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Marks RA, Delgado P, Makonya GM, Cooper K, VanBuren R, Farrant JM. Higher order polyploids exhibit enhanced desiccation tolerance in the grass Microchloa caffra. J Exp Bot 2024:erae126. [PMID: 38511472 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Desiccation tolerance evolved recurrently across diverse plant lineages to enable survival in water limited conditions. Many resurrection plants are polyploid and several groups have hypothesized that polyploidy contributed to the evolution of desiccation tolerance. However, due to the vast phylogenetic distance between resurrection plant lineages, the rarity of desiccation tolerance, and the prevalence of polyploidy in plants, this hypothesis has been difficult to test. Here, we surveyed natural variation in morphological, reproductive, and desiccation tolerance traits across several cytotypes of a single species to test for links between polyploidy and increased resilience. We sampled multiple natural populations of the resurrection grass Microchloa caffra across an environmental gradient ranging from mesic to xeric in South Africa. We describe two distinct ecotypes of M. caffra that occupy different extremes of the environmental gradient and exhibit consistent differences in ploidy, morphological, reproductive, and desiccation tolerance traits in both field and common growth conditions. Interestingly, plants with more polyploid genomes exhibited consistently higher recovery from desiccation, were less reproductive, and larger than plants with smaller genomes and lower ploidy. These data suggest that selective pressures in increasingly xeric sites may play a role in maintaining and increasing desiccation tolerance that are mediated by changes in ploidy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose A Marks
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Paula Delgado
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Givemore Munashe Makonya
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
- Washington State University, Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Centre, Prosser, WA, 99350, USA
| | - Keren Cooper
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jill M Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
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Djilianov D, Moyankova D, Mladenov P, Topouzova-Hristova T, Kostadinova A, Staneva G, Zasheva D, Berkov S, Simova-Stoilova L. Resurrection Plants-A Valuable Source of Natural Bioactive Compounds: From Word-of-Mouth to Scientifically Proven Sustainable Use. Metabolites 2024; 14:113. [PMID: 38393005 PMCID: PMC10890500 DOI: 10.3390/metabo14020113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Resurrection plant species are a group of higher plants whose vegetative tissues are able to withstand long periods of almost full desiccation and recover quickly upon rewatering. Apart from being a model system for studying desiccation tolerance, resurrection plant species appear to be a valuable source of metabolites, with various areas of application. A significant number of papers have been published in recent years with respect to the extraction and application of bioactive compounds from higher resurrection plant species in various test systems. Promising results have been obtained with respect to antioxidative and antiaging effects in various test systems, particularly regarding valuable anticancer effects in human cell lines. Here, we review the latest advances in the field and propose potential mechanisms of action of myconoside-a predominant secondary compound in the European members of the Gesneriaceae family. In addition, we shed light on the possibilities for the sustainable use of natural products derived from resurrection plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitar Djilianov
- Agrobioinstitute, Agricultural Academy, 8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Daniela Moyankova
- Agrobioinstitute, Agricultural Academy, 8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Petko Mladenov
- Agrobioinstitute, Agricultural Academy, 8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tanya Topouzova-Hristova
- Faculty of Biology, Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski', 8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Aneliya Kostadinova
- Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Street, Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Galya Staneva
- Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Street, Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Diana Zasheva
- Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tsarigradsko Shosse, 73, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Strahil Berkov
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 23 Acad. Georgi Bonchev Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Lyudmila Simova-Stoilova
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 21 Bldg. Acad. Georgi Bonchev Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
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3
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Li X, Gao B, Wood AJ, Buitink J, Zhang D, Oliver MJ. Editorial: Desiccation tolerance in land plants: from mechanisms to evolution. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1210946. [PMID: 37441176 PMCID: PMC10334818 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1210946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoshuang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Bei Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Andrew J. Wood
- Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, United States
| | - Julia Buitink
- Université d’Angers, Institut Agro, INRAE, IRHS, SFR QUASAV, Angers, France
| | - Daoyuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Melvin J. Oliver
- Division of Plant Sciences and Technology, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
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4
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Bondi L, de Paula LFA, Rosado BHP, Porembski S. Demystifying the convergent ecological specialization of desiccation-tolerant vascular plants for water deficit. Ann Bot 2023; 131:521-531. [PMID: 36655617 PMCID: PMC10072101 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Desiccation-tolerant vascular plants (DT plants) are able to tolerate the desiccation of their vegetative tissues; as a result, two untested paradigms can be found in the literature, despite contradictions to theoretical premises and empirical findings. First, it is widely accepted that DT plants form a convergent group of specialist plants to water deficit conditions. A derived paradigm is that DT plants are placed at the extreme end of stress tolerance. Here, we tested the hypotheses that DT plants (1) are in fact convergent specialists for water deficit conditions and (2) exhibit ecological strategies related to stress tolerance, conservative resource-use and survival. METHODS We used biogeographical and functional-traits approaches to address the mentioned paradigms and assess the species' ecological strategies. For this, 27 DT plants were used and compared to 27 phylogenetically related desiccation-sensitive vascular plants (DS plants). KEY RESULTS We could not confirm either of the two hypotheses. We found that despite converging in desiccation tolerance, DT plants differ in relation to the conditions in which they occur and the ecological strategies they use to deal with water deficit. We found that some DT plants exhibit advantageous responses for higher growth and resource acquisition, which are suitable responses to cope with more productive conditions or with higher disturbance. We discuss that the ability to tolerate desiccation could compensate for a drought vulnerability promoted by higher investment in growth and bring advantages to deal with quick and pronounced variation of water, rather than to drought solely. CONCLUSIONS DT plants are not only selected by drought as an environmental constraint. The alternative functional designs could promote the diversity of ecological strategies, which preclude their convergence to the same resources and conditions. Thus, DT plants are a heterogeneous group of plants in how they deal with drought, despite their desiccation tolerance ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Bondi
- Department of Botany, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
- Department of Ecology, State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiza F A de Paula
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Bruno H P Rosado
- Department of Ecology, State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Mihailova G, Solti Á, Sárvári É, Hunyadi-Gulyás É, Georgieva K. Protein Changes in Shade and Sun Haberlea rhodopensis Leaves during Dehydration at Optimal and Low Temperatures. Plants (Basel) 2023; 12:plants12020401. [PMID: 36679114 PMCID: PMC9861795 DOI: 10.3390/plants12020401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Haberlea rhodopensis is a unique resurrection plant of high phenotypic plasticity, colonizing both shady habitats and sun-exposed rock clefts. H. rhodopensis also survives freezing winter temperatures in temperate climates. Although survival in conditions of desiccation and survival in conditions of frost share high morphological and physiological similarities, proteomic changes lying behind these mechanisms are hardly studied. Thus, we aimed to reveal ecotype-level and temperature-dependent variations in the protective mechanisms by applying both targeted and untargeted proteomic approaches. Drought-induced desiccation enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, but FeSOD and Cu/ZnSOD-III were significantly better triggered in sun plants. Desiccation resulted in the accumulation of enzymes involved in carbohydrate/phenylpropanoid metabolism (enolase, triosephosphate isomerase, UDP-D-apiose/UDP-D-xylose synthase 2, 81E8-like cytochrome P450 monooxygenase) and protective proteins such as vicinal oxygen chelate metalloenzyme superfamily and early light-induced proteins, dehydrins, and small heat shock proteins, the latter two typically being found in the latest phases of dehydration and being more pronounced in sun plants. Although low temperature and drought stress-induced desiccation trigger similar responses, the natural variation of these responses in shade and sun plants calls for attention to the pre-conditioning/priming effects that have high importance both in the desiccation responses and successful stress recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergana Mihailova
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ádám Solti
- Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. Sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Sárvári
- Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. Sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Éva Hunyadi-Gulyás
- Laboratory of Proteomics Research, Biological Research Centre, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Temesvári Krt. 62., H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Katya Georgieva
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
