Enhanced biomass and oxidative stress tolerance of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 overexpressing the DHAR gene from Brassica juncea

Pyramiding ascorbate-glutathione pathway in Lycopersicum esculentum confers tolerance to drought and salinity stress

Stacking Glutathione-Ascorbate pathway genes (PgSOD, PgAPX, PgGR, PgDHAR and PgMDHAR) under stress inducible promoter RD29A imparts significant tolerance to drought and salinity stress in Solanum lycopersicum. Although the exposure of plants to different environmental stresses results in overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), many plants have developed some unique systems to alleviate the ROS production and mitigate its deleterious effect. One of the key pathways that gets activated in plants is ascorbate glutathione (AsA-GSH) pathway. To demonstrate the effect of this pathway in tomato, we developed the AsA-GSH overexpression lines by stacking the genes of the AsA-GSH pathway genes isolated from Pennisetum glaucoma (Pg) including PgSOD, PgAPX, PgGR, PgDHAR and PgMDHAR under stress inducible promoter RD29A. The overexpression lines have an improved germination and seedling growth with concomitant elevation in the survival rate. The exposure of transgenic seedlings to varying stress regiments exhibited escalation in the antioxidant enzyme activity and lesser membrane damage as reflected by decreased electrolytic leakage and little accumulation of malondialdehyde and H₂O₂. Furthermore, the transgenic lines accumulated high levels of osmoprotectants with increase in the relative water content. The increased photosynthetic activity and enhanced gaseous exchange parameters further confirmed the enhanced tolerance of AsA-GSH overexpression lines. We concluded that pyramiding of AsA-GSH pathway genes is an effective strategy for developing stress resistant crops.

Effect of Different Cultivation Modes (Photoautotrophic, Mixotrophic, and Heterotrophic) on the Growth of Chlorella sp. and Biocompositions

In the past, biomass production using microalgae culture was dependent on inorganic carbon sources as microalgae are photosynthetic organisms. However, microalgae utilize both organic and inorganic carbon sources, such as glucose. Glucose is an excellent source of organic carbon that enhances biomass yield and the content of useful substances in microalgae. In this study, photoautotrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic cultivation conditions were applied to three well-known strains of Chlorella (KNUA104, KNUA114, and KNUA122) to assess biomass productivity, and compositional changes (lipid, protein, and pigment) were evaluated in BG11 media under photoautotrophic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic conditions utilizing different initial concentrations of glucose (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 g L⁻¹). Compared to the photoautotrophic condition (biomass yield: KNUA104, 0.35 ± 0.04 g/L/d; KNUA114, 0.40 ± 0.08 g/L/d; KNUA122, 0.38 ± 0.05 g/L/d) glucose was absent, and the biomass yield improved in the mixotrophic (glucose: 20 g L⁻¹; biomass yield: KNUA104, 2.99 ± 0.10 g/L/d; KNUA114, 5.18 ± 0.81 g/L/d; KNUA122, 5.07 ± 0.22 g/L/d) and heterotrophic conditions (glucose: 20 g L⁻¹; biomass yield: KNUA104, 1.72 ± 0.26 g/L/d; KNUA114, 4.26 ± 0.27 g/L/d; KNUA122, 4.32 ± 0.32 g/L/d). All strains under mixotrophic and heterotrophic conditions were optimally cultured when 15–20 g L⁻¹ initial glucose was provided. Although bioresourse productivity improved under both mixotrophic and heterotrophic conditions where mixotrophic conditions were found to be optimal as the yields of lipid and pigment were also enhanced. Protein content was less affected by the presence of light or the concentration of glucose. Under mixotrophic conditions, the highest lipid content (glucose: 15 g L⁻¹; lipid content: 68.80 ± 0.54%) was obtained with Chlorella vulgaris KNUA104, and enhanced pigment productivity of Chlorella sorokiniana KNUA114 and KNUA122 (additional pigment yield obtained with 15 g L⁻¹ glucose: KNUA 114, 0.33 ± 0.01 g L⁻¹; KNUA122, 0.21 ± 0.01 g L⁻¹). Also, saturated fatty acid (SFA) content was enhanced in all strains (SFA: KNUA104, 29.76 ± 1.31%; KNUA114, 37.01 ± 0.98%; KNUA122, 33.37 ± 0.17%) under mixotrophic conditions. These results suggest that mixotrophic cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella sorokiniana could improve biomass yield and the raw material quality of biomass.

