scholarly journals The Plastid-Localized AtFtsHi3 Pseudo-Protease of Arabidopsis thaliana Has an Impact on Plant Growth and Drought Tolerance

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laxmi S. Mishra ◽  
Sanatkumar Mishra ◽  
Daniel F. Caddell ◽  
Devin Coleman-Derr ◽  
Christiane Funk
Keyword(s):  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Darwinian Fitness ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Stomata Size

While drought severely affects plant growth and crop production, the molecular mechanisms of the drought response of plants remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time the effect of the pseudo-protease AtFtsHi3 of Arabidopsis thaliana on overall plant growth and in drought tolerance. An AtFTSHi3 knock-down mutant [ftshi3-1(kd)] displayed a pale-green phenotype with lower photosynthetic efficiency and Darwinian fitness compared to wild type (Wt). An observed delay in seed germination of ftshi3-1(kd) was attributed to overaccumulation of abscisic acid (ABA); ftshi3-1(kd) seedlings showed partial sensitivity to exogenous ABA. Being exposed to similar severity of soil drying, ftshi3-1(kd) was drought-tolerant up to 20 days after the last irrigation, while wild type plants wilted after 12 days. Leaves of ftshi3-1(kd) contained reduced stomata size, density, and a smaller stomatic aperture. During drought stress, ftshi3-1(kd) showed lowered stomatal conductance, increased intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi), and slower stress acclimation. Expression levels of ABA-responsive genes were higher in leaves of ftshi3-1(kd) than Wt; DREB1A, but not DREB2A, was significantly upregulated during drought. However, although ftshi3-1(kd) displayed a drought-tolerant phenotype in aboveground tissue, the root-associated bacterial community responded to drought.

scholarly journals Genome-wide transcriptional changes triggered by water deficit on a drought-tolerant common bean cultivar

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefat Gregorio Jorge ◽  
Miguel Angel Villalobos-López ◽  
Karen Lizeth Chavarría-Alvarado ◽  
Selma Ríos-Meléndez ◽  
Melina López-Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Common Bean ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Transcriptional Level ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Enriched Categories ◽  
Drought Tolerant

Abstract Background Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a relevant crop cultivated over the world, largely in water insufficiency vulnerable areas. Since drought is the main environmental factor restraining worldwide crop production, efforts have been invested to amend drought tolerance in commercial common bean varieties. However, scarce molecular data are available for those cultivars of P. vulgaris with drought tolerance attributes. Results As a first approach, Pinto Saltillo (PS), Azufrado Higuera (AH), and Negro Jamapa Plus (NP) were assessed phenotypically and physiologically to determine the outcome in response to drought on these common bean cultivars. Based on this, a Next-generation sequencing approach was applied to PS, which was the most drought-tolerant cultivar to determine the molecular changes at the transcriptional level. The RNA-Seq analysis revealed that numerous PS genes are dynamically modulated by drought. In brief, 1005 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, from which 645 genes were up-regulated by drought stress, whereas 360 genes were down-regulated. Further analysis showed that the enriched categories of the up-regulated genes in response to drought fit to processes related to carbohydrate metabolism (polysaccharide metabolic processes), particularly genes encoding proteins located within the cell periphery (cell wall dynamics). In the case of down-regulated genes, heat shock-responsive genes, mainly associated with protein folding, chloroplast, and oxidation-reduction processes were identified. Conclusions Our findings suggest that secondary cell wall (SCW) properties contribute to P. vulgaris L. drought tolerance through alleviation or mitigation of drought-induced osmotic disturbances, making cultivars more adaptable to such stress. Altogether, the knowledge derived from this study is significant for a forthcoming understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in drought tolerance on common bean, especially for drought-tolerant cultivars such as PS.

scholarly journals Evolutionary Origins of Drought Tolerance in Spermatophytes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander M. C. Bowles ◽  
Jordi Paps ◽  
Ulrike Bechtold
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Complex Trait ◽  
Binary Trait ◽  
Gene Gain ◽  
Plant Kingdom ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Future Production

