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Basso MF, Contaldi F, Lo Celso F, Baratto CM, Grossi-de-Sa MF, Barone G, Ferrante A, Martinelli F. Identification and expression profile of the SMAX/SMXL family genes in chickpea and lentil provide important players of biotechnological interest involved in plant branching. PLANTA 2023; 259:1. [PMID: 37966555 PMCID: PMC10651550 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04277-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
MAIN CONCLUSION SMAX/SMXL family genes were successfully identified and characterized in the chickpea and lentil and gene expression data revealed several genes associated with the modulation of plant branching and powerful targets for use in transgenesis and genome editing. Strigolactones (SL) play essential roles in plant growth, rooting, development, and branching, and are associated with plant resilience to abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Likewise, karrikins (KAR) are "plant smoke-derived molecules" that act in a hormonal signaling pathway similar to SL playing an important role in seed germination and hairy root elongation. The SMAX/SMXL family genes are part of these two signaling pathways, in addition to some of these members acting in a still little known SL- and KAR-independent signaling pathway. To date, the identification and functional characterization of the SMAX/SMXL family genes has not been performed in the chickpea and lentil. In this study, nine SMAX/SMXL genes were systematically identified and characterized in the chickpea and lentil, and their expression profiles were explored under different unstressless or different stress conditions. After a comprehensive in silico characterization of the genes, promoters, proteins, and protein-protein interaction network, the expression profile for each gene was determined using a meta-analysis from the RNAseq datasets and complemented with real-time PCR analysis. The expression profiles of the SMAX/SMXL family genes were very dynamic in different chickpea and lentil organs, with some genes assuming a tissue-specific expression pattern. In addition, these genes were significantly modulated by different stress conditions, indicating that SMAX/SMXL genes, although working in three distinct signaling pathways, can act to modulate plant resilience. Most CaSMAX/SMXL and partner genes such as CaTiE1 and CaLAP1, have a positive correlation with the plant branching level, while most LcSMAX/SMXL genes were less correlated with the plant branching level. The SMXL6, SMXL7, SMXL8, TiE1, LAP1, BES1, and BRC1 genes were highlighted as powerful targets for use in transgenesis and genome editing aiming to develop chickpea and lentil cultivars with improved architecture. Therefore, this study presented a detailed characterization of the SMAX/SMXL genes in the chickpea and lentil, and provided new insights for further studies focused on each SMAX/SMXL gene.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felice Contaldi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Lo Celso
- Department of Physics and Chemical, University of Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze, Edificio 17, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - César Milton Baratto
- University of Western Santa Catarina, Biotechnological Center, UNOESC, Videira, SC, 89566-252, Brazil
| | | | - Giampaolo Barone
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Viale Delle Scienze, Edificio 17, 90128, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonio Ferrante
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Martinelli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
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Basso MF, Contaldi F, Celso FL, Karalija E, Paz-Carrasco LC, Barone G, Ferrante A, Martinelli F. Expression profile of the NCED/CCD genes in chickpea and lentil during abiotic stress reveals a positive correlation with increased plant tolerance. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 336:111817. [PMID: 37562731 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) gene family is organized in two subfamilies: (i) 9-cis epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) genes and (ii) CCD genes. NCED genes are essential for catalyzing the first step of the abscisic-acid (ABA) biosynthesis, while CCD genes produce precursors of the strigolactones hormone. The functional characterization of these gene subfamilies has not been yet performed in chickpea and lentil. Herein, were identified and systematically characterized two NCED and five CCD genes in the chickpea and two NCED and six CCD genes in lentil. After in silico sequence analysis and phylogeny, the expression profile of the NCED/CCD genes was determined by meta-analysis and real-time PCR in plants under different stress conditions. Sequence data revealed that NCED/CCD genes are highly conserved between chickpea and lentil. This conservation was observed both at gene and protein sequence levels and phylogenetic relationships. Analysis of the promoter sequences revealed that all NCED/CCD genes have a considerable number of cis-regulatory elements responsive to biotic and abiotic stress. Protein sequence analysis evidenced that NCED/CCD genes share several conserved motifs and that they have a highly interconnected interaction network. Furthermore, the three-dimensional structure of these proteins was determined and indicated that some proteins have structures with considerable similarity. The meta-analysis revealed that NCED/CCD genes are dynamically modulated in different organs and under different stress conditions, but they have a positive correlation with plant tolerance. In accordance, real-time PCR data showed that both NCED and CCD genes are differentially modulated in plants under drought stress. In particular, CaNCED2, CaCCD5, LcNCED2, LcCCD1, and LcCCD2 genes have a positive correlation with improved plant tolerance to drought stress. Therefore, this study presented a detailed characterization of the chickpea and lentil NCED/CCD genes and provided new insights to improve abiotic stress tolerance in these two important crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Fernando Basso
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Florence, Italy; University of Western Santa Catarina, Biotechnological Center, UNOESC, Videira, SC 89566-252, Brazil
| | - Felice Contaldi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Florence, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Lo Celso
- Department of Physics and Chemical, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Erna Karalija
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Florence, Italy; Department of Biology, Faculty of science, University of Sarajevo, Zmaja od Bosne 33-35, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Lenin Celiano Paz-Carrasco
- National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIAP), Plant Pathology Department and Rice Breeding Program, Km 26 vía Duran-Tambo, Yaguachi, Guayas, Ecuador
| | - Giampaolo Barone
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Edificio 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonio Ferrante
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Martinelli
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino 50019, Florence, Italy.
