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Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses
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Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 34738

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kenji Miura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Interests: plant abiotic stress response; plant biotechnology; protein production; genome editing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants are continuously exposed to various stresses in their natural environment. The growth and development of plants are highly affected by these environmental stresses, such as heat, cold, drought, salt, nutrient deficiency, ultraviolet radiation, and heavy metal. To acclimate to several kinds of environmental stress conditions at the molecular, cellular, and at the whole plant levels, plants have evolved a complex system to dynamically respond to environmental conditions. Plant signaling pathways, which sense environmental stimuli, respond to them, regulate downstream genes, and subsequently stimulate morphological and physiological changes, have a fundamental role in adaptation processes. In stress responses, plant hormones, reactive oxygen species, calcium, as well as transcription factors are important factors. This fundamental knowledge can provide important agricultural parameters to improve crop yield or obtain crops more able to adapt to environmental stresses.

In this Special Issue, signaling pathways and response mechanisms to acclimate abiotic stresses will be given focus.

Dr. Kenji Miura
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • abiotic stress response
  • signaling pathway
  • phytohormone
  • phenotype
  • adaptation
  • development

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1786 KiB  
Article
Overexpression of CpADC from Chinese Cherry (Cerasus pseudocerasus Lindl. ‘Manaohong’) Promotes the Ability of Response to Drought in Arabidopsis thaliana
by Jiaxin Ran, Chunqiong Shang, Lina Mei, Shuang Li, Tian Tian and Guang Qiao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(23), 14943; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232314943 - 29 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1061
Abstract
Polyamines (PA) play an important role in the growth, development and stress resistance of plants, and arginine decarboxylase (ADC) is one of the key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway of polyamines. Previously, the transcriptional regulation of the ‘Manaohong’ cherry under the shelter covering [...] Read more.
Polyamines (PA) play an important role in the growth, development and stress resistance of plants, and arginine decarboxylase (ADC) is one of the key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway of polyamines. Previously, the transcriptional regulation of the ‘Manaohong’ cherry under the shelter covering was carried out, and the PA synthase-related genes, particularly the ADC gene, were differentially expressed as exposure to drought stress. However, the mechanisms of how ADC is involved in the response of cherry to abiotic stress (especially drought stress) are still unknown. In the present work, the full-length coding sequence of this gene was isolated and named CpADC. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that the coding sequence of CpADC was 2529 bp in length. Cluster analysis showed that CpADC had the highest homologies with those of sweet cherry (Prunus avium, XP_021806331) and peach (Prunus persica, XP_007200307). Subcellular localization detected that the CpADC was localized in the plant nucleus. The qPCR quantification showed that CpADC was differentially expressed in roots, stems, leaves, flower buds, flowers, and fruits at different periods. Drought stress treatments were applied to both wild-type (WT) and transgenic Arabidopsis lines, and relevant physiological indicators were measured, and the results showed that the putrescine content of transgenic Arabidopsis was higher than that of WT under high-temperature treatment. The results showed that the MDA content of WT was consistently higher than that of transgenic plants and that the degree of stress in WT was more severe than in transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating that transgenic CpADC was able to enhance the stress resistance of the plants. Both the transgenic and WT plants had significantly higher levels of proline in their leaves after the stress treatment than before, but the WT plant had lower levels of proline than that of transgenic Arabidopsis in both cases. This shows that the accumulation of proline in the transgenic plants was higher than that in the wild type under drought and high and low-temperature stress, suggesting that the transgenic plants are more stress tolerant than the WT. Taken together, our results reveal that, under drought stress, the increase in both expressions of CpADC gene and Put (putrescine) accumulation regulates the activity of ADC, the content of MDA and Pro to enhance the drought resistance of Arabidopsis thaliana. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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18 pages, 3557 KiB  
Article
Combining Physio-Biochemical Characterization and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal the Responses to Varying Degrees of Drought Stress in Brassica napus L.
by Shuai Fang, Peimin Zhao, Zengdong Tan, Yan Peng, Lintang Xu, Yutong Jin, Fang Wei, Liang Guo and Xuan Yao
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(15), 8555; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23158555 - 02 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1879
Abstract
Brassica napus L. has become one of the most important oil-bearing crops, and drought stress severely influences its yield and quality. By combining physio-biochemical characterization and transcriptome analysis, we studied the response of B. napus plants to different degrees of drought stress. Some [...] Read more.