It is commonly known that drought stress is a major constraint limiting crop production. Drought stress and associated drought tolerance mechanisms are therefore under intense investigation with the view to future production of drought tolerant crops. With an ever-growing population and variable climate, novel approaches need to be considered to sustainably feed future generations. In this context, definitions of drought tolerance are highly variable, which poses a major challenge for the systematic assessment of this trait across the plant kingdom. Furthermore, drought tolerance is a polygenic trait and understanding the evolution of this complex trait may inform us about patterns of gene gain and loss in relation to diverse drought adaptations. We look at the transition of plants from water to land, and the role of drought tolerance in enabling this transition, before discussing the first drought tolerant plant and common drought responses amongst vascular plants. We reviewed the distribution of a combined “drought tolerance” trait in very broad terms to encompass different experimental systems and definitions used in the current literature and assigned a binary trait “tolerance vs. sensitivity” in 178 extant plant species. By simplifying drought responses of plants into this “binary” trait we were able to explore the evolution of drought tolerance across the wider plant kingdom, compared to previous studies. We show how this binary “drought tolerance/sensitivity” trait has evolved and discuss how incorporating this information into an evolutionary genomics framework could provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying extreme drought adaptations.

scholarly journals Fine-tuning of SUMOylation modulates drought tolerance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingmei Guan ◽  
Xuewei Li ◽  
Shuang-Xi Zhou ◽  
Liyuan Lu ◽  
Huan Dang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Plant Biology ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Tight Control ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

SUMOylation is involved in various aspects of plant biology, including drought stress. However, the relationship between SUMOylation and drought stress tolerance is complex; whether SUMOylation has a crosstalk with ubiquitination in response to drought stress remains largely unclear. In this study, we found that both increased and decreased SUMOylation led to increased survival of apple (Malus × domestica) under drought stress: both transgenic MdSUMO2A overexpressing (OE) plants and MdSUMO2 RNAi plants exhibited enhanced drought tolerance. We further confirmed that MdDREB2A is one of the MdSUMO2 targets. Both transgenic MdDREB2A OE and MdDREB2AK192R OE plants (which lacked the key site of SUMOylation by MdSUMO2A) were more drought tolerant than wild-type plants. However, MdDREB2AK192R OE plants had a much higher survival rate than MdDREB2A OE plants. We further showed SUMOylated MdDREB2A was conjugated with ubiquitin by MdRNF4 under drought stress, thereby triggering its protein degradation. In addition, MdRNF4 RNAi plants were more tolerant to drought stress. These results revealed the molecular mechanisms that underlie the relationship of SUMOylation with drought tolerance and provided evidence for the tight control of MdDREB2A accumulation under drought stress mediated by SUMOylation and ubiquitination.

scholarly journals Improving Drought Tolerance in Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek): Morpho-Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular Perspectives

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1534
Author(s):  
Chandra Mohan Singh ◽  
Poornima Singh ◽  
Chandrakant Tiwari ◽  
Shalini Purwar ◽  
Mukul Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
The Impact

Drought stress is considered a severe threat to crop production. It adversely affects the morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular functions of the plants, especially in short duration crops like mungbean. In the past few decades, significant progress has been made towards enhancing climate resilience in legumes through classical and next-generation breeding coupled with omics approaches. Various defence mechanisms have been reported as key players in crop adaptation to drought stress. Many researchers have identified potential donors, QTLs/genes and candidate genes associated to drought tolerance-related traits. However, cloning and exploitation of these loci/gene(s) in breeding programmes are still limited. To bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical breeding, we need to reveal the omics-assisted genetic variations associated with drought tolerance in mungbean to tackle this stress. Furthermore, the use of wild relatives in breeding programmes for drought tolerance is also limited and needs to be focused. Even after six years of decoding the whole genome sequence of mungbean, the genome-wide characterization and expression of various gene families and transcriptional factors are still lacking. Due to the complex nature of drought tolerance, it also requires integrating high throughput multi-omics approaches to increase breeding efficiency and genomic selection for rapid genetic gains to develop drought-tolerant mungbean cultivars. This review highlights the impact of drought stress on mungbean and mitigation strategies for breeding high-yielding drought-tolerant mungbean varieties through classical and modern omics technologies.

High-yielding NERICA mutant rice for upland areas and hope for Bangladeshi farmers.

