Enhancement of the tolerance of Arabidopsis to high temperatures by genetic engineering of the synthesis of glycinebetaine

Plant Adaptation and Tolerance to Heat Stress: Advance Approaches and Future Aspects

Heat stress impacts plant growth at all phases of development, although the particular threshold for heat tolerance varies significantly across different developmental stages. During seed germination, elevated temperatures can either impede or completely halt the process, contingent upon the plant type and the severity of the stress. During advanced stages, high temperatures can have a negative impact on photosynthesis, respiration, water balance, and membrane integrity. Additionally, they can also influence the levels of hormones and primary and secondary metabolites. In addition, during the growth and development of plants, there is an increased expression of various heat shock proteins, as well as other proteins related to stress, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These are significant plant responses to heat stress. Plants employ several strategies to deal with heat stress, such as maintaining the stability of their cell membranes, removing harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS), producing antioxidants, accumulating and adjusting compatible solutes, activating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) cascades, and, crucially, signaling through chaperones and activating transcription. These molecular-level systems boost the ability of plants to flourish in heat stress. Potential genetic methods to enhance plant heat stress resistance encompass old and modern molecular breeding techniques and transgenic approaches, all of which rely on a comprehensive comprehension of these systems. Although several plants exhibit enhanced heat tolerance through traditional breeding methods, the effectiveness of genetic transformation techniques has been somewhat restricted. The latter results from the current constraints in our understanding and access to genes that have known impacts on plant heat stress tolerance. However, these challenges may be overcome in the future. Besides genetic methods, crops' heat tolerance can be improved through the pre-treatment of plants with various environmental challenges or the external application of osmoprotectants such as glycine betaine and proline. Thermotolerance is achieved through an active process in which plants allocate significant energy to maintain their structure and function to avoid damage induced by heat stress. The practice of nanoparticles has been shown to upgrade both the standard and the quantity of produce when crops are under heat stress. This review provides information on the effects of heat stress on plants and explores the importance of nanoparticles, transgenics, and genomic techniques in reducing the negative consequences of heat stress. Furthermore, it explores how plants might adapt to heat stress by modifying their biochemical, physiological, and molecular reactions.

Exogenous Betaine Enhances the Protrusion Vigor of Rice Seeds under Heat Stress by Regulating Plant Hormone Signal Transduction and Its Interaction Network

Rice is an important food crop. Rice seedlings are mainly composed of root, coleoptile, mesocotyl and euphylla. The elongation of coleoptile and mesocotyl promotes the emergence of rice seedlings. Therefore, analyzing the mechanism of coleoptile and mesocotyl elongation is important for the cultivation of rice varieties. Due to global warming, heat stress is threatening rice yields. Betaine plays an important role in plant resistance to heat stress; however, we lack research on its regulation mechanism of rice seed germination under heat stress. Therefore, we explored the effects of soaking seeds with betaine at different concentrations on rice seed germination under heat stress. According to the results, soaking seeds with 10 mM of betaine could effectively improve the seeds’ germination potential and rate under heat stress to promote the germination of rice seeds. To clarify the mitigation mechanism of betaine in heat stress, we measured the antioxidant enzyme activity, malondialdehyde content, soluble protein content and endogenous hormone content of seed protrusion under heat stress. We constructed the cDNA library for transcriptome sequencing. According to the results, 10 mM of betaine improved the activities of the superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase of seed protrusion under heat stress to reduce the malondialdehyde content and increase the soluble protein content to alleviate the effect of heat stress on rice seed germination. The detection of the endogenous hormone content showed that soaking seeds with 10 mM of betaine increased the content of gibberellin and decreased the contents of auxin and abscisic acid of seed protrusion under heat stress. According to the transcriptome analysis, betaine can induce the expressions of key genes in the biosynthesis and metabolism of auxin, abscisic acid and gibberellins in the seed coleoptile and mesocotyl elongation stage, regulate the signal transduction of three hormones and promote the germination of rice seeds under heat stress. This study revealed, for the first time, the physiological and molecular regulation mechanism of betaine promotion of seed germination under heat stress.

Exploring Thermal Sensitivities and Adaptations of Oxidative Phosphorylation Pathways

Temperature shifts are a major challenge to animals; they drive adaptations in organisms and species, and affect all physiological functions in ectothermic organisms. Understanding the origin and mechanisms of these adaptations is critical for determining whether ectothermic organisms will be able to survive when faced with global climate change. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is thought to be an important metabolic player in this regard, since the capacity of the mitochondria to produce energy greatly varies according to temperature. However, organism survival and fitness depend not only on how much energy is produced, but, more precisely, on how oxidative phosphorylation is affected and which step of the process dictates thermal sensitivity. These questions need to be addressed from a new perspective involving a complex view of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and its related pathways. In this review, we examine the effect of temperature on the commonly measured pathways, but mainly focus on the potential impact of lesser-studied pathways and related steps, including the electron-transferring flavoprotein pathway, glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, choline dehydrogenase, proline dehydrogenase, and sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase. Our objective is to reveal new avenues of research that can address the impact of temperature on oxidative phosphorylation in all its complexity to better portray the limitations and the potential adaptations of aerobic metabolism.

Drought mitigation in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) through developing tolerant hybrids

BACKGROUND

Cocoa, being a shade loving crop cannot withstand long periods of water stress. Breeding for drought tolerance is the need of the hour due to change in climatic condition and extension of crop to non-traditional areas. Hybrids were produced by crossing four tolerant genotypes in all possible combination. The cross GV1 55 x M 13.12 didn't yield any fruit due to cross incompatibility between these genotypes. Various biochemical parameters act as the true indicators to select tolerant and susceptible types. The major biochemical parameters considered after imposing stress included proline, nitrate reductase activity, superoxide dismutase content and glycine betaine.

RESULTS

The drought tolerant hybrids were having high amount of proline, superoxide dismutase enzyme and glycine betaine content. Normally, plants having drought stress show low amount of nitrate reductase activity. However, in case of hybrids, the drought tolerant hybrids were having higher NR activity than the susceptible hybrids. The highest amount of NR was found in the control plants kept at fully irrigated conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

This experiment showed the role of different biochemical enzymes and osmolytes in giving tolerance to plants during drought stress. Logistic regression analysis selected proline and nitrate reductase as the two biochemical markers for identifying efficient drought tolerant genotypes in the future breeding programmes.