Brassica napus L. has become one of the most important oil-bearing crops, and drought stress severely influences its yield and quality. By combining physio-biochemical characterization and transcriptome analysis, we studied the response of B. napus plants to different degrees of drought stress. Some physio-biochemical traits, such as fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), abscisic acid (ABA) content, net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (Tr), were measured, and the total content of the epidermal wax/cutin, as well as their compositions, was determined. The results suggest that both stomatal transpiration and cuticular transpiration are affected when B. napus plants are subjected to varying degrees of drought stress. A total of 795 up-regulated genes and 1050 down-regulated genes were identified under severe drought stress by transcriptome analysis. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that the up-regulated genes were mainly enriched in the stress response processes, such as response to water deprivation and abscisic acid, while the down-regulated genes were mainly enriched in the chloroplast-related parts affecting photosynthesis. Moreover, overexpression of BnaA01.CIPK6, an up-regulated DEG, was found to confer drought tolerance in B. napus. Our study lays a foundation for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying drought tolerance in B. napus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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18 pages, 5084 KiB  
Article
Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Cold-Tolerant and Cold-Sensitive Pepper Species Reveal Key Genes and Essential Metabolic Pathways Involved in Response to Cold Stress
by Chonglun Gao, Muhammad Ali Mumtaz, Yan Zhou, Zhuang Yang, Huangying Shu, Jie Zhu, Wenlong Bao, Shanhan Cheng, Liyan Yin, Jiaquan Huang and Zhiwei Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(12), 6683; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23126683 - 15 Jun 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2418
Abstract
Cold stress, triggered by particularly low temperatures, is one of the most severe forms of abiotic stress in pepper plants and a major constraint to the global pepper industry, threatening crop production and food security. To acclimatize to extreme conditions, the plant undergoes [...] Read more.
Cold stress, triggered by particularly low temperatures, is one of the most severe forms of abiotic stress in pepper plants and a major constraint to the global pepper industry, threatening crop production and food security. To acclimatize to extreme conditions, the plant undergoes numerous modifications, including genetic and metabolic modulations. A thorough study of both the genetic and metabolic alterations of plants in response to cold stress is vital to understanding and developing the cold stress resistance mechanism. This study implemented transcriptome and metabolome analyses to evaluate the cold stress response in cold-tolerant and cold-sensitive pepper species. The weighted gene co-expression network revealed three significant modules related to cold stress tolerance in Capsicum pubescens. We identified 17 commonly enriched genes among both species at different time points in 10 different comparisons, including the AP2 transcription factor, LRR receptor-like serine, hypersensitivity-related 4-like protein, and uncharacterized novel.295 and novel.6172 genes. A pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these DEGs were mainly associated with the MAPK signaling pathway, hormone signaling pathway, and primary and secondary metabolism. Additionally, 21 significantly differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were identified in both species after 6 h of cold stress. A transcriptome and metabolome integrated analysis revealed that 54 genes correlated with metabolites enriched in five different pathways. Most genes and metabolites involved in carbohydrate metabolism, the TCA cycle, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were upregulated in cold-tolerant plants under cold stress. Together, the results of this study provide a comprehensive gene regulatory and metabolic network in response to cold stress and identified some key genes and metabolic pathways involved in pepper cold tolerance. This study lays a foundation for the functional characterization and development of pepper cultivars with improved cold tolerance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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16 pages, 3129 KiB  
Article
A Rice R2R3-Type MYB Transcription Factor OsFLP Positively Regulates Drought Stress Response via OsNAC
by Xiaoxiao Qu, Junjie Zou, Junxue Wang, Kezhen Yang, Xiaoqin Wang and Jie Le
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 5873; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23115873 - 24 May 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1996
Abstract
Abiotic stresses adversely affect plant growth and the yield of crops worldwide. R2R3-MYB transcriptional factors have been found to be vital for plants to confer stress response. In Arabidopsis, FOUR LIPS (FLP, MYB124) and its paralogous MYB88 function redundantly regulated the symmetric [...] Read more.