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-64
Author(s):  
Mirza Mofazzal Islam ◽  
Shamsun Nahar Begum ◽  
Rigyan Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Upland Rice ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Rice Varieties ◽  
Commercial Cultivation ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Different Doses

Abstract Drought is an important stress phenomenon in Bangladesh that greatly hampers crop production. So, it is imperative to develop drought-tolerant rice varieties. Low-yielding, non-uniform flowering and late-maturing Africa rice - New Rice for Africa (NERICA), viz. NERICA-1, NERICA-4 and NERICA-10 varieties - were irradiated with different doses of gamma-rays (250, 300 and 350 Gy) in 2010. M1 plants were grown and M2 plants were selected based on earliness and higher grain yield. The desired mutants along with other mutants were grown as the M3 generation during 2011. A total of 37 mutants from NERICA-1, NERICA-4 and NERICA-10 were selected on the basis of plant height, short duration, drought tolerance and high yield in the M4 generation. In the M5 generation, six mutants were selected for drought tolerance, earliness, grain quality and higher yield. With respect to days to maturity and grain yield (t/ha), the mutant N1/250/P-2-6-1 of NERICA-1 matured earlier (108 days) and had higher grain yield (5.1 t/ha) than the parent. The mutant N4/350/P-4(5) of NERICA-4 also showed a higher grain yield (6.2 t/ha) than its parent and other mutants. On the other hand, NERICA-10 mutant N10/350/P-5-4 matured earlier and had a higher yield (4.5 t/ha) than its parent. Finally, based on agronomic performance and drought tolerance, the two mutants N4/350/P-4(5) and N10/350/P-5-4 were selected and were evaluated in drought-prone and upland areas during 2016 and 2017. These two mutants performed well with higher grain yield than the released upland rice varieties. They will be released soon for commercial cultivation and are anticipated to play a vital role in food security in Bangladesh.

Transcriptional responses to water stress and recovery in a drought-tolerant fescue wild grass (Festuca ovina; Poaceae)

Genome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Fan Qiu ◽  
Seton Bachle ◽  
Ryan Estes ◽  
Melvin R. Duvall ◽  
Jesse B. Nippert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Transcriptional Responses ◽  
Festuca Ovina ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Plant Genes ◽  
Initial Recovery ◽  
Transcriptomic Changes

Water stress associated with drought-like conditions is a major factor limiting plant growth and impacts productivity of natural plant communities and agricultural crops. Molecular responses of plants to water stress have been studied most extensively in model species and crops, few of which have evolved natural drought tolerance. In the current study, we examined physiological and transcriptomic responses at multiple timepoints during increasing water stress and following initial recovery from stress in a drought-tolerant C3 species, Festuca ovina. Results demonstrated non-linear transcriptomic changes during increasing stress, but largely linear declines in physiological measurements during this same period. Transcription factors represented approximately 12.7% of all differentially expressed genes. In total, 117 F. ovina homologs of previously identified and molecularly characterized drought-responsive plant genes were identified. This information will be valuable for further investigations of the molecular mechanisms involved in drought tolerance in C3 plants.

scholarly journals Physiological and transcriptome analysis reveal molecular mechanism in Salvia miltiorrhiza leaves of near-isogenic male fertile lines and male sterile lines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruihong Wang ◽  
Hongbo Guo ◽  
Juane Dong
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Leaf Gas Exchange ◽  
Salvia Miltiorrhiza ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Metabolic Process ◽  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Male Sterile ◽  
Physiological Analysis

Abstract Background: Our previous study found that male sterility in Salvia miltiorrhiza could result in stunted growth, decrease biomass, inhibit primary metabolism, and promote secondary metabolism, but their molecular mechanisms have not yet been elucidated. In this article, we investigated the underlying mechanism of plant growth and metabolism by using physiological analysis and mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Results: In this study, transcriptomic and physiological analyses were performed to identify the effect on plant growth and metabolic production in male sterile mutants. Through GO and KEGG analysis it was found that the pathways were mainly enriched in processes including organ development, primary metabolic process and secondary metabolic process. Physiological analyses showed that the chloroplast structure of male sterile mutants of Salvia miltiorrhiza was abnormally developed, which could result in decrease in leaf gas exchange (A, E and gs), chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv, Fm and Fv/Fm), and the chlorophyll content. Transcriptomic analyses indicated that disproportionating enzyme 1 (DPE1) catalyzed the degradation of starch, while sucrose synthase 3 (SUS3) and cytosolic invertase 2 (CINV2) catalyzed the degradation of sucrose in S. miltiorrhiza. The results suggested that phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) played an important role in the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid B, and flavone synthase (FLS) was an important enzyme catalyzing steps of flavonoid biosynthesis. High expression level of these enzyme genes in male sterile mutants resulted in high content of secondary metabolites. Conclusions: Our results from the physiological and transcriptome analyses reveal underlying mechanism of plant growth and metabolism in male sterile mutants, and provide insight into the crop production of S. miltiorrhiza.