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Shoko R, Magogo B, Pullen J, Mudziwapasi R, Ndlovu J. Construction and analysis of protein-protein interaction networks based on nuclear proteomics data of the desiccation-tolerant Xerophyta schlechteri leaves subjected to dehydration stress. Commun Integr Biol 2023; 16:2193000. [PMID: 36969388 PMCID: PMC10038031 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2023.2193000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to understand the mechanism of desiccation tolerance in Xerophyta schlechteri, we carried out an in silico study to identify hub proteins and functional modules in the nuclear proteome of the leaves. Protein-protein interaction networks were constructed and analyzed from proteome data obtained from Abdalla and Rafudeen. We constructed networks in Cytoscape using the GeneMania software and analyzed them using a Network Analyzer. Functional enrichment analysis of key proteins in the respective networks was done using GeneMania network enrichment analysis, and GO (Gene Ontology) terms were summarized using REViGO. Also, community analysis of differentially expressed proteins was conducted using the Cytoscape Apps, GeneMania and ClusterMaker. Functional modules associated with the communities were identified using an online tool, ShinyGO. We identified HSP 70-2 as the super-hub protein among the up-regulated proteins. On the other hand, 40S ribosomal protein S2-3 (a protein added by GeneMANIA) was identified as a super-hub protein associated with the down-regulated proteins. For up-regulated proteins, the enriched biological process terms were those associated with chromatin organization and negative regulation of transcription. In the down-regulated protein-set, terms associated with protein synthesis were significantly enriched. Community analysis identified three functional modules that can be categorized as chromatin organization, anti-oxidant activity and metabolic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryman Shoko
- Department of Biology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
- CONTACT Ryman Shoko Department of Biology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
| | - Babra Magogo
- Department of Biology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
| | - Jessica Pullen
- Department of Animal Science and Rangeland Management, Lupane State University, Lupane, Zimbabwe
| | - Reagan Mudziwapasi
- Department of Research and Innovation, Midlands State University, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Joice Ndlovu
- Department of Biology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
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Georgieva K, Mihailova G, Fernández-Marín B, Bertazza G, Govoni A, Arzac MI, Laza JM, Vilas JL, García-Plazaola JI, Rapparini F. Protective Strategies of Haberlea rhodopensis for Acquisition of Freezing Tolerance: Interaction between Dehydration and Low Temperature. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315050. [PMID: 36499377 PMCID: PMC9739172 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Resurrection plants are able to deal with complete dehydration of their leaves and then recover normal metabolic activity after rehydration. Only a few resurrection species are exposed to freezing temperatures in their natural environments, making them interesting models to study the key metabolic adjustments of freezing tolerances. Here, we investigate the effect of cold and freezing temperatures on physiological and biochemical changes in the leaves of Haberlea rhodopensis under natural and controlled environmental conditions. Our data shows that leaf water content affects its thermodynamical properties during vitrification under low temperatures. The changes in membrane lipid composition, accumulation of sugars, and synthesis of stress-induced proteins were significantly activated during the adaptation of H. rhodopensis to both cold and freezing temperatures. In particular, the freezing tolerance of H. rhodopensis relies on a sucrose/hexoses ratio in favor of hexoses during cold acclimation, while there is a shift in favor of sucrose upon exposure to freezing temperatures, especially evident when leaf desiccation is relevant. This pattern was paralleled by an elevated ratio of unsaturated/saturated fatty acids and significant quantitative and compositional changes in stress-induced proteins, namely dehydrins and early light-induced proteins (ELIPs). Taken together, our data indicate that common responses of H. rhodopensis plants to low temperature and desiccation involve the accumulation of sugars and upregulation of dehydrins/ELIP protein expression. Further studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying freezing tolerance (genes and genetic regulatory mechanisms) may help breeders to improve the resistance of crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katya Georgieva
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +359-2-979-2620
| | - Gergana Mihailova
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Beatriz Fernández-Marín
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, University of La Laguna (ULL), 38200 Tenerife, Spain
| | - Gianpaolo Bertazza
- Bioeconomy Institute (IBE), Department of Bio-Agrifood Science (DiSBA), National Research Council (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Govoni
- Bioeconomy Institute (IBE), Department of Bio-Agrifood Science (DiSBA), National Research Council (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - Miren Irati Arzac
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
| | - José Manuel Laza
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
| | - José Luis Vilas
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
| | - José Ignacio García-Plazaola
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Francesca Rapparini
- Bioeconomy Institute (IBE), Department of Bio-Agrifood Science (DiSBA), National Research Council (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
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Ivanova A, O′Leary B, Signorelli S, Falconet D, Moyankova D, Whelan J, Djilianov D, Murcha MW. Mitochondrial activity and biogenesis during resurrection of Haberlea rhodopensis. New Phytol 2022; 236:943-957. [PMID: 35872573 PMCID: PMC9804507 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Haberlea rhodopensis is a resurrection plant that can tolerate extreme and prolonged periods of desiccation with a rapid restoration of physiological function upon rehydration. Specialized mechanisms are required to minimize cellular damage during desiccation and to maintain integrity for rapid recovery following rehydration. In this study we used respiratory activity measurements, electron microscopy, transcript, protein and blue native-PAGE analysis to investigate mitochondrial activity and biogenesis in fresh, desiccated and rehydrated detached H. rhodopensis leaves. We demonstrate that unlike photosynthesis, mitochondrial respiration was almost immediately activated to levels of fresh tissue upon rehydration. The abundance of transcripts and proteins involved in mitochondrial respiration and biogenesis were at comparable levels in fresh, desiccated and rehydrated tissues. Blue native-PAGE analysis revealed fully assembled and equally abundant OXPHOS complexes in mitochondria isolated from fresh, desiccated and rehydrated detached leaves. We observed a high abundance of alternative respiratory components which correlates with the observed high uncoupled respiration capacity in desiccated tissue. Our study reveals that during desiccation of vascular H. rhodopensis tissue, mitochondrial composition is conserved and maintained at a functional state allowing for an almost immediate activation to full capacity upon rehydration. Mitochondria-specific mechanisms were activated during desiccation which probably play a role in maintaining tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Ivanova
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia35 Stirling Highway, CrawleyPerthWA6009Australia
- AgroBioInstituteAgricultural Academy8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd.1164SofiaBulgaria
| | - Brendan O′Leary
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia35 Stirling Highway, CrawleyPerthWA6009Australia
- Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada107 Science PlaceSaskatoonSKK1A 0C5Canada
| | - Santiago Signorelli
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia35 Stirling Highway, CrawleyPerthWA6009Australia
- Department of Plant Biology, School of AgricultureUniversidad de la RepúblicaE. Garzón 780, Sayago12900MontevideoUruguay
| | - Denis Falconet
- Cell and Plant Physiology Laboratory, CNRS, CEA, INRAE, IRIGUniversité Grenoble Alpes38054GrenobleFrance
| | - Daniela Moyankova
- AgroBioInstituteAgricultural Academy8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd.1164SofiaBulgaria
| | - James Whelan
- Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Science, School of Life Science, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy BiologyLa Trobe UniversityBundoora3086VICAustralia
| | - Dimitar Djilianov
- AgroBioInstituteAgricultural Academy8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd.1164SofiaBulgaria
| | - Monika W. Murcha
- School of Molecular SciencesThe University of Western Australia35 Stirling Highway, CrawleyPerthWA6009Australia
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Pantelić A, Stevanović S, Komić SM, Kilibarda N, Vidović M. In Silico Characterisation of the Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) Protein Families and Their Role in Desiccation Tolerance in Ramonda serbica Panc. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073547. [PMID: 35408906 PMCID: PMC8998581 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073547] [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] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ramonda serbica Panc. is an ancient resurrection plant able to survive a long desiccation period and recover metabolic functions upon watering. The accumulation of protective late embryogenesis abundant proteins (LEAPs) is a desiccation tolerance hallmark. To propose their role in R. serbica desiccation tolerance, we structurally characterised LEAPs and evaluated LEA gene expression levels in hydrated and desiccated leaves. By integrating de novo transcriptomics and homologues LEAP domains, 318 R. serbica LEAPs were identified and classified according to their conserved motifs and phylogeny. The in silico analysis revealed that hydrophilic LEA4 proteins exhibited an exceptionally high tendency to form amphipathic α-helices. The most abundant, atypical LEA2 group contained more hydrophobic proteins predicted to fold into the defined globular domains. Within the desiccation-upregulated LEA genes, the majority encoded highly disordered DEH1, LEA1, LEA4.2, and LEA4.3 proteins, while the greatest portion of downregulated genes encoded LEA2.3 and LEA2.5 proteins. While dehydrins might chelate metals and bind DNA under water deficit, other intrinsically disordered LEAPs might participate in forming intracellular proteinaceous condensates or adopt amphipathic α-helical conformation, enabling them to stabilise desiccation-sensitive proteins and membranes. This comprehensive LEAPs structural characterisation is essential to understanding their function and regulation during desiccation aiming at crop drought tolerance improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Pantelić
- Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 444a, 11042 Belgrade, Serbia; (A.P.); (S.S.)
