Reactive oxygen species formation and cell death in catalase-deficient tobacco leaf discs exposed to paraquat

Physiological and molecular signatures reveal differential response of rice genotypes to drought and drought combination with heat and salinity stress

Rice is the staple food for more than 3.5 billion people worldwide. The sensitivity of rice to heat, drought, and salinity is well documented. However, rice response to combinations of these stresses is not well understood. A contrasting set of rice genotypes for heat (N22, Gharib), drought (Moroberekan, Pusa 1121) and salinity (Pokkali, IR64) were selected to characterize their response under drought, and combination of drought with heat and salinity at the sensitive seedling stage. Sensitive genotypes (IR64, Pusa 1121, Gharib) recorded higher reactive oxygen species accumulation (20-40%), membrane damage (8-65%) and reduction in photosynthetic efficiency (10-23%) across the stress and stress combinations as compared to stress tolerant checks. On the contrary, N22 and Pokkali performed best under drought + heat, and drought + salinity combination, respectively. Moreover, gene expression pattern revealed the highest expression of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and GATA28a in N22 under heat + drought, whereas the highest expression of CAT, APX, superoxide dismutase (SOD), DEHYDRIN, GATA28a and GATA28b in Pokkali under drought + salinity. Interestingly, the phenotypic variation and expression level of genes highlighted the role of different set of physiological traits and genes under drought and drought combination with heat and salinity stress. This study reveals that rice response to stress combinations was unique with rapid readjustment at physiological and molecular levels. Moreover, phenotypic changes under stress combinations showed substantial adaptive plasticity in rice, which warrant further investigations at molecular level.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-022-01162-y.

Programmed cell death (PCD) control in plants: New insights from the Arabidopsis thaliana deathosome

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically controlled process that leads to cell suicide in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. In plants PCD occurs during development, defence response and when exposed to adverse conditions. PCD acts controlling the number of cells by eliminating damaged, old, or unnecessary cells to maintain cellular homeostasis. Unlike in animals, the knowledge about PCD in plants is limited. The molecular network that controls plant PCD is poorly understood. Here we present a review of the current mechanisms involved with the genetic control of PCD in plants. We also present an updated version of the AtLSD1 deathosome, which was previously proposed as a network controlling HR-mediated cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana. Finally, we discuss the unclear points and open questions related to the AtLSD1 deathosome.

Tomato root development and N assimilation depend on C and ABA content under different N sources

Root plasticity is controlled by hormonal homeostasis and nutrient availability. In this work, we have determined the influence of different N regimens on growth parameters and on the expression of genes involved in auxin transport and N-assimilation in tomato seedlings. NH₄⁺ nutrition led to an inhibitory effect on root fresh weight (FW), lateral root (LR) number and root density, while an increase in the primary root (PR) length was observed. The expression of N assimilation genes GS2 and ASN1, is affected by NH₄⁺ nutrition. Moreover, in order to relieve the toxic effect of NH₄⁺ on root development, glucose or 2-oxoglutarate was supplied as a C source during NH₄⁺ treatment. The addition of 2-oxoglutarate improved root parameters compared to the NH₄⁺ regimen. N-assimilation gene analysis showed that NH₄⁺-fed tomato plants try to alleviate the toxic effect by concurrently upregulating ASN1 and anaplerotic PEPC2 expression, whereas when 2-oxoglutarate is supplied, ASN1 induction was not observed. The addition of both C skeletons induced the expression of the ROS-scavenging genes GSH and SOD. In addition, since ABA plays a role in root development, the ABA-synthesis-defective mutant flacca was studied under NO₃^- and NH₄⁺ regimens. It displayed a decrease in LR number under NO₃^- conditions, whereas, the NH₄⁺-fed seedlings showed a decrease solely in PR length that was reverted when ABA was exogenously supplied. Moreover, flacca seedlings displayed a reprogramming of the N/C assimilation genes. Altogether, these results reflect the importance of N and C sources and ABA homeostasis in root development of tomato seedlings.