scholarly journals Effect of Water Deficit on Morphoagronomic and Physiological Traits of Common Bean Genotypes with Contrasting Drought Tolerance

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Leonardo Godoy Androcioli ◽  
Douglas Mariani Zeffa ◽  
Daniel Soares Alves ◽  
Juarez Pires Tomaz ◽  
Vânia Moda-Cirino
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Common Bean ◽  
Water Deficit ◽  
Net Photosynthesis ◽  
Physiological Traits ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Direct Result ◽  
Drought Tolerant ◽  
Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Influence Of Water

Water deficit is considered one of the most limiting factors of the common bean. Understanding the adaptation mechanisms of the crop to this stress is fundamental for the development of drought-tolerant cultivars. In this sense, the objective of this study was to analyze the influence of water deficit on physiological and morphoagronomic traits of common bean genotypes with contrasting drought tolerance, aiming to identify mechanisms associated with tolerance to water deficit. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, arranged in a randomized complete block 4 × 2 factorial design, consisting of four common bean genotypes under two water regimes (with and without water stress), with six replications. The morphoagronomic and physiological traits of four cultivars, two drought-tolerant (IAPAR 81 and BAT 477) and two drought-sensitive (IAC Tybatã and BRS Pontal), were measured for 0, 4, 8, and 12 days, under water deficit, initiated in the phenological stage R5. Water-deficit induced physiological changes in the plants, altering the evaluated morphoagronomic traits. The drought tolerance of cultivar BAT 477 is not only a direct result of the low influence of water deficit on its yield components, but also a consequence of the participation of multiple adaptive physiological mechanisms, such as higher intrinsic water use efficiency, net photosynthesis rate, transpiration, carboxylation efficiency, stomatal conductance, and intracellular concentration of CO2 under water deficit conditions. On the other hand, cultivar IAPAR 81 can be considered drought-tolerant for short water-deficit periods only, since after the eighth day of water deficit, the physiological activities decline drastically.

scholarly journals Comparative Proteomic and Morpho-Physiological Analyses of Maize Wild-Type Vp16 and Mutant vp16 Germinating Seed Responses to PEG-Induced Drought Stress

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 5586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songtao Liu ◽  
Tinashe Zenda ◽  
Anyi Dong ◽  
Yatong Yang ◽  
Xinyue Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Pentose Phosphate ◽  
Glutathione Metabolism ◽  
Abiotic Factor ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Proteomics Analysis

Drought stress is a major abiotic factor compromising plant cell physiological and molecular events, consequently limiting crop growth and productivity. Maize (Zea mays L.) is among the most drought-susceptible food crops. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying drought-stress responses remains critical for crop improvement. To decipher the molecular mechanisms underpinning maize drought tolerance, here, we used a comparative morpho-physiological and proteomics analysis approach to monitor the changes in germinating seeds of two incongruent (drought-sensitive wild-type Vp16 and drought-tolerant mutant vp16) lines exposed to polyethylene-glycol-induced drought stress for seven days. Our physiological analysis showed that the tolerant line mutant vp16 exhibited better osmotic stress endurance owing to its improved reactive oxygen species scavenging competency and robust osmotic adjustment as a result of greater cell water retention and enhanced cell membrane stability. Proteomics analysis identified a total of 1200 proteins to be differentially accumulated under drought stress. These identified proteins were mainly involved in carbohydrate and energy metabolism, histone H2A-mediated epigenetic regulation, protein synthesis, signal transduction, redox homeostasis and stress-response processes; with carbon metabolism, pentose phosphate and glutathione metabolism pathways being prominent under stress conditions. Interestingly, significant congruence (R2 = 81.5%) between protein and transcript levels was observed by qRT-PCR validation experiments. Finally, we propose a hypothetical model for maize germinating-seed drought tolerance based on our key findings identified herein. Overall, our study offers insights into the overall mechanisms underpinning drought-stress tolerance and provides essential leads into further functional validation of the identified drought-responsive proteins in maize.

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