| | - Strahinja Stevanović
- Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 444a, 11042 Belgrade, Serbia; (A.P.); (S.S.)
| | - Sonja Milić Komić
- Department of Life Science, Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, University of Belgrade, Kneza Višeslava 1, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Nataša Kilibarda
- Department of Pharmacy, Singidunum University, Danijelova 32, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Marija Vidović
- Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, Vojvode Stepe 444a, 11042 Belgrade, Serbia; (A.P.); (S.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +38-16-4276-3221
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10
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Matilla AJ. The Orthodox Dry Seeds Are Alive: A Clear Example of Desiccation Tolerance. Plants (Basel) 2021; 11:plants11010020. [PMID: 35009023 PMCID: PMC8747232 DOI: 10.3390/plants11010020] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
To survive in the dry state, orthodox seeds acquire desiccation tolerance. As maturation progresses, the seeds gradually acquire longevity, which is the total timespan during which the dry seeds remain viable. The desiccation-tolerance mechanism(s) allow seeds to remain dry without losing their ability to germinate. This adaptive trait has played a key role in the evolution of land plants. Understanding the mechanisms for seed survival after desiccation is one of the central goals still unsolved. That is, the cellular protection during dry state and cell repair during rewatering involves a not entirely known molecular network(s). Although desiccation tolerance is retained in seeds of higher plants, resurrection plants belonging to different plant lineages keep the ability to survive desiccation in vegetative tissue. Abscisic acid (ABA) is involved in desiccation tolerance through tight control of the synthesis of unstructured late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, heat shock thermostable proteins (sHSPs), and non-reducing oligosaccharides. During seed maturation, the progressive loss of water induces the formation of a so-called cellular "glass state". This glassy matrix consists of soluble sugars, which immobilize macromolecules offering protection to membranes and proteins. In this way, the secondary structure of proteins in dry viable seeds is very stable and remains preserved. ABA insensitive-3 (ABI3), highly conserved from bryophytes to Angiosperms, is essential for seed maturation and is the only transcription factor (TF) required for the acquisition of desiccation tolerance and its re-induction in germinated seeds. It is noteworthy that chlorophyll breakdown during the last step of seed maturation is controlled by ABI3. This update contains some current results directly related to the physiological, genetic, and molecular mechanisms involved in survival to desiccation in orthodox seeds. In other words, the mechanisms that facilitate that an orthodox dry seed is a living entity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel J Matilla
- Departamento de Biología Funcional (Área Fisiología Vegetal), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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11
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Passon M, Weber F, Jung NU, Bartels D. Profiling of phenolic compounds in desiccation-tolerant and non-desiccation-tolerant Linderniaceae. Phytochem Anal 2021; 32:521-529. [PMID: 33034094 DOI: 10.1002/pca.3000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Craterostigma plantagineum and Lindernia brevidens are resurrection plants, so these plants can tolerate desiccation of their vegetative tissues. Different components and mechanisms contribute to desiccation tolerance and secondary plant metabolites, like phenolic compounds, may play a role during these processes. OBJECTIVES Secondary plant metabolites of the two resurrection plants, C. plantagineum and L. brevidens as well as the closely related desiccation sensitive species, L. subracemosa, were investigated regarding the polyphenol profile. MATERIAL AND METHODS Secondary plant compounds were extracted with acidified methanol and analysed with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS). Phenolic compounds were identified by comparing of ultraviolet (UV) and MSn -spectra with published data. All compounds were quantified as verbascoside equivalents by external calibration at the compound specific wavelength. RESULTS In total, eight compounds that belong to the subclass of phenylethanoid glycosides and one flavone, luteolin hexoside pentoside, were identified. Two of these compounds exhibited a fragmentation pattern, which is closely related to phenylethanoid glycosides. The predominantly synthesised phenylethanoid in all of the three plant species and in every stage of hydration was verbascoside. The total content of phenolic compounds during the three stages of hydration, untreated, desiccated, and rehydrated revealed differences especially between C. plantagineum and L. brevidens as the latter one lost almost all phenolic compounds during rehydration. CONCLUSION The amount of verbascoside correlates with the degree of desiccation tolerance and verbascoside might play a role in the protective system in acting as an antioxidant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maike Passon
- Institute of Nutritional and Food Sciences, Molecular Food Technology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Fabian Weber
- Institute of Nutritional and Food Sciences, Molecular Food Technology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Niklas Udo Jung
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Present address Institute for Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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12
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Nadal M, Perera-Castro AV, Gulías J, Farrant JM, Flexas J. Resurrection plants optimize photosynthesis despite very thick cell walls by means of chloroplast distribution. J Exp Bot 2021; 72:2600-2610. [PMID: 33483750 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Resurrection plants are vascular species able to sustain extreme desiccation in their vegetative tissues. Despite its potential interest, the role of leaf anatomy in CO2 diffusion and photosynthesis under non-stressed conditions has not been explored in these species. Net CO2 assimilation (An) and its underlying diffusive, biochemical, and anatomical determinants were assessed in 10 resurrection species from diverse locations, including ferns, and homoiochlorophyllous and poikilochlorophyllous angiosperms. Data obtained were compared with previously published results in desiccation-sensitive ferns and angiosperms. An in resurrection plants was mostly driven by mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm) and limited by CO2 diffusion. Resurrection species had a greater cell wall thickness (Tcw) than desiccation-sensitive plants, a feature associated with limited CO2 diffusion in the mesophyll, but also greater chloroplast exposure to intercellular spaces (Sc), which usually leads to higher gm. This combination enabled a higher An per Tcw compared with desiccation-sensitive species. Resurrection species possess unusual anatomical features that could confer stress tolerance (thick cell walls) without compromising the photosynthetic capacity (high chloroplast exposure). This mechanism is particularly successful in resurrection ferns, which display higher photosynthesis than their desiccation-sensitive counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miquel Nadal
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), INAGEA, Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Alicia V Perera-Castro
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), INAGEA, Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Javier Gulías
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), INAGEA, Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Jill M Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Jaume Flexas
- Research Group on Plant Biology under Mediterranean Conditions, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears (UIB), INAGEA, Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain
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13
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Marks RA, Farrant JM, Nicholas McLetchie D, VanBuren R. Unexplored dimensions of variability in vegetative desiccation tolerance. Am J Bot 2021; 108:346-358. [PMID: 33421106 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [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: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Desiccation tolerance has evolved recurrently across diverse land plant lineages as an adaptation for survival in regions where seasonal rainfall drives periodic drying of vegetative tissues. Growing interest in this phenomenon has fueled recent physiological, biochemical, and genomic insights into the mechanistic basis of desiccation tolerance. Although, desiccation tolerance is often viewed as binary and monolithic, substantial variation exists in the phenotype and underlying mechanisms across diverse lineages, heterogeneous populations, and throughout the development of individual plants. Most studies have focused on conserved responses in a subset desiccation-tolerant plants under laboratory conditions. Consequently, the variability and natural diversity of desiccation-tolerant phenotypes remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we discuss the natural variation in desiccation tolerance and argue that leveraging this diversity can improve our mechanistic understanding of desiccation tolerance. We summarize information collected from ~600 desiccation-tolerant land plants and discuss the taxonomic distribution and physiology of desiccation responses. We point out the need to quantify natural diversity of desiccation tolerance on three scales: variation across divergent lineages, intraspecific variation across populations, and variation across tissues and life stages of an individual plant. We conclude that this variability should be accounted for in experimental designs and can be leveraged for deeper insights into the intricacies of desiccation tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose A Marks
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Jill M Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | | | - Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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14
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Lyall R, Nikoloski Z, Gechev T. Comparative Analysis of ROS Network Genes in Extremophile Eukaryotes. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9131. [PMID: 33266251 PMCID: PMC7730656 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21239131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The reactive oxygen species (ROS) gene network, consisting of both ROS-generating and detoxifying enzymes, adjusts ROS levels in response to various stimuli. We performed a cross-kingdom comparison of ROS gene networks to investigate how they have evolved across all Eukaryotes, including protists, fungi, plants and animals. We included the genomes of 16 extremotolerant Eukaryotes to gain insight into ROS gene evolution in organisms that experience extreme stress conditions. Our analysis focused on ROS genes found in all Eukaryotes (such as catalases, superoxide dismutases, glutathione reductases, peroxidases and glutathione peroxidase/peroxiredoxins) as well as those specific to certain groups, such as ascorbate peroxidases, dehydroascorbate/monodehydroascorbate reductases in plants and other photosynthetic organisms. ROS-producing NADPH oxidases (NOX) were found in most multicellular organisms, although several NOX-like genes were identified in unicellular or filamentous species. However, despite the extreme conditions experienced by extremophile species, we found no evidence for expansion of ROS-related gene families in these species compared to other Eukaryotes. Tardigrades and rotifers do show ROS gene expansions that could be related to their extreme lifestyles, although a high rate of lineage-specific horizontal gene transfer events, coupled with recent tetraploidy in rotifers, could explain this observation. This suggests that the basal Eukaryotic ROS scavenging systems are sufficient to maintain ROS homeostasis even under the most extreme conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafe Lyall
- Department Bioinformatics and Mathematical Modelling, Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 139 Ruski Blvd., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (Z.N.); (T.G.)
