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Charrier G, Willick IR, Takahashi D. Cross-disciplinary insights into the mechanisms of plant cold hardiness: From molecules to ecosystems. Physiol Plant 2023; 175:e13901. [PMID: 37096430 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ian R Willick
- Kentville Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Daisuke Takahashi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Japan
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2
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Willick IR, Lowry DB. Cold acclimation threshold induction temperatures of switchgrass ecotypes grown under a long and short photoperiod. Physiol Plant 2022; 174:e13812. [PMID: 36326192 PMCID: PMC9828680 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Plants can cold acclimate to enhance their freezing tolerance by sensing declining temperature and photoperiod cues. However, the factors influencing genotypic variation in the induction of cold acclimation are poorly understood among perennial grasses. We hypothesized that the more northern upland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) ecotype develops a higher degree of freezing tolerance by initiating cold acclimation at higher temperatures as compared with the coastal and southern lowland ecotypes. First, we determined the optimal method for assessing freezing tolerance and the length of exposure to 8/4°C required to induce the maximum level of freezing tolerance in the most northern upland and most southern lowland genotypes. We characterized the maximum freezing tolerance of eight uplands, three coastal and five lowland genotypes grown for 21 days at 8/4°C and a 10 or 16 h photoperiod. Next, we identified the temperature required to induce cold acclimation by exposing the 16 genotypes for 7 days at 20-6°C constant temperatures under a 10 or 16 h photoperiod. Cold acclimation initiated at temperatures 5 and 7°C higher in upland than in coastal and lowland genotypes. Among upland genotypes the shorter photoperiod induced cold acclimation at a 1°C higher temperature. Genotypes originating from a more northern latitude initiate cold acclimation at higher temperatures and develop higher maximum freezing tolerances. An earlier response to declining temperatures may provide the upland ecotype with additional time to prepare for winter and provide an advantage when plants are subjected to the rapid changes in fall temperature associated with injurious frosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R. Willick
- Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research CenterMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Plant Resilience InstituteMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Kentville Research and Development CentreAgriculture and Agri‐Food CanadaKentvilleNSCanada
| | - David B. Lowry
- Department of Plant BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research CenterMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Plant Resilience InstituteMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
- Department of Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and BehaviorMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
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Liu J, Willick IR, Hiraki H, Forand AD, Lawrence JR, Swerhone GDW, Wei Y, Ghosh S, Lee YK, Olsen JE, Usadel B, Wormit A, Günl M, Karunakaran C, Dynes JJ, Tanino KK. Cold and exogenous calcium alter Allium fistulosum cell wall pectin to depress intracellular freezing temperatures. J Exp Bot 2022; 73:3807-3822. [PMID: 35298622 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
De-methyl esterification of homogalacturonan and subsequent cross-linking with Ca2+ is hypothesized to enhance the freezing survival of cold acclimated plants by reducing the porosity of primary cell walls. To test this theory, we collected leaf epidermal peels from non- (23/18 °C) and cold acclimated (2 weeks at 12/4 °C) Japanese bunching onion (Allium fistulosum L.). Cold acclimation enhanced the temperature at which half the cells survived freezing injury by 8 °C (LT50 =-20 °C), and reduced tissue permeability by 70-fold compared with non-acclimated epidermal cells. These effects were associated with greater activity of pectin methylesterase (PME) and a reduction in the methyl esterification of homogalacturonan. Non-acclimated plants treated with 50 mM CaCl2 accumulated higher concentrations of galacturonic acid, Ca2+ in the cell wall, and a lower number of visible cell wall pores compared with that observed in cold acclimated plants. Using cryo-microscopy, we observed that 50 mM CaCl2 treatment did not lower the LT50 of non-acclimated cells, but reduced the lethal intracellular ice nucleation to temperatures observed in cold acclimated epidermal cells. We postulate that the PME-homogalacturonan-mediated reduction in cell wall porosity is integral to intracellular freezing avoidance strategies in cold acclimated herbaceous cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Ian R Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Hayato Hiraki
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
| | - Ariana D Forand
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - John R Lawrence
- Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - George D W Swerhone
- Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Yangdou Wei
- Biology Department, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Supratim Ghosh
- Department of Food and Bioproducts Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Yeon Kyeong Lee