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Redox Signaling in Plant Heat Stress Response. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:antiox12030605. [PMID: 36978852 PMCID: PMC10045013 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12030605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The increase in environmental temperature due to global warming is a critical threat to plant growth and productivity. Heat stress can cause impairment in several biochemical and physiological processes. Plants sense and respond to this adverse environmental condition by activating a plethora of defense systems. Among them, the heat stress response (HSR) involves an intricate network of heat shock factors (HSFs) and heat shock proteins (HSPs). However, a growing amount of evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS), besides potentially being responsible for cellular oxidative damage, can act as signal molecules in HSR, leading to adaptative responses. The role of ROS as toxic or signal molecules depends on the fine balance between their production and scavenging. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants represent the first line of defense against oxidative damage and their activity is critical to maintaining an optimal redox environment. However, the HS-dependent ROS burst temporarily oxidizes the cellular environment, triggering redox-dependent signaling cascades. This review provides an overview of the redox-activated mechanisms that participate in the HSR.
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Song J, Mavraganis I, Shen W, Yang H, Cram D, Xiang D, Patterson N, Zou J. Transcriptome dissection of candidate genes associated with lentil seed quality traits. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2022; 24:815-826. [PMID: 35395134 DOI: 10.1111/plb.13426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Lentils provide a rich plant-based protein source and staple food in many parts of the world. Despite numerous nutritional benefits, lentil seeds also possess undesirable elements, such as anti-nutritional factors. Understanding the genetic networks of seed metabolism is of great importance for improving the seed nutritional profile. We applied RNA sequencing analysis to survey the transcriptome of developing lentil seeds and compared this with that of the pod shells and leaves. In total, we identified 2622 genes differentially expressed among the tissues examined. Genes preferentially expressed in seeds were enriched in the Gene Ontology (GO) terms associated with development, nitrogen and carbon (N/C) metabolism and lipid synthesis. We further categorized seed preferentially expressed genes based on their involvement in storage protein production, starch accumulation, lipid and suberin metabolism, phytate, saponin and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. The availability of transcript profile datasets on lentil seed metabolism and a roadmap of candidate genes presented here will be of great value for breeding strategies towards further improvement of lentil seed quality traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Song
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - I Mavraganis
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - W Shen
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - H Yang
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - D Cram
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - D Xiang
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - N Patterson
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - J Zou
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Genomics Associated Interventions for Heat Stress Tolerance in Cool Season Adapted Grain Legumes. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010399. [PMID: 35008831 PMCID: PMC8745526 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cool season grain legumes occupy an important place among the agricultural crops and essentially provide multiple benefits including food supply, nutrition security, soil fertility improvement and revenue for farmers all over the world. However, owing to climate change, the average temperature is steadily rising, which negatively affects crop performance and limits their yield. Terminal heat stress that mainly occurred during grain development phases severely harms grain quality and weight in legumes adapted to the cool season, such as lentils, faba beans, chickpeas, field peas, etc. Although, traditional breeding approaches with advanced screening procedures have been employed to identify heat tolerant legume cultivars. Unfortunately, traditional breeding pipelines alone are no longer enough to meet global demands. Genomics-assisted interventions including new-generation sequencing technologies and genotyping platforms have facilitated the development of high-resolution molecular maps, QTL/gene discovery and marker-assisted introgression, thereby improving the efficiency in legumes breeding to develop stress-resilient varieties. Based on the current scenario, we attempted to review the intervention of genomics to decipher different components of tolerance to heat stress and future possibilities of using newly developed genomics-based interventions in cool season adapted grain legumes.
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