| | - Zoran Nikoloski
- Department Bioinformatics and Mathematical Modelling, Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 139 Ruski Blvd., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (Z.N.); (T.G.)
- Bioinformatics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Systems Biology and Mathematical Modelling Group, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Tsanko Gechev
- Department Bioinformatics and Mathematical Modelling, Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 139 Ruski Blvd., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria; (Z.N.); (T.G.)
- Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, Plovdiv University, 24 Tsar Assen str., 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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15
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Oliver MJ, Farrant JM, Hilhorst HWM, Mundree S, Williams B, Bewley JD. Desiccation Tolerance: Avoiding Cellular Damage During Drying and Rehydration. Annu Rev Plant Biol 2020; 71:435-460. [PMID: 32040342 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-071219-105542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Desiccation of plants is often lethal but is tolerated by the majority of seeds and by vegetative tissues of only a small number of land plants. Desiccation tolerance is an ancient trait, lost from vegetative tissues following the appearance of tracheids but reappearing in several lineages when selection pressures favored its evolution. Cells of all desiccation-tolerant plants and seeds must possess a core set of mechanisms to protect them from desiccation- and rehydration-induced damage. This review explores how desiccation generates cell damage and how tolerant cells assuage the complex array of mechanical, structural, metabolic, and chemical stresses and survive.Likewise, the stress of rehydration requires appropriate mitigating cellular responses. We also explore what comparative genomics, both structural and responsive, have added to our understanding of cellular protection mechanisms induced by desiccation, and how vegetative desiccation tolerance circumvents destructive, stress-induced cell senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin J Oliver
- Plant Genetics Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- Current affiliation: Division of Plant Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA;
| | - Jill M Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7700, South Africa;
| | - Henk W M Hilhorst
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, 6706 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Sagadevan Mundree
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, 4001 Queensland, Australia; ,
| | - Brett Williams
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, 4001 Queensland, Australia; ,
| | - J Derek Bewley
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada;
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16
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Chen P, Jung NU, Giarola V, Bartels D. The Dynamic Responses of Cell Walls in Resurrection Plants During Dehydration and Rehydration. Front Plant Sci 2020; 10:1698. [PMID: 32038677 PMCID: PMC6985587 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Plant cell walls define the shape of the cells and provide mechanical support. They function as osmoregulators by controlling the transport of molecules between cells and provide transport pathways within the plant. These diverse functions require a well-defined and flexible organization of cell wall components, i.e., water, polysaccharides, proteins, and other diverse substances. Cell walls of desiccation tolerant resurrection plants withstand extreme mechanical stress during complete dehydration and rehydration. Adaptation to the changing water status of the plant plays a crucial role during this process. This review summarizes the compositional and structural variations, signal transduction and changes of gene expression which occur in cell walls of resurrection plants during dehydration and rehydration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dorothea Bartels
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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17
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Brulé V, Rafsanjani A, Asgari M, Western TL, Pasini D. Three-dimensional functional gradients direct stem curling in the resurrection plant Selaginella lepidophylla. J R Soc Interface 2019; 16:20190454. [PMID: 31662070 PMCID: PMC6833318 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2019.0454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon hydration and dehydration, the vegetative tissue of Selaginella lepidophylla can reversibly swell and shrink to generate complex morphological transformations. Here, we investigate how structural and compositional properties at tissue and cell wall levels in S. lepidophylla lead to different stem curling profiles between inner and outer stems. Our results show that directional bending in both stem types is associated with cross-sectional gradients of tissue density, cell orientation and secondary cell wall composition between adaxial and abaxial stem sides. In inner stems, longitudinal gradients of cell wall thickness and composition affect tip-to-base tissue swelling and shrinking, allowing for more complex curling as compared to outer stems. Together, these features yield three-dimensional functional gradients that allow the plant to reproducibly deform in predetermined patterns that vary depending on the stem type. This study is the first to demonstrate functional gradients at different hierarchical levels combining to operate in a three-dimensional context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique Brulé
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montréal, QC, CanadaH3A 1B1
| | - Ahmad Rafsanjani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC, CanadaH3A 0C3
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Meisam Asgari
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC, CanadaH3A 0C3
- Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Tamara L. Western
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montréal, QC, CanadaH3A 1B1
| | - Damiano Pasini
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC, CanadaH3A 0C3
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18
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Artur MAS, Rienstra J, Dennis TJ, Farrant JM, Ligterink W, Hilhorst H. Structural Plasticity of Intrinsically Disordered LEA Proteins from Xerophyta schlechteri Provides Protection In Vitro and In Vivo. Front Plant Sci 2019; 10:1272. [PMID: 31681372 PMCID: PMC6798065 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are essential to the ability of resurrection plants and orthodox seeds to protect the subcellular milieu against irreversible damage associated with desiccation. In this work, we investigated the structure and function of six LEA proteins expressed during desiccation in the monocot resurrection species Xerophyta schlechteri (XsLEAs). In silico analyses suggested that XsLEAs are hydrophilic proteins with variable intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) properties. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis indicated that these proteins are mostly unstructured in water but acquire secondary structure in hydrophobic solution, suggesting that structural dynamics may play a role in their function in the subcellular environment. The protective property of XsLEAs was demonstrated by their ability to preserve the activity of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) against desiccation, heat and oxidative stress, as well as growth of Escherichia coli upon exposure to osmotic and salt stress. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that XsLEA recombinant proteins are differentially distributed in the cytoplasm, membranes and nucleus of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Interestingly, a LEA_1 family protein (XsLEA1-8), showing the highest disorder-to-order propensity and protective ability in vitro and in vivo, was also able to enhance salt and drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Together, our results suggest that the structural plasticity of XsLEAs is essential for their protective activity to avoid damage of various subcellular components caused by water deficit stress. XsLEA1-8 constitutes a potential model protein for engineering structural stability in vitro and improvement of water-deficit stress tolerance in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juriaan Rienstra
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Timothy J. Dennis
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jill M. Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Wilco Ligterink
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Henk Hilhorst
- Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
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19
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Gupta S, Dong Y, Dijkwel PP, Mueller-Roeber B, Gechev TS. Genome-Wide Analysis of ROS Antioxidant Genes in Resurrection Species Suggest an Involvement of Distinct ROS Detoxification Systems during Desiccation. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E3101. [PMID: 31242611 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20123101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abiotic stress is one of the major threats to plant crop yield and productivity. When plants are exposed to stress, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increases, which could lead to extensive cellular damage and hence crop loss. During evolution, plants have acquired antioxidant defense systems which can not only detoxify ROS but also adjust ROS levels required for proper cell signaling. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are crucial enzymes involved in ROS detoxification. In this study, 40 putative APX, 28 GPX, 16 CAT, and 41 SOD genes were identified from genomes of the resurrection species Boea hygrometrica, Selaginella lepidophylla, Xerophyta viscosa, and Oropetium thomaeum, and the mesophile Selaginellamoellendorffii. Phylogenetic analyses classified the APX, GPX, and SOD proteins into five clades each, and CAT proteins into three clades. Using co-expression network analysis, various regulatory modules were discovered, mainly involving glutathione, that likely work together to maintain ROS homeostasis upon desiccation stress in resurrection species. These regulatory modules also support the existence of species-specific ROS detoxification systems. The results suggest molecular pathways that regulate ROS in resurrection species and the role of APX, GPX, CAT and SOD genes in resurrection species during stress.