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of BioSciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Jorunn E Olsen
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of BioSciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Björn Usadel
- RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Biology I, Aachen, Germany
- IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
| | - Alexandra Wormit
- RWTH Aachen University, Institute for Biology I, Aachen, Germany
| | - Markus Günl
- IBG-2: Plant Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
| | | | | | - Karen K Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Takahashi D, Willick IR, Kasuga J, Livingston III DP. Responses of the Plant Cell Wall to Sub-Zero Temperatures: A Brief Update. Plant Cell Physiol 2021; 62:1858-1866. [PMID: 34240199 PMCID: PMC8711693 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Our general understanding of plant responses to sub-zero temperatures focuses on mechanisms that mitigate stress to the plasma membrane. The plant cell wall receives comparatively less attention, and questions surrounding its role in mitigating freezing injury remain unresolved. Despite recent molecular discoveries that provide insight into acclimation responses, the goal of reducing freezing injury in herbaceous and woody crops remains elusive. This is likely due to the complexity associated with adaptations to low temperatures. Understanding how leaf cell walls of herbaceous annuals promote tissue tolerance to ice does not necessarily lead to understanding how meristematic tissues are protected from freezing by tissue-level barriers formed by cell walls in overwintering tree buds. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of biological ice nucleation and explain how plants control the spatiotemporal location of ice formation. We discuss how sugars and pectin side chains alleviate adhesive injury that develops at sub-zero temperatures between the matrix polysaccharides and ice. The importance of site-specific cell-wall elasticity to promote tissue expansion for ice accommodation and control of porosity to impede ice growth and promote supercooling will be presented. How specific cold-induced proteins modify plant cell walls to mitigate freezing injury will also be discussed. The opinions presented in this report emphasize the importance of a plant's developmental physiology when characterizing mechanisms of freezing survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Takahashi
- *Corresponding authors: Daisuke Takahashi, E-mail, ; Ian R. Willick, E-mail,
| | - Ian R Willick
- *Corresponding authors: Daisuke Takahashi, E-mail, ; Ian R. Willick, E-mail,
| | - Jun Kasuga
- Research Center for Global Agro-Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
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Nilsen KT, Walkowiak S, Xiang D, Gao P, Quilichini TD, Willick IR, Byrns B, N'Diaye A, Ens J, Wiebe K, Ruan Y, Cuthbert RD, Craze M, Wallington EJ, Simmonds J, Uauy C, Datla R, Pozniak CJ. Copy number variation of TdDof controls solid-stemmed architecture in wheat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:28708-28718. [PMID: 33127757 PMCID: PMC7682410 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009418117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem solidness is an important agronomic trait of durum (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) and bread (Triticum aestivum L.) wheat that provides resistance to the wheat stem sawfly. This dominant trait is conferred by the SSt1 locus on chromosome 3B. However, the molecular identity and mechanisms underpinning stem solidness have not been identified. Here, we demonstrate that copy number variation of TdDof, a gene encoding a putative DNA binding with one finger protein, controls the stem solidness trait in wheat. Using map-based cloning, we localized TdDof to within a physical interval of 2.1 Mb inside the SSt1 locus. Molecular analysis revealed that hollow-stemmed wheat cultivars such as Kronos carry a single copy of TdDof, whereas solid-stemmed cultivars such as CDC Fortitude carry multiple identical copies of the gene. Deletion of all TdDof copies from CDC Fortitude resulted in the loss of stem solidness, whereas the transgenic overexpression of TdDof restored stem solidness in the TdDof deletion mutant pithless1 and conferred stem solidness in Kronos. In solid-stemmed cultivars, increased TdDof expression was correlated with the down-regulation of genes whose orthologs have been implicated in programmed cell death (PCD) in other species. Anatomical and histochemical analyses revealed that hollow-stemmed lines had stronger PCD-associated signals in the pith cells compared to solid-stemmed lines, which suggests copy number-dependent expression of TdDof could be directly or indirectly involved in the negative regulation of PCD. These findings provide opportunities to manipulate stem development in wheat and other monocots for agricultural or industrial purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirby T Nilsen
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
- Brandon Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon, MB R7A 5Y3, Canada
| | - Sean Walkowiak
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
- Grain Research Laboratory, Canadian Grain Commission, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3G8, Canada
| | - Daoquan Xiang
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W9, Canada
| | - Peng Gao
- Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 4J8, Canada
| | - Teagen D Quilichini
- Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W9, Canada
| | - Ian R Willick
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Brook Byrns
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Amidou N'Diaye
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Jennifer Ens
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Krystalee Wiebe
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Yuefeng Ruan
- Swift Current Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current, SK S9H 3X2, Canada
| | - Richard D Cuthbert
- Swift Current Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current, SK S9H 3X2, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Raju Datla
- Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 4J8, Canada
| | - Curtis J Pozniak
- Crop Development Centre and Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada;
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Willick IR, Stobbs J, Karunakaran C, Tanino KK. Phenotyping Plant Cellular and Tissue Level Responses to Cold with Synchrotron-Based Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-Ray Computed Tomography. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2156:141-159. [PMID: 32607980 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0660-5_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Despite the extensive use of synchrotron radiation in material and biomedical sciences, it has only recently been utilized to expand our understanding of plant responses to environmental stress. Recent advances have led to the development of phenotyping platforms to identify chemical and morphological differences in breeding plant material. While these methodologies are applicable for and tested with a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses, they are particularly useful as a first step to identify cold-induced chemical and morphological changes in plants. Here, we describe two methods to determine cold acclimation-induced changes at the cellular and tissue levels. First, we illustrate how to quantify and visualize changes in tissue chemistry using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Second, we describe how to nondestructively prepare, analyze, and interpret X-ray phase contrast images and render this data as two- or three-dimensional models. While these techniques utilize synchrotron radiation, the methodology and standard practices are applicable for handheld and laboratory bench-top equipment operating with conventional light sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | | | - Karen K Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
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Willick IR, Gusta LV, Fowler DB, Tanino KK. Ice segregation in the crown of winter cereals: Evidence for extraorgan and extratissue freezing. Plant Cell Environ 2019; 42:701-716. [PMID: 30291635 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Meaningful improvements in winter cereal cold hardiness requires a complete model of freezing behaviour in the critical crown organ. Magnetic resonance microimaging diffusion-weighted experiments provided evidence that cold acclimation decreased water content and mobility in the vascular transition zone (VTZ) and the intermediate zone in rye (Secale cereale L. Hazlet) compared with wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Norstar). Differential thermal analysis, ice nucleation, and localization studies identified three distinct exothermic events. A high-temperature exotherm (-3°C to -5°C) corresponded with ice formation and high ice-nucleating activity in the leaf sheath encapsulating the crown. A midtemperature exotherm (-6°C and -8°C) corresponded with cavity ice formation in the VTZ but an absence of ice in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). A low-temperature exotherm corresponded with SAM injury and the killing temperature in wheat (-21°C) and rye (-27°C). The SAM had lower ice-nucleating activity and freezing survival compared with the VTZ when frozen in vitro. The intermediate zone was hypothesized to act as a barrier to ice growth into the SAM. Higher cold hardiness of rye compared with wheat was associated with higher VTZ and intermediate zone desiccation resulting in the formation of ice barriers surrounding the SAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Lawrence V Gusta
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - D Brian Fowler
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Karen K Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Willick IR, Lahlali R, Vijayan P, Muir D, Karunakaran C, Tanino KK. Wheat flag leaf epicuticular wax morphology and composition in response to moderate drought stress are revealed by SEM, FTIR-ATR and synchrotron X-ray spectroscopy. Physiol Plant 2018; 162:316-332. [PMID: 28857201 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the largest cereal crop grown in Western Canada where drought during late vegetative and seed filling stages affects plant development and yield. To identify new physiochemical markers associated with drought tolerance, epidermal characteristics of the flag leaf of two wheat cultivars with contrasting drought tolerance were investigated. The drought resistant 'Stettler' had a lower drought susceptibility index, greater harvest index and water-use efficiency than the susceptible 'Superb'. Furthermore, flag leaf width, relative water content and leaf roll were significantly greater in Stettler than in Superb at moderate drought stress (MdS). Visible differences in epicuticular wax density on the adaxial flag leaf surfaces and larger bulliform cells were identified in Stettler as opposed to Superb. Mid-infrared attenuated total internal reflectance spectra revealed that Stettler flag leaves had increased asymmetric and symmetric CH2 but reduced carbonyl esters on its adaxial leaf surface compared to Superb under MdS. X-ray fluorescence spectra revealed a significant increase in total flag leaf Zn concentrations in Stettler in response to MdS. Such information on the microstructural and chemical features of flag leaf may have potential as markers for drought tolerance and thereby accelerate the selection and release of more drought-resistant cultivars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada
| | | | - Perumal Vijayan
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - David Muir
- Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 2V3, Canada
| | | | - Karen K Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada
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Willick IR, Takahashi D, Fowler DB, Uemura M, Tanino KK. Tissue-specific changes in apoplastic proteins and cell wall structure during cold acclimation of winter wheat crowns. J Exp Bot 2018; 69:1221-1234. [PMID: 29373702 PMCID: PMC6019019 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erx450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crown is the critical organ of low temperature stress survival over winter. In cold-acclimated crowns, ice formation in the apoplast causes severe tissue disruption as it grows at the expense of intracellular water. While previous crown studies have shown the vascular transition zone (VTZ) to have a higher freezing sensitivity than the shoot apical meristem (SAM), the mechanism behind the differential freezing response is not fully understood. Cooling cold-acclimated crowns to -10 °C resulted in an absence of VTZ tetrazolium chloride staining, whereas the temperatures at which 50% of the SAM stained positive and 50% of plants recovered (LT50) were similar after cold acclimation for 21 (-16 °C) and 42 d (-20 °C) at 4 °C. Proteomic analysis of the apoplastic fluids identified dehydrins, vernalization-responsive proteins, and cold shock proteins preferentially accumulated in the SAM. In contrast, modifications to the VTZ centered on increases in pathogenesis-related proteins, anti-freeze proteins, and sugar hydrolyzing enzymes. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy focal plane array analysis identified the biochemical modification of the cell wall to enhance methyl-esterified cross-linking of glucuronoarabinoxylans in the VTZ. These findings indicate that the SAM and VTZ express two distinct tissue-specific apoplastic responses during cold acclimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian R Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Daisuke Takahashi
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
- Department of Plant-biosciences and Cryobiofrontier Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
| | - D Brian Fowler
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Matsuo Uemura
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
- Department of Plant-biosciences and Cryobiofrontier Research Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Japan
| | - Karen K Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Vijayan P, Willick IR, Lahlali R, Karunakaran C, Tanino KK. Synchrotron Radiation Sheds Fresh Light on Plant Research: The Use of Powerful Techniques to Probe Structure and Composition of Plants. Plant Cell Physiol 2015; 56:1252-63. [PMID: 26117844 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcv080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
While synchrotron radiation is a powerful tool in material and biomedical sciences, it is still underutilized in plant research. This mini review attempts to introduce the potential of synchrotron-based spectroscopic and imaging methods and their applications to plant sciences. Synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray absorption and fluorescence techniques, and two- and three-dimensional imaging techniques are examined. We also discuss the limitations of synchrotron-based research in plant sciences, specifically the types of plant samples that can be used. Despite limitations, the unique features of synchrotron radiation such as high brightness, polarization and pulse properties offer great advantages over conventional spectroscopic and imaging tools and enable the correlation of the structure and chemical composition of plants with biochemical function. Modern detector technologies and experimental methodologies are thus enabling plant scientists to investigate aspects of plant sciences such as ultrafast kinetics of biochemical reactions, mineral uptake, transport and accumulation, and dynamics of cell wall structure and composition during environmental stress in unprecedented ways using synchrotron beamlines. The potential for the automation of some of these synchrotron technologies and their application to plant phenotyping is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Permual Vijayan
- Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5A8, Canada Canadian Light Source, 44 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, S7N 2V3, Canada
| | - Ian R Willick
- Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Rachid Lahlali
- Canadian Light Source, 44 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, S7N 2V3, Canada
| | | | - Karen K Tanino
- Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5A8, Canada
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