Cytokinin profiling in plant tissues using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

Karrikinolide1 (KAR1), a Bioactive Compound from Smoke, Improves the Germination of Morphologically Dormant Apium graveolens L. Seeds by Reducing Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) Levels

Smoke-water (SW) and Karrikinolide1 (KAR1) release dormancy and improve seed germination in many plant species. Therefore, we tested SW (1:2500 v/v) and KAR1 (10-7 M) to break the morphological dormancy of celery cultivar (Apium graveolens L.). In the first trial, seeds were subjected to a 21-day incubation period at 20 °C with SW and KAR1 applied as single treatments. KAR1 showed significantly improved germination (30.7%) as compared to SW (17.2%) and a water control (14.7%). In seed soaking experiments, SW, KAR1, and gibberellic acid (GA3) treatments showed higher germination percentages than the water control after 3 and 6 h of soaking. However, prolonged soaking (12 h) reduced germination percentages for all treatments, indicating a detrimental effect. Analysis of KAR1 content dynamics in 7-day- and 21-day-old celery seeds indicated its prolonged effects on germination and dormancy alleviation. Phytohormones, including auxins in 7-day-old and cytokinins in 7-day- and 21-day-old celery seedlings, along with their precursors and metabolites, were analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) after treatment with KAR1 and SW. The analysis of auxin levels in 7-day-old seeds revealed a negative correlation between seed germination and auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA) content. Notably, it was found that KAR1-treated seeds significantly reduced IAA levels in all treatments. SW and KAR1 did not significantly affect cytokinin levels during celery germination except for N6-Isopentenyladenine. Hence, further research is needed to understand their precise role in celery seed germination. This work will improve our understanding of the role of bioactive compounds from plant-derived smoke and how they regulate hormonal responses and improve germination efficiency in celery.

Hormonal profiles in dormant turions of 22 aquatic plant species: do they reflect functional or taxonomic traits?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Turions are vegetative, dormant overwintering organs formed in aquatic plants in response to unfavourable ecological conditions. Contents of cytokinin (CK), auxin metabolites and abscisic acid (ABA) as main growth and development regulators were compared in innately dormant autumnal turions of 22 aquatic plant species of different functional ecological or taxonomic groups with those in non-dormant winter apices in three aquatic species and with those in spring turions of four species after their overwintering.

METHODS

The hormones were analysed in miniature turion samples using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

KEY RESULTS

In innately dormant turions, the total contents of each of the four main CK types, biologically active forms and total CKs differed by two to three orders of magnitude across 22 species; the proportion of active CK forms was 0.18-67 %. Similarly, the content of four auxin forms was extremely variable and the IAA proportion as the active form was 0.014-99 %. The ABA content varied from almost zero to 54 µmol kg-1 dry weight and after overwintering it usually significantly decreased. Of all functional traits studied, hormone profiles depended most on the place of turion sprouting (surface vs bottom) and we suggest that this trait is crucial for turion ecophysiology.

CONCLUSIONS

The key role of ABA in regulating turion dormancy was confirmed. However, the highly variable pattern of the ABA content in innately dormant and in overwintered turions indicates that the hormonal mechanism regulating the innate dormancy and its breaking in turions is not uniform within aquatic plants.

Diverse geotropic responses in the orchid family

In epiphytes, aerial roots are important to combat water-deficient, nutrient-poor, and high-irradiance microhabitats. However, whether aerial roots can respond to gravity and whether auxin plays a role in regulating aerial root development remain open-ended questions. Here, we investigated the gravitropic response of the epiphytic orchid Phalaenopsis aphrodite. Our data showed that aerial roots of P. aphrodite failed to respond to gravity, and this was correlated with a lack of starch granules/statolith sedimentation in the roots and the absence of the auxin efflux carrier PIN2 gene. Using an established auxin reporter, we discovered that auxin maximum was absent in the quiescent center of aerial roots of P. aphrodite. Also, gravity failed to trigger auxin redistribution in the root caps. Hence, loss of gravity sensing and gravity-dependent auxin redistribution may be the genetic factors contributing to aerial root development. Moreover, the architectural and functional innovations that achieve fast gravitropism in the flowering plants appear to be lost in both terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, but are present in the early diverged orchid subfamilies. Taken together, our findings provide physiological and molecular evidence to support the notion that epiphytic orchids lack gravitropism and suggest diverse geotropic responses in the orchid family.

Plant nucleoside N-ribohydrolases: riboside binding and role in nitrogen storage mobilization

Cells save their energy during nitrogen starvation by selective autophagy of ribosomes and degradation of RNA to ribonucleotides and nucleosides. Nucleosides are hydrolyzed by nucleoside N-ribohydrolases (nucleosidases, NRHs). Subclass I of NRHs preferentially hydrolyzes the purine ribosides while subclass II is more active towards uridine and xanthosine. Here, we performed a crystallographic and kinetic study to shed light on nucleoside preferences among plant NRHs followed by in vivo metabolomic and phenotyping analyses to reveal the consequences of enhanced nucleoside breakdown. We report the crystal structure of Zea mays NRH2b (subclass II) and NRH3 (subclass I) in complexes with the substrate analog forodesine. Purine and pyrimidine catabolism are inseparable because nucleobase binding in the active site of ZmNRH is mediated via a water network and is thus unspecific. Dexamethasone-inducible ZmNRH overexpressor lines of Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as double nrh knockout lines of moss Physcomitrium patents, reveal a fine control of adenosine in contrast to other ribosides. ZmNRH overexpressor lines display an accelerated early vegetative phase including faster root and rosette growth upon nitrogen starvation or osmotic stress. Moreover, the lines enter the bolting and flowering phase much earlier. We observe changes in the pathways related to nitrogen-containing compounds such as β-alanine and several polyamines, which allow plants to reprogram their metabolism to escape stress. Taken together, crop plant breeding targeting enhanced NRH-mediated nitrogen recycling could therefore be a strategy to enhance plant growth tolerance and productivity under adverse growth conditions.

Characteristics of turion development in two aquatic carnivorous plants: Hormonal profiles, gas exchange and mineral nutrient content

Turions are vegetative, dormant, and storage overwintering organs formed in perennial aquatic plants in response to unfavorable ecological conditions and originate by extreme condensation of apical shoot segments. The contents of cytokinins, auxins, and abscisic acid were estimated in shoot apices of summer growing, rootless aquatic carnivorous plants, Aldrovanda vesiculosa and Utricularia australis, and in developing turions at three stages and full maturity to reveal hormonal patterns responsible for turion development. The hormones were analyzed in miniature turion samples using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Photosynthetic measurements in young leaves also confirmed relatively high photosynthetic rates at later turion stages. The content of active cytokinin forms was almost stable in A. vesiculosa during turion development but markedly decreased in U. australis. In both species, auxin content culminated in the middle of turion development and then decreased again. The content of abscisic acid as the main inhibitory hormone was very low in growing plants in both species but rose greatly at first developmental stages and stayed very high in mature turions. The hormonal data indicate a great strength of developing turions within sink-source relationships and confirm the central role of abscisic acid in regulating the turion development.

Hormonal crosstalk controls cell death induced by kinetin in roots of Vicia faba ssp. minor seedlings

Studies of vitality/mortality of cortex cells, as well as of the concentrations of ethylene (ETH), gibberellins (GAs), indolic compounds/auxins (ICs/AUXs) and cytokinins (CKs), were undertaken to explain the hormonal background of kinetin (Kin)-regulated cell death (RCD), which is induced in the cortex of the apical parts of roots of faba bean (Vicia faba ssp. minor) seedlings. Quantification was carried out with fluorescence microscopy, ETH sensors, spectrophotometry and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC‒MS/MS). The results indicated that Kin was metabolized to the transport form, i.e., kinetin-9-glucoside (Kin9G) and kinetin riboside (KinR). KinR was then converted to cis-zeatin (cZ) in apical parts of roots with meristems, to cis-zeatin riboside (cZR) in apical parts of roots without meristems and finally to cis-zeatin riboside 5'-monophosphate (cZR5'MP), which is indicated to be a ligand of cytokinin-dependent receptors inducing CD. The process may be enhanced by an increase in the amount of dihydrozeatin riboside (DHZR) as a byproduct of the pathway of zeatin metabolism. It seems that crosstalk of ETH, ICs/AUXs, GAs and CKs with the cZR5'MP, the cis-zeatin-dependent pathway, but not the trans-zeatin-dependent pathway, is responsible for Kin-RCD, indicating that the process is very specific and offers a useful model for studies of CD hallmarks in plants.