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Abstract
The thylakoid membrane network inside chloroplasts harbours the protein complexes that are necessary for the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis. Cellular processes for building and altering this membrane network are therefore essential for life on Earth. Nevertheless, detailed molecular processes concerning the origin and synthesis of the thylakoids remain elusive. Thylakoid biogenesis is strongly coupled to the processes of chloroplast differentiation. Chloroplasts develop from special progenitors called proplastids. As many of the needed building blocks such as lipids and pigments derive from the inner envelope, the question arises how these components are recruited to their target membrane. This review travels back in time to the beginnings of thylakoid membrane research to summarize findings, facts and fictions on thylakoid biogenesis and structure up to the present state, including new insights and future developments in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Mechela
- Department Biologie I, Botanik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Großhaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Serena Schwenkert
- Department Biologie I, Botanik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Großhaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CiPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Soll
- Department Biologie I, Botanik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Großhaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CiPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 Munich, Germany
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21
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Njaci I, Williams B, Castillo-González C, Dickman MB, Zhang X, Mundree S. Genome-Wide Investigation of the Role of MicroRNAs in Desiccation Tolerance in the Resurrection Grass Tripogon loliiformis. Plants (Basel) 2018; 7:E68. [PMID: 30200279 PMCID: PMC6161015 DOI: 10.3390/plants7030068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Drought causes approximately two-thirds of crop and yield loss worldwide. To sustain future generations, there is a need to develop robust crops with enhanced water use efficiency. Resurrection plants are naturally resilient and tolerate up to 95% water loss with the ability to revive upon watering. Stress is genetically encoded and resilient species may garner tolerance by tightly regulating the expression of stress-related genes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptionally regulate development and other stress response processes in eukaryotes. However, their role in resurrection plant desiccation tolerance is poorly understood. In this study, small RNA sequencing and miRNA expression profiling was conducted using Tripogon loliiformis plants subjected to extreme water deficit conditions. Differentially expressed miRNA profiles, target mRNAs, and their regulatory processes were elucidated. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that development, stress response, and regulation of programmed cell death biological processes; Oxidoreductase and hydrolyase molecular activities; and SPL, MYB, and WRKY transcription factors were targeted by miRNAs during dehydration stress, indicating the indispensable regulatory role of miRNAs in desiccation tolerance. This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant T. loliiformis. This information will be useful in devising strategies for crop improvement on enhanced drought tolerance and water use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Njaci
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
| | - Brett Williams
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
| | - Claudia Castillo-González
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Martin B Dickman
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Xiuren Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Sagadevan Mundree
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
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Kampowski T, Demandt S, Poppinga S, Speck T. Kinematical, Structural and Mechanical Adaptations to Desiccation in Poikilohydric Ramonda myconi (Gesneriaceae). Front Plant Sci 2018; 9:1701. [PMID: 30515187 PMCID: PMC6256057 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Resurrection plants have fascinated scientists since centuries as they can fully recover from cellular water contents below 10%, concomitantly showing remarkable leaf folding motions. While physiological adaptations have been meticulously investigated, the understanding of structural and mechanical adaptations of this phenomenon is scarce. Using imaging and bending techniques during dehydration-rehydration experiments, morphological, anatomical, and biomechanical properties of desiccation-tolerant Ramonda myconi are examined, and selected structural adaptations are compared to those of homoiohydrous Monophyllaea horsfieldii (both Gesneriaceae). At low water availability, intact and cut-off R. myconi leaves undergo considerable morphological alterations, which are fully and repeatedly reversible upon rehydration. Furthermore, their petioles show a triphasic mechanical behavior having a turgor-based structural stability at high (Phase 1), a flexible mechanically state at intermediate (Phase 2) and a material-based stability at low water contents (Phase 3). Lastly, manipulation experiments with cut-off plant parts revealed that both the shape alterations of individual structures, as well as, the general leaf kinematics largely rely on passive swelling and shrinking processes. Taken together, R. myconi possesses structural and mechanical adaptations to desiccation (in addition to physiological adaptations), which may mainly be passively driven by its water status influenced by the water fluctuations in its surroundings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Kampowski
- Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg (PBG), Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- *Correspondence: Tim Kampowski
| | - Sven Demandt
- Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg (PBG), Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg (PBG), Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group Freiburg (PBG), Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingwei Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Germany
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VanBuren R, Wai CM, Zhang Q, Song X, Edger PP, Bryant D, Michael TP, Mockler TC, Bartels D. Seed desiccation mechanisms co-opted for vegetative desiccation in the resurrection grass Oropetium thomaeum. Plant Cell Environ 2017; 40:2292-2306. [PMID: 28730594 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Resurrection plants desiccate during periods of prolonged drought stress, then resume normal cellular metabolism upon water availability. Desiccation tolerance has multiple origins in flowering plants, and it likely evolved through rewiring seed desiccation pathways. Oropetium thomaeum is an emerging model for extreme drought tolerance, and its genome, which is the smallest among surveyed grasses, was recently sequenced. Combining RNA-seq, targeted metabolite analysis and comparative genomics, we show evidence for co-option of seed-specific pathways during vegetative desiccation. Desiccation-related gene co-expression clusters are enriched in functions related to seed development including several seed-specific transcription factors. Across the metabolic network, pathways involved in programmed cell death inhibition, ABA signalling and others are activated during dehydration. Oleosins and oil bodies that typically function in seed storage are highly abundant in desiccated leaves and may function for membrane stability and storage. Orthologs to seed-specific LEA proteins from rice and maize have neofunctionalized in Oropetium with high expression during desiccation. Accumulation of sucrose, raffinose and stachyose in drying leaves mirrors sugar accumulation patterns in maturing seeds. Together, these results connect vegetative desiccation with existing seed desiccation and drought responsive pathways and provide some key candidate genes for engineering improved drought tolerance in crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert VanBuren
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
| | - Ching Man Wai
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
| | - Qingwei Zhang
- IMBIO, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Xiaomin Song
- IMBIO, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Patrick P Edger
- Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
- Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
| | - Doug Bryant
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, 63132, USA
| | | | - Todd C Mockler
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, 63132, USA
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- IMBIO, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115, Bonn, Germany
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25
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Giarola V, Hou Q, Bartels D. Angiosperm Plant Desiccation Tolerance: Hints from Transcriptomics and Genome Sequencing. Trends Plant Sci 2017; 22:705-717. [PMID: 28622918 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Desiccation tolerance (DT) in angiosperms is present in the small group of resurrection plants and in seeds. DT requires the presence of protective proteins, specific carbohydrates, restructuring of membrane lipids, and regulatory mechanisms directing a dedicated gene expression program. Many components are common to resurrection plants and seeds; however, some are specific for resurrection plants. Understanding how each component contributes to DT is challenging. Recent transcriptome analyses and genome sequencing indicate that increased expression is essential of genes encoding protective components, recently evolved, species-specific genes and non-protein-coding RNAs. Modification and reshuffling of existing cis-regulatory promoter elements seems to play a role in the rewiring of regulatory networks required for increased expression of DT-related genes in resurrection species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentino Giarola
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Quancan Hou
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany; Present address: Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
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26
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Abstract