An overview of heat stress in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Heat stress has been defined as the rise of temperature for a period of time higher than a threshold level, thereby permanently affecting the plant growth and development. Day or night temperature is considered as the major limiting factor for plant growth. Earlier studies reported that night temperature is an important factor in the heat reaction of the plants. Tomato cultivars capable of setting viable fruits under night temperatures above 21 °C are considered as heat-tolerant cultivars. The development of breeding objectives is generally summarized in four points: (a) cultivars with higher yield, (b) disease resistant varieties in the 1970s, (c) long shelf-life in 1980s, and (d) nutritive and taste quality during 1990s. Some unique varieties like the dwarf "Micro-Tom", and the first transgenic tomato (FlavrSavr) were developed through breeding; they were distributed late in the 1980s. High temperature significantly affects seed, pollen viability and root expansion. Researchers have employed different parameters to evaluate the tolerance to heat stress, including membrane thermo stability, floral characteristics (Stigma exertion and antheridia cone splitting), flower number, and fruit yield per plant. Reports on pollen viability and fruit set/plant under heat stress by comparing the pollen growth and tube development in heat-treated and non-heat-stressed conditions are available in literature. The electrical conductivity (EC) have been used to evaluate the tolerance of some tomato cultivars in vitro under heat stress conditions as an indication of cell damage due to electrolyte leakage; they classified the cultivars into three groups: (a) heat tolerant, (b) moderately heat tolerant, and (c) heat sensitive. It is important to determine the range in genetic diversity for heat tolerance in tomatoes. Heat stress experiments under field conditions offer breeders information to identify the potentially heat tolerant germplasm.

Glycinebetaine mitigated the photoinhibition of photosystem II at high temperature in transgenic tomato plants

Photosystem II (PSII), especially the D1 protein, is highly sensitive to the detrimental impact of heat stress. Photoinhibition always occurs when the rate of photodamage exceeds the rate of D1 protein repair. Here, genetically engineered codA-tomato with the capability to accumulate glycinebetaine (GB) was established. After photoinhibition treatment at high temperature, the transgenic lines displayed more thermotolerance to heat-induced photoinhibition than the control line. GB maintained high expression of LeFtsHs and LeDegs and degraded the damaged D1 protein in time. Meanwhile, the increased transcription of synthesis-related genes accelerated the de novo synthesis of D1 protein. Low ROS accumulation reduced the inhibition of D1 protein translation in the transgenic plants, thereby reducing protein damage. The increased D1 protein content and decreased phosphorylated D1 protein (pD1) in the transgenic plants compared with control plants imply that GB may minimize photodamage and maximize D1 protein stability. As D1 protein exhibits a high turnover, PSII maybe repaired rapidly and efficiently in transgenic plants under photoinhibition treatment at high temperature, with the resultant mitigation of photoinhibition of PSII.

Phenotypic Markers Reflecting the Status of Overstressed Tea Plants Subjected to Repeated Shade Cultivation

Shade cultivation is a traditional Japanese tea cultivation method in which the shoot buds are shaded for several weeks. This technique is increasingly used for green tea production because it produces tea of high quality (as indicated by umami and nutritional content) and commands high prices. However, given that shaded tea plants are grown under low-light stress, concerns exist regarding damage to tea plants caused by repeated shade cultivation. To understand basic physiological responses and accumulative changes in photosynthetic ability and metabolites of tea plants subjected to repeated shading, we performed a pot experiment on immature tea plants grown in a growth chamber subjected to repeated shading treatments. The results demonstrated that shade cultivation caused a decrease in non-structural carbohydrate content and an increase of several degrees in leaf surface temperature, reflecting transpiration through the leaf stomata, as a result of a reduction in photosynthetic ability. An increase of several degrees in canopy temperature and a reduction in photosynthetic ability in the field in the mid-summer season was also observed in overstressed tea plants subjected to repeated shading. Metabolomic analysis identified several candidate biomarkers, such as citrulline and glycine betaine, that were significantly changed in individuals affected by shade cultivation. These physiological changes may be an indicator of the stress status of tea plants grown under repeated shade cultivation.

Genome wide transcriptome analysis reveals vital role of heat responsive genes in regulatory mechanisms of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus)

The present study reports the role of morphological, physiological and reproductive attributes viz. membrane stability index (MSI), osmolytes accumulations, antioxidants activities and pollen germination for heat stress tolerance in contrasting genotypes. Heat stress increased proline and glycine betaine (GPX) contents, induced superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities and resulted in higher MSI in PDL-2 (tolerant) compared to JL-3 (sensitive). In vitro pollen germination of tolerant genotype was higher than sensitive one under heat stress. In vivo stressed pollens of tolerant genotype germinated well on stressed stigma of sensitive genotype, while stressed pollens of sensitive genotype did not germinate on stressed stigma of tolerant genotype. De novo transcriptome analysis of both the genotypes showed that number of contigs ranged from 90,267 to 104,424 for all the samples with N50 ranging from 1,755 to 1,844 bp under heat stress and control conditions. Based on assembled unigenes, 194,178 high-quality Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), 141,050 microsatellites and 7,388 Insertion-deletions (Indels) were detected. Expression of 10 genes was evaluated using quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Comparison of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under different combinations of heat stress has led to the identification of candidate DEGs and pathways. Changes in expression of physiological and pollen phenotyping related genes were also reaffirmed through transcriptome data. Cell wall and secondary metabolite pathways are found to be majorly affected under heat stress. The findings need further analysis to determine genetic mechanism involved in heat tolerance of lentil.

Genetic engineering of the biosynthesis of glycinebetaine enhances the fruit development and size of tomato

Glycinebetaine has been widely considered as an effective protectant against abiotic stress in plants, and also found to promote plant growth under normal growing conditions, especially during the reproductive stage. Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) and choline oxidase (COD) are two key enzymes which have been used to confer glycinebetaine synthesis in plant which normally does not synthesis glycinebetaine. In this study, we used the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, cv 'Moneymaker') plants of wild-type and the transgenic lines codA (L1, L2) and BADH (2, 46), which were transformed with codA and BADH, respectively, to study the impact of glycinebetaine on tomato fruit development. Our results showed that the codA and BADH transgenes induced the formation of enlarged flowers and fruits in transgenic tomato plants. In addition, the transgenic tomato plants had a higher photosynthetic rate, higher assimilates content, and higher leaf chlorophyll content than the wild-type plants. We also found that the enlargement of fruit size was related to the contents of phytohormones, such as auxin, brassinolide, gibberellin, and cytokinin. Additionally, qPCR results indicated that the expressions levels of certain genes related to fruit growth and development were also elevated in transgenic plants. Finally, transcriptome sequencing results revealed that the differences in the levels of gene expression in tomato fruit between the transgenic and wild-type plants were observed in multiple pathways, predominantly those of photosynthesis, DNA replication, plant hormone signal transduction, and biosynthesis. Taken together, our results suggest that glycinebetaine promotes tomato fruit development via multiple pathways. We propose that genetic engineering of glycinebetaine synthesis offers a novel approach to enhance the productivity of tomato and other crop plants.