Metabolic profiles of 2-oxindole-3-acetyl-amino acid conjugates differ in various plant species

Auxins are a group of phytohormones that play a key role in plant growth and development, mainly presented by the major member of the family - indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The levels of free IAA are regulated, in addition to de novo biosynthesis, by irreversible oxidative catabolism and reversible conjugation with sugars and amino acids. These conjugates, which serve as inactive storage forms of auxin and/or degradation intermediates, can also be oxidized to form 2-oxindole-3-acetyl-1-O-ß-d-glucose (oxIAA-glc) and oxIAA-amino acids (oxIAA-AAs). Until now, only oxIAA conjugates with aspartate and glutamate have been identified in plants. However, detailed information on the endogenous levels of these and other putative oxIAA-amino acid conjugates in various plant species and their spatial distribution is still not well understood but is finally getting more attention. Herein, we identified and characterized two novel naturally occurring auxin metabolites in plants, namely oxIAA-leucine (oxIAA-Leu) and oxIAA-phenylalanine (oxIAA-Phe). Subsequently, a new liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of a wide range of IAA metabolites. Using this methodology, the quantitative determination of IAA metabolites including newly characterized oxIAA conjugates in roots, shoots and cotyledons of four selected plant models - Arabidopsis thaliana, pea (Pisum sativum L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) was performed to compare auxin metabolite profiles. The distribution of various groups of auxin metabolites differed notably among the studied species as well as their sections. For example, oxIAA-AA conjugates were the major metabolites found in pea, while oxIAA-glc dominated in Arabidopsis. We further compared IAA metabolite levels in plants harvested at different growth stages to monitor the dynamics of IAA metabolite profiles during early seedling development. In general, our results show a great diversity of auxin inactivation pathways among angiosperm plants. We believe that our findings will greatly contribute to a better understanding of IAA homeostasis.

Urea derivative MTU improves stress tolerance and yield in wheat by promoting cyclic electron flow around PSI

Increasing crop productivity under optimal conditions and mitigating yield losses under stressful conditions is a major challenge in contemporary agriculture. We have recently identified an effective anti-senescence compound (MTU, [1-(2-methoxyethyl)-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5yl)urea]) in in vitro studies. Here, we show that MTU delayed both age- and stress-induced senescence of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) by enhancing the abundance of PSI supercomplex with LHCa antennae (PSI-LHCa) and promoting the cyclic electron flow (CEF) around PSI. We suppose that this rarely-observed phenomenon blocks the disintegration of photosynthetic apparatus and maintains its activity as was reflected by the faster growth rate of wheat in optimal conditions and under drought and heat stress. Our multiyear field trial analysis further shows that the treatment with 0.4 g ha^-1 of MTU enhanced average grain yields of field-grown wheat and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) by 5-8%. Interestingly, the analysis of gene expression and hormone profiling confirms that MTU acts without the involvement of cytokinins or other phytohormones. Moreover, MTU appears to be the only chemical reported to date to affect PSI stability and activity. Our results indicate a central role of PSI and CEF in the onset of senescence with implications in yield management at least for cereal species.

The Role of a Cytokinin Antagonist in the Progression of Clubroot Disease

Plasmodiophora brassicae is an obligate biotrophic pathogen causing clubroot disease in cruciferous plants. Infected plant organs are subject to profound morphological changes, the roots form characteristic galls, and the leaves are chlorotic and abscise. The process of gall formation is governed by timely changes in the levels of endogenous plant hormones that occur throughout the entire life cycle of the clubroot pathogen. The homeostasis of two plant hormones, cytokinin and auxin, appears to be crucial for club development. To investigate the role of cytokinin and auxin in gall formation, we used metabolomic and transcriptomic profiling of Arabidopsis thaliana infected with clubroot, focusing on the late stages of the disease, where symptoms were more pronounced. Loss-of-function mutants of three cytokinin receptors, AHK2, AHK3, and CRE1/AHK4, were employed to further study the homeostasis of cytokinin in response to disease progression; ahk double mutants developed characteristic symptoms of the disease, albeit with varying intensity. The most susceptible to clubroot disease was the ahk3 ahk4 double mutant, as revealed by measuring its photosynthetic performance. Quantification of phytohormone levels and pharmacological treatment with the cytokinin antagonist PI-55 showed significant changes in the levels of endogenous cytokinin and auxin, which was manifested by both enhanced and reduced development of disease symptoms in different genotypes.

Cytokinins and auxins in organs of aquatic carnivorous plants: what do they reflect?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Aquatic carnivorous plants have typical rootless linear shoots bearing traps and exhibit steep physiological polarity with rapid apical growth. The aim was to analyse auxin and cytokinin metabolites in traps, leaves/shoots and shoot apices in several species of genera Aldrovanda and Utricularia to elucidate how the hormonal profiles reflect the specific organ functions and polarity.

METHODS

The main auxin and cytokinin metabolites were analysed in miniature samples (>2 mg dry weight) of different organs of Aldrovanda vesiculosa and six Utricularia species using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

KEY RESULTS

Total contents of biologically active forms (free bases, ribosides) of all four main endogenously occurring cytokinin types were consistently higher in traps than in leaves in four Utricularia species with monomorphic shoots and/or higher than in shoots in two Utricularia species with dimorphic shoots. In Aldrovanda traps, the total content of different cytokinin forms was similar to or lower than that in shoots. In U. australis leaves, feeding on prey increased all cytokinin forms, while no consistent differences occurred in Aldrovanda. In four aquatic Utricularia species with monomorphic shoots, the content of four auxin forms was usually higher in traps than in leaves. Zero IAA content was determined in U. australis leaves from a meso-eutrophic site or when prey-fed.

CONCLUSIONS

Different cytokinin and auxin profiles estimated in traps and leaves/shoots of aquatic carnivorous plants indicate an association with different dominant functions of these organs: nutrient uptake by traps versus photosynthetic function of traps. Interplay of cytokinins and auxins regulates apical dominance in these plants possessing strong polarity.

Glucose-6-P/phosphate translocator2 mediates the phosphoglucose-isomerase1-independent response to microbial volatiles

In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the plastidial isoform of phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI1) mediates photosynthesis, metabolism, and development, probably due to its involvement in the synthesis of isoprenoid-derived signals in vascular tissues. Microbial volatile compounds (VCs) with molecular masses of <45 Da promote photosynthesis, growth, and starch overaccumulation in leaves through PGI1-independent mechanisms. Exposure to these compounds in leaves enhances the levels of GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE/PHOSPHATE TRANSLOCATOR2 (GPT2) transcripts. We hypothesized that the PGI1-independent response to microbial volatile emissions involves GPT2 action. To test this hypothesis, we characterized the responses of wild-type (WT), GPT2-null gpt2-1, PGI1-null pgi1-2, and pgi1-2gpt2-1 plants to small fungal VCs. In addition, we characterized the responses of pgi1-2gpt2-1 plants expressing GPT2 under the control of a vascular tissue- and root tip-specific promoter to small fungal VCs. Fungal VCs promoted increases in growth, starch content, and photosynthesis in WT and gpt2-1 plants. These changes were substantially weaker in VC-exposed pgi1-2gpt2-1 plants but reverted to WT levels with vascular and root tip-specific GPT2 expression. Proteomic analyses did not detect enhanced levels of GPT2 protein in VC-exposed leaves and showed that knocking out GPT2 reduced the expression of photosynthesis-related proteins in pgi1-2 plants. Histochemical analyses of GUS activity in plants expressing GPT2-GUS under the control of the GPT2 promoter showed that GPT2 is mainly expressed in root tips and vascular tissues around hydathodes. Overall, the data indicated that the PGI1-independent response to microbial VCs involves resetting of the photosynthesis-related proteome in leaves through long-distance GPT2 action.