Ammonium mediated changes in carbon and nitrogen metabolisms induce resistance against Pseudomonas syringae in tomato plants

Predominant NH₄⁺ nutrition causes an "ammonium syndrome" that induces metabolic changes and thereby provides resistance against Pseudomonas syringae infection through the activation of systemic acquired acclimation (SAA). Hence, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying NH₄⁺-mediated SAA, the changes in nutrient balance and C and N skeletons were studied in NH₄⁺-treated plants upon infection by P. syringae. A general decrease in cation and an increase in anion levels was observed in roots and leaves of NH₄⁺-treated plants. Upon NH₄⁺-based nutrition and infection, tomato leaves showed an accumulation of S, P, Zn, and of Mn. Mn accumulation might be required for ROS detoxification since it acts as a cofactor of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Primary metabolism was modified in both tissues of NH₄⁺-fed plants to counteract NH₄⁺ toxicity by decreasing TCA intermediates. A significant increase in Arg, Gln, Asn, Lys, Tyr, His and Leu was observed in leaves of NH₄⁺-treated plants. The high level of the putrescine precursor Arg hints towards the importance of the Glu pathway as a key metabolic check-point in NH₄⁺-treated and infected plants. Taken together, NH₄⁺-fed plants displayed a high level of basal responses allowing them to activate SAA and to trigger defense responses against P. syringae through nutrient imbalances and changes in primary metabolism.

Molecular and Physio-Biochemical Characterization of Cotton Species for Assessing Drought Stress Tolerance

Drought stress significantly limits cotton growth and production due to the necessity of water at every stage of crop growth. Hence, it is essential to identify tolerant genetic resources and understand the mechanisms of drought tolerance in economically and socially important plants such as cotton. In this study, molecular and physio-biochemical investigations were conducted by analyzing different parameters by following standard protocols in three different cotton species, namely TM-1 (Gossypium hirsutum), Zhongmian-16 (Gossypium arboreum), and Pima4-S (Gossypium barbadense). Drought stress significantly decreased plant growth, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm), and relative water content. TM-1 resulted in more tolerance than the other two species. The accumulation of proline, soluble proteins, soluble sugars, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and superoxide radicals (O₂•-) increased significantly in TM-1. In addition, TM-1 maintained the integrity of the chloroplast structure under drought conditions. The relative expression level of drought-responsive genes including coding for transcription factors and other regulatory proteins or enzymes controlling genes (ERF, ERFB, DREB, WRKY6, ZFP1, FeSOD, CuZnSOD, MAPKKK17, P5CR, and PRP5) were higher in TM-1 under drought, conferring a more tolerant status than in Zhongmian-16 and Pima4-S. The findings of this research could be utilized for predicting a tolerant cotton genotype as well as evaluating prospective cotton species in the variety development program.

Assessing redox potential of a native tree from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest: a successful evaluation of oxidative stress associated to a new power generation source of an oil refinery

The antioxidant responses in saplings of Tibouchina pulchra (a native tree from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest) exposed around an oil refinery in the city of Cubatão (SE Brazil), varied during the exchange of its power generation source, from boilers fueled with oil to a thermoelectric fueled with natural gas. The redox potential changed in response to an interaction of air pollution and meteorological parameters, indicating that the pro-oxidant/antioxidant balance was not reached after the exchange of the power generation system. The gain in environmental quality in the region was not achieved as expected due the technological modernization, at least relative to oxidative stressors. These conclusions were based on results of analyses of enzymatic antioxidants: superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR); non-enzymatic antioxidants: reduced, oxidized and total ascorbic acid (AsA, DHA, totAA) and glutathione (GSH, GSSG, totG), their redox state (AsA/totAA and GSH/totG) and an indicator of lipid peroxidation (MDA). We also applied exploratory multivariate statistics in order to verify if the temporal sequence of changes in the plant redox capacity coincided with changes in the profile of air pollution, climatic conditions or with their interactions and if the environmental benefits that would supposedly be promoted by the mentioned exchange of power generation system were achieved in the region.