Improving photosynthesis, plant productivity and abiotic stress tolerance - current trends and future perspectives

With unfavourable climate changes and an increasing global population, there is a great need for more productive and stress-tolerant crops. As traditional methods of crop improvement have probably reached their limits, a further increase in the productivity of crops is expected to be possible using genetic engineering. The number of potential genes and metabolic pathways, which when genetically modified could result in improved photosynthesis and biomass production, is multiple. Photosynthesis, as the only source of carbon required for the growth and development of plants, attracts much attention is this respect, especially the question concerning how to improve CO₂ fixation and limit photorespiration. The most promising direction for increasing CO₂ assimilation is implementating carbon concentrating mechanisms found in cyanobacteria and algae into crop plants, while hitherto performed experiments on improving the CO₂ fixation versus oxygenation reaction catalyzed by Rubisco are less encouraging. On the other hand, introducing the C₄ pathway into C₃ plants is a very difficult challenge. Among other points of interest for increased biomass production is engineering of metabolic regulation, certain proteins, nucleic acids or phytohormones. In this respect, enhanced sucrose synthesis, assimilate translocation to sink organs and starch synthesis is crucial, as is genetic engineering of the phytohormone metabolism. As abiotic stress tolerance is one of the key factors determining crop productivity, extensive studies are being undertaken to develop transgenic plants characterized by elevated stress resistance. This can be accomplished due to elevated synthesis of antioxidants, osmoprotectants and protective proteins. Among other promising targets for the genetic engineering of plants with elevated stress resistance are transcription factors that play a key role in abiotic stress responses of plants. In this review, most of the approaches to improving the productivity of plants that are potentially promising and have already been undertaken are described. In addition to this, the limitations faced, potential challenges and possibilities regarding future research are discussed.

Glycinebetaine Biosynthesis in Response to Osmotic Stress Depends on Jasmonate Signaling in Watermelon Suspension Cells

Glycinebetaine is an important non-toxic osmoprotectant, which is accumulated in higher plants under various stresses. The biosynthesis of glycinebetaine achieved via is a two-step oxidation from choline and betaine aldehyde, catalyzed by choline monooxygenase (CMO) and betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH), respectively. Up-regulated gene expression of BADH and CMO induced by stress is clearly observed, but the signal transduction is poorly understood. Here, glycinebetaine accumulation in response to osmotic stress and growth recovery induced by exogenous glycinebetaine were observed in a watermelon cell line. When tracing back to the genome sequence of watermelon, it shows that there exists only one member of ClCMO or ClBADH corresponding to glycinebetaine biosynthesis. Both genes harbor a CGTCA-motif in their promoter region which is involved in methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-responsiveness. Amongst MeJA, Ethephon, abscisic acid (ABA), and salicylic acid (SA), MeJA was most effective in gene inducing the expression of ClCMO and ClBADH, and the accumulation of glycinebetaine could also reach an amount comparable to that after osmotic stress by mannitol. Moreover, when ibuprofen (IBU), a JA biosynthesis inhibitor, was pre-perfused into the cells before osmotic stress, glycinebetaine accumulation was suppressed significantly. Interestingly, newly grown cells can keep a high content of glycinebetaine when they are sub-cultured from osmotic stressed cells. This study suggests that osmotic stress induced glycinebetaine biosynthesis occurs via JA signal transduction and not only plays a key role in osmotic stress resistance but also contributes to osmotic stress hardening.

Interference with plastome gene expression and Clp protease activity in Arabidopsis triggers a chloroplast unfolded protein response to restore protein homeostasis

Disruption of protein homeostasis in chloroplasts impairs the correct functioning of essential metabolic pathways, including the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway for the production of plastidial isoprenoids involved in photosynthesis and growth. We previously found that misfolded and aggregated forms of the first enzyme of the MEP pathway are degraded by the Clp protease with the involvement of Hsp70 and Hsp100/ClpC1 chaperones in Arabidopsis thaliana. By contrast, the combined unfolding and disaggregating actions of Hsp70 and Hsp100/ClpB3 chaperones allow solubilization and hence reactivation of the enzyme. The repair pathway is promoted when the levels of ClpB3 proteins increase upon reduction of Clp protease activity in mutants or wild-type plants treated with the chloroplast protein synthesis inhibitor lincomycin (LIN). Here we show that LIN treatment rapidly increases the levels of aggregated proteins in the chloroplast, unleashing a specific retrograde signaling pathway that up-regulates expression of ClpB3 and other nuclear genes encoding plastidial chaperones. As a consequence, folding capacity is increased to restore protein homeostasis. This sort of chloroplast unfolded protein response (cpUPR) mechanism appears to be mediated by the heat shock transcription factor HsfA2. Expression of HsfA2 and cpUPR-related target genes is independent of GUN1, a central integrator of retrograde signaling pathways. However, double mutants defective in both GUN1 and plastome gene expression (or Clp protease activity) are seedling lethal, confirming that the GUN1 protein is essential for protein homeostasis in chloroplasts.

Salinity and High Temperature Tolerance in Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] from a Physiological Perspective

Biotic and abiotic constraints seriously affect the productivity of agriculture worldwide. The broadly recognized benefits of legumes in cropping systems-biological nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility and broadening cereal-based agro-ecologies, are desirable now more than ever. Legume production is affected by hostile environments, especially soil salinity and high temperatures (HTs). Among legumes, mungbean has acceptable intrinsic tolerance mechanisms, but many agro-physiological characteristics of the Vigna species remain to be explored. Mungbean has a distinct advantage of being short-duration and can grow in wide range of soils and environments (as mono or relay legume). This review focuses on salinity and HT stresses on mungbean grown as a fallow crop (mungbean-rice-wheat to replace fallow-rice-wheat) and/or a relay crop in cereal cropping systems. Salinity tolerance comprises multifaceted responses at the molecular, physiological and plant canopy levels. In HTs, adaptation of physiological and biochemical processes gradually may lead to improvement of heat tolerance in plants. At the field level, managing or manipulating cultural practices can mitigate adverse effects of salinity and HT. Greater understanding of physiological and biochemical mechanisms regulating these two stresses will contribute to an evolving profile of the genes, proteins, and metabolites responsible for mungbean survival. We focus on abiotic stresses in legumes in general and mungbean in particular, and highlight gaps that need to be bridged through future mungbean research. Recent findings largely from physiological and biochemical fronts are examined, along with a few agronomic and farm-based management strategies to mitigate stress under field conditions.