Quantification of six types of cytokinins: Integration of an ultra-performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray tandem mass spectrometric method with antibody based immunoaffinity columns equally recognizing cytokinins in free base and nucleoside forms

Cytokinins (CTKs) exist in various types in plants. The accurate quantification of free base and nucleoside types of cytokinins are helpful for better understanding their physiological role. In the present study, antibodies against trans-zeatin riboside (tZR) and N⁶-isopentenyladenine riboside (iPR) antibodies with equal recognition to free base and nucleoside cytokinins were developed. The cross-reactivity of tZR mAb 3G101G7 with tZR, trans-zeatin (tZ), dihydrozeatin riboside (DHZR), dihydrozeatin (DHZ), iPR, and N⁶-isopentenyladenine (iP) was 100.0%, 95.7%, 19.1%, 18.0%, 1.1%, and 0.7%, and that of iPR mAb 5C82F1 with above-mentioned 6 types of cytokinins was 1.5%, 1.4%, 5.7%, 3.1%, 100.0% and 92.6%, respectively. The obtained antibodies were used to prepare two immunoaffinity columns (IAC). The elution efficiencies of tZR 3G101G7-IAC for tZ and tZR, DHZ and DHZR and of iPR 5C82F1-IAC for iP and iPR were almost no difference with the same loading amount on their corresponding IACs. Subsequently, six types of cytokinins in mepiquat chloride (MC)-treated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) roots were determined by IACs combined with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). The contents of tZR, iPR and DHZR were increased by 9.3∼38.5%, 6.6∼23.5%, and 30.1∼110.0%, respectively, whereas those of tZ and iP were reduced by 5.3∼20.0% and 27.7∼32.1%, respectively. The decreased tZ and iP levels led to the ratio of auxin-to-active cytokinins increase to promote lateral root initiation in MC-treated cotton seeding. Integration of the IACs equally recognizing cytokinins in their free base and nucleoside forms with UPLC-ESI-MS/MS can accurately quantify different cytokinins in plant tissues.

Topolin cytokinins enhanced shoot proliferation, reduced hyperhydricity and altered cytokinin metabolism in Pistacia vera L. seedling explants

The effect of 10 µM meta-topolin (mT) and meta-topolin riboside (mTR) on in vitro proliferation and anomalies of Pistacia vera L. were evaluated and compared to that of 6-benzylaminopurine (BA). The highest proliferation rate (15.6) was recorded in the mT-medium, with a value 6 times higher than in BA-medium. Moreover, the lowest percentage of hyperhydric usable shoots (58,9%) and callus weight (46,9%) were found in mTR-treated shoots. Shoot tip as well as leaf necrosis were not influenced by cytokinin (CK) type. Image analysis was used to evaluate photosynthetic efficiency as well as anthocyanin index. Photosynthesis was more efficient with BA and mTR but the higher anthocyanin accumulation in BA-treated shoots suggests more stress. Endogenous CKs and their metabolites were determined in seedlings and, for the first time, the metabolism of exogenous BA, mT and mTR was studied in pistachio. The stimulating effect on cis-zeatin and its riboside and the appearance of BA and traces of ortho-topolin and para-topolin as natural CKs are discussed. The quantitative and qualitative CK metabolite analyses provides some initial clues as to why topolin would be superior to BA in terms of proliferation rate and avoiding hyperhydricity and allowed a better understanding of the effect of exogenous administration of CK.

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase inhibitors: outlook for selectivity and high efficiency

Inhibitors of cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) reduce the degradation of cytokinins in plants, and this effect can be exploited in agriculture and in plant tissue culture. In this study, we examine the structure-activity relationship of two series of CKX inhibitors based on diphenylurea. The compounds of Series I were derived from the recently published CKX inhibitors 3TFM-2HM and 3TFM-2HE, and we identified key substituents with increased selectivity for maize ZmCKX1 and ZmCKX4a over AtCKX2 from Arabidopsis. Series II contained compounds that further exceled in CKX inhibitory activity as well as in the ease of their synthesis. The best inhibitors exhibited half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in low nanomolar ranges with ZmCKX1 and especially with ZmCKX4a, which is generally more resistant to inhibition. The activity of the key compounds was verified in tobacco and lobelia leaf-disk assays, where N6-isopentenyladenine was protected from degradation and promoted shoot regeneration. All the prepared compounds were further tested for toxicity against Caenorhabditis elegans, and the assays revealed clear differences in toxicity between compounds with and without a hydroxyalkyl group. In a broader perspective, this work increases our understanding of CKX inhibition and provides a more extensive portfolio of compounds suitable for agricultural and biotechnological research.

Exploring the Potential Enhancing Effects of Trans-Zeatin and Silymarin on the Productivity and Antioxidant Defense Capacity of Cadmium-Stressed Wheat

Simple Summary

Wheat experiments have provided insight into tolerance to cadmium (Cd) stress, the way in which wheat alters its morpho-physio-biochemical and antioxidant system responses when trans-Zeatin + silymarin (applied as seed priming + leaf spray) treatment is offered against Cd stress. This integrative treatment effectively enhanced growth, productivity, photosynthetic efficiency, leaf integrity, and antioxidant systems in the Cd-stressed wheat plants. This treatment reduced the Cd contamination (healthy grains) and increased growth and productivity by increasing osmo-regulatory compounds along with different antioxidant activities, which serve as potent defenses to protect plants from Cd stress by increasing tolerance to Cd stress in wheat.

Abstract

Pot trials were performed to explore the impacts of seed priming (SPr) plus leaf treatment (LTr) with trans-zeatin-type cytokinin (tZck; 0.05 mM) and silymarin (Sim; 0.5 mM) on growth, yield, physio-biochemical responses, and antioxidant defense systems in Cd-stressed wheat. tZck + Sim applied as SPr + LTr was more effective than individual treatments, and the impacts were more pronounced under stress conditions. Cd stress (0.6 mM) severely declined growth and yield traits, and photosynthesis efficiency (pigment contents, instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, and photochemical activity) compared to the control. These negative impacts coincided with increased levels of Cd²⁺, O₂^•− (superoxide), H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide), MDA (malondialdehyde), and EL (electrolyte leakage). Non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant activities, and tZck and Sim contents were also increased. However, tZck + Sim increased photosynthesis efficiency, and further boosted antioxidant activities, and contents of tZck and Sim, while minimizing Cd²⁺ levels in roots, leaves, and grains. The levels of O₂^•−, H₂O₂, MDA, and EL were also minimized, reflecting positively on growth and productivity. tZck + Sim applied as SPr + LTr was highly effective in promoting antioxidants and photosynthesis machineries, minimizing oxidative stress biomarkers and Cd²⁺ levels, boosting tolerance to Cd stress, and improving wheat productivity under Cd stress.

New Water-Soluble Cytokinin Derivatives and Their Beneficial Impact on Barley Yield and Photosynthesis

Solubility of growth regulators is essential for their use in agriculture. Four new cytokinin salts─6-benzylaminopurine mesylate (1), 6-(2-hydroxybenzylamino)purine mesylate (2), 6-(3-hydroxybenzylamino)purine mesylate (3), and 6-(3-methoxybenzylamino)purine mesylate (4)─were synthesized, and their crystal structures were determined to clarify structural influence on water solubility. The mesylates were several orders of magnitude more water-soluble than the parent CKs. The new salts significantly reduced chlorophyll degradation and impairment of photosystem II functionality in barley leaf segments undergoing artificial senescence and had pronounced effects on the leaves' endogenous CK pools, maintaining high concentrations of functional metabolites for several days, unlike canonical CKs. A foliar treatment with 1 and 3 increased the harvest yield of spring barley by up to 8% when compared to treatment with the parent CKs while also increasing the number of productive tillers. This effect was attributed to the higher bioavailability of the mesylate salts and the avoidance of dimethyl sulfoxide exposure.