Abiotic stresses adversely affect plant growth and the yield of crops worldwide. R2R3-MYB transcriptional factors have been found to be vital for plants to confer stress response. In Arabidopsis, FOUR LIPS (FLP, MYB124) and its paralogous MYB88 function redundantly regulated the symmetric division of guard mother cells (GMCs) and abiotic stress response. Here, OsFLP was identified as an R2R3-MYB transcriptional activator and localized in the nucleus. OsFLP was transiently induced by drought, salt stress and abscisic acid (ABA). Overexpression of OsFLP showed enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses. The stomatal density in OsFLP-OE plants was not changed, whereas the stomatal closure was sensitive to ABA treatment compared to wild-type plants. In contrast, OsFLP-RNAi plants had abnormal stomata and were sensitive to drought. Moreover, the transcripts of stomatal closure-related genes DST and peroxidase 24 precursor, which are identified as downstream of OsNAC1, were inhibited in OsFLP-RNAi plants. The yeast-one-hybrid assay indicated that OsFLP can specifically bind and positively regulate OsNAC1 and OsNAC6. Meanwhile, stress response genes, such as OsLEA3 and OsDREB2A, were up-regulated in OsFLP-OE plants. These findings suggested that OsFLP positively participates in drought stress, mainly through regulating regulators’ transcripts of OsNAC1 and OsNAC6. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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25 pages, 10289 KiB  
Article
Modulation of Steroid and Triterpenoid Metabolism in Calendula officinalis Plants and Hairy Root Cultures Exposed to Cadmium Stress
by Agata Rogowska, Cezary Pączkowski and Anna Szakiel
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5640; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23105640 - 18 May 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1796
Abstract
The present study investigated the changes in the content of steroids and triterpenoids in C. officinalis hairy root cultures and plants exposed to cadmium stress. The observed effects included the content and composition of analyzed groups of compounds, particularly the proportions among individual [...] Read more.
The present study investigated the changes in the content of steroids and triterpenoids in C. officinalis hairy root cultures and plants exposed to cadmium stress. The observed effects included the content and composition of analyzed groups of compounds, particularly the proportions among individual sterols (e.g., stigmasterol-to-sitosterol ratio), their ester and glycoside conjugates. The total sterol content increased in roots (by 30%) and hairy root culture (by 44%), whereas it decreased in shoots (by 15%); moreover, these effects were inversely correlated with Cd-induced growth suppression. Metabolic alterations of sterols and their forms seemed to play a greater role in the response to Cd stress in roots than in shoots. The symptoms of the competition between general metabolites (sterols) and specialized metabolites (triterpenoids) were also observed, i.e., the increase of the sterol biosynthesis parallel to the decrease of the triterpenoid content in C. officinalis plant roots and hairy root culture, and the inverse phenomenon in shoots. The similarity of the metabolic modifications observed in the present study on C. officinalis plant roots and hairy roots confirmed the possibility of application of plant in vitro cultures in initial studies for physiological research on plant response to environmental stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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20 pages, 4076 KiB  
Article
Unraveling Cadmium Toxicity in Trifolium repens L. Seedling: Insight into Regulatory Mechanisms Using Comparative Transcriptomics Combined with Physiological Analyses
by Feifei Wu, Jinwan Fan, Xiuwen Ye, Lili Yang, Ruchang Hu, Jieyu Ma, Sainan Ma, Dandan Li, Jiqiong Zhou, Gang Nie and Xinquan Zhang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 4612; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23094612 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2104
Abstract
Trifolium repens (T. repens) can accumulate significant amounts of heavy metal ions, and has strong adaptability to wide environmental conditions, and relatively large biomass, which is considered a potential plant for phytoremediation. However, the molecular mechanisms of T. repens involved in [...] Read more.