Transgenic poplar expressing codA exhibits enhanced growth and abiotic stress tolerance

Glycine betaine (GB), a compatible solute, effectively stabilizes the structure and function of macromolecules and enhances abiotic stress tolerance in plants. We generated transgenic poplar plants (Populus alba × Populus glandulosa) expressing a bacterial choline oxidase (codA) gene under the control of the oxidative stress-inducible SWPA2 promoter (referred to as SC plants). Among the 13 SC plants generated, three lines (SC4, SC14 and SC21) were established based on codA transcript levels, tolerance to methyl viologen-mediated oxidative stress and Southern blot analysis. Growth was better in SC plants than in non-transgenic (NT) plants, which was related to elevated transcript levels of auxin-response genes. SC plants accumulated higher levels of GB under oxidative stress compared to the NT plants. In addition, SC plants exhibited increased tolerance to drought and salt stress, which was associated with increased efficiency of photosystem II activity. Finally, SC plants maintained lower levels of ion leakage and reactive oxygen species under cold stress compared to the NT plants. These observations suggest that SC plants might be useful for reforestation on global marginal lands, including desertification and reclaimed areas.

Stress-related hormones and glycinebetaine interplay in protection of photosynthesis under abiotic stress conditions

Plants subjected to abiotic stresses such as extreme high and low temperatures, drought or salinity, often exhibit decreased vegetative growth and reduced reproductive capabilities. This is often associated with decreased photosynthesis via an increase in photoinhibition, and accompanied by rapid changes in endogenous levels of stress-related hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA) and ethylene. However, certain plant species and/or genotypes exhibit greater tolerance to abiotic stress because they are capable of accumulating endogenous levels of the zwitterionic osmolyte-glycinebetaine (GB). The accumulation of GB via natural production, exogenous application or genetic engineering, enhances plant osmoregulation and thus increases abiotic stress tolerance. The final steps of GB biosynthesis occur in chloroplasts where GB has been shown to play a key role in increasing the protection of soluble stromal and lumenal enzymes, lipids and proteins, of the photosynthetic apparatus. In addition, we suggest that the stress-induced GB biosynthesis pathway may well serve as an additional or alternative biochemical sink, one which consumes excess photosynthesis-generated electrons, thus protecting photosynthetic apparatus from overreduction. Glycinebetaine biosynthesis in chloroplasts is up-regulated by increases in endogenous ABA or SA levels. In this review, we propose and discuss a model describing the close interaction and synergistic physiological effects of GB and ABA in the process of cold acclimation of higher plants.

De novo transcriptome analysis of Medicago falcata reveals novel insights about the mechanisms underlying abiotic stress-responsive pathway

Background

The entire world is facing a deteriorating environment. Understanding the mechanisms underlying plant responses to external abiotic stresses is important for breeding stress-tolerant crops and herbages. Phytohormones play critical regulatory roles in plants in the response to external and internal cues to regulate growth and development. Medicago falcata is one of the stress-tolerant candidate leguminous species and is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen. This ability allows leguminous plants to grow in nitrogen deficient soils.

Methods

We performed Illumina sequencing of cDNA prepared from abiotic stress treated M. falcata. Sequencedreads were assembled to provide a transcriptome resource. Transcripts were annotated using BLASTsearches against the NCBI non-redundant database and gene ontology definitions were assigned. Acomparison among the three abiotic stress treated samples was carried out. The expression of transcriptswas confirmed with qRT-PCR.

Results

We present an abiotic stress-responsive M. falcata transcriptome using next-generation sequencing data from samples grown under standard, dehydration, high salinity, and cold conditions. We combined reads from all samples and de novo assembled 98,515 transcripts to build the M. falcata gene index. A comprehensive analysis of the transcriptome revealed abiotic stress-responsive mechanisms underlying the metabolism and core signalling components of major phytohormones. We identified nod factor signalling pathways during early symbiotic nodulation that are modified by abiotic stresses. Additionally, a global comparison of homology between the M. falcata and M. truncatula transcriptomes, along with five other leguminous species, revealed a high level of global sequence conservation within the family.

Conclusions

M. falcata is shown to be a model candidate for studying abiotic stress-responsive mechanisms in legumes. This global gene expression analysis provides new insights into the biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in the acclimation to abiotic stresses. Our data provides many gene candidates that might be used for herbage and crop breeding. Additionally, FalcataBase (http://bioinformatics.cau.edu.cn/falcata/) was built for storing these data.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2019-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Significance of galactinol and raffinose family oligosaccharide synthesis in plants

Abiotic stress induces differential expression of genes responsible for the synthesis of raffinose family of oligosaccharides (RFOs) in plants. RFOs are described as the most widespread D-galactose containing oligosaccharides in higher plants. Biosynthesis of RFOs begin with the activity of galactinol synthase (GolS; EC 2.4.1.123), a GT8 family glycosyltransferase that galactosylates myo-inositol to produce galactinol. Raffinose and the subsequent higher molecular weight RFOs (Stachyose, Verbascose, and Ajugose) are synthesized from sucrose by the subsequent addition of activated galactose moieties donated by Galactinol. Interestingly, GolS, the key enzyme of this pathway is functional only in the flowering plants. It is thus assumed that RFO synthesis is a specialized metabolic event in higher plants; although it is not known whether lower plant groups synthesize any galactinol or RFOs. In higher plants, several functional importance of RFOs have been reported, e.g., RFOs protect the embryo from maturation associated desiccation, are predominant transport carbohydrates in some plant families, act as signaling molecule following pathogen attack and wounding and accumulate in vegetative tissues in response to a range of abiotic stresses. However, the loss-of-function mutants reported so far fail to show any perturbation in those biological functions. The role of RFOs in biotic and abiotic stress is therefore still in debate and their specificity and related components remains to be demonstrated. The present review discusses the biology and stress-linked regulation of this less studied extension of inositol metabolic pathway.