Like all eukaryotic organisms, plants possess an innate program for controlled cellular demise termed programmed cell death (PCD). Despite the functional conservation of PCD across broad evolutionary distances, an understanding of the molecular machinery underpinning this fundamental program in plants remains largely elusive. As in mammalian PCD, the regulation of plant PCD is critical to development, homeostasis, and proper responses to stress. Evidence is emerging that autophagy is key to the regulation of PCD in plants and that it can dictate the outcomes of PCD execution under various scenarios. Here, we provide a broad and comparative overview of PCD processes in plants, with an emphasis on stress-induced PCD. We also discuss the implications of the paradox that is functional conservation of apoptotic hallmarks in plants in the absence of core mammalian apoptosis regulators, what that means, and whether an equivalent form of death occurs in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Kabbage
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706;
| | - Ryan Kessens
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706;
| | - Lyric C Bartholomay
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
| | - Brett Williams
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia;
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27
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Kabbage M, Kessens R, Bartholomay LC, Williams B. The Life and Death of a Plant Cell. Annu Rev Plant Biol 2017. [PMID: 26905652 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-043015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Like all eukaryotic organisms, plants possess an innate program for controlled cellular demise termed programmed cell death (PCD). Despite the functional conservation of PCD across broad evolutionary distances, an understanding of the molecular machinery underpinning this fundamental program in plants remains largely elusive. As in mammalian PCD, the regulation of plant PCD is critical to development, homeostasis, and proper responses to stress. Evidence is emerging that autophagy is key to the regulation of PCD in plants and that it can dictate the outcomes of PCD execution under various scenarios. Here, we provide a broad and comparative overview of PCD processes in plants, with an emphasis on stress-induced PCD. We also discuss the implications of the paradox that is functional conservation of apoptotic hallmarks in plants in the absence of core mammalian apoptosis regulators, what that means, and whether an equivalent form of death occurs in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Kabbage
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706;
| | - Ryan Kessens
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706;
| | - Lyric C Bartholomay
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
| | - Brett Williams
- Centre for Tropical Crops and Biocommodities, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia;
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28
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Zhang Q, Song X, Bartels D. Enzymes and Metabolites in Carbohydrate Metabolism of Desiccation Tolerant Plants. Proteomes 2016; 4:E40. [PMID: 28248249 PMCID: PMC5260972 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes4040040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Resurrection plants can tolerate extreme water loss. Substantial sugar accumulation is a phenomenon in resurrection plants during dehydration. Sugars have been identified as one important factor contributing to desiccation tolerance. Phylogenetic diversity of resurrection plants reflects the diversity of sugar metabolism in response to dehydration. Sugars, which accumulate during dehydration, have been shown to protect macromolecules and membranes and to scavenge reactive oxygen species. This review focuses on the performance of enzymes participating in sugar metabolism during dehydration stress. The relation between sugar metabolism and other biochemical activities is discussed and open questions as well as potential experimental approaches are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingwei Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Xiaomin Song
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
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29
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Zia A, Walker BJ, Oung HMO, Charuvi D, Jahns P, Cousins AB, Farrant JM, Reich Z, Kirchhoff H. Protection of the photosynthetic apparatus against dehydration stress in the resurrection plant Craterostigma pumilum. Plant J 2016; 87:664-80. [PMID: 27258321 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 06/18/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The group of homoiochlorophyllous resurrection plants evolved the unique capability to survive severe drought stress without dismantling the photosynthetic machinery. This implies that they developed efficient strategies to protect the leaves from reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by photosynthetic side reactions. These strategies, however, are poorly understood. Here, we performed a detailed study of the photosynthetic machinery in the homoiochlorophyllous resurrection plant Craterostigma pumilum during dehydration and upon recovery from desiccation. During dehydration and rehydration, C. pumilum deactivates and activates partial components of the photosynthetic machinery in a specific order, allowing for coordinated shutdown and subsequent reinstatement of photosynthesis. Early responses to dehydration are the closure of stomata and activation of electron transfer to oxygen accompanied by inactivation of the cytochrome b6 f complex leading to attenuation of the photosynthetic linear electron flux (LEF). The decline in LEF is paralleled by a gradual increase in cyclic electron transport to maintain ATP production. At low water contents, inactivation and supramolecular reorganization of photosystem II becomes apparent, accompanied by functional detachment of light-harvesting complexes and interrupted access to plastoquinone. This well-ordered sequence of alterations in the photosynthetic thylakoid membranes helps prepare the plant for the desiccated state and minimize ROS production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Zia
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-6340, USA
| | - Berkley J Walker
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4236, USA
| | - Hui Min Olivia Oung
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-6340, USA
| | - Dana Charuvi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Peter Jahns
- Plant Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Asaph B Cousins
- School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4236, USA
| | - Jill M Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Ziv Reich
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Helmut Kirchhoff
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-6340, USA.
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30
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Charuvi D, Nevo R, Kaplan-Ashiri I, Shimoni E, Reich Z. Studying the Supramolecular Organization of Photosynthetic Membranes within Freeze-fractured Leaf Tissues by Cryo-scanning Electron Microscopy. J Vis Exp 2016:54066. [PMID: 27403565 PMCID: PMC4993236 DOI: 10.3791/54066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of freeze-fractured samples allows investigation of biological structures at near native conditions. Here, we describe a technique for studying the supramolecular organization of photosynthetic (thylakoid) membranes within leaf samples. This is achieved by high-pressure freezing of leaf tissues, freeze-fracturing, double-layer coating and finally cryo-SEM imaging. Use of the double-layer coating method allows acquiring high magnification (>100,000X) images with minimal beam damage to the frozen-hydrated samples as well as minimal charging effects. Using the described procedures we investigated the alterations in supramolecular distribution of photosystem and light-harvesting antenna protein complexes that take place during dehydration of the resurrection plant Craterostigma pumilum, in situ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Charuvi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science; Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center;
| | - Reinat Nevo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science
| | | | - Eyal Shimoni
- Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science
| | - Ziv Reich
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science
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31
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Zhang Q, Linnemann TV, Schreiber L, Bartels D. The role of transketolase and octulose in the resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum. J Exp Bot 2016; 67:3551-9. [PMID: 27129952 PMCID: PMC4892735 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Craterostigma plantagineum has two transketolase genes (transketolase 7 and 10) which are separated from the other transketolase genes including transketolase 3 from C. plantagineum We obtained recombinant transketolase 3, 7, and 10 of C. plantagineum and showed that transketolase 7 and 10 of C. plantagineum, but not transketolase 3, catalyse the formation of octulose-8-phosphate in vitro Transketolase 7 and 10 of C. plantagineum performed the exchange reaction that produces octulose-8-phosphate using glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate as substrates. Octulose is localized in the cytosol and phloem exudate analysis showed that octulose was the dominant sugar exported from the leaves to the roots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingwei Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Vitus Linnemann
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Lukas Schreiber
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Ecophysiology, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany
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32
