Complementary DNA library construction and expressed sequence tag analysis of an Arctic moss, Aulacomnium turgidum

De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Comparative Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes Involved in Cold Acclimation and Freezing Tolerance of the Arctic Moss Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr

Cold acclimation refers to a phenomenon in which plants become more tolerant to freezing after exposure to non-lethal low temperatures. Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr is a moss found in the Arctic that can be used to study the freezing tolerance of bryophytes. To improve our understanding of the cold acclimation effect on the freezing tolerance of A. turgidum, we compared the electrolyte leakage of protonema grown at 25 °C (non-acclimation; NA) and at 4 °C (cold acclimation; CA). Freezing damage was significantly lower in CA plants frozen at -12 °C (CA-12) than in NA plants frozen at -12 °C (NA-12). During recovery at 25 °C, CA-12 demonstrated a more rapid and greater level of the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II than NA-12, indicating a greater recovery capacity for CA-12 compared to NA-12. For the comparative analysis of the transcriptome between NA-12 and CA-12, six cDNA libraries were constructed in triplicate, and RNA-seq reads were assembled into 45,796 unigenes. The differential gene expression analysis showed that a significant number of AP2 transcription factor genes and pentatricopeptide repeat protein-coding genes related to abiotic stress and the sugar metabolism pathway were upregulated in CA-12. Furthermore, starch and maltose concentrations increased in CA-12, suggesting that cold acclimation increases freezing tolerance and protects photosynthetic efficiency through the accumulation of starch and maltose in A. turgidum. A de novo assembled transcriptome can be used to explore genetic sources in non-model organisms.

Subcellular Journey of Rare Cold Inducible 2 Protein in Plant Under Stressful Condition

Rare cold inducible 2 (RCI2) proteins are small hydrophobic membrane proteins in plants, and it has been widely reported that RCI2 expressions are dramatically induced by salt, cold, and drought stresses in many species. The RCI2 proteins have been shown to regulate plasma membrane (PM) potential and enhance abiotic stress tolerance when over-expressed in plants. RCI2 protein structures contain two transmembrane domains that are thought to be PM intrinsic proteins and have been observed at the PM and endomembranes. However, cellular trafficking of RCI2s are not fully understood. In this review, we discussed (i) general properties of RCI2s characterized in many species, (ii) the uses of RCI2s as a tracer in live cell imaging analyses and when they are fused to fluorescence proteins during investigations into vesicle trafficking, and (iii) RCI2 functionalities such as their involvement in rapid diffusion, endocytosis, and protein interactions. Consequently, the connection between physiological characteristics of RCI2s and traffic of RCI2s interacting membrane proteins might be helpful to understand role of RCI2s contributing abiotic stresses tolerance.

The complete mitogenome of the Arctic moss Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr

The Arctic moss Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr. is distributed widely above the Arctic Circle and can regenerate successfully after 400 years of ice entombment. Here, we report the complete mitogenome sequence of A. turgidum (103,937 bp). The genome contains 3 ribosomal RNAs, 24 transfer RNAs, and 40 protein-encoding genes. In a phylogenetic tree generated using the combined amino acid sequences of 32 mitochondrial genes from A. turgidum, 25 Bryophyta, and three Marchantiophyta, the phylogenetic position of A. turgidum (Rhizogoniales) is close to that of the Hypnales and Ptychomniales, forming a monophyletic clade with perfect supporting values.

Plant abiotic stress-related RCI2/PMP3s: multigenes for multiple roles

RCI2 / PMP3 s participate in abiotic stress responses and impact the expression of other genes. Their multifunctionality is determined by differential expression and by distinct activities of their structurally different proteins. In plants, RCI2/PMP3 genes, which encode small membrane proteins of the PMP3 family, are closely associated with abiotic stress responses. Their involvement in mediating stress tolerance is supported by genetic evidence and overexpression studies. RCI2/PMP3s occur as multigenes in plant genomes and their encoded proteins belong to distinct and conserved structural groups. In addition, different isoforms appear to be targeted to the plasma membrane or to distinct endomembrane compartments in cells. Several studies have revealed that RCI2/PMP3 proteins participate in cell ion homeostasis, and in regulation of membrane stability and polarization. They also appear to potentiate plant transcriptional responses to abiotic stresses. However, their mechanisms of action remain unknown. This paper reviews the current knowledge of the multiple roles of plant RCI2/PMP3 genes resulting from their differential expression under normal and stress conditions. The structural diversity of RCI2/PMP3 proteins is analyzed and evidence supporting their functional specialization and possible activity mechanisms is examined. Finally, strategies are discussed for exploiting new and established technologies to overcome the difficulties posed by the multigene status of RCI2s and the integral membrane character of their proteins, enabling the probing of their individual functions and collective significance.

A novel omega-3 fatty acid desaturase involved in acclimation processes of polar condition from Antarctic ice algae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L

The ability of Antarctic ice algae, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L, to survive and proliferate at low temperature and high salinity implies that they have overcome key barriers inherent in Antarctic environments. A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of omega-3 fatty acid desaturase, designated CiFAD3, was isolated via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends methods. The full-length of CiFAD3 cDNA contained an open reading frame of 1,302 bp with 5'-terminal untranslated region (UTR) of 36 bp and 3'-terminal UTR of 507 bp encoding a fatty acid desaturase protein of 434 amino acids. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that the gene was homologous to known chloroplastic omega-3 fatty acid desaturase. Meanwhile, CiFAD3 sequence showed typical features of membrane-bound desaturase such as three conserved histidine boxes along with four membrane spanning regions that were universally present among plant desaturases. Under different stress conditions, messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of CiFAD3 were measured by quantitative RT-PCR. The results showed that both temperature and salinity could motivate the upregulation of CiFAD3 expression. The mRNA accumulation of CiFAD3 increased 2.6-fold at 0°C and 1.8-fold at 12°C compared to the algae at 6°C. Similarly, mRNA expression levels of CiFAD3 increased 3.8-fold after 62‰ NaCl treatment for 2 h. However, CiFAD3 mRNA expression levels were partially decreased after UV radiation. These data suggest that CiFAD3 is the enzyme responsible for the omega-3 fatty acid desaturation involved in ice algae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L acclimatizing to cold temperature and high salinity in Antarctic environment.