Potato plants ectopically expressing Arabidopsis thaliana CBF3 exhibit enhanced tolerance to high-temperature stress

CBF3, a known cold-inducible gene that encodes a transcription factor, was isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana and introduced into the potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. 'luyin NO.1') under the control of the CaMV35S promoter or the rd29A promoter. Our results revealed that temperature of 40 °C or higher can significantly induce AtCBF3 expression. After heat stress, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn ), the maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (Fv /Fm ) and the accumulation of the D1 protein were higher in the transgenic lines than in the wild-type (WT) line. Moreover, compared with the WT line, O2 (●-) and H2 O2 accumulation in the transgenic lines were reduced. A Q-PCR assay of a subset of the genes involved in photosynthesis and antioxidant defence further verified the above results. Interestingly, under heat stress conditions, the accumulation of heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) increased in the WT line but decreased in the transgenic lines. These results suggest that potato plants ectopically expressing AtCBF3 exhibited enhanced tolerance to high temperature, which is associated with improved photosynthesis and antioxidant defence via induction of the expression of many stress-inducible genes. However, this mechanism may not depend upon the regulatory pathways in which HSP70 is involved.

Compatible solute engineering in plants for abiotic stress tolerance - role of glycine betaine

Abiotic stresses collectively are responsible for crop losses worldwide. Among these, drought and salinity are the most destructive. Different strategies have been proposed for management of these stresses. Being a complex trait, conventional breeding approaches have resulted in less success. Biotechnology has emerged as an additional and novel tool for deciphering the mechanism behind these stresses. The role of compatible solutes in abiotic stress tolerance has been studied extensively. Osmotic adjustment, at the physiological level, is an adaptive mechanism involved in drought or salinity tolerance, which permits the maintenance of turgor under conditions of water deficit, as it can counteract the effects of a rapid decline in leaf water potential. Increasing evidence from a series of in vivo and in vitro studies of the physiology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology of plants suggest strongly that Glycine Betaine (GB) performs an important function in plants subjected to environmental stresses. It plays an adaptive role in mediating osmotic adjustment and protecting the sub-cellular structures in stressed plants, protection of the transcriptional and translational machineries and intervention as a molecular chaperone in the refolding of enzymes. Many important crops like rice do not accumulate glycinebetaine under stress conditions. Both the exogenous application of GB and the genetically engineered biosynthesis of GB in such crops is a promising strategy to increase stress tolerance. In this review we will discuss the importance of GB for abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Further, strategies like exogenic application and transgenic development of plants accumulating GB will be also be discussed. Work done on exogenic application and genetically engineered biosynthesis of GB will be listed and its advantages and limitations will be described.

Physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of heat stress tolerance in plants

High temperature (HT) stress is a major environmental stress that limits plant growth, metabolism, and productivity worldwide. Plant growth and development involve numerous biochemical reactions that are sensitive to temperature. Plant responses to HT vary with the degree and duration of HT and the plant type. HT is now a major concern for crop production and approaches for sustaining high yields of crop plants under HT stress are important agricultural goals. Plants possess a number of adaptive, avoidance, or acclimation mechanisms to cope with HT situations. In addition, major tolerance mechanisms that employ ion transporters, proteins, osmoprotectants, antioxidants, and other factors involved in signaling cascades and transcriptional control are activated to offset stress-induced biochemical and physiological alterations. Plant survival under HT stress depends on the ability to perceive the HT stimulus, generate and transmit the signal, and initiate appropriate physiological and biochemical changes. HT-induced gene expression and metabolite synthesis also substantially improve tolerance. The physiological and biochemical responses to heat stress are active research areas, and the molecular approaches are being adopted for developing HT tolerance in plants. This article reviews the recent findings on responses, adaptation, and tolerance to HT at the cellular, organellar, and whole plant levels and describes various approaches being taken to enhance thermotolerance in plants.

Generating high temperature tolerant transgenic plants: Achievements and challenges

Production of plants tolerant to high temperature stress is of immense significance in the light of global warming and climate change. Plant cells respond to high temperature stress by re-programming their genetic machinery for survival and reproduction. High temperature tolerance in transgenic plants has largely been achieved either by over-expressing heat shock protein genes or by altering levels of heat shock factors that regulate expression of heat shock and non-heat shock genes. Apart from heat shock factors, over-expression of other trans-acting factors like DREB2A, bZIP28 and WRKY proteins has proven useful in imparting high temperature tolerance. Besides these, elevating the genetic levels of proteins involved in osmotic adjustment, reactive oxygen species removal, saturation of membrane-associated lipids, photosynthetic reactions, production of polyamines and protein biosynthesis process have yielded positive results in equipping transgenic plants with high temperature tolerance. Cyclic nucleotide gated calcium channel proteins that regulate calcium influxes across the cell membrane have recently been shown to be the key players in induction of high temperature tolerance. The involvement of calmodulins and kinases in activation of heat shock factors has been implicated as an important event in governing high temperature tolerance. Unfilled gaps limiting the production of high temperature tolerant transgenic plants for field level cultivation are discussed.

The rice R2R3-MYB transcription factor OsMYB55 is involved in the tolerance to high temperature and modulates amino acid metabolism

Temperatures higher than the optimum negatively affects plant growth and development. Tolerance to high temperature is a complex process that involves several pathways. Understanding this process, especially in crops such as rice, is essential to prepare for predicted climate changes due to global warming. Here, we show that OsMYB55 is induced by high temperature and overexpression of OsMYB55 resulted in improved plant growth under high temperature and decreased the negative effect of high temperature on grain yield. Transcriptome analysis revealed an increase in expression of several genes involved in amino acids metabolism. We demonstrate that OsMYB55 binds to the promoter regions of target genes and directly activates expression of some of those genes including glutamine synthetase (OsGS1;2) glutamine amidotransferase (GAT1) and glutamate decarboxylase 3 (GAD3). OsMYB55 overexpression resulted in an increase in total amino acid content and of the individual amino acids produced by the activation of the above mentioned genes and known for their roles in stress tolerance, namely L-glutamic acid, GABA and arginine especially under high temperature condition. In conclusion, overexpression of OsMYB55 improves rice plant tolerance to high temperature, and this high tolerance is associated with enhanced amino acid metabolism through transcription activation.

Drought, salt, and temperature stress-induced metabolic rearrangements and regulatory networks

Plants regularly face adverse growth conditions, such as drought, salinity, chilling, freezing, and high temperatures. These stresses can delay growth and development, reduce productivity, and, in extreme cases, cause plant death. Plant stress responses are dynamic and involve complex cross-talk between different regulatory levels, including adjustment of metabolism and gene expression for physiological and morphological adaptation. In this review, information about metabolic regulation in response to drought, extreme temperature, and salinity stress is summarized and the signalling events involved in mediating stress-induced metabolic changes are presented.