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Giarola V, Krey S, von den Driesch B, Bartels D. The Craterostigma plantagineum glycine-rich protein CpGRP1 interacts with a cell wall-associated protein kinase 1 (CpWAK1) and accumulates in leaf cell walls during dehydration. New Phytol 2016; 210:535-50. [PMID: 26607676 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [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: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/18/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Craterostigma plantagineum tolerates extreme desiccation. Leaves of this plant shrink and extensively fold during dehydration and expand again during rehydration, preserving their structural integrity. Genes were analysed that may participate in the reversible folding mechanism. Analysis of transcripts abundantly expressed in desiccated leaves identified a gene putatively coding for an apoplastic glycine-rich protein (CpGRP1). We studied the expression, regulation and subcellular localization of CpGRP1 and its ability to interact with a cell wall-associated protein kinase (CpWAK1) to understand the role of CpGRP1 in the cell wall during dehydration. The CpGRP1 protein accumulates in the apoplast of desiccated leaves. Analysis of the promoter revealed that the gene expression is mainly regulated at the transcriptional level, is independent of abscisic acid (ABA) and involves a drought-responsive cis-element (DRE). CpGRP1 interacts with CpWAK1 which is down-regulated in response to dehydration. Our data suggest a role of the CpGRP1-CpWAK1 complex in dehydration-induced morphological changes in the cell wall during dehydration in C. plantagineum. Cell wall pectins and dehydration-induced pectin modifications are predicted to be involved in the activity of the CpGRP1-CpWAK1 complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentino Giarola
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, D-53115, Germany
| | - Stephanie Krey
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, D-53115, Germany
| | - Barbara von den Driesch
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, D-53115, Germany
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants (IMBIO), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, D-53115, Germany
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33
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Moore JP, Farrant JM. Editorial: Current advances and challenges in understanding plant desiccation tolerance. Front Plant Sci 2015; 6:768. [PMID: 26483800 PMCID: PMC4586587 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- John P. Moore
- Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jill M. Farrant
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape TownCape Town, South Africa
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34
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Egert A, Eicher B, Keller F, Peters S. Evidence for water deficit-induced mass increases of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) in the leaves of three Craterostigma resurrection plant species. Front Physiol 2015; 6:206. [PMID: 26257658 PMCID: PMC4510996 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The leaves of the resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum accumulate sucrose during dehydration, via a conversion from the unusual C8 ketose-sugar 2-octulose. However, raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) have been shown to be major photosynthetic products in this plant. The tetrasaccharide stachyose is the major phloem-mobile carbohydrate and is used as a carbon store in roots. It has been suggested that this carbon store is remobilized during rehydration, presumably for cellular repair processes. We examined the effects of water deficit on the leaf water-soluble carbohydrate profiles of three Craterostigma species. Apart from the classical 2-octulose-to-sucrose interconversion, there was a strong water deficit-associated mass increase of RFOs up to the pentasaccharide verbascose. However, the activities of three dedicated RFO biosynthetic enzymes (raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose synthase) was not correlated with RFO accumulation, suggesting that biosynthetic enzyme activities measured in the early stages of water-deficit were sufficient to synthesize enough galactinol and lead to RFO accumulation in the leaves. Our findings are suggestive of RFOs providing additional carbohydrate-based stress protection to the leaves of these plants during the desiccated state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Egert
- Institute of Plant Biology, Molecular Plant Physiology, University of Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Barbara Eicher
- Institute of Plant Biology, Molecular Plant Physiology, University of Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Felix Keller
- Institute of Plant Biology, Molecular Plant Physiology, University of Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Shaun Peters
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Plant Biotechnology, University of Stellenbosch Stellenbosch, South Africa
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35
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Rakić T, Lazarević M, Jovanović ŽS, Radović S, Siljak-Yakovlev S, Stevanović B, Stevanović V. Resurrection plants of the genus Ramonda: prospective survival strategies - unlock further capacity of adaptation, or embark on the path of evolution? Front Plant Sci 2014; 4:550. [PMID: 24454318 PMCID: PMC3887321 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2013] [Accepted: 12/22/2013] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Paleoendemic species of the monophyletic genus Ramonda (R. myconi, R. serbica and R.~nathaliae) are the remnants of the Tertiary tropical and subtropical flora in Europe. They are the rare resurrection plants of Northern Hemisphere temperate zone. Ramonda serbica and R. nathaliae are chorologically differentiated in the Balkan Peninsula and occupy similar habitats in calcareous, northward slopes in canyons and mountainsides. They remain well-hydrated during spring, late autumn and even in winter. In summer and early autumn when plants are subjected to drought and thermal stress, their desiccation tolerance comes into operation and they fall into anabiosis. Investigations revealed the permanent presence of ubiquitine and its conjugates, high amounts of oxalic acid and proline. Both species are homoiochlorophyllous. It enables them to rapidly resume photosynthesis upon rehydration, but also makes them susceptible to reactive oxygen species formation. Dehydration induces activation of antioxidative enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, polyphenol oxidase), increase in amounts of AsA and GSH, phenolic acids, dehydrins, sucrose, and inorganic ions. Plasma membranes, characterized by high amount of cholesterol, are subjected to decrease in membrane fluidity mostly on account of increased level of lipid saturation. Cytogenetic analysis revealed that R. nathaliae is a diploid (2n = 48) and probably evolutionary older species, while R. serbica is a hexaploid (2n = 144). Two species live together in only two localities forming hybrid individuals (2n = 96). Polyploidization is the major evolutionary mechanism in the genus Ramonda that together with hybridization ability indicates that these relict species which have preserved an ancient survival strategy are not the evolutionary "dead end."The species of the genus Ramonda are promising sources of data important for understanding the complex strategy of resurrection plants' survival, appraised through a prism of their evolutionary and adaptive potential for multiple environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Rakić
- Department of Plant Ecology and Phytogeography, Faculty of Biology, University of BelgradeBelgrade, Serbia
| | - Maja Lazarević
- Department of Plant Ecology and Phytogeography, Faculty of Biology, University of BelgradeBelgrade, Serbia
| | - Živko S. Jovanović
- Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of BelgradeBelgrade, Serbia
- *Correspondence: Živko S. Jovanović, Laboratory for Plant Molecular Biology, Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering, University of Belgrade, P.O. Box 23, 11 010 Belgrade, Serbia e-mail:
| | - Svetlana Radović
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of BelgradeBelgrade, Serbia
| | - Sonja Siljak-Yakovlev
- Laboratory of Ecology, Systematics, Evolution, UMR 8079, CNRS-UPS-AgroParisTech, University Paris-SudOrsay, France
| | - Branka Stevanović
- Department of Plant Ecology and Phytogeography, Faculty of Biology, University of BelgradeBelgrade, Serbia
| | - Vladimir Stevanović
- Department of Plant Ecology and Phytogeography, Faculty of Biology, University of BelgradeBelgrade, Serbia
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36
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Dinakar C, Bartels D. Desiccation tolerance in resurrection plants: new insights from transcriptome, proteome and metabolome analysis. Front Plant Sci 2013; 4:482. [PMID: 24348488 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.201300482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Most higher plants are unable to survive desiccation to an air-dried state. An exception is a small group of vascular angiosperm plants, termed resurrection plants. They have evolved unique mechanisms of desiccation tolerance and thus can tolerate severe water loss, and mostly adjust their water content with the relative humidity in the environment. Desiccation tolerance is a complex phenomenon and depends on the regulated expression of numerous genes during dehydration and subsequent rehydration. Most of the resurrection plants have a large genome and are difficult to transform which makes them unsuitable for genetic approaches. However, technical advances have made it possible to analyze changes in gene expression on a large-scale. These approaches together with comparative studies with non-desiccation tolerant plants provide novel insights into the molecular processes required for desiccation tolerance and will shed light on identification of orphan genes with unknown functions. Here, we review large-scale recent transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies that have been performed in desiccation tolerant plants and discuss how these studies contribute to understanding the molecular basis of desiccation tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Challabathula Dinakar
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany ; Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Tamil Nadu Thiruvarur, India
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
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37