Soaking Maize Seeds in Zeatin-Type Cytokinin Biostimulators Improves Salt Tolerance by Enhancing the Antioxidant System and Photosynthetic Efficiency

There is an urgent need for innovative strategies to raise the performance of environmentally stressed plants. The seeds of single-cross yellow Zea mays (L.) hybrid Giza-168 were soaked in Cis-(c-Z-Ck) or trans-zeatin-type cytokinin (t-Z-Ck) solutions at a concentration of 50 or 40 µM, respectively. Salinity stress was imposed at 0, 75 or 150 mM NaCl in the Hoagland nutrient solution (full strength) used for irrigation. The total carotenoids content was negatively affected by only 150 mM NaCl, while both 75 and 150 mM NaCl negatively affected the growth and yield components, relative water content, membrane stability index, photochemical activity, gas exchange, K⁺ and chlorophyll contents, K⁺/Na⁺ ratio, and photosynthetic efficiency. However, all of these traits were significantly improved by c-Z-Ck pretreatment and further enhanced by t-Z-Ck pretreatment compared with the corresponding controls. Furthermore, the contents of proline, soluble sugars, ascorbate, and glutathione, as well as enzymatic antioxidant activities, were significantly elevated by both salt stress concentrations and increased more by both biostimulators compared to the control. Compared to c-Z-Ck, t-Z-Ck was superior in mitigating the harmful effects of the high H₂O₂ levels caused by salt stress on the levels of malondialdehyde and ion leakage compared to the control. Under normal or stress conditions, t-Z-Ck pretreatment was better than c-Z-Ck pretreatment, while both positively affected maize hormonal contents. As a result, t-Z-Ck is recommended to enhance the growth and productivity of maize plants by suppressing the effects of oxidative stress caused by saline water irrigation.

The Effects of Exogenous Salicylic Acid on Endogenous Phytohormone Status in Hordeum vulgare L. under Salt Stress

Acclimation to salt stress in plants is regulated by complex signaling pathways involving endogenous phytohormones. The signaling role of salicylic acid (SA) in regulating crosstalk between endogenous plant growth regulators' levels was investigated in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. 'Ince'; 2n = 14) leaves and roots under salt stress. Salinity (150 and 300 mM NaCl) markedly reduced leaf relative water content (RWC), growth parameters, and leaf water potential (LWP), but increased proline levels in both vegetative organs. Exogenous SA treatment did not significantly affect salt-induced negative effects on RWC, LWP, and growth parameters but increased the leaf proline content of plants under 150 mM salt stress by 23.1%, suggesting that SA enhances the accumulation of proline, which acts as a compatible solute that helps preserve the leaf's water status under salt stress. Changes in endogenous phytohormone levels were also investigated to identify agents that may be involved in responses to increased salinity and exogenous SA. Salt stress strongly affected endogenous cytokinin (CK) levels in both vegetative organs, increasing the concentrations of CK free bases, ribosides, and nucleotides. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, auxin) levels were largely unaffected by salinity alone, especially in barley leaves, but SA strongly increased IAA levels in leaves at high salt concentration and suppressed salinity-induced reductions in IAA levels in roots. Salt stress also significantly increased abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene levels; the magnitude of this increase was reduced by treatment with exogenous SA. Both salinity and SA treatment reduced jasmonic acid (JA) levels at 300 mM NaCl but had little effect at 150 mM NaCl, especially in leaves. These results indicate that under high salinity, SA has antagonistic effects on levels of ABA, JA, ethylene, and most CKs, as well as basic morphological and physiological parameters, but has a synergistic effect on IAA, which was well exhibited by principal component analysis (PCA).

Non-cell autonomous and spatiotemporal signalling from a tissue organizer orchestrates root vascular development

During plant development, a precise balance of cytokinin is crucial for correct growth and patterning, but it remains unclear how this is achieved across different cell types and in the context of a growing organ. Here we show that in the root apical meristem, the TMO5/LHW complex increases active cytokinin levels via two cooperatively acting enzymes. By profiling the transcriptomic changes of increased cytokinin at single-cell level, we further show that this effect is counteracted by a tissue-specific increase in CYTOKININ OXIDASE 3 expression via direct activation of the mobile transcription factor SHORTROOT. In summary, we show that within the root meristem, xylem cells act as a local organizer of vascular development by non-autonomously regulating cytokinin levels in neighbouring procambium cells via sequential induction and repression modules.

Natural Biostimulant Attenuates Salinity Stress Effects in Chili Pepper by Remodeling Antioxidant, Ion, and Phytohormone Balances, and Augments Gene Expression

A biostimulant is any microorganism or substance used to enhance the efficiency of nutrition, tolerance to abiotic stress and/or quality traits of crops, depending on its contents from nutrients. Plant biostimulants like honey bee (HB) and silymarin (Sm) are a strategic trend for managing stressed crops by promoting nutritional and hormonal balance, regulating osmotic protectors, antioxidants, and genetic potential, reflecting plant growth and productivity. We applied diluted honey bee (HB) and silymarin-enriched honey bee (HB- Sm) as foliar nourishment to investigate their improving influences on growth, yield, nutritional and hormonal balance, various osmoprotectant levels, different components of antioxidant system, and genetic potential of chili pepper plants grown under NaCl-salinity stress (10 dS m‒1). HB significantly promoted the examined attributes and HB-Sm conferred optimal values, including growth, productivity, K+/Na+ ratio, capsaicin, and Sm contents. The antioxidative defense components were significantly better than those obtained with HB alone. Conversely, levels of oxidative stress markers (superoxide ions and hydrogen peroxide) and parameters related to membrane damage (malondialdehyde level, stability index, ionic leakage, Na+, and Cl- contents) were significantly reduced. HB-Sm significantly affects inactive gene expression, as a natural biostimulator silencing active gene expression. SCoT primers were used as proof in salt-treated or untreated chili pepper plants. There were 41 cDNA amplicons selected by SCoT-primers. Twenty of them were EcDNA amplicons (cDNA-amplicons that enhanced their genes by one or more treatments) representing 49% of all cDNA amplicons, whereas 7 amplicons for ScDNA (whose genes were silenced in one or more treatments) represented 17%, and 14 McDNA (monomorphic cDNA-amplicons with control) amplicons were represented by 34% from all cDNA amplicons. This indicates the high effect of BH-Sm treatments in expression enhancement of some inactive genes and their silenced effect for expression of some active genes, also confirming that cDNA-SCoT markers succeeded in detection of variable gene expression patterns between the untreated and treated plants. In conclusion, HB-Sm as a natural multi-biostimulator can attenuate salt stress effects in chili pepper plants by remodeling the antioxidant defense system and ameliorating plant productivity.

Enhanced Yield of Pepper Plants Promoted by Soil Application of Volatiles From Cell-Free Fungal Culture Filtrates Is Associated With Activation of the Beneficial Soil Microbiota

Plants communicate with microorganisms by exchanging chemical signals throughout the phytosphere. Such interactions are important not only for plant productivity and fitness, but also for terrestrial ecosystem functioning. It is known that beneficial microorganisms emit diffusible substances including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that promote growth. Consistently, soil application of cell-free culture filtrates (CF) of beneficial soil and plant-associated microorganisms enhances plant growth and yield. However, how this treatment acts in plants and whether it alters the resident soil microbiota, are largely unknown. In this work we characterized the responses of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants cultured under both greenhouse and open field conditions and of soil microbiota to soil application of CFs of beneficial and phytopathogenic fungi. To evaluate the contribution of VOCs occurring in the CFs to these responses, we characterized the responses of plants and of soil microbiota to application of distillates (DE) of the fungal CFs. CFs and their respective DEs contained the same potentially biogenic VOCs, and application of these extracts enhanced root growth and fruit yield, and altered the nutritional characteristics of fruits. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S and fungal ITS rRNA genes of the soil microbiota revealed that the CF and DE treatments altered the microbial community compositions, and led to strong enrichment of the populations of the same beneficial bacterial and fungal taxa. Our findings show that CFs of both beneficial and phytopathogenic fungi can be used as biostimulants, and provide evidence that VOCs occurring in the fungal CFs act as mediators of the plants' responses to soil application of fungal CFs through stimulation of the beneficial soil microbiota.