Glycinebetaine and abiotic stress tolerance in plants

The accumulation of osmolytes like glycinebetaine (GB) in cell is known to protect organisms against abiotic stresses via osmoregulation or osmoprotection. Transgenic plants engineered to produce GB accumulate very low concentration of GB, which might not be sufficient for osmoregulation. Therefore, other roles of GB like cellular macromolecule protection and ROS detoxification have been suggested as mechanisms responsible for abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic plants. In addition, GB influences expression of several endogenous genes in transgenic plants. The new insights gained about the mechanism of stress tolerance in GB accumulating transgenic plants are discussed.

Glycinebetaine enhances the tolerance of tomato plants to high temperature during germination of seeds and growth of seedlings

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. 'Moneymaker') was transformed with a codA gene, from Arthrobacter globiformis, for choline oxidase that had been modified to allow targeting to both chloroplasts and the cytosol. Glycinebetaine (GB) accumulated in seeds of transformed plants up to 1 µmol g(-1) dry weight (DW), while no detectable GB was found in wild-type (WT) seeds. The codA-transgenic seeds germinated faster and at higher frequency than WT seeds with high temperature treatment. After heat stress, levels of expression of a mitochondrial small heat-shock protein (MT-sHSP), heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) and heat-shock cognate 70 (HSC70) were higher in transgenic seeds than in WT seeds during heat stress, and the accumulation of HSP70 was more prominent in codA-transgenic seeds than in WT seeds. Addition of GB to the germination medium or imbibition of seeds in a solution of GB enhanced the tolerance of WT seeds to high temperatures. WT seeds treated with exogenous GB also expressed heat-shock genes at elevated levels and accumulated more HSP70 than controls. Our results suggest that GB, either applied exogenously or accumulated in vivo in codA-transgenic seeds, enhanced the expression of heat-shock genes in and improved the tolerance to high temperature of tomato seeds during germination.

Membrane transport, sensing and signaling in plant adaptation to environmental stress

Plants are generally well adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. Even though they have notably prospered in our planet, stressful conditions such as salinity, drought and cold or heat, which are increasingly being observed worldwide in the context of the ongoing climate changes, limit their growth and productivity. Behind the remarkable ability of plants to cope with these stresses and still thrive, sophisticated and efficient mechanisms to re-establish and maintain ion and cellular homeostasis are involved. Among the plant arsenal to maintain homeostasis are efficient stress sensing and signaling mechanisms, plant cell detoxification systems, compatible solute and osmoprotectant accumulation and a vital rearrangement of solute transport and compartmentation. The key role of solute transport systems and signaling proteins in cellular homeostasis is addressed in the present work. The full understanding of the plant cell complex defense mechanisms under stress may allow for the engineering of more tolerant plants or the optimization of cultivation practices to improve yield and productivity, which is crucial at the present time as food resources are progressively scarce.

Transformation of tomato with a bacterial codA gene enhances tolerance to salt and water stresses

Genetically engineered tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) with the ability to synthesize glycinebetaine was generated by introducing the codA gene encoding choline oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis. Integration of the codA gene in transgenic tomato plants was verified by PCR analysis and DNA blot hybridization. Transgenic expression of gene was verified by RT-PCR analysis and RNA blot hybridization. The codA-transgenic plants showed higher tolerance to salt stress during seed germination, and subsequent growth of young seedlings than wild-type plants. The codA transgene enhanced the salt tolerance of whole plants and leaves. Mature leaves of codA-transgenic plants revealed higher levels of relative water content, chlorophyll content, and proline content than those of wild-type plants under salt and water stresses. Results from the current study suggest that the expression of the codA gene in transgenic tomato plants induces the synthesis of glycinebetaine and improves the tolerance of plants to salt and water stresses.

Transgenic Brassica chinensis plants expressing a bacterial codA gene exhibit enhanced tolerance to extreme temperature and high salinity

Transgenic Brassica compestris L. spp. chinensis plants expressing a choline oxidase (codA) gene from Arthrobacter globiformis were obtained through Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. In the transgenic plants, codA gene expression and its product transportation to chloroplasts were detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) examination, immunogold localization, and (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR). Stress tolerance was evaluated in the T(3) plants under extreme temperature and salinity conditions. The plants of transgenic line 1 (L1) showed significantly higher net photosynthetic rate (P(n)) and P(n) recovery rate under high (45 °C, 4 h) and low temperature (1 °C, 48 h) treatments, and higher photosynthetic rate under high salinity conditions (100, 200, and 300 mmol/L NaCl, respectively) than the wild-type plants. The enhanced tolerance to high temperature and high salinity stresses in transgenic plants is associated with the accumulation of betaine, which is not found in the wild-type plants. Our results indicate that the introduction of codA gene from Arthrobacter globiformis into Brassica compestris L. spp. chinensis could be a potential strategy for improving the plant tolerance to multiple stresses.

Glycinebetaine protects plants against abiotic stress: mechanisms and biotechnological applications

Various compatible solutes enable plants to tolerate abiotic stress, and glycinebetaine (GB) is one of the most-studied among such solutes. Early research on GB focused on the maintenance of cellular osmotic potential in plant cells. Subsequent genetically engineered synthesis of GB-biosynthetic enzymes and studies of transgenic plants demonstrated that accumulation of GB increases tolerance of plants to various abiotic stresses at all stages of their life cycle. Such GB-accumulating plants exhibit various advantageous traits, such as enlarged fruits and flowers and/or increased seed number under non-stress conditions. However, levels of GB in transgenic GB-accumulating plants are relatively low being, generally, in the millimolar range. Nonetheless, these low levels of GB confer considerable tolerance to various stresses, without necessarily contributing significantly to cellular osmotic potential. Moreover, low levels of GB, applied exogenously or generated by transgenes for GB biosynthesis, can induce the expression of certain stress-responsive genes, including those for enzymes that scavenge reactive oxygen species. Thus, transgenic approaches that increase tolerance to abiotic stress have enhanced our understanding of mechanisms that protect plants against such stress.