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Dinakar C, Bartels D. Desiccation tolerance in resurrection plants: new insights from transcriptome, proteome and metabolome analysis. Front Plant Sci 2013; 4:482. [PMID: 24348488 PMCID: PMC3842845 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Most higher plants are unable to survive desiccation to an air-dried state. An exception is a small group of vascular angiosperm plants, termed resurrection plants. They have evolved unique mechanisms of desiccation tolerance and thus can tolerate severe water loss, and mostly adjust their water content with the relative humidity in the environment. Desiccation tolerance is a complex phenomenon and depends on the regulated expression of numerous genes during dehydration and subsequent rehydration. Most of the resurrection plants have a large genome and are difficult to transform which makes them unsuitable for genetic approaches. However, technical advances have made it possible to analyze changes in gene expression on a large-scale. These approaches together with comparative studies with non-desiccation tolerant plants provide novel insights into the molecular processes required for desiccation tolerance and will shed light on identification of orphan genes with unknown functions. Here, we review large-scale recent transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies that have been performed in desiccation tolerant plants and discuss how these studies contribute to understanding the molecular basis of desiccation tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Challabathula Dinakar
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of BonnBonn, Germany
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Tamil NaduThiruvarur, India
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of BonnBonn, Germany
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Yobi A, Wone BWM, Xu W, Alexander DC, Guo L, Ryals JA, Oliver MJ, Cushman JC. Comparative metabolic profiling between desiccation-sensitive and desiccation-tolerant species of Selaginella reveals insights into the resurrection trait. Plant J 2012; 72:983-99. [PMID: 23061970 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Spike mosses (Selaginellaceae) represent an ancient lineage of vascular plants in which some species have evolved desiccation tolerance (DT). A sister-group contrast to reveal the metabolic basis of DT was conducted between a desiccation-tolerant species, Selaginella lepidophylla, and a desiccation-sensitive species, Selaginella moellendorffii, at 100% relative water content (RWC) and 50% RWC using non-biased, global metabolomics profiling technology, based on GC/MS and UHLC/MS/MS(2) platforms. A total of 301 metabolites, including 170 named (56.5%) and 131 (43.5%) unnamed compounds, were characterized across both species. S. lepidophylla retained significantly higher abundances of sucrose, mono- and polysaccharides, and sugar alcohols than did S. moellendorffii. Aromatic amino acids, the well-known osmoprotectant betaine and flavonoids were also more abundant in S. lepidophylla. Notably, levels of γ-glutamyl amino acid, linked with glutathione metabolism in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species, and with possible nitrogen remobilization following rehydration, were markedly higher in S. lepidophylla. Markers for lipoxygenase activity were also greater in S. lepidophylla, especially at 50% RWC. S. moellendorffii contained more than twice the number of unnamed compounds, with only a slightly greater abundance than in S. lepidophylla. In contrast, S. lepidophylla contained 14 unnamed compounds of fivefold or greater abundance than in S. moellendorffii, suggesting that these compounds might play critical roles in DT. Overall, S. lepidophylla appears poised to tolerate desiccation in a constitutive manner using a wide range of metabolites with some inducible components, whereas S. moellendorffii mounts only limited metabolic responses to dehydration stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abou Yobi
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0330, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0314, USAMetabolon Inc., 800 Capitola Drive, Suite 1, Durham, NC 27713, USAU.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Plant Genetic Research Unit, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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Yobi A, Wone BWM, Xu W, Alexander DC, Guo L, Ryals JA, Oliver MJ, Cushman JC. Comparative metabolic profiling between desiccation-sensitive and desiccation-tolerant species of Selaginella reveals insights into the resurrection trait. Plant J 2012. [PMID: 23061970 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12008 [epub ahead of print]] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Spike mosses (Selaginellaceae) represent an ancient lineage of vascular plants in which some species have evolved desiccation tolerance (DT). A sister-group contrast to reveal the metabolic basis of DT was conducted between a desiccation-tolerant species, Selaginella lepidophylla, and a desiccation-sensitive species, Selaginella moellendorffii, at 100% relative water content (RWC) and 50% RWC using non-biased, global metabolomics profiling technology, based on GC/MS and UHLC/MS/MS(2) platforms. A total of 301 metabolites, including 170 named (56.5%) and 131 (43.5%) unnamed compounds, were characterized across both species. S. lepidophylla retained significantly higher abundances of sucrose, mono- and polysaccharides, and sugar alcohols than did S. moellendorffii. Aromatic amino acids, the well-known osmoprotectant betaine and flavonoids were also more abundant in S. lepidophylla. Notably, levels of γ-glutamyl amino acid, linked with glutathione metabolism in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species, and with possible nitrogen remobilization following rehydration, were markedly higher in S. lepidophylla. Markers for lipoxygenase activity were also greater in S. lepidophylla, especially at 50% RWC. S. moellendorffii contained more than twice the number of unnamed compounds, with only a slightly greater abundance than in S. lepidophylla. In contrast, S. lepidophylla contained 14 unnamed compounds of fivefold or greater abundance than in S. moellendorffii, suggesting that these compounds might play critical roles in DT. Overall, S. lepidophylla appears poised to tolerate desiccation in a constitutive manner using a wide range of metabolites with some inducible components, whereas S. moellendorffii mounts only limited metabolic responses to dehydration stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abou Yobi
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0330, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0314, USAMetabolon Inc., 800 Capitola Drive, Suite 1, Durham, NC 27713, USAU.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Plant Genetic Research Unit, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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van den Dries N, Facchinelli F, Giarola V, Phillips JR, Bartels D. Comparative analysis of LEA-like 11-24 gene expression and regulation in related plant species within the Linderniaceae that differ in desiccation tolerance. New Phytol 2011; 190:75-88. [PMID: 21231934 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03595.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [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] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum is able to withstand desiccation of its vegetative tissues and is found in areas with variable water availability. The closely related species Lindernia brevidens and Lindernia subracemosa are both endemic to montane rainforests of coastal Africa, but remarkably L. brevidens is tolerant to desiccation. We studied the regulation of the desiccation-related LEA-like 11-24 gene at multiple levels in closely related species in order to investigate the conservation of mechanisms involved in desiccation tolerance. The dehydration-responsive transcription of the LEA-like 11-24 gene is differentially regulated in these plants. Comparison of the LEA-like 11-24 core promoter regions revealed that promoters have different activities, but some functional cis-acting elements are conserved between species. Upon dehydration, LEA-like 11-24 proteins are phosphorylated at different levels and phosphorylation sites are not conserved among the three LEA-like 11-24 proteins. Differences in the regulation of the LEA-like 11-24 gene in the studied plant species appear to be the result of mutations that occurred during evolution. We postulate that L. brevidens will eventually lose the ability to survive vegetative desiccation, given that this trait appears not to be essential for survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels van den Dries
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Fabio Facchinelli
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Valentino Giarola
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jonathan R Phillips
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dorothea Bartels
- Institute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
Plants have followed two principal (and contrasting) strategies of adaptation to the irregular supply of water on land, which are closely bound up with scale. Vascular plants evolved internal transport from the soil to the leafy canopy (but their 'homoihydry' is far from absolute, and some are desiccation tolerant (DT)). Bryophytes depended on desiccation tolerance, suspending metabolism when water was not available; their cells are generally either fully turgid or desiccated. Desiccation tolerance requires preservation intact through drying-re-wetting cycles of essential cell components and their functional relationships, and controlled cessation and restarting of metabolism. In many bryophytes and some vascular plants tolerance is essentially constitutive. In other vascular plants (particularly poikilochlorophyllous species) and some bryophytes tolerance is induced by water stress. Desiccation tolerance is adaptively optimal on hard substrates impenetrable to roots, and on poor dry soils in seasonally dry climates. DT vascular plants are commonest in warm semiarid climates; DT mosses and lichens occur from tropical to polar regions. DT plants vary widely in their inertia to changing water content. Some mosses and lichens dry out and recover within an hour or less; vascular species typically respond on a time scale of one to a few days. Contents Summary 327 I. Introduction 328 II. The soil-plant-atmosphere continuum 329 III. Desiccation-tolerant plants: taxonomic distribution and functional characteristics 331 IV. Anatomical and physiological requirements and implications of desiccation tolerance 333 V. Time-scale considerations and ecological adaptation 340 VI. Conclusion 344 Acknowledgements 344 References 344.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C F Proctor
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Washington Singer Laboratories, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Zoltán Tuba
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology and Departmental Research Group of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Szent István University, H-2103 Gödöllõ, Páter K. u. 1., Hungary
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