Expression of Heterologous OsDHAR Gene Improves Glutathione (GSH)-Dependent Antioxidant System and Maintenance of Cellular Redox Status in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

An excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause severe oxidative damage to cellular components in photosynthetic cells. Antioxidant systems, such as the glutathione (GSH) pools, regulate redox status in cells to guard against such damage. Dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1) catalyzes the glutathione-dependent reduction of oxidized ascorbate (dehydroascorbate) and contains a redox active site and glutathione binding-site. The DHAR gene is important in biological and abiotic stress responses involving reduction of the oxidative damage caused by ROS. In this study, transgenic Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (TA) was constructed by cloning the Oryza sativa L. japonica DHAR (OsDHAR) gene controlled by an isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-inducible promoter (Ptrc) into the cyanobacterium to study the functional activities of OsDHAR under oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide exposure. OsDHAR expression increased the growth of S. elongatus PCC 7942 under oxidative stress by reducing the levels of hydroperoxides and malondialdehyde (MDA) and mitigating the loss of chlorophyll. DHAR and glutathione S-transferase activity were higher than in the wild-type S. elongatus PCC 7942 (WT). Additionally, overexpression of OsDHAR in S. elongatus PCC 7942 greatly increased the glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG) ratio in the presence or absence of hydrogen peroxide. These results strongly suggest that DHAR attenuates deleterious oxidative effects via the glutathione (GSH)-dependent antioxidant system in cyanobacterial cells. The expression of heterologous OsDHAR in S. elongatus PCC 7942 protected cells from oxidative damage through a GSH-dependent antioxidant system via GSH-dependent reactions at the redox active site and GSH binding site residues during oxidative stress.

Serum Insulin and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to examine the association of serum glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance with cognitive functioning 7 years later in a longitudinal population-based study of Finnish older adults.

METHODS

Serum glucose and insulin were measured at baseline in 269 dementia-free individuals aged 65-79 years, from the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE) study. Insulin resistance was estimated with the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Participants were reexamined 7 years later, and global cognition, episodic memory, executive functioning, verbal expression, and psychomotor speed were assessed, both at baseline and at follow-up. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the associations with cognitive performance at follow-up, after adjusting for several potential confounders, including common vascular risk factors.

RESULTS

In the multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, no associations of insulin resistance with cognitive functioning were observed. After excluding 19 incident dementia cases, higher baseline HOMA-IR values were related to worse performance in global cognition (β [standard error (SE)] -.050 [0.02]; P = .043) and psychomotor speed (β [SE] -.064 [.03]; P = [.043]) 7 years later. Raised serum insulin levels were associated with lower scores on global cognition (β [SE] -.054 [.03]; P = .045) and tended to relate to poorer performance in psychomotor speed (β [SE] -.061 [.03]; P = .070).

CONCLUSIONS

Serum insulin and insulin resistance may be independent predictors of cognitive performance 7 years later in elderly individuals without dementia. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine this issue.

Expression of OsTPX Gene Improves Cellular Redox Homeostasis and Photosynthesis Efficiency in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

Cyanobacterial 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (thioredoxin peroxidase, TPX) comprises a family of thiol antioxidant enzymes critically involved in cell survival under oxidative stress. In our previous study, a putative TPX was identified using a proteomics analysis of rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica, OsTPX) seedlings exposed to oxidative stress. This OsTPX gene is structurally similar to the Synechococcus elongatus TPX gene in the highly conserved redox-active disulfide bridge (Cys114, Cys236) and other highly conserved regions. In the present study, the OsTPX gene was cloned into rice plants and S. elongatus PCC 7942 strain to study hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) stress responses. The OsTPX gene expression was confirmed using semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis. The OsTPX gene expression increased growth under oxidative stress by decreasing reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde level. Additionally, the OsTPX gene expression in S. elongatus PCC 7942 (OT) strain exhibited a reduced loss of chlorophyll and enhanced photosynthesis efficiency under H₂O₂ stress, thereby increasing biomass yields twofold compared with that of the control wild type (WT) strain. Furthermore, redox balance, ion homeostasis, molecular chaperone, and photosynthetic systems showed upregulation of some genes in the OT strain than in the WT strain by RNA-Seq analysis. Thus, OsTPX gene expression enhances oxidative stress tolerance by increasing cell defense regulatory networks through the cellular redox homeostasis in the rice plants and S. elongatus PCC 7942.