Mass Spectrometric Monitoring of Plant Hormone Cross Talk During Biotic Stress Responses in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

The potato is among the most important food crops in the world and of incalculable value for global food security. In 2012, the crop area for potato in Northern and Western Europe reached almost 1 million ha and a production of over 37 million tons with an average yield between 18 and 45 tons/ha. However, current potato production is put in jeopardy by a number of important biotic stress factors including late blight (Phytophthora infestans), which was responsible for the disastrous Irish potato famine during 1843-1845. P. infestans shows a remarkable capacity for adaptation with respect to host genotype and applied fungicides. This has made disease management to become more and more difficult and put substantial emphasis on gaining more detailed insight into the molecular bases of plant pathogen interactions, in order to find more sophisticated ways for biological pest control. The plant hormones jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) play central roles in the regulation of plant responses to biotic foes. In addition, other phytohormones including auxins and abscisic acid (ABA) have also been associated with plant defense responses. For this reason, the parallel analysis of multiple plant hormones in small tissue amounts represents an important field of research in contemporary plant sciences. Here, we describe a highly sensitive and accurate method for the quantitative analysis of ABA, JA, SA, and indole-3-acetic acid in potato plants by gas chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

Understanding Omics Driven Plant Improvement and de novo Crop Domestication: Some Examples

In the current era, one of biggest challenges is to shorten the breeding cycle for rapid generation of a new crop variety having high yield capacity, disease resistance, high nutrient content, etc. Advances in the "-omics" technology have revolutionized the discovery of genes and bio-molecules with remarkable precision, resulting in significant development of plant-focused metabolic databases and resources. Metabolomics has been widely used in several model plants and crop species to examine metabolic drift and changes in metabolic composition during various developmental stages and in response to stimuli. Over the last few decades, these efforts have resulted in a significantly improved understanding of the metabolic pathways of plants through identification of several unknown intermediates. This has assisted in developing several new metabolically engineered important crops with desirable agronomic traits, and has facilitated the de novo domestication of new crops for sustainable agriculture and food security. In this review, we discuss how "omics" technologies, particularly metabolomics, has enhanced our understanding of important traits and allowed speedy domestication of novel crop plants.

A stable isotope dilution method for a highly accurate analysis of karrikins

BACKGROUND

Karrikins (KARs) are recently described group of plant growth regulators with stimulatory effects on seed germination, seedling growth and crop productivity. So far, an analytical method for the simultaneous targeted profiling of KARs in plant tissues has not been reported.

RESULTS

We present a sensitive method for the determination of two highly biologically active karrikins (KAR₁ and KAR₂) in minute amounts of plant material (< 20 mg fresh weight). The developed protocol combines the optimized extraction and efficient single-step sample purification with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Newly synthesized deuterium labelled KAR₁ was employed as an internal standard for the validation of KAR quantification using a stable isotope dilution method. The application of the matrix-matched calibration series in combination with the internal standard method yields a high level of accuracy and precision in triplicate, on average bias 3.3% and 2.9% RSD, respectively. The applicability of this analytical approach was confirmed by the successful analysis of karrikins in Arabidopsis seedlings grown on media supplemented with different concentrations of KAR₁ and KAR₂ (0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 µmol/l).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate the usage of methodology for routine analyses and for monitoring KARs in complex biological matrices. The proposed method will lead to better understanding of the roles of KARs in plant growth and development.

SEEDSTICK Controls Arabidopsis Fruit Size by Regulating Cytokinin Levels and FRUITFULL

Upon fertilization, the ovary increases in size and undergoes a complex developmental process to become a fruit. We show that cytokinins (CKs), which are required to determine ovary size before fertilization, have to be degraded to facilitate fruit growth. The expression of CKX7, which encodes a cytosolic CK-degrading enzyme, is directly positively regulated post-fertilization by the MADS-box transcription factor STK. Similar to stk, two ckx7 mutants possess shorter fruits than wild type. Quantification of CKs reveals that stk and ckx7 mutants have high CK levels, which negatively control cell expansion during fruit development, compromising fruit growth. Overexpression of CKX7 partially complements the stk fruit phenotype, confirming a role for CK degradation in fruit development. Finally, we show that STK is required for the expression of FUL, which is essential for valve elongation. Overall, we provide insights into the link between CKs and molecular pathways that control fruit growth.

Proteostatic Regulation of MEP and Shikimate Pathways by Redox-Activated Photosynthesis Signaling in Plants Exposed to Small Fungal Volatiles

Microorganisms produce volatile compounds (VCs) with molecular masses of less than 300 Da that promote plant growth and photosynthesis. Recently, we have shown that small VCs of less than 45 Da other than CO₂ are major determinants of plant responses to fungal volatile emissions. However, the regulatory mechanisms involved in the plants' responses to small microbial VCs remain unclear. In Arabidopsis thaliana plants exposed to small fungal VCs, growth promotion is accompanied by reduction of the thiol redox of Calvin-Benson cycle (CBC) enzymes and changes in the levels of shikimate and 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway-related compounds. We hypothesized that plants' responses to small microbial VCs involve post-translational modulation of enzymes of the MEP and shikimate pathways via mechanisms involving redox-activated photosynthesis signaling. To test this hypothesis, we compared the responses of wild-type (WT) plants and a cfbp1 mutant defective in a redox-regulated isoform of the CBC enzyme fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase to small VCs emitted by the fungal phytopathogen Alternaria alternata. Fungal VC-promoted growth and photosynthesis, as well as metabolic and proteomic changes, were substantially weaker in cfbp1 plants than in WT plants. In WT plants, but not in cfbp1 plants, small fungal VCs reduced the levels of both transcripts and proteins of the stromal Clp protease system and enhanced those of plastidial chaperonins and co-chaperonins. Consistently, small fungal VCs promoted the accumulation of putative Clp protease clients including MEP and shikimate pathway enzymes. clpr1-2 and clpc1 mutants with disrupted plastidial protein homeostasis responded weakly to small fungal VCs, strongly indicating that plant responses to microbial volatile emissions require a finely regulated plastidial protein quality control system. Our findings provide strong evidence that plant responses to fungal VCs involve chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signaling of redox-activated photosynthesis leading to proteostatic regulation of the MEP and shikimate pathways.

The Cytokinin Status of the Epidermis Regulates Aspects of Vegetative and Reproductive Development in Arabidopsis thaliana

The epidermal cell layer of plants has important functions in regulating plant growth and development. We have studied the impact of an altered epidermal cytokinin metabolism on Arabidopsis shoot development. Increased epidermal cytokinin synthesis or breakdown was achieved through expression of the cytokinin synthesis gene LOG4 and the cytokinin-degrading CKX1 gene, respectively, under the control of the epidermis-specific AtML1 promoter. During vegetative growth, increased epidermal cytokinin production caused an increased size of the shoot apical meristem and promoted earlier flowering. Leaves became larger and the shoots showed an earlier juvenile-to-adult transition. An increased cytokinin breakdown had the opposite effect on these phenotypic traits indicating that epidermal cytokinin metabolism can be a factor regulating these aspects of shoot development. The phenotypic consequences of abbreviated cytokinin signaling in the epidermis achieved through expression of the ARR1-SRDX repressor were generally milder or even absent indicating that the epidermal cytokinin acts, at least in part, cell non-autonomously. Enhanced epidermal cytokinin synthesis delayed cell differentiation during leaf development leading to an increased cell proliferation and leaf growth. Genetic analysis showed that this cytokinin activity was mediated mainly by the AHK3 receptor and the transcription factor ARR1. We also demonstrate that epidermal cytokinin promotes leaf growth in a largely cell-autonomous fashion. Increased cytokinin synthesis in the outer layer of reproductive tissues and in the placenta enhanced ovule formation by the placenta and caused the formation of larger siliques. This led to a higher number of seeds in larger pods resulting in an increased seed yield per plant. Collectively, the results provide evidence that the cytokinin metabolism in the epidermis is a relevant parameter determining vegetative and reproductive plant growth and development.

Reaction Wood Anatomical Traits and Hormonal Profiles in Poplar Bent Stem and Root

Reaction wood (RW) formation is an innate physiological response of woody plants to counteract mechanical constraints in nature, reinforce structure and redirect growth toward the vertical direction. Differences and/or similarities between stem and root response to mechanical constraints remain almost unknown especially in relation to phytohormones distribution and RW characteristics. Thus, Populus nigra stem and root subjected to static non-destructive mid-term bending treatment were analyzed. The distribution of tension and compression forces was firstly modeled along the main bent stem and root axis; then, anatomical features, chemical composition, and a complete auxin and cytokinin metabolite profiles of the stretched convex and compressed concave side of three different bent stem and root sectors were analyzed. The results showed that in bent stems RW was produced on the upper stretched convex side whereas in bent roots it was produced on the lower compressed concave side. Anatomical features and chemical analysis showed that bent stem RW was characterized by a low number of vessel, poor lignification, and high carbohydrate, and thus gelatinous layer in fiber cell wall. Conversely, in bent root, RW was characterized by high vessel number and area, without any significant variation in carbohydrate and lignin content. An antagonistic interaction of auxins and different cytokinin forms/conjugates seems to regulate critical aspects of RW formation/development in stem and root to facilitate upward/downward organ bending. The observed differences between the response stem and root to bending highlight how hormonal signaling is highly organ-dependent.