Choline and osmotic-stress tolerance induced in Arabidopsis by the soil microbe Bacillus subtilis (GB03)

Choline (Cho) is an essential nutrient for humans as well as the precursor of glycine betaine (GlyBet), an important compatible solute in eukaryotes that protects cells from osmotic stress caused by dehydrating conditions. The key enzyme for plant Cho synthesis is phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEAMT), which catalyzes all three methylation steps, including the rate-limiting N-methylation of phosphoethanolamine. Herein, we report that the beneficial soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis (strain GB03) enhances Arabidopsis Cho and GlyBet synthesis associated with enhanced plant tolerance to osmotic stress. When stressed with 100 mM exogenous mannitol, GB03-exposed plants exhibit increased transcript level of PEAMT compared with stressed plants without bacterial exposure. Endogenous Cho and GlyBet metabolite pools were elevated by more than two- and fivefold, respectively, by GB03 treatment, consistent with increased stress tolerance. Moreover, in the xipotl mutant line with reduced Cho production, a loss of GB03-induced drought tolerance is observed. Osmotic-stressed plants with or without GB03 exposure show similar levels of abscsisic acid (ABA) accumulation in both shoots and roots, suggesting that GB03-induced osmoprotection is ABA independent. GB03 treatment also improves drought tolerance in soil-grown plants as characterized by phenotypic comparisons, supported by an elevated accumulation of osmoprotectants. These results provide a biological strategy to enhance Cho biosynthesis in plants and, in turn, increase plant tolerance to osmotic stress by elevating osmoprotectant accumulation.

Choline metabolism in glycinebetaine accumulating and non-accumulating near-isogenic lines of Zea mays and Sorghum bicolor

Glycinebetaine (GB) is a compatible solute that is accumulated by some plant species, especially under conditions leading to tissue osmotic stress. Genetic modification for accumulation of GB in an attempt to produce more stress tolerant plants has been a focus for several groups in recent years. However, attempts to increase tissue GB concentrations have been unsuccessful, with many transgenic lines accumulating far lower concentrations than naturally-occurring GB accumulators. A better understanding of the metabolic regulation of GB synthesis is necessary for successful molecular breeding and biotechnology. We utilized previously developed near-isogenic lines for GB accumulation to characterize the biochemical basis for GB deficiency in maize and sorghum. Salinity resulted in increased accumulation of choline in both accumulating and non-accumulating lines. When grown in the presence of NaCl, GB-non-accumulating lines had increased concentrations of choline and phosphocholine, but not GB. Decreased GB synthesis can be explained from the increased concentrations of phosphocholine in planta and the strong inhibition of N-phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase by phosphocholine observed in vitro. The lack of GB accumulation in GB-/- homozygous NILs was not due to the lack of the putative choline monooxygenase (the enzyme responsible for choline oxidation to betaine aldehyde) gene or protein that we describe. The previously identified bet1 locus does not appear to be choline monooxygenase. However, the lack of GB synthesis does affect the synthesis and turnover of choline moieties in GB non-accumulating lines, which may lead to alterations in overall 1-carbon metabolism in plants.

Expression of the Cyanidioschyzon merolae stromal ascorbate peroxidase in Arabidopsis thaliana enhances thermotolerance

The ability of the primitive red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae to adapt to high temperatures was utilized to produce thermotolerant transgenic plants. C. merolae inhabits an extreme environment (42 degrees C, pH 2.5) and the nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid genomes have been sequenced. We analyzed expressed sequence tag (EST) data to reveal mechanisms of tolerance to high temperatures. The stromal ascorbate peroxidase (CmstAPX) that scavenges reactive oxygen species (ROS) was expressed at high levels (4th of 4,479 entries), thus, it offers clues to understanding high-temperature tolerance. CmstAPX has a chloroplast transit peptide (cTP) and a peroxidase domain. The peroxidase domain of CmstAPX has deletions and insertions when compared with that of Arabidopsis thaliana stromal APX (AtstAPX). To clarify aspects of tolerance to oxidative and high-temperature stress, we produced transgenic A. thaliana plants overexpressing CmstAPX and AtstAPX. CmstAPX plants showed higher activities of soluble APX than those of wild-type and AtstAPX plants. Fluorescence signals of a GFP fusion protein, immuno-fluorescence, and immunogold electron microscopy showed that CmstAPX was localized in the stroma of chloroplasts. Compared with wild-type plants and AtstAPX plants, CmstAPX plants were more tolerant to oxidative stress induced by methylviologen (MV, 0.4 muM) and high-temperature stress (33 degrees C). CmstAPX plants retained the highest chlorophyll content when treated with MV and high temperature, and their stroma and chloroplasts remained intact in their chloroplasts, whereas they disintegrated in wild-type plants. Our results suggest that the increased activity of APX in the chloroplasts of CmstAPX plants increased thermotolerance by increasing ROS-scavenging capacity at high temperatures.

Glycinebetaine-induced water-stress tolerance in codA-expressing transgenic indica rice is associated with up-regulation of several stress responsive genes

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), a non-accumulator of glycinebetaine (GB), is highly susceptible to abiotic stress. Transgenic rice with chloroplast-targeted choline oxidase encoded by the codA gene from Arthrobacter globiformis has been evaluated for inheritance of transgene up to R5 generation and water-stress tolerance. During seedling, vegetative and reproductive stages, transgenic plants could maintain higher activity of photosystem II and they show better physiological performance, for example, enhanced detoxification of reactive oxygen species compared to wild-type plants under water-stress. Survival rate and agronomic performance of transgenic plants is also better than wild-type following prolonged water-stress. Choline oxidase converts choline into GB and H2O2 in a single step. It is possible that H2O2/GB might activate stress response pathways and prepare transgenic plants to mitigate stress. To check this possibility, microarray-based transcriptome analysis of transgenic rice has been done. It unravelled altered expression of many genes involved in stress responses, signal transduction, gene regulation, hormone signalling and cellular metabolism. Overall, 165 genes show more than two-fold up-regulation at P-value < 0.01 in transgenic rice. Out of these, at least 50 genes are known to be involved in plant stress response. Exogenous application of H2O2 or GB to wild-type plants also induces such genes. Our data show that metabolic engineering for GB is a promising strategy for introducing stress tolerance in crop plants and which could be imparted, in part, by H2O2- and/or GB-induced stress response genes.

Cloning, sequencing and salt induced expression ofPEAMTandBADHin oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

Agriculture productivity is severely hampered by soil salinity, drought and other environmental stresses. Studies on stress-resistant plants (halophytes, xerophytes, accumulating plants for specific toxic ions) have illuminated some mechanisms of stress tolerance in plants at metabolic or molecular levels, which gave some clues on how to genetically engineer stress-tolerant crops. With the isolation of more stress-responsive genes, genetic engineering with modified expression of stress responsive genes may be an effective way to produce stress-tolerant crops. In the present report, two genes (PEAMT and BADH) encoding the corresponding key enzymes for choline and glycine betaine (an important osmoprotectant) biosynthesis in plants were isolated in oilseed rape, an important oil crop in the world. Effects of salt stress on their expression were studied with quantitative PCR and their potential use in the genetic engineering of oilseed rape was discussed.