Trifolium repens (T. repens) can accumulate significant amounts of heavy metal ions, and has strong adaptability to wide environmental conditions, and relatively large biomass, which is considered a potential plant for phytoremediation. However, the molecular mechanisms of T. repens involved in Cd tolerance have not yet been studied in detail. This study was conducted to examine the integrative responses of T. repens exposed to a high-level CdCl2 by investigating the physiological and transcriptomic analyses. The results suggested that T. repens seedlings had a high degree of tolerance to Cd treatment. The roots accumulated higher Cd concentration than leaves and were mainly distributed in the cell wall. The content of MDA, soluble protein, the relative electrolyte leakage, and three antioxidant enzymes (POD, SOD, and APX) was increased with the Cd treatment time increasing, but the CAT enzymes contents were decreased in roots. Furthermore, the transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) mainly enriched in the glutathione (GSH) metabolism pathway and the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in the roots. Overexpressed genes in the lignin biosynthesis in the roots might improve Cd accumulation in cell walls. Moreover, the DEGs were also enriched in photosynthesis in the leaves, transferase activity, oxidoreductase activity, and ABA signal transduction, which might also play roles in reducing Cd toxicity in the plants. All the above, clearly suggest that T. repens employ several different mechanisms to protect itself against Cd stress, while the cell wall biosynthesis and GSH metabolism could be considered the most important specific mechanisms for Cd retention in the roots of T. repens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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13 pages, 2252 KiB  
Article
The Growth, Lipid Accumulation and Fatty Acid Profile Analysis by Abscisic Acid and Indol-3-Acetic Acid Induced in Chlorella sp. FACHB-8
by Yihua Lin, Yue Dai, Weinan Xu, Xiaobin Wu, Yanyan Li, Hongmei Zhu and Hantao Zhou
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(7), 4064; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23074064 - 06 Apr 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2488
Abstract
Microalgae are considered a promising source for biodiesel. The addition of plant hormone can exert a significant impact on the production of microalgae biomass and lipid accumulation. Nevertheless, the response of microalgae cells to hormones is species- or strain-dependent. It remains controversial which [...] Read more.
Microalgae are considered a promising source for biodiesel. The addition of plant hormone can exert a significant impact on the production of microalgae biomass and lipid accumulation. Nevertheless, the response of microalgae cells to hormones is species- or strain-dependent. It remains controversial which genes involved in strong increase of fatty acids production in response to abscisic acid (ABA) in Chlorella sp. FACHB-8 strain. We investigated cell growth, lipid accumulation, and fatty acid composition when ABA and indol-3-acetic acid (IAA) were used in the growth medium of Chlorella sp. FACHB-8. The four treatments, including 5 mg/L IAA (E1), 10 mg/L IAA (E2), 10 mg/L ABA (E3), the combination of 5 mg/L IAA and 5 mg/L ABA (E4), were found to increase cell growth, but only 10 mg/L ABA treatment could enhance the lipid accumulation. The fatty acid profile was changed by the addition of ABA, making fatty acids afflux from polyunsaturated fatty acids to monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids, which were suitable for diesel application. Furthermore, a transcriptome analysis was conducted, unraveling the differentially expressed genes enriched in fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and biosynthesis of the unsaturated fatty acid pathway in response to ABA. Our results clarified the correlation of fatty acid synthesis-related genes and fatty acid profiles, helping understand the potential response mechanism of Chlorella sp. FACHB-8 strain respond to ABA treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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14 pages, 2106 KiB  
Article
Two Triacylglycerol Lipases Are Negative Regulators of Chilling Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis
by Ling Wang, Bilian Qian, Lei Zhao, Ming-Hua Liang, Xiangqiang Zhan and Jianhua Zhu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(6), 3380; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23063380 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2375
Abstract
Cold stress is one of the abiotic stress conditions that severely limit plant growth and development and productivity. Triacylglycerol lipases are important metabolic enzymes for the catabolism of triacylglycerols and, therefore, play important roles in cellular activities including seed germination and early seedling [...] Read more.