Simultaneous quantitation of cytokinin bases and their glycoconjugates with stable isotope labelling ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry

Cytokinins (CKs) are one class of important phytohormones widely investigated in most aspects of plant life. Similar to other phytohormones, CKs and their glycoconjugates are hydrophilic. Their ionization efficiencies for mass spectrometry (MS) detection are rather poor, whereas their retention and separation on reverse phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) are often unsatisfying. Chemical isotope labelling LC-MS analysis methods have been developed for most other phytohormones, enhancing their LC separations and quantitative sensitivity. However, there are currently no reports for chemical-labelled CKs. Here, we report a new chemical isotope labelling LC-MS analytical method for one-pot derivatization of CK bases and their glycoconjugates, based on differential benzylation labelling of the adenine skeleton of CKs with benzyl bromide and its deuterium isotope-labelled reagent. Benzylation alters the hydrophilicity of CKs and their glycoconjugates, improving their retention and separation on RPLC. The developed method demonstrated enhanced sensitivity, as the CKs and their glycoconjugates could be analysed with LODs within the range of 0.62-25.9 pg/mL. The method also demonstrated good intra- and inter-day precisions with standard deviations in the range of 1.9%-13.0%, and acceptable accuracy with recoveries in the range of 84.0%-119.9%. The developed method was employed on the quantitation of CKs in the fresh roots of Astragalus membranaceus collected from both fertilized and unfertilized fields. The significant impact that fertilizers had on endogenous CKs metabolism was observed. As such, monitoring endogenous CKs and their metabolites might be promising to control fertilizer abuse.

Characterization of the cytokinin sensor TCSv2 in arabidopsis and tomato

BACKGROUND

Hormones are crucial to plant life and development. Being able to follow the plants hormonal response to various stimuli and throughout developmental processes is an important and increasingly widespread tool. The phytohormone cytokinin (CK) has crucial roles in the regulation of plant growth and development.

RESULTS

Here we describe a version of the CK sensor Two Component signaling Sensor (TCS), referred to as TCSv2. TCSv2 has a different arrangement of binding motifs when compared to previous TCS versions, resulting in increased sensitivity in some examined tissues. Here, we examine the CK responsiveness and distribution pattern of TCSv2 in arabidopsis and tomato.

CONCLUSIONS

The increased sensitivity and reported expression pattern of TCSv2 make it an ideal TCS version to study CK response in particular hosts, such as tomato, and particular tissues, such as leaves and flowers.

Volatiles from the fungal phytopathogen Penicillium aurantiogriseum modulate root metabolism and architecture through proteome resetting

Volatile compounds (VCs) emitted by the fungal phytopathogen Penicillium aurantiogriseum promote root growth and developmental changes in Arabidopsis. Here we characterised the metabolic and molecular responses of roots to fungal volatiles. Proteomic analyses revealed that these compounds reduce the levels of aquaporins, the iron carrier IRT1 and apoplastic peroxidases. Fungal VCs also increased the levels of enzymes involved in the production of mevalonate (MVA)-derived isoprenoids, nitrogen assimilation and conversion of methionine to ethylene and cyanide. Consistently, fungal VC-treated roots accumulated high levels of hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ), MVA-derived cytokinins, ethylene, cyanide and long-distance nitrogen transport amino acids. qRT-PCR analyses showed that many proteins differentially expressed by fungal VCs are encoded by VC non-responsive genes. Expression patterns of hormone reporters and developmental characterisation of mutants provided evidence for the involvement of cyanide scavenging and enhanced auxin, ethylene, cytokinin and H₂ O₂ signalling in the root architecture changes promoted by fungal VCs. Our findings show that VCs from P. aurantiogriseum modify root metabolism and architecture, and improve nutrient and water use efficiencies through transcriptionally and non-transcriptionally regulated proteome resetting mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms are subject to long-distance regulation by photosynthesis and differ from those triggered by VCs emitted by beneficial microorganisms.

Timing-dependent effects of salicylic acid treatment on phytohormonal changes, ROS regulation, and antioxidant defense in salinized barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Cross-talk between exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and endogenous phytohormone pathways affects the antioxidant defense system and its response to salt stress. The study presented here investigated the effects of SA treatment before and during salt stress on the levels of endogenous plant growth regulators in three barley cultivars with different salinity tolerances: Hordeum vulgare L. cvs. Akhisar (sensitive), Erginel (moderate), and Kalaycı (tolerant). The cultivars' relative leaf water contents, growth parameters, proline contents, chlorophyll a/b ratios, and lipid peroxidation levels were measured, along with the activities of enzymes involved in detoxifying reactive oxygen species (ROS) including superoxide-dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate-peroxidase, and glutathione-reductase. In addition, levels of several endogenous phytohormones (indole-3-acetic-acid, cytokinins, abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene) were measured. Barley is known to be more salt tolerant than related plant species. Accordingly, none of the studied cultivars exhibited changes in membrane lipid peroxidation under salt stress. However, they responded differently to salt-stress with respect to their accumulation of phytohormones and antioxidant enzyme activity. The strongest and weakest increases in ABA and proline accumulation were observed in Kalaycı and Akhisar, respectively, suggesting that salt-stress was more effectively managed in Kalaycı. The effects of exogenous SA treatment depended on both the timing of the treatment and the cultivar to which it was applied. In general, however, where SA helped mitigate salt stress, it appeared to do so by increasing ROS scavenging capacity and antioxidant enzyme activity. SA treatment also induced changes in phytohormone levels, presumably as a consequence of SA-phytohormone salt-stress cross-talk.

The Response of Maize to Inoculation with Arthrobacter sp. and Bacillus sp. in Phosphorus-Deficient, Salinity-Affected Soil

Salinity and phosphorus (P) deficiency are among the most serious soil factors constraining crop productivity. A proposed strategy for alleviating these stresses is supporting plants by inoculation with growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). Here, a comparison of the ability of two maize composite and two F1 hybrid varieties to tolerate a P deficiency in either a saline or a non-saline environment showed that the uptake of nutrients by all four entries was significantly reduced by the imposition of both soil salinity and P deficiency, and that their growth was compromised to a similar extent. Subsequently, the ameliorative effect of inoculation with three strains of either Arthrobacter sp. or Bacillus sp. in an environment, which suffered simultaneously from salinity and P deficiency, was investigated. Inoculation with each of the strains was found to limit the plants’ uptake of sodium cations, to increase their uptake of potassium cations, and to enhance their growth. The extent of the growth stimulation was more pronounced for the composite varieties than for the F1 hybrid ones, although the amount of biomass accumulated by the latter, whether the plants had been inoculated or not, was greater than that of the former varieties. When the bacterial strains were cultured in vitro, each of them was shown as able to produce the phytohormones auxin, abscisic acid, gibberellins, and cytokinins. The implication is that since the presence in the rhizospere of both Arthrobacter sp. and Bacillus sp. strains can support the growth of maize in salinity-affected and P deficient soils in a genotype-dependent fashion, it is important to not only optimize the PGPR strain used for inoculation, but also to select maize varieties which can benefit most strongly from an association with these bacteria.

Characterization of five CHASE-containing histidine kinase receptors from Populus × canadensis cv. Robusta sensing isoprenoid and aromatic cytokinins

Five poplar CHASE-containing histidine kinase receptors bind cytokinins and display kinase activities. Both endogenous isoprenoid and aromatic cytokinins bind to the receptors in live cell assays. Cytokinins are phytohormones that play key roles in various developmental processes in plants. The poplar species Populus × canadensis, cv. Robusta, is the first organism found to contain aromatic cytokinins. Here, we report the functional characterization of five CHASE-containing histidine kinases from P. × canadensis: PcHK2, PcHK3a, PcHK3b, PcHK4a and PcHK4b. A qPCR analysis revealed high transcript levels of all PcHKs other than PcHK4b across multiple poplar organs. The ligand specificity was determined using a live cell Escherichia coli assay and we provide evidence based on UHPLC-MS/MS data that ribosides can be true ligands. PcHK2 exhibited higher sensitivity to iP-type cytokinins than the other receptors, while PcHK3a and PcHK3b bound these cytokinins much more weakly, because they possess two isoleucine residues that clash with the cytokinin base and destabilize its binding. All receptors display kinase activity but their activation ratios in the presence/absence of cytokinin differ significantly. PcHK4a displays over 400-fold higher kinase activity in the presence of cytokinin, suggesting involvement in strong responses to changes in cytokinin levels. trans-Zeatin was both the most abundant cytokinin in poplar and that with the highest variation in abundance, which is consistent with its strong binding to all five HKs and activation of cytokinin signaling via A-type response regulators. The aromatic cytokinins' biological significance remains unclear, their levels vary diurnally, seasonally, and annually. PcHK3 and PcHK4 display the strongest binding at pH 7.5 and 5.5, respectively, in line with their putative membrane localization in the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane.