Glycinebetaine: an effective protectant against abiotic stress in plants

Glycinebetaine (GB) has been studied extensively as a compatible solute because of the availability of GB-accumulating transgenic plants that harbor a variety of transgenes for GB-biosynthetic enzymes. Both the exogenous application of GB and the genetically engineered biosynthesis of GB increase the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress. As reviewed here, studies of such increased tolerance to abiotic stress have led to considerable progress in the characterization of the roles of GB in stress tolerance in plants. In particular, the reproductive organs of GB-accumulating transgenic plants exhibit enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress. Furthermore, accumulation of GB results in increased yield potentials under non-stress conditions.

Genetic engineering for heat tolerance in plants

High temperature tolerance has been genetically engineered in plants mainly by over-expressing the heat shock protein genes or indirectly by altering levels of heat shock transcription factor proteins. Apart from heat shock proteins, thermotolerance has also been altered by elevating levels of osmolytes, increasing levels of cell detoxification enzymes and through altering membrane fluidity. It is suggested that Hsps may be directly implicated in thermotolerance as agents that minimize damage to cell proteins. The other three above approaches leading to thermotolerance in transgenic experiments though operate in their own specific ways but indirectly might be aiding in creation of more reductive and energy-rich cellular environment, thereby minimizing the accumulation of damaged proteins. Intervention in protein metabolism such that accumulation of damaged proteins is minimized thus appears to be the main target for genetically-engineering crops against high temperature stress.

Transgenic approaches for abiotic stress tolerance in plants: retrospect and prospects

Abiotic stresses including drought are serious threats to the sustainability of crop yields accounting for more crop productivity losses than any other factor in rainfed agriculture. Success in breeding for better adapted varieties to abiotic stresses depend upon the concerted efforts by various research domains including plant and cell physiology, molecular biology, genetics, and breeding. Use of modern molecular biology tools for elucidating the control mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance, and for engineering stress tolerant crops is based on the expression of specific stress-related genes. Hence, genetic engineering for developing stress tolerant plants, based on the introgression of genes that are known to be involved in stress response and putative tolerance, might prove to be a faster track towards improving crop varieties. Far beyond the initial attempts to insert "single-action" genes, engineering of the regulatory machinery involving transcription factors has emerged as a new tool now for controlling the expression of many stress-responsive genes. Nevertheless, the task of generating transgenic cultivars is not only limited to the success in the transformation process, but also proper incorporation of the stress tolerance. Evaluation of the transgenic plants under stress conditions, and understanding the physiological effect of the inserted genes at the whole plant level remain as major challenges to overcome. This review focuses on the recent progress in using transgenic technology for the improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in plants. This includes discussion on the evaluation of abiotic stress response and the protocols for testing the transgenic plants for their tolerance under close-to-field conditions.

Genetic engineering of the biosynthesis of glycinebetaine leads to increased tolerance of photosynthesis to salt stress in transgenic tobacco plants

Genetically engineered tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) with the ability to synthesis glycinebetaine (GB) in chloroplasts was established by introducing the BADH gene for betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). The genetic engineering resulted in enhanced tolerance of growth of young seedlings to salt stress. This increased tolerance was not due to improved water status, since there were no significant differences in accumulation of sodium and chloride, leaf water potential, and relative water content between wild type and transgenic plants under salt stress. Salt stress resulted in a decrease in CO2 assimilation and such a decrease was much greater in wild type plants than in transgenic plants. Though salt stress showed no damage to PSII, there were a decrease in the maximal PSII electron transport rate in vivo and an increase in non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and these changes were greater in wild type plants than in transgenic plants. In addition, salt stress inhibited the activities of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, chloroplastic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, and phosphoribulokinase and such a decrease was also greater in wild type plants than in transgenic plants, suggesting that GB protects these enzymes against salt stress. However, there were no significant changes in the activities of phosphoglycerate kinase, triose phosphate isomerase, ribulose-5-phosphate isomerase, transketolase, and sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase in both wild type and transgenic plants. The results in this study suggest that enhanced tolerance of CO2 assimilation to salt stress may be one of physiological bases for increased tolerance of growth of transgenic plants to salt stress.

Glycinebetaine alleviates the inhibitory effect of moderate heat stress on the repair of photosystem II during photoinhibition

Transformation with the bacterial gene codA for choline oxidase allows Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 cells to accumulate glycinebetaine when choline is supplemented exogenously. First, we observed two types of protective effect of glycinebetaine against heat-induced inactivation of photosystem II (PSII) in darkness; the codA transgene shifted the temperature range of inactivation of the oxygen-evolving complex from 40-52 degrees C (with half inactivation at 46 degrees C) to 46-60 degrees C (with half inactivation at 54 degrees C) and that of the photochemical reaction center from 44-55 degrees C (with half inactivation at 51 degrees C) to 52-63 degrees C (with half inactivation at 58 degrees C). However, in light, PSII was more sensitive to heat stress; when moderate heat stress, such as 40 degrees C, was combined with light stress, PSII was rapidly inactivated, although these stresses, when applied separately, did not inactivate either the oxygen-evolving complex or the photochemical reaction center. Further our studies demonstrated that the moderate heat stress inhibited the repair of PSII during photoinhibition at the site of synthesis de novo of the D1 protein but did not accelerate the photodamage directly. The codA transgene and, thus, the accumulation of glycinebetaine alleviated such an inhibitory effect of moderate heat stress on the repair of PSII by accelerating the synthesis of the D1 protein. We propose a hypothetical scheme for the cyanobacterial photosynthesis that moderate heat stress inhibits the translation machinery and glycinebetaine protects it against the heat-induced inactivation.

The codA transgene for glycinebetaine synthesis increases the size of flowers and fruits in tomato

The tolerance of various species of plant to abiotic stress has been enhanced by genetic engineering with certain genes. However, the use of such transgenes is often associated with negative effects on growth and productivity under non-stress conditions. The codA gene from Arthrobacter globiformis is of particular interest with respect to the engineering of desirable productive traits in crop plants. The expression of this gene in tomato plants resulted in significantly enlarged flowers and fruits under non-stress conditions. The enlargement of flowers and fruits was associated with high levels of glycinebetaine that accumulated in reproductive organs, such as flower buds and fruits. The enlargement of flowers was related to an increase in the size and number of cells, and reflected the pleiotropic effect of the codA transgene on the expression of genes involved in the regulation of cell division.