scholarly journals Endophytic Bacteria: Hidden Protective Associates of Plants against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-174
Author(s):  
Francisca I. OKUNGBOWA ◽  
Hakeem O. SHITTU ◽  
Henry O. OBIAZIKWOR
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Endophytic Bacteria ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Global Gene Expression ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Culture Independent ◽  
Gene Expression Studies

An endophyte is a microorganism, usually bacterium or fungus, which lives within the internal tissue of a host plant, causing no apparent harm. Some characteristics of an endophyte include ability to promote plant growth and to confer plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Endophytic bacteria spread across many phyla including the Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Endophytic bacteria are recruited by hosts and they get attached to the surface and eventually find their way into the internal tissues where they spread to the intercellular spaces of host plants. These bacteria have been isolated and characterized from different plants. Currently, culture-independent methods such as sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene or metalogenomics are used for identification and characterization of endophytes. The mechanisms by which the endophyte-induced plant protection is brought about can be through direct and/or indirect methods. The direct strategy antagonizes phytopathogens by the production of chemical substances while the indirect mechanisms improve resistance of hosts to pathogens. Global gene expression studies on some common endophytic bacteria implicated these direct and indirect strategies of bacterial-induced protection. More research should be geared towards how the economic importance of endophytic bacteria could be utilized to enhance global food security.

scholarly journals Advances in 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Priming to Enhance Plant Tolerance to Abiotic Stress

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 702
Author(s):  
Shuya Tan ◽  
Jie Cao ◽  
Xinli Xia ◽  
Zhonghai Li
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Nitrogen Assimilation ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Aminolevulinic Acid ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Forward Genetics ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Defense Priming ◽  
Made In

Priming is an adaptive strategy that improves plant defenses against biotic and abiotic stresses. Stimuli from chemicals, abiotic cues, and pathogens can trigger the establishment of priming state. Priming with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a potential plant growth regulator, can enhance plant tolerance to the subsequent abiotic stresses, including salinity, drought, heat, cold, and UV-B. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the remarkable effects of ALA priming on plant physiology remain to be elucidated. Here, we summarize recent progress made in the stress tolerance conferred by ALA priming in plants and provide the underlying molecular and physiology mechanisms of this phenomenon. Priming with ALA results in changes at the physiological, transcriptional, metabolic, and epigenetic levels, and enhances photosynthesis and antioxidant capacity, as well as nitrogen assimilation, which in turn increases the resistance of abiotic stresses. However, the signaling pathway of ALA, including receptors as well as key components, is currently unknown, which hinders the deeper understanding of the defense priming caused by ALA. In the future, there is an urgent need to reveal the molecular mechanisms by which ALA regulates plant development and enhances plant defense with the help of forward genetics, multi-omics technologies, as well as genome editing technology.

scholarly journals Genome-wide characterization of WRKY gene family in Helianthus annuus L. and their expression profiles under biotic and abiotic stresses

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chong Yang ◽  
Juanjuan Li ◽  
Faisal Islam ◽  
Luyang Hu ◽  
Jiansu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helianthus Annuus ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses

Abstract Background: WRKY transcription factors play important roles in various physiological processes and stress responses in flowering plants. However, the information about WRKY genes in Helianthus annuus L. (common sunflower) is limited. Results: Ninety WRKY (HaWRKY) genes were identified and renamed according to their locations on chromosomes. Further phylogenetic analyses classified them into four main groups including a species-specific WKKY group and HaWRKY genes within same group or subgroup generally showed similar exon-intron structures and motif compositions. The tandem and segmental duplication possibly contributed to the diversity and expansion of HaWRKY gene families. Synteny analyses of sunflower WRKY genes provided deep insight to the evolution of HaWRKY genes. Transcriptomic and qRT-PCR analyses of HaWRKY genes displayed distinct expression patterns in different plant tissues, as well as under various abiotic and biotic stresses. Conclusions: Ninety WRKY (HaWRKY) genes were identified from H. annuus L. and classified into four groups. Structures of HaWRKY proteins and their evolutionary characteristics were also investigated. The characterization of HaWRKY genes and their expression profiles under biotic and abiotic stresses in this study provide a foundation for further functional analyses of these genes. Therefore, these functional genes related to increasing the plant tolerance or improving the crop quality, could be applied for the crop improvement..

scholarly journals Metal and Metalloid Toxicity in Plants: An Overview on Molecular Aspects

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 635
Author(s):  
Paola I. Angulo-Bejarano ◽  
Jonathan Puente-Rivera ◽  
Rocío Cruz-Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Soil Contamination ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Organic Molecules ◽  
Plant Genome ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Molecular Aspects

