoheigu, was used as the donor parent and crossed with a cold-sensitive cultivar, Deyou17, to develop recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for cold tolerance at the early seedling and booting stages in rice. In total, three QTLs for cold tolerance at the early seedling stage on chromosomes 2 and 7, and four QTLs at the booting stage on chromosomes 1, 3, 5, and 7, were identified. Haplotype and linear regression analyses showed that QTL pyramiding based on the additive effect of these favorable loci has good potential for cold tolerance breeding. Effect assessment in the RIL and BC(3)F(3) populations demonstrated that qCTB1 had a stable effect on cold tolerance at the booting stage in the genetic segregation populations. Under different cold stress conditions, qCTB1 was fine-mapped to a 341-kb interval between markers M3 and M4. Through the combination of parental sequence comparison, candidate gene-based association analysis, and tissue and cold-induced expression analyses, eight important candidate genes for qCTB1 were identified. This study will provide genetic resources for molecular breeding and gene cloning to improve cold tolerance in rice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-024-01488-3.
PMID: 39070774
Heliyon , 2024 Jun , V10 (12) : Pe32773 doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32773
Genome-scale identification, expression and evolution analysis of B-box members in Dendrobium huoshanense.
Anhui Dabieshan Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui Engineering Research Center for Eco-Agriculture of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Engineering, West Anhui University, Luan, 237012, China.; Henan Key Laboratory of Rare Diseases, Endocrinology and Metabolism Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, and College of Clinical Medicine of Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China.; Department of Plant Science, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 201109, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Postharvest Science of Fruits and Vegetables/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
B-box (BBX) proteins have been recognized as vital determinants in plant development, morphogenesis, and adaptive responses to a myriad of environmental stresses. These zinc-finger proteins play a pivotal role in various biological processes. Their influence spans photomorphogenesis, the regulation of flowering, and imparting resilience to a wide array of challenges, encompassing both biotic and abiotic factors. Chromosome localization, gene structure and conserved motifs, phylogenetic analysis, collinearity analysis, expression profiling, fluorescence quantitative analysis, and tobacco transient transformation methods were used for functional localization and expression pattern analysis of the DhBBX gene. A total of 23 DhBBX members were identified from Dendrobium huoshanense. Subsequent phylogenetic evaluations effectively segregated these genes into five discrete evolutionary subsets. The predictions of subcellular localizations revealed that all these proteins were localized in the nucleus. The genetic composition and patterns showed that the majority of these genes consisted of several exons, with a few variations that could be attributed to transposon insertion. A comprehensive analysis using qRT-PCR was conducted to unravel the expression patterns of these genes in D. huoshanense, with a specific concentration on their responses to various hormone treatments and cold stress. Subcellular localization reveals that DhBBX21 and DhBBX9 are located in the nucleus. Our results provide a deep comprehension of the complex regulatory mechanisms of BBXs in response to various environmental and hormonal stimuli. These discoveries encourage further detailed and focused investigations into the operational dynamics of the BBX gene family in a wider range of plant species.
PMID: 38975129
Plant Commun , 2024 Jul , V5 (7) : P100923 doi: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100923
The NAC056 transcription factor confers freezing tolerance by positively regulating expression of CBFs and NIA1 in Arabidopsis.
Laboratory of Photosynthesis and Environment, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China. Electronic address: ppxu@cemps.ac.cn.; State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing 102205, China.; Department of Food Science, College of Hospitality Management, Shanghai Business School, Shanghai 200235, China.; Laboratory of Photosynthesis and Environment, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 300 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
Freezing stress can seriously affect plant growth and development, but the mechanisms of these effects and plant responses to freezing stress require further exploration. Here, we identified a NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2 (NAC)-family transcription factor (TF), NAC056, that can promote freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. NAC056 mRNA levels are strongly induced by freezing stress in roots, and the nac056 mutant exhibits compromised freezing tolerance. NAC056 acts positively in response to freezing by directly promoting key C-repeat-binding factor (CBF) pathway genes. Interestingly, we found that CBF1 regulates nitrate assimilation by regulating the nitrate reductase gene NIA1 in plants; therefore, NAC056-CBF1-NIA1 form a regulatory module for the assimilation of nitrate and the growth of roots under freezing stress. In addition, 35S::NAC056 transgenic plants show enhanced freezing tolerance, which is partially reversed in the cbfs triple mutant. Thus, NAC056 confers freezing tolerance through the CBF pathway, mediating plant responses to balance growth and freezing stress tolerance.
PMID: 38637986
bioRxiv , 2024 Jul doi: 10.1101/2024.06.20.599783
HOS15-mediated turnover of PRR7 enhances freezing tolerance.
Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.; Division of Applied Life Science (BK21 Four), Plant Biological Rhythm Research Center (PBRRC), Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center (PMBBRC), Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea.
Arabidopsis PSEUDO RESPONSE REGULATOR7 (PRR7) is a core component of the circadian oscillator which also plays a crucial role in freezing tolerance. PRR7 undergoes proteasome-dependent degradation to discretely phase maximal expression in early evening. While its transcriptional repressive activity on downstream genes is integral to cold regulation, the mechanism of the conditional regulation of the PRR7 protein activity is unknown. We used double mutant analysis, protein interaction and ubiquitylation assays to establish that the ubiquitin ligase adaptor, HIGH EXPRESSION OF OSMOTICALLY RESPONSIVE GENE 15 (HOS15), controls the protein accumulation pattern of PRR7 through direct protein-protein interactions. Freezing tolerance and electrolyte leakage assays show that PRR7 enhances cold temperature sensitivity, supported by ChIP-qPCR at C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR (CBF) and COLD REGULATED 15A (COR15A) promoters where PRR7 levels were higher in hos15 mutants. We establish that HOS15 mediates PRR7 protein turnover through enhanced ubiquitylation at low temperature in the dark. Under the same conditions, increased PRR7 association with the promoter regions of CBFs and COR15A in hos15 correlates with decreased CBF1 and COR15A transcription and enhanced freezing sensitivity. We propose a novel mechanism whereby HOS15-mediated regulation of PRR7 provides an intersection between the circadian system and other cold acclimation pathways leading to freezing tolerance through upregulation of CBF1 and COR15A.
PMID: 38979283