Cold stress is one of the abiotic stress conditions that severely limit plant growth and development and productivity. Triacylglycerol lipases are important metabolic enzymes for the catabolism of triacylglycerols and, therefore, play important roles in cellular activities including seed germination and early seedling establishment. However, whether they play a role in cold stress responses remains unknown. In this study, we characterized two Arabidopsis triacylglycerol lipases, MPL1 and LIP1 and defined their role in cold stress. The expression of MPL1 and LIP1 is reduced by cold stress, suggesting that they may be negative factors related to cold stress. Indeed, we found that loss-of-function of MPL1 and LIP1 resulted in increased cold tolerance and that the mpl1lip1 double mutant displayed an additive effect on cold tolerance. We performed RNA-seq analysis to reveal the global effect of the mpl1 and lip1 mutations on gene expression under cold stress. The mpl1 mutation had a small effect on gene expression under both under control and cold stress conditions whereas the lip1 mutation caused a much stronger effect on gene expression under control and cold stress conditions. The mpl1lip1 double mutant had a moderate effect on gene expression under control and cold stress conditions. Together, our results indicate that MPL1 and LIP1 triacylglycerol lipases are negative regulators of cold tolerance without any side effects on growth in Arabidopsis and that they might be ideal candidates for breeding cold-tolerant crops through genome editing technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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20 pages, 4628 KiB  
Article
Balancing Damage via Non-Photochemical Quenching, Phenolic Compounds and Photorespiration in Ulva prolifera Induced by Low-Dose and Short-Term UV-B Radiation
by Yi Zhong, Jinhui Xu, Xinyu Zhao, Tongfei Qu, Chen Guan, Chengzong Hou, Xuexi Tang and Ying Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(5), 2693; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23052693 - 28 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1704
Abstract
The Yellow Sea green tide (YSGT) is the world’s largest transregional macroalgal blooms, and the causative species Ulva prolifera (U. prolifera) suffers from ultraviolet-b radiation (UVBR) during the floating migration process. Previous study confirmed that U. prolifera displayed a wide variety [...] Read more.
The Yellow Sea green tide (YSGT) is the world’s largest transregional macroalgal blooms, and the causative species Ulva prolifera (U. prolifera) suffers from ultraviolet-b radiation (UVBR) during the floating migration process. Previous study confirmed that U. prolifera displayed a wide variety of physiological responses characterized as acclimation to UVBR, while the response mechanisms against low-dose and short-term radiation (LDSTR) are not clear. A study with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and UVBR was designed: normal light (NL: 72 μmol photons m−2 s−1), NL+0.3 (UVBR: 0.3 W·m−2), and NL+1.6 (UVBR: 1.6 W·m−2). The results showed that high-dose UVBR inhibited photosynthesis in thalli, especially under long-term exposure, while a variety of physiological responses were observed under LDSTR. The inhibition of photosynthesis appeared to be ameliorated by the algae under LDSTR. Further analysis showed that U. prolifera achieved balancing damage by means of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), accumulation of phenolic compounds coupled with the ASA-GSH cycle involved in the antioxidant process and enhanced photorespiratory metabolism under LDSTR. This study provides new insights into the balancing damage mechanisms of U. prolifera under LDSTR, enabling the thalli to adapt to the light conditions during the long duration and distance involved in floating migration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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14 pages, 4196 KiB  
Article
Heat Stress Reduces Root Meristem Size via Induction of Plasmodesmal Callose Accumulation Inhibiting Phloem Unloading in Arabidopsis
by Jie Liu, Yao Liu, Shuang Wang, Yongqi Cui and Dawei Yan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(4), 2063; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23042063 - 13 Feb 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2574
Abstract
The intercellular transport of sugars, nutrients, and small molecules is essential for plant growth, development, and adaptation to environmental changes. Various stresses are known to affect the cell-to-cell molecular trafficking modulated by plasmodesmal permeability. However, the mechanisms of plasmodesmata modification and molecules involved [...] Read more.
The intercellular transport of sugars, nutrients, and small molecules is essential for plant growth, development, and adaptation to environmental changes. Various stresses are known to affect the cell-to-cell molecular trafficking modulated by plasmodesmal permeability. However, the mechanisms of plasmodesmata modification and molecules involved in the phloem unloading process under stress are still not well understood. Here, we show that heat stress reduces the root meristem size and inhibits phloem unloading by inducing callose accumulation at plasmodesmata that connect the sieve element and phloem pole pericycle. Furthermore, we identify the loss-of-function of CALLOSE SYNTHASE 8 (CalS8), which is expressed specifically in the phloem pole pericycle, decreasing the plasmodesmal callose deposition at the interface between the sieve element and phloem pole pericycle and alleviating the suppression at root meristem size by heat stress. Our studies indicate the involvement of callose in the interaction between root meristem growth and heat stress and show that CalS8 negatively regulates the thermotolerance of Arabidopsis roots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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14 pages, 4175 KiB  
Article
Potential Carbohydrate Regulation Mechanism Underlying Starvation-Induced Abscission of Tomato Flower
by Qiang Li, Lin Chai, Na Tong, Hongjun Yu and Weijie Jiang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(4), 1952; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23041952 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1966
Abstract
Tomato flower abscission is a critical agronomic problem directly affecting yield. It often occurs in greenhouses in winter, with the weak light or hazy weather leading to insufficient photosynthates. The importance of carbohydrate availability in flower retention has been illustrated, while relatively little [...] Read more.