Experimental Design and Sample Preparation in Forest Tree Metabolomics

Appropriate experimental design and sample preparation are key steps in metabolomics experiments, highly influencing the biological interpretation of the results. The sample preparation workflow for plant metabolomics studies includes several steps before metabolite extraction and analysis. These include the optimization of laboratory procedures, which should be optimized for different plants and tissues. This is particularly the case for trees, whose tissues are complex matrices to work with due to the presence of several interferents, such as oleoresins, cellulose. A good experimental design, tree tissue harvest conditions, and sample preparation are crucial to ensure consistency and reproducibility of the metadata among datasets. In this review, we discuss the main challenges when setting up a forest tree metabolomics experiment for mass spectrometry (MS)-based analysis covering all technical aspects from the biological question formulation and experimental design to sample processing and metabolite extraction and data acquisition. We also highlight the importance of forest tree metadata standardization in metabolomics studies.

Plant responses to fungal volatiles involve global posttranslational thiol redox proteome changes that affect photosynthesis

Microorganisms produce volatile compounds (VCs) that promote plant growth and photosynthesis through complex mechanisms involving cytokinin (CK) and abscisic acid (ABA). We hypothesized that plants' responses to microbial VCs involve posttranslational modifications of the thiol redox proteome through action of plastidial NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC), which regulates chloroplast redox status via its functional relationship with 2-Cys peroxiredoxins. To test this hypothesis, we analysed developmental, metabolic, hormonal, genetic, and redox proteomic responses of wild-type (WT) plants and a NTRC knockout mutant (ntrc) to VCs emitted by the phytopathogen Alternaria alternata. Fungal VC-promoted growth, changes in root architecture, shifts in expression of VC-responsive CK- and ABA-regulated genes, and increases in photosynthetic capacity were substantially weaker in ntrc plants than in WT plants. As in WT plants, fungal VCs strongly promoted growth, chlorophyll accumulation, and photosynthesis in ntrc-Δ2cp plants with reduced 2-Cys peroxiredoxin expression. OxiTRAQ-based quantitative and site-specific redox proteomic analyses revealed that VCs promote global reduction of the thiol redox proteome (especially of photosynthesis-related proteins) of WT leaves but its oxidation in ntrc leaves. Our findings show that NTRC is an important mediator of plant responses to microbial VCs through mechanisms involving global thiol redox proteome changes that affect photosynthesis.

A Fairy Chemical, Imidazole-4-carboxamide, is Produced on a Novel Purine Metabolic Pathway in Rice

Rings or arcs of fungus-regulated plant growth occurring on the floor of woodlands and grasslands are commonly called "fairy rings". Fairy chemicals, 2-azahypoxanthine (AHX), imidazole-4-carboxamide (ICA), and 2-aza-8-oxohypoxanthine (AOH), are plant growth regulators involved in the phenomenon. The endogeny and biosynthetic pathways of AHX and AOH in plants have already been proven, however, those of ICA have remained unclear. We developed a high-sensitivity detection method for FCs including ICA and the endogenous ICA was detected in some plants for the first time. The quantitative analysis of the endogenous level of ICA in rice and Arabidopsis were performed using 13C-double labeled ICA. In addition, the incorporation experiment and enzyme assay using the labeled compound into rice and partially purified fraction of rice indicated that ICA is biosynthesized from 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA), a metabolite on the purine metabolic pathway. The relationship between ICA and AHX was also discussed based on quantitative analysis and gene expression analysis.

Occurrence and biosynthesis of cytokinins in poplar

Isoprenoid and aromatic cytokinins occur in poplar as free compounds and constituents of tRNA, poplar isopentenyltransferases are involved in the production of isoprenoid cytokinins, while biosynthesis of their aromatic counterparts remains unsolved. Cytokinins are phytohormones with a fundamental role in the regulation of plant growth and development. They occur naturally either as isoprenoid or aromatic derivatives, but the latter are quite rare and less studied. Here, the spatial expression of all nine isopentenyl transferase genes of Populus × canadensis cv. Robusta (PcIPTs) as analyzed by RT-qPCR revealed a tissue preference and strong differences in expression levels for the different adenylate and tRNA PcIPTs. Together with their phylogeny, this result suggests a functional diversification for the different PcIPT proteins. Additionally, the majority of PcIPT genes were cloned and expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana under an inducible promoter. The cytokinin levels measured in the Arabidopsis-overexpressing lines as well as their phenotype indicate that the studied adenylate and tRNA PcIPT proteins are functional in vivo and thus will contribute to the cytokinin pool in poplar. We screened the cytokinin content in leaves of 12 Populus species by ultra-high performance-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and discovered that the capacity to produce not only isoprenoid, but also aromatic cytokinins is widespread amongst the Populus accessions studied. Important for future studies is that the levels of aromatic cytokinins transiently increase after daybreak and are much higher in older plants.

Quantitative trait loci analysis of hormone levels in Arabidopsis roots

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses for five groups of hormones, including cytokinins in Arabidopsis roots were performed using recombinant inbred lines (Ler×Cvi). Significant QTLs were detected for cytokinins, jasmonic acid and salicylic acid. Separate analysis of two sub-populations, viz., vegetative and flowering plants revealed that many of the QTLs were development-specific. Using near-isogenic lines, several significant QTLs were confirmed; three co-localized QTL regions were responsible for determining several cytokinin metabolites. Using a knock-out plant, a functional role of zeatin N-glucosyltransferase gene (UGT76C2) underlying a large-effect QTL for levels of tZ-N-glucosides and tZRMP was evaluated in the metabolism of cytokinins. Pleotropic effects of this gene were found for cytokinin levels in both roots and leaves, but significant changes of morphological traits were observed only in roots. Hormone QTL analysis reveals development-specific and organ-dependent aspects of the regulation of plant hormone content and metabolism.

Root enhancement in cytokinin-deficient oilseed rape causes leaf mineral enrichment, increases the chlorophyll concentration under nutrient limitation and enhances the phytoremediation capacity

BACKGROUND

Cytokinin is a negative regulator of root growth, and a reduction of the cytokinin content or signalling causes the formation a larger root system in model plants, improves their growth under drought and nutrient limitation and causes increased accumulation of elements in the shoot. Roots are an important but understudied target of plant breeding. Here we have therefore explored whether root enhancement by lowering the cytokinin content can also be achieved in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) plants.

RESULTS

Transgenic plants overexpressing the CKX2 gene of Arabidopsis thaliana encoding a cytokinin-degrading cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase showed higher CKX activity and a strongly reduced cytokinin content. Cytokinin deficiency led to the formation of a larger root system under different growth conditions, which was mainly due to an increased number of lateral and adventitious roots. In contrast, shoot growth was comparable to wild type, which caused an enhanced root-to-shoot ratio. Transgenic plants accumulated in their leaves higher concentrations of macro- and microelements including P, Ca, Mg, S, Zn, Cu, Mo and Mn. They formed more chlorophyll under Mg- and S-deficiency and accumulated a larger amount of Cd and Zn from contaminated medium and soil.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate the usefulness of ectopic CKX gene expression to achieve root enhancement in oilseed rape and underpin the functional relevance of a larger root system. Furthermore, the lack of major developmental consequences on shoot growth in cytokinin-deficient oilseed rape indicates species-specific differences of CKX gene and/or cytokinin action.