The involvement of wheat F-box protein gene TaFBA1 in the oxidative stress tolerance of plants

As one of the largest gene families, F-box domain proteins have been found to play important roles in abiotic stress responses via the ubiquitin pathway. TaFBA1 encodes a homologous F-box protein contained in E3 ubiquitin ligases. In our previous study, we found that the overexpression of TaFBA1 enhanced drought tolerance in transgenic plants. To investigate the mechanisms involved, in this study, we investigated the tolerance of the transgenic plants to oxidative stress. Methyl viologen was used to induce oxidative stress conditions. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis revealed that TaFBA1 expression was up-regulated by oxidative stress treatments. Under oxidative stress conditions, the transgenic tobacco plants showed a higher germination rate, higher root length and less growth inhibition than wild type (WT). The enhanced oxidative stress tolerance of the transgenic plants was also indicated by lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and cell membrane damage under oxidative stress compared with WT. Higher activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD), were observed in the transgenic plants than those in WT, which may be related to the upregulated expression of some antioxidant genes via the overexpression of TaFBA1. In others, some stress responsive elements were found in the promoter region of TaFBA1, and TaFBA1 was located in the nucleus, cytoplasm and plasma membrane. These results suggest that TaFBA1 plays an important role in the oxidative stress tolerance of plants. This is important for understanding the functions of F-box proteins in plants' tolerance to multiple stress conditions.

Effect of benfluralin on Pinus pinea seedlings mycorrhized with Pisolithus tinctorius and Suillus bellinii--study of plant antioxidant response

In this study, Pinus pinea seedlings mycorrhized with selected ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECMF), Pisolithus tinctorius and Suillus bellinii, were exposed to the herbicide benfluralin. Non-mycorrhized P. pinea seedlings and seedlings mycorrhized with ECMF were transferred to benfluralin-spiked soils at levels of 0.165, 1.65 and 16.5 mg kg(-1). Plant growth and the fungal role on plant antioxidant response were assessed. In the presence of benfluralin, higher plant growth was observed in mycorrhized plants compared to non-mycorrhized plants, but ECMF colonisation and nutrient uptake were affected by the herbicide. Benfluralin showed no effect on lipid peroxidation in P. pinea seedlings. However, seedlings mycorrhized with S. bellinii showed higher levels of lipid peroxidation when compared to non-mycorrhized ones, both in the presence and absence of benfluralin. The increase of lipid peroxidation could be related to seedling growth induced by the fungus and not to benfluralin toxicity. A similar trend was observed in seedlings mycorrhized with P. tinctorius when exposed to higher benfluralin concentrations, suggesting that the antioxidant response to benfluralin is related not only to fungus species, but also to the level of stress applied in the soil. The higher amount of superoxide dismutase activity in P. pinea seedlings tissues exposed to benfluralin could indicate a plant adaptative response to benfluralin toxicity. Catalase activity showed no increase with benfluralin exposure. Pre-established P. tinctorius mycorrhization conferred root protection and enhanced plant growth in benfluralin spiked soil, inferring that P. tinctorius - P. pinea association could advantageous for plant growth in soils contaminated with pesticides.

Synergistic effects of GhSOD1 and GhCAT1 overexpression in cotton chloroplasts on enhancing tolerance to methyl viologen and salt stresses

In plants, CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD, EC l.15.1.1), ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), and catalase (CAT, EC l.11.1.6) are important scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to protect the cell from damage. In the present study, we isolated three homologous genes (GhSOD1, GhAPX1, and GhCAT1) from Gossypium hirsutum. Overexpressing cassettes containing chimeric GhSOD1, GhAPX1, or GhCAT1 were introduced into cotton plants by Agrobacterium transformation, and overexpressed products of these genes were transported into the chloroplasts by transit peptide, as expected. The five types of transgenic cotton plants that overexpressed GhSOD1, GhAPX1, GhCAT1, GhSOD1 and GhAPX1 stack (SAT), and GhSOD1 and GhCAT1 stack (SCT) were developed. Analyses in the greenhouse showed that the transgenic plants had higher tolerance to methyl viologen (MV) and salinity than WT plants. Interestingly, SCT plants suffered no damage under stress conditions. Based on analyses of enzyme activities, electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll content, photochemical yield (Fv/Fm), and biomass accumulation under stresses, the SCT plants that simultaneously overexpressed GhSOD1 and GhCAT1 appeared to benefit from synergistic effects of two genes and exhibited the highest tolerance to MV and salt stress among the transgenic lines, while the SAT plants simultaneously overexpressing GhSOD1 and GhAPX1 did not. In addition, transgenic plants overexpressing antioxidant enzymes in their chloroplasts had higher tolerance to salt stress than those expressing the genes in their cytoplasms, although overall enzyme activities were almost the same. Therefore, the synergistic effects of GhSOD1 and GhCAT1 in chloroplasts provide a new strategy for enhancing stress tolerance to avoid yield loss.