When Does Subjective Day Come Under 24-h Light/Dark Cycles?: The Case of Circadian Rhythms of UV-C Resistance and Timing of Cell Division in Euglena gracilis

The StBBX24 protein affects the floral induction and mediates salt tolerance in Solanum tuberosum

The transition from vegetative growth to reproductive development is a critical developmental switch in flowering plants to ensure a successful life cycle. However, while the genes controlling flowering are well-known in model plants, they are less well-understood in crops. In this work, we generated potato lines both silenced and overexpressed for the expression of StBBX24, a clock-controlled gene encoding a B-box protein located in the cytosol and nuclear chromatin fraction. We revealed that Solanum tuberosum lines silenced for StBBX24 expression displayed much earlier flowering than wild-type plants. Conversely, plants overexpressing StBBX24 mostly did not produce flower buds other than wild-type plants. In addition, RT-qPCR analyses of transgenic silenced lines revealed substantial modifications in the expression of genes functioning in flowering. Furthermore, S. tuberosum lines silenced for StBBX24 expression displayed susceptibility to high salinity with a lower capacity of the antioxidant system and strongly decreased expression of genes encoding Na+ transporters that mediate salt tolerance, contrary to the plants with StBBX24 overexpression. Altogether, these data reveal that StBBX24 participates in potato flowering repression and is involved in salt stress response.

Solanum tuberosum ZPR1 encodes a light-regulated nuclear DNA-binding protein adjusting the circadian expression of StBBX24 to light cycle

ZPR1 proteins belong to the C4-type of zinc finger coordinators known in animal cells to interact with other proteins and participate in cell growth and proliferation. In contrast, the current knowledge regarding plant ZPR1 proteins is very scarce. Here, we identify a novel potato nuclear factor belonging to this family and named StZPR1. StZPR1 is specifically expressed in photosynthetic organs during the light period, and the ZPR1 protein is located in the nuclear chromatin fraction. From modelling and experimental analyses, we reveal the StZPR1 ability to bind the circadian DNA cis motif 'CAACAGCATC', named CIRC and present in the promoter of the clock-controlled double B-box StBBX24 gene, the expression of which peaks in the middle of the day. We found that transgenic lines silenced for StZPR1 expression still display a 24 h period for the oscillation of StBBX24 expression but delayed by 4 h towards the night. Importantly, other BBX genes exhibit altered circadian regulation in these lines. Our data demonstrate that StZPR1 allows fitting of the StBBX24 circadian rhythm to the light period and provide evidence that ZPR1 is a novel clock-associated protein in plants necessary for the accurate rhythmic expression of specific circadian-regulated genes.

Interplay between circadian rhythm, time of the day and osmotic stress constraints in the regulation of the expression of a Solanum Double B-box gene

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Double B-box zinc finger (DBB) proteins are recently identified plant transcription regulators that participate in the response to sodium chloride-induced stress in arabidopsis plants. Little is known regarding their subcellular localization and expression patterns, particularly in relation to other osmotic constraints and the day/night cycle. This study investigated natural variations in the amount of a Solanum DBB protein, SsBBX24, during plant development, and also under various environmental constraints leading to cell dehydration in relation to the circadian clock and the time of day.

METHODS

SsBBX24 transcript and protein abundance in various organs of phytotron-grown Solanum tuberosum and S. sogarandinum plants were investigated at different time points of the day and under various osmotic constraints. The intracellular location of SsBBX24 was determined by western blot analysis of subcellular fractions.

KEY RESULTS

Western blot analysis of SsBBX24 protein revealed that it was located in the nucleus at the beginning of the light period and in the cytosol at the end, suggesting movement ('trafficking') during the light phase. SsBBX24 gene expression exhibited circadian cycling under control conditions, with the highest and lowest abundances of both transcript and protein occurring 8 and 18 h after dawn, respectively. Exposing Solanum plants to low temperature, salinity and polyethylene glycol (PEG), but not to drought, disturbed the circadian regulation of SsBBX24 gene expression at the protein level. SsBBX24 transcript and protein accumulated in Solanum plants in response to salt and PEG treatments, but not in response to low temperature or water deficit. Most interestingly, the time of the day modulated the magnitude of SsBBX24 expression in response to high salt concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

The interplay between circadian rhythm and osmotic constraints in the regulation of the expression of a Solanum DBB transcriptional regulator is demonstrated. It is proposed that stress-dependent, post-transcriptional mechanisms alter the regulation by the circadian clock of the amount of SsBBX24.