scholarly journals Desiccation tolerance in streptophyte algae and the algae to land plant transition: evolution of LEA and MIP protein families within the Viridiplantae

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 3270-3278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burkhard Becker ◽  
Xuehuan Feng ◽  
Yanbin Yin ◽  
Andreas Holzinger
Keyword(s):  
Desiccation Tolerance ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Land Plant ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Land Plants ◽  
Desiccation Stress ◽  
Protein Families ◽  
Intrinsic Protein ◽  
Late Embryogenesis

Abstract The present review summarizes the effects of desiccation in streptophyte green algae, as numerous experimental studies have been performed over the past decade particularly in the early branching streptophyte Klebsormidium sp. and the late branching Zygnema circumcarinatum. The latter genus gives its name to the Zygenmatophyceae, the sister group to land plants. For both organisms, transcriptomic investigations of desiccation stress are available, and illustrate a high variability in the stress response depending on the conditions and the strains used. However, overall, the responses of both organisms to desiccation stress are very similar to that of land plants. We highlight the evolution of two highly regulated protein families, the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins and the major intrinsic protein (MIP) family. Chlorophytes and streptophytes encode LEA4 and LEA5, while LEA2 have so far only been found in streptophyte algae, indicating an evolutionary origin in this group. Within the MIP family, a high transcriptomic regulation of a tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) has been found for the first time outside the embryophytes in Z. circumcarinatum. The MIP family became more complex on the way to terrestrialization but simplified afterwards. These observations suggest a key role for water transport proteins in desiccation tolerance of streptophytes.

Approaches to elucidate the basis of desiccation-tolerance in seeds

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison R. Kermode
Keyword(s):  
Water Deficit ◽  
Desiccation Tolerance ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
High Water ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Late Embryogenesis ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Orthodox Seeds ◽  
Adverse Environmental Conditions

AbstractPlants undergo a series of physiological, biochemical and molecular changes in response to adverse environmental conditions or stresses such as drought, low temperature or high salt. Several genes and their corresponding proteins have been described that may play a role in withstanding water-deficit-related stresses or full desiccation. In particular, sugars and late-embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins have received the most attention. Plant responses to water-deficit and desiccation have been well-characterized at the molecular level; however, pinpointing the precise roles of the gene products in protecting cells under conditions of water deficit remains a challenging task. While few plants are capable of withstanding full desiccation, most seeds undergo this event as a pre-programmed and final stage in their development. These are the so-called ‘orthodox’ seeds. In contrast to seeds of orthodox species, those of recalcitrant species do not acquire desiccation tolerance during their development and are shed from the parent plant at relatively high water contents. The essential components of desiccation tolerance of seeds are likely to involve the ability to effect repair upon subsequent rehydration as well as the ability to accumulate protective substances that limit the amount of damage which otherwise would be caused by water loss. Studies have begun to examine whether the desiccation sensitivity of recalcitrant seeds is at least partially the result of an insufficient accumulation of LEA-type proteins, or whether other factors (including a lack of protective sugars) are more important. This review assesses some of these studies as well as recent research to understand gene and protein function using transgenic host plant systems.

‘Dehydrin-like’ proteins and desiccation tolerance in seeds

1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. H. Gee ◽  
R. J. Probert ◽  
S. A. Coomber
Keyword(s):  
Desiccation Tolerance ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽  
Lea Proteins ◽  
Late Embryogenesis ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe relationship between tolerance of seeds to extreme desiccation and the presence of ‘dehydrinlike’ proteins was investigated in groups of related taxa from the unrelated plant families Aceraceae and Gramineae. Dehydrin-like proteins were identified by Western blot analysis using an antibody raised against a synthetic oligopeptide representing the 23-amino acid consensus sequence common to all group 2 late-embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) proteins.Evidence is presented that seeds of Acer pseudoplatanus and A. saccharinum are desiccation intolerant (recalcitrant) whereas seeds of A. platanoides and A. rubrum are desiccation tolerant (orthodox). Despite these differences, dehydrinlike proteins at 60 and 20 kDa were detected in all four species.Dehydrins at 20 kDa were also detected in seed samples of two aquatic grasses, Porteresia coarctata and Oryza sativa from the tribe Oryzeae, despite seeds of the former rapidly losing viability on drying, whereas O. sativa is one of the best-known examples of desiccation-tolerant seeds. In O. sativa, there was a correlation between contents of dehydrins detected and the proportion of individuals capable of withstanding extreme drying. However, the possibility of a causal link between these parameters is equivocal. Dehydrin-like proteins were also detected in desiccation-sensitive seeds of Zizania palustris, Z. latifolia and Z. texana and desiccation-intolerant seeds of Spartina anglica, all from the Gramineae.The presence of group 2 LEAs is clearly not diagnostic of desiccation tolerance in seeds. However, a more direct correlation with the expression of other groups of LEAs cannot be discounted.

scholarly journals Transcriptomic Effects of Acute Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure on Two Syntrichia Mosses

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna T. B. Ekwealor ◽  
Brent D. Mishler
Keyword(s):  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Desiccation Tolerance ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Transcriptomic Response ◽  
Syntrichia Caninervis ◽  
Late Embryogenesis ◽  
Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure ◽  
Inducible Protein ◽  
Genetic Responses

