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Gracia-Rodriguez C, Lopez-Ortiz C, Flores-Iga G, Ibarra-Muñoz L, Nimmakayala P, Reddy UK, Balagurusamy N. From genes to ecosystems: Decoding plant tolerance mechanisms to arsenic stress. Heliyon 2024; 10:e29140. [PMID: 38601600 PMCID: PMC11004893 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e29140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Arsenic (As), a metalloid of considerable toxicity, has become increasingly bioavailable through anthropogenic activities, raising As contamination levels in groundwater and agricultural soils worldwide. This bioavailability has profound implications for plant biology and farming systems. As can detrimentally affect crop yield and pose risks of bioaccumulation and subsequent entry into the food chain. Upon exposure to As, plants initiate a multifaceted molecular response involving crucial signaling pathways, such as those mediated by calcium, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and various phytohormones (e.g., auxin, methyl jasmonate, cytokinin). These pathways, in turn, activate enzymes within the antioxidant system, which combat the reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) generated by As-induced stress. Plants exhibit a sophisticated genomic response to As, involving the upregulation of genes associated with uptake, chelation, and sequestration. Specific gene families, such as those coding for aquaglyceroporins and ABC transporters, are key in mediating As uptake and translocation within plant tissues. Moreover, we explore the gene regulatory networks that orchestrate the synthesis of phytochelatins and metallothioneins, which are crucial for As chelation and detoxification. Transcription factors, particularly those belonging to the MYB, NAC, and WRKY families, emerge as central regulators in activating As-responsive genes. On a post-translational level, we examine how ubiquitination pathways modulate the stability and function of proteins involved in As metabolism. By integrating omics findings, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the complex genomic landscape that defines plant responses to As. Knowledge gained from these genomic and epigenetic insights is pivotal for developing biotechnological strategies to enhance crop As tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Gracia-Rodriguez
- Laboratorio de Biorremediación, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
- Gus R. Douglass Institute and Department of Biology, West Virginia State University, Institute, Dunbar, WV 25112-1000, USA
| | - Carlos Lopez-Ortiz
- Gus R. Douglass Institute and Department of Biology, West Virginia State University, Institute, Dunbar, WV 25112-1000, USA
| | - Gerardo Flores-Iga
- Laboratorio de Biorremediación, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
- Gus R. Douglass Institute and Department of Biology, West Virginia State University, Institute, Dunbar, WV 25112-1000, USA
| | - Lizbeth Ibarra-Muñoz
- Laboratorio de Biorremediación, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
| | - Padma Nimmakayala
- Gus R. Douglass Institute and Department of Biology, West Virginia State University, Institute, Dunbar, WV 25112-1000, USA
| | - Umesh K. Reddy
- Gus R. Douglass Institute and Department of Biology, West Virginia State University, Institute, Dunbar, WV 25112-1000, USA
| | - Nagamani Balagurusamy
- Laboratorio de Biorremediación, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Torreón, Mexico
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Ghimire S, Hasan MM, Fang XW. Small ubiquitin-like modifiers E3 ligases in plant stress. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2024; 51:FP24032. [PMID: 38669463 DOI: 10.1071/fp24032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Plants regularly encounter various environmental stresses such as salt, drought, cold, heat, heavy metals and pathogens, leading to changes in their proteome. Of these, a post-translational modification, SUMOylation is particularly significant for its extensive involvement in regulating various plant molecular processes to counteract these external stressors. Small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMO) protein modification significantly contributes to various plant functions, encompassing growth, development and response to environmental stresses. The SUMO system has a limited number of ligases even in fully sequenced plant genomes but SUMO E3 ligases are pivotal in recognising substrates during the process of SUMOylation. E3 ligases play pivotal roles in numerous biological and developmental processes in plants, including DNA repair, photomorphogenesis, phytohormone signalling and responses to abiotic and biotic stress. A considerable number of targets for E3 ligases are proteins implicated in reactions to abiotic and biotic stressors. This review sheds light on how plants respond to environmental stresses by focusing on recent findings on the role of SUMO E3 ligases, contributing to a better understanding of how plants react at a molecular level to such stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shantwana Ghimire
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Md Mahadi Hasan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Xiang-Wen Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
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Tang Z, Wang HQ, Chen J, Chang JD, Zhao FJ. Molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity and detoxification of trace metals and metalloids in plants. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 65:570-593. [PMID: 36546407 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants take up a wide range of trace metals/metalloids (hereinafter referred to as trace metals) from the soil, some of which are essential but become toxic at high concentrations (e.g., Cu, Zn, Ni, Co), while others are non-essential and toxic even at relatively low concentrations (e.g., As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg). Soil contamination of trace metals is an increasing problem worldwide due to intensifying human activities. Trace metal contamination can cause toxicity and growth inhibition in plants, as well as accumulation in the edible parts to levels that threatens food safety and human health. Understanding the mechanisms of trace metal toxicity and how plants respond to trace metal stress is important for improving plant growth and food safety in contaminated soils. The accumulation of excess trace metals in plants can cause oxidative stress, genotoxicity, programmed cell death, and disturbance in multiple physiological processes. Plants have evolved various strategies to detoxify trace metals through cell-wall binding, complexation, vacuolar sequestration, efflux, and translocation. Multiple signal transduction pathways and regulatory responses are involved in plants challenged with trace metal stresses. In this review, we discuss the recent progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in trace metal toxicity, detoxification, and regulation, as well as strategies to enhance plant resistance to trace metal stresses and reduce toxic metal accumulation in food crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Han-Qing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jia-Dong Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Fang-Jie Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
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