Tomato flower abscission is a critical agronomic problem directly affecting yield. It often occurs in greenhouses in winter, with the weak light or hazy weather leading to insufficient photosynthates. The importance of carbohydrate availability in flower retention has been illustrated, while relatively little is understood concerning the mechanism of carbohydrate regulation on flower abscission. In the present study, we analyzed the responding pattern of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC, including total soluble sugars and starch) and the potential sugar signal pathway involved in abscission regulation in tomato flowers under shading condition, and their correlations with flower abscission rate and abscission-related hormones. The results showed that, when plants suffer from short-term photosynthesis deficiency, starch degradation in flower organs acts as a self-protection mechanism, providing a carbon source for flower growth and temporarily alleviating the impact on flower development. Trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) and sucrose non-fermenting-like kinase (SnRK1) signaling seems to be involved in adapting the metabolism to sugar starvation stress through regulating starch remobilization and crosstalk with IAA, ABA, and ethylene in flowers. However, a continuous limitation of assimilating supply imposed starch depletion in flowers, which caused flower abscission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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18 pages, 4083 KiB  
Article
Metabolome Profiling of Heat Priming Effects, Senescence, and Acclimation of Bread Wheat Induced by High Temperatures at Different Growth Stages
by Sachiko Matsunaga, Yuji Yamasaki, Ryosuke Mega, Yusuke Toda, Kinya Akashi and Hisashi Tsujimoto
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(23), 13139; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222313139 - 05 Dec 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2231
Abstract
Our previous study described stage-specific responses of ‘Norin 61’ bread wheat to high temperatures from seedling to tillering (GS1), tillering to flowering (GS2), flowering to full maturity stage (GS3), and seedling to full maturity stage (GS1–3). The grain development phase lengthened in GS1 [...] Read more.
Our previous study described stage-specific responses of ‘Norin 61’ bread wheat to high temperatures from seedling to tillering (GS1), tillering to flowering (GS2), flowering to full maturity stage (GS3), and seedling to full maturity stage (GS1–3). The grain development phase lengthened in GS1 plants; source tissue decreased in GS2 plants; rapid senescence occurred in GS3 plants; all these effects occurred in GS1–3 plants. The present study quantified 69 flag leaf metabolites during early grain development to reveal the effects of stage-specific high-temperature stress and identify markers that predict grain weight. Heat stresses during GS2 and GS3 showed the largest shifts in metabolite contents compared with the control, followed by GS1–3 and GS1. The GS3 plants accumulated nucleosides related to the nucleotide salvage pathway, beta-alanine, and serotonin. Accumulation of these compounds in GS1 plants was significantly lower than in the control, suggesting that the reduction related to the high-temperature priming effect observed in the phenotype (i.e., inhibition of senescence). The GS2 plants accumulated a large quantity of free amino acids, indicating residual effects of the previous high-temperature treatment and recovery from stress. However, levels in GS1–3 plants tended to be close to those in the control, indicating an acclimation response. Beta-alanine, serotonin, tryptophan, proline, and putrescine are potential molecular markers that predict grain weight due to their correlation with agronomic traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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18 pages, 4319 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification of GDSL-Type Esterase/Lipase Gene Family in Dasypyrum villosum L. Reveals That DvGELP53 Is Related to BSMV Infection
by Heng Zhang, Xu Zhang, Jia Zhao, Li Sun, Haiyan Wang, Ying Zhu, Jin Xiao and Xiue Wang
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(22), 12317; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222212317 - 15 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2064
Abstract
GDSL-type esterase/lipase proteins (GELPs) characterized by a conserved GDSL motif at their N-terminus belong to the lipid hydrolysis enzyme superfamily. In plants, GELPs play an important role in plant growth, development and stress response. The studies of the identification and characterization of the [...] Read more.