Yeasts producing zeatin

The present paper describes the first screening study of the ability of natural yeast strains to synthesize in culture the plant-related cytokine hormone zeatin, which was carried out using HPLC-MS/MS. A collection of 76 wild strains of 36 yeast species (23 genera) isolated from a variety of natural substrates was tested for the production of zeatin using HPLC-MS/MS. Zeatin was detected in more than a half (55%) of studied strains and was more frequently observed among basidiomycetous than ascomycetous species. The amount of zeatin accumulated during the experiment varied among species and strains. Highest zeatin values were recorded for basidiomycete Sporobolomyces roseus and ascomycete Taphrina sp. that produced up to 8,850.0 ng and 5,166.4 ng of zeatin per g of dry biomass, respectively. On average, the ability to produce zeatin was more pronounced among species isolated from the arctic-alpine zone than among strains from tropical and temperate climates. Our study also demonstrated that epiphytic strains and pigmented yeast species, typically for phyllosphere, are able to more often produce a plant hormone zeatin than other yeasts.

Bioactive molecules derived from smoke and seaweed Ecklonia maxima showing phytohormone-like activity in Spinacia oleracea L

Bioactive compounds such as karrikinolide (KAR1 from smoke) and eckol (from the seaweed Ecklonia maxima) show promising effects on several important crop plants. These plant growth-stimulating organic biomolecules, along with crude extracts (smoke-water and Kelpak® product prepared from Ecklonia maxima), were tested on spinach plants. Eckol sprayed at 10-6 M significantly increased all the growth and biochemical parameters examined compared to control spinach plants. All tested plant growth biostimulants significantly increased total chlorophyll, carotenoids and protein content of spinach leaves. The cytokinin profile of spinach plants was also determined. Cis-zeatin, dihydrozeatin and isopentenyladenine types of cytokinins were promoted by both smoke- and seaweed-based biostimulants. In comparison to the control plants, the level of free sinapic acid was greater in all spinach plants treated with these biostimulants. The application of these biostimulants can help spinach crop by improving growth, yield and nutritional quality; moreover, they are organic and cost-effective.

Synthesis of [15 N4 ] purine labeled cytokinin glycosides derived from zeatins and topolins with 9-β-d, 7-β-d-glucopyranosyl, or 9-β-d-ribofuranosyl group

Synthesis of [¹⁵ N₄ ] purine labeled cytokinine glycosides derived from zeatins and topolins containing a 9-β-d, 7-β-d-glucopyranosyl, or 9-β-d-ribofuranosyl group is described. These N⁶ -substituted adenine derivatives are intended as internal analytic standards for phytohormone analysis. All labeled compounds were prepared from 6-chloro[¹⁵ N₄ ]purine (1). The equilibrium reaction of 1 with acetobromo-α-d-glucose gave isomeric 7-β-d (3) and 9-β-d (4) chloro glucosyl precursors, which were treated with the corresponding amines to get desired labeled cytokinin 7-β-d (6) and 9-β-d (5) glucopyranosides. Cytokinins containing 9-β-d-ribofuranosyl group (8) were obtained by direct enzymatic transglycosylation reaction of cytokinins (7) prepared from 6-chloro[¹⁵ N₄ ] purine (1).

Temperature and Water Availability During Maturation Affect the Cytokinins and Auxins Profile of Radiata Pine Somatic Embryos

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) provides us a potent biotechnological tool to manipulate the physical and chemical conditions (water availability) along the process and to study their effect in the final success in terms of quantity of somatic embryos produced. In the last years, our research team has been focused on the study of different aspects of the SE in Pinus spp. One of the main aspects affecting SE is the composition of culture media; in this sense, phytohormones play one of the most crucial roles in this propagation system. Many studies in conifers have shown that different stages of SE and somatic embryo development are correlated with distinct endogenous phytohormone profiles under the stress conditions needed for the process (i.e., cytokinins play a regulatory role in stress signaling, which it is essential for radiata pine SE). Based on this knowledge, the aim of this study was to test the effect of different temperatures (18, 23, and 28°C) and gelling agent concentrations (8, 9, and 10 gL-1) during the maturation stage of Pinus radiata SE in maturation and germination rates. Parallel, phytohormone profile of somatic embryos developed was evaluated. In this sense, the highest gellan gum concentration led to significantly lower water availability. At this gellan gum concentration and 23°C a significantly higher number of somatic embryos was obtained and the overall success of the process increased with respect to other treatments assayed. The somatic embryos produced in these conditions showed the highest concentration of iP-type cytokinins and total ribosides. Although, the different conditions applied during maturation of somatic embryos led to different hormonal profiles, they did not affect the ex vitro survival of the resulting somatic plants, where no significant differences were observed.

Modification of Barley Plant Productivity Through Regulation of Cytokinin Content by Reverse-Genetics Approaches

Barley is one of the most important cereals, which is used for breweries, animal and human feeds. Genetic manipulation of plant hormone cytokinins may influence several physiological processes, besides others stress tolerance, root formation and crop yield. In planta, endogenous cytokinin status is finely regulated by the enzyme cytokinin dehydrogenase (EC 1.5.99.12; CKX), that irreversible degrades the side chain of adenine-derived isoprenoid cytokinins. Increasing grain yield by mean of manipulation of endogenous cytokinin content was assayed by the silencing of the HvCKX1 gene. Moreover, to elucidate the putative role of HvCKX1 gene on grain production, knocked-out Hvckx1 mutant plants were generated using the RNA-guided Cas9 system. Homozygote transgenic plants with silenced HvCKX1 gene and azygous knock-out Hvckx1 mutants have been selected and analyzed. Both reduced expression of HvCKX1 gene and CKX activity were measured in different stages of barley grain development. Phenotyping of the transgenic lines revealed reduced root growth, however, plants produced more tillers and grains than azygous wild-type controls and the total yield was increased up to 15 per cent. Although plant productivity was increased, total grain biomass was decreased to 80% of WT grains. RNA-seq analysis of knock-down transgenic lines revealed that several important macronutrient transporters were downregulated in the stage of massive starch accumulation. It suggests that local accumulation of cytokinins negatively affected nutrients flow resulting in reduced grain biomass. Obtained results confirmed the key role of HvCKX1 for regulation of cytokinin content in barley.

Total synthesis of [15N]-labelled C6-substituted purines from [15N]-formamide-easy preparation of isotopically labelled cytokinins and derivatives

Cytokinins (CKs) and their metabolites and derivatives are essential for cell division, plant growth regulation and development. They are typically found at minute concentrations in plant tissues containing very complicated biological matrices. Therefore, defined standards labelled with stable isotopes are required for precise metabolic profiling and quantification of CKs, as well as in vivo elucidation of CK biosynthesis in various plant species. In this work, 11 [15N]-labelled C6-purine derivatives were prepared, among them 5 aromatic (4, 5, 6, 7, 8) and 3 isoprenoid (9, 10, 11) CKs. Compared to current methods, optimized syntheses of 6-amino-9H-[15N5]-purine (adenine) and 6-chloro-9H-[15N4]-purine (6-chloropurine) were performed to achieve more effective, selective and generally easier approaches. The chemical identity and purity of prepared compounds were confirmed by physico-chemical analyses (TLC; HRMS; HPLC-MS; 1H, 13C, 15N NMR). The presented approach is applicable for the synthesis of any other desired [15N4]-labelled C6-substituted purine derivatives.

Germination and Early Seedling Development in Quercus ilex Recalcitrant and Non-dormant Seeds: Targeted Transcriptional, Hormonal, and Sugar Analysis

Seed germination and early seedling development have been studied in the recalcitrant species Quercus ilex using targeted transcriptional, hormonal, and sugar analysis. Embryos and seedlings were collected at eight morphologically defined developmental stages, S0-S7. A typical triphasic water uptake curve was observed throughout development, accompanied by a decrease in sucrose and an increase in glucose and fructose. Low levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and high levels of gibberellins (GAs) were observed in mature seeds. Post-germination, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), increased, whereas GA remained high, a pattern commonly observed during growth and development. The abundance of transcripts from ABA-related genes was positively correlated with the changes in the content of the phytohormone. Transcripts of the drought-related genes Dhn3 and GolS were more abundant at S0, then decreased in parallel with increasing water content. Transcripts for Gapdh, and Nadh6 were abundant at S0, supporting the occurrence of an active metabolism in recalcitrant seeds at the time of shedding. The importance of ROS during germination is manifest in the high transcript levels for Sod and Gst, found in mature seeds. The results presented herein help distinguish recalcitrant (e.g., Q. ilex) seeds from their orthodox counterparts. Our results indicate that recalcitrance is established during seed development but not manifest until germination (S1-S3). Post-germination the patterns are quite similar for both orthodox and recalcitrant seeds.