Worldwide, the effects of metal and metalloid toxicity are increasing, mainly due to anthropogenic causes. Soil contamination ranks among the most important factors, since it affects crop yield, and the metals/metalloids can enter the food chain and undergo biomagnification, having concomitant effects on human health and alterations to the environment. Plants have developed complex mechanisms to overcome these biotic and abiotic stresses during evolution. Metals and metalloids exert several effects on plants generated by elements such as Zn, Cu, Al, Pb, Cd, and As, among others. The main strategies involve hyperaccumulation, tolerance, exclusion, and chelation with organic molecules. Recent studies in the omics era have increased knowledge on the plant genome and transcriptome plasticity to defend against these stimuli. The aim of the present review is to summarize relevant findings on the mechanisms by which plants take up, accumulate, transport, tolerate, and respond to this metal/metalloid stress. We also address some of the potential applications of biotechnology to improve plant tolerance or increase accumulation.

scholarly journals Epigenetic Mechanisms of Plant Adaptation to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (20) ◽  
pp. 7457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasily V. Ashapkin ◽  
Lyudmila I. Kutueva ◽  
Nadezhda I. Aleksandrushkina ◽  
Boris F. Vanyushin
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Changing Environment ◽  
Plant Adaptation ◽  
High Tendency ◽  
Adaptive Mutations

Unlike animals, plants are immobile and could not actively escape the effects of aggressive environmental factors, such as pathogenic microorganisms, insect pests, parasitic plants, extreme temperatures, drought, and many others. To counteract these unfavorable encounters, plants have evolved very high phenotypic plasticity. In a rapidly changing environment, adaptive phenotypic changes often occur in time frames that are too short for the natural selection of adaptive mutations. Probably, some kind of epigenetic variability underlines environmental adaptation in these cases. Indeed, isogenic plants often have quite variable phenotypes in different habitats. There are examples of successful “invasions” of relatively small and genetically homogenous plant populations into entirely new habitats. The unique capability of quick environmental adaptation appears to be due to a high tendency to transmit epigenetic changes between plant generations. Multiple studies show that epigenetic memory serves as a mechanism of plant adaptation to a rapidly changing environment and, in particular, to aggressive biotic and abiotic stresses. In wild nature, this mechanism underlies, to a very significant extent, plant capability to live in different habitats and endure drastic environmental changes. In agriculture, a deep understanding of this mechanism could serve to elaborate more effective and safe approaches to plant protection.

scholarly journals Chitin- and Chitosan-Based Derivatives in Plant Protection against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses and in Recovery of Contaminated Soil and Water

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30
Author(s):  
Massimo Malerba ◽  
Raffaella Cerana
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Contaminated Soil ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Crop Tolerance ◽  
Chitin And Chitosan ◽  
Soil And Water

Biotic, abiotic stresses and their unpredictable combinations severely reduce plant growth and crop yield worldwide. The different chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, phytoregulators) so far used to enhance crop tolerance to multistress have a great environmental impact. In the search of more eco-friendly systems to manage plant stresses, chitin, a polysaccharide polymer composed of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D-glucosamine and its deacetylated derivative chitosan appear as promising tools to solve this problem. In fact, these molecules, easily obtainable from crustacean shells and from the cell wall of many fungi, are non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible and able to stimulate plant productivity and to protect crops against pathogens. In addition, chitin and chitosan can act as bioadsorbents for remediation of contaminated soil and water. In this review we summarize recent results obtained using chitin- and chitosan-based derivatives in plant protection against biotic and abiotic stresses and in recovery of contaminated soil and water.

scholarly journals Transgene CpNAC68 from Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) Improves Arabidopsis Survival of Multiple Abiotic Stresses

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1403
Author(s):  
Jie Lin ◽  
Daofeng Liu ◽  
Xia Wang ◽  
Sajjad Ahmed ◽  
Mingyang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Nuclear Protein ◽  
Abiotic Stress Tolerance ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Chimonanthus Praecox

The NAC (NAM, ATAFs, CUC) family of transcription factors (TFs) play a pivotal role in regulating all processes of the growth and development of plants, as well as responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Yet, the functions of NACs from non-model plant species remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we characterized the stress-responsive effects of a NAC gene isolated from wintersweet, an ornamental woody plant that blooms in winter when temperatures are low. CpNAC68 is clustered in the NAM subfamily. Subcellular localization and transcriptional activity assays demonstrated a nuclear protein that has transcription activator activities. qRT-PCR analyses revealed that CpNAC68 was ubiquitously expressed in old flowers and leaves. Additionally, the expression of CpNAC68 is induced by disparate abiotic stresses and hormone treatments, including drought, heat, cold, salinity, GA, JA, and SA. Ectopic overexpression of CpNAC68 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced the tolerance of transgenic plants to cold, heat, salinity, and osmotic stress, yet had no effect on growth and development. The survival rate and chlorophyll amounts following stress treatments were significantly higher than wild type Arabidopsis, and were accompanied by lower electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde (MDA) amounts. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that CpNAC68 can be used as a tool to enhance plant tolerance to multiple stresses, suggesting a role in abiotic stress tolerance in wintersweet.