GDSL-type esterase/lipase proteins (GELPs) characterized by a conserved GDSL motif at their N-terminus belong to the lipid hydrolysis enzyme superfamily. In plants, GELPs play an important role in plant growth, development and stress response. The studies of the identification and characterization of the GELP gene family in Triticeae have not been reported. In this study, 193 DvGELPs were identified in Dasypyrum villosum and classified into 11 groups (clade A–K) by means of phylogenetic analysis. Most DvGELPs contain only one GDSL domain, only four DvGELPs contain other domains besides the GDSL domain. Gene structure analysis indicated 35.2% DvGELP genes have four introns and five exons. In the promoter regions of the identified DvGELPs, we detected 4502 putative cis-elements, which were associated with plant hormones, plant growth, environmental stress and light responsiveness. Expression profiling revealed 36, 44 and 17 DvGELPs were highly expressed in the spike, the root and the grain, respectively. Further investigation of a root-specific expressing GELP, DvGELP53, indicated it was induced by a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. The knockdown of DvGELP53 inhibited long-distance movement of BSMV in the tissue of D. villosum. This research provides a genome-wide glimpse of the D. villosum GELP genes and hints at the participation of DvGELP53 in the interaction between virus and plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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15 pages, 2801 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Differences in Response Mechanisms to Low-Nitrogen Stress in Two Wheat Varieties
by Huishu Yan, Huawei Shi, Chengmei Hu, Mingzhao Luo, Chengjie Xu, Shuguang Wang, Ning Li, Wensi Tang, Yongbin Zhou, Chunxiao Wang, Zhaoshi Xu, Jun Chen, Youzhi Ma, Daizhen Sun and Ming Chen
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(22), 12278; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222212278 - 13 Nov 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2576
Abstract
Nitrogen plays a crucial role in wheat growth and development. Here, we analyzed the tolerance of wheat strains XM26 and LM23 to low-nitrogen stress using a chlorate sensitivity experiment. Subsequently, we performed transcriptome analyses of both varieties exposed to low-nitrogen (LN) and normal [...] Read more.
Nitrogen plays a crucial role in wheat growth and development. Here, we analyzed the tolerance of wheat strains XM26 and LM23 to low-nitrogen stress using a chlorate sensitivity experiment. Subsequently, we performed transcriptome analyses of both varieties exposed to low-nitrogen (LN) and normal (CK) treatments. Compared with those under CK treatment, 3534 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in XM26 in roots and shoots under LN treatment (p < 0.05, and |log2FC| > 1). A total of 3584 DEGs were detected in LM23. A total of 3306 DEGs, including 863 DEGs in roots and 2443 DEGs in shoots, were specifically expressed in XM26 or showed huge differences between XM26 and LM23 (log2FC ratio > 3). These were selected for gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. The calcium-mediated plant–pathogen interaction, MAPK signaling, and phosphatidylinositol signaling pathways were enriched in XM26 but not in LM23. We also verified the expression of important genes involved in these pathways in the two varieties using qRT-PCR. A total of 156 transcription factors were identified among the DEGs, and their expression patterns were different between the two varieties. Our findings suggest that calcium-related pathways play different roles in the two varieties, eliciting different tolerances to low-nitrogen stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 684 KiB  
Review
DNA Methylation in Plant Responses and Adaption to Abiotic Stresses
by Minghui Sun, Zhuo Yang, Li Liu and Liu Duan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(13), 6910; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23136910 - 21 Jun 2022
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 4474
Abstract
Due to their sessile state, plants are inevitably affected by and respond to the external environment. So far, plants have developed multiple adaptation and regulation strategies to abiotic stresses. One such system is epigenetic regulation, among which DNA methylation is one of the [...] Read more.
Due to their sessile state, plants are inevitably affected by and respond to the external environment. So far, plants have developed multiple adaptation and regulation strategies to abiotic stresses. One such system is epigenetic regulation, among which DNA methylation is one of the earliest and most studied regulatory mechanisms, which can regulate genome functioning and induce plant resistance and adaption to abiotic stresses. In this review, we outline the most recent findings on plant DNA methylation responses to drought, high temperature, cold, salt, and heavy metal stresses. In addition, we discuss stress memory regulated by DNA methylation, both in a transient way and the long-term memory that could pass to next generations. To sum up, the present review furnishes an updated account of DNA methylation in plant responses and adaptations to abiotic stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Abiotic Stress: Signaling and Responses)
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