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a major environmental stressor for terrestrial plants. Here we investigated genetic responses to acute broadband UVR exposure in the highly desiccation-tolerant mosses Syntrichia caninervis and Syntrichia ruralis, using a comparative transcriptomics approach. We explored whether UVR protection is physiologically plastic and induced by UVR exposure, addressing the following questions: (1) What is the timeline of changes in the transcriptome with acute UVR exposure in these two species? (2) What genes are involved in the UVR response? and (3) How do the two species differ in their transcriptomic response to UVR? There were remarkable differences between the two species after 10 and 30 min of UVR exposure, including no overlap in significantly differentially abundant transcripts (DATs) after 10 min of UVR exposure and more than twice as many DATs for S. caninervis as there were for S. ruralis. Photosynthesis-related transcripts were involved in the response of S. ruralis to UVR, while membrane-related transcripts were indicated in the response of S. caninervis. In both species, transcripts involved in oxidative stress and those important for desiccation tolerance (such as late embryogenesis abundant genes and early light-inducible protein genes) were involved in response to UVR, suggesting possible roles in UVR tolerance and cross-talk with desiccation tolerance in these species. The results of this study suggest potential UVR-induced responses that may have roles outside of UVR tolerance, and that the response to URV is different in these two species, perhaps a reflection of adaptation to different environmental conditions.

scholarly journals A ligand-independent origin of abscisic acid perception

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (49) ◽  
pp. 24892-24899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufei Sun ◽  
Ben Harpazi ◽  
Akila Wijerathna-Yapa ◽  
Ebe Merilo ◽  
Jan de Vries ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Desiccation Tolerance ◽  
Algal Species ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Land Plant ◽  
Land Plants ◽  
Receptor Signal ◽  
Ancestral Function ◽  
Colonization Of Land ◽  
Successful Colonization

Land plants are considered monophyletic, descending from a single successful colonization of land by an aquatic algal ancestor. The ability to survive dehydration to the point of desiccation is a key adaptive trait enabling terrestrialization. In extant land plants, desiccation tolerance depends on the action of the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) that acts through a receptor-signal transduction pathway comprising a PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE 1-like (PYL)–PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2C (PP2C)–SNF1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE 2 (SnRK2) module. Early-diverging aeroterrestrial algae mount a dehydration response that is similar to that of land plants, but that does not depend on ABA: Although ABA synthesis is widespread among algal species, ABA-dependent responses are not detected, and algae lack an ABA-binding PYL homolog. This raises the key question of how ABA signaling arose in the earliest land plants. Here, we systematically characterized ABA receptor-like proteins from major land plant lineages, including a protein found in the algal sister lineage of land plants. We found that the algal PYL-homolog encoded by Zygnema circumcarinatum has basal, ligand-independent activity of PP2C repression, suggesting this to be an ancestral function. Similarly, a liverwort receptor possesses basal activity, but it is further activated by ABA. We propose that co-option of ABA to control a preexisting PP2C-SnRK2-dependent desiccation-tolerance pathway enabled transition from an all-or-nothing survival strategy to a hormone-modulated, competitive strategy by enabling continued growth of anatomically diversifying vascular plants in dehydrative conditions, enabling them to exploit their new environment more efficiently.

scholarly journals Genome-wide search and structural and functional analyses for late embryogenesis-abundant (LEA) gene family in poplar

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihan Cheng ◽  
Xuemei Zhang ◽  
Wenjing Yao ◽  
Kai Zhao ◽  
Lin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Family ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Late Embryogenesis Abundant ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Lea Gene ◽  
Late Embryogenesis ◽  
Genome Wide Search

Abstract Background The Late Embryogenesis-Abundant (LEA) gene families, which play significant roles in regulation of tolerance to abiotic stresses, widely exist in higher plants. Poplar is a tree species that has important ecological and economic values. But systematic studies on the gene family have not been reported yet in poplar. Results On the basis of genome-wide search, we identified 88 LEA genes from Populus trichocarpa and renamed them as PtrLEA. The PtrLEA genes have fewer introns, and their promoters contain more cis-regulatory elements related to abiotic stress tolerance. Our results from comparative genomics indicated that the PtrLEA genes are conserved and homologous to related genes in other species, such as Eucalyptus robusta, Solanum lycopersicum and Arabidopsis. Using RNA-Seq data collected from poplar under two conditions (with and without salt treatment), we detected 24, 22 and 19 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in roots, stems and leaves, respectively. Then we performed spatiotemporal expression analysis of the four up-regulated DEGs shared by the tissues, constructed gene co-expression-based networks, and investigated gene function annotations. Conclusion Lines of evidence indicated that the PtrLEA genes play significant roles in poplar growth and development, as well as in responses to salt stress.

Desiccation Tolerance: Avoiding Cellular Damage During Drying and Rehydration

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 435-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melvin J. Oliver ◽  
Jill M. Farrant ◽  
Henk W.M. Hilhorst ◽  
Sagadevan Mundree ◽  
Brett Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Desiccation Tolerance ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Cellular Responses ◽  
Land Plants ◽  
Cellular Damage ◽  
Cellular Protection ◽  
Vegetative Tissues ◽  
Tolerant Plants ◽  
Core Set ◽  
Protection Mechanisms

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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