scholarly journals The role of quercetin in plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Singh ◽  
Yamshi Arif ◽  
Andrzej Bajguz ◽  
Shamsul Hayat
Keyword(s):  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Ring Structure ◽  
Plant Signaling ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Pollen Growth ◽  
Physiological And Biochemical

Flavonoids are a special category of hydroxylated phenolic compounds having an aromatic ring structure. Quercetin is a special subclass of flavonoid. It is a bioactive natural compound built upon the flavon structure nC6(ring A)-C3(ring C)-C6(ring B). Quercetin facilitates several plant physiological processes, such as seed germination, pollen growth, antioxidant machinery, and photosynthesis, as well as induces proper plant growth and development. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant, so it potently provides plant tolerance against several biotic and abiotic stresses. This review highlights quercetin’s role in increasing several physiological and biochemical processes in under stress and non-stress environments. Additionally, this review briefly assesses quercetin’s role in mitigating biotic and abiotic stresses (e.g., salt, heavy metal, and UV stress). The biosynthesis of flavonoids, their signaling pathways, and quercetin’s role in plant signaling are also discussed.

scholarly journals An R2R3-type myeloblastosis transcription factor MYB103 is involved in phosphorus remobilization

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangwei Yu ◽  
Shenyun Wang ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
Li Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Myb Transcription Factor ◽  
Ethylene Signaling ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
P Concentration ◽  
Increased Sensitivity

Abstract The members of myeloblastosis transcription factor (MYB TF) family are involved in the regulation of biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. However, the role of MYB TF in phosphorus remobilization remains largely unexplored. In the present study, we show that an R2R3 type MYB transcription factor, MYB103, is involved in phosphorus (P) remobilization. MYB103 was remarkably induced by P deficiency in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.). As cabbage lacks the proper mutant for elucidating the mechanism of MYB103 in P deficiency, another member of the crucifer family, Arabidopsis thaliana was chosen for further study. The transcript of its homologue AtMYB103 was also elevated in response to P deficiency in A. thaliana, while disruption of AtMYB103 (myb103) exhibited increased sensitivity to P deficiency, accompanied with decreased tissue biomass and soluble P concentration. Furthermore, AtMYB103 was involved in the P reutilization from cell wall, as less P was released from the cell wall in myb103 than in wildtype, coinciding with the reduction of ethylene production. Taken together, our results uncover an important role of MYB103 in the P remobilization, presumably through ethylene signaling.

Characterization of Nucleotide Binding ­Site-Encoding Genes in Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam., and Their Response to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Zengzhi Si ◽  
Yake Qiao ◽  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Zhixin Ji ◽  
Jinling Han
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Ipomoea Batatas ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Nucleotide Binding ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Nucleotide Binding Site ◽  
Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽  
Encoding Genes

Sweetpotato, <i>Ipomoea batatas</i> (L.) Lam., is an important and widely grown crop, yet its production is affected severely by biotic and abiotic stresses. The nucleotide binding site (NBS)-encoding genes have been shown to improve stress tolerance in several plant species. However, the characterization of NBS-encoding genes in sweetpotato is not well-documented to date. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of NBS-encoding genes has been conducted on this species by using bioinformatics and molecular biology methods. A total of 315 NBS-encoding genes were identified, and 260 of them contained all essential conserved domains while 55 genes were truncated. Based on domain architectures, the 260 NBS-encoding genes were grouped into 6 distinct categories. Phylogenetic analysis grouped these genes into 3 classes: TIR, CC (I), and CC (II). Chromosome location analysis revealed that the distribution of NBS-encoding genes in chromosomes was uneven, with a number ranging from 1 to 34. Multiple stress-related regulatory elements were detected in the promoters, and the NBS-encoding genes’ expression profiles under biotic and abiotic stresses were obtained. According to the bioinformatics analysis, 9 genes were selected for RT-qPCR analysis. The results revealed that <i>IbNBS75</i>, <i>IbNBS219</i>, and <i>IbNBS256</i> respond to stem nematode infection; <i>Ib­NBS240</i>, <i>IbNBS90</i>, and <i>IbNBS80</i> respond to cold stress, while <i>IbNBS208</i>, <i>IbNBS71</i>, and <i>IbNBS159</i> respond to 30% PEG treatment. We hope these results will provide new insights into the evolution of NBS-encoding genes in the sweetpotato genome and contribute to the molecular breeding of sweetpotato in the future.

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