Effect of Magnetopriming on Photosynthetic Performance of Plants

Magnetopriming has emerged as a promising seed-priming method, improving seed vigor, plant performance and productivity under both normal and stressed conditions. Various recent reports have demonstrated that improved photosynthesis can lead to higher biomass accumulation and overall crop yield. The major focus of the present review is magnetopriming-based, improved growth parameters, which ultimately favor increased photosynthetic performance. The plants originating from magnetoprimed seeds showed increased plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, thick midrib and minor veins. Similarly, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, efficiency of PSII, quantum yield of electron transport, stomatal conductance, and activities of carbonic anhydrase (CA), Rubisco and PEP-carboxylase enzymes are enhanced with magnetopriming of the seeds. In addition, a higher fluorescence yield at the J-I-P phase in polyphasic chlorophyll a fluorescence (OJIP) transient curves was observed in plants originating from magnetoprimed seeds. Here, we have presented an overview of available studies supporting the magnetopriming-based improvement of various parameters determining the photosynthetic performance of crop plants, which consequently increases crop yield. Additionally, we suggest the need for more in-depth molecular analysis in the future to shed light upon hidden regulatory mechanisms involved in magnetopriming-based, improved photosynthetic performance.

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus IMV B-7241 Surfactants Depending on Monovalent Cations Content in Cultivation Medium

Microbial surfactants (biosurfactants) are multifunctional preparations due to a combination of physicochemical (reduction of surface and interfacial tension, emulsifying activity) and biological (antimicrobial and antiadhesive activity, the ability to destroy biofilms) properties. However, the disadvantage of biosurfactants synthesized as a complex of compounds is the possibility of changing the biological activity depending on the conditions of producer cultivation. Aim. To study the effect of potassium and sodium cations on the NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase activity of cell-free extract of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus ІМV B-7241 with subsequent appropriate modification of the nutrient medium composition and determination of antimicrobial and anti-adhesive activity of surfactant synthesized. Methods. A. calcoaceticus ІМV B-7241 strain was grown in media containing 2% of sunflower oil waste as a carbon source, as well as various concentrations of potassium and sodium chloride (basal – 1.0 g/l NaCl, medium #1 that did not contains NaCl, medium #2 in which the concentration of NaCl was 2.0 g/l, medium #3 in which the concentration of NaCl and KCl was 1.0 g/l each). The surfactants were extracted from the supernatant liquid culture with a modified Folch mixture. Antiadhesive activity and the degree of biofilms degradation were determined by spectrophotometric method, antimicrobial activity − by the indicator of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Activity of enzymes of surface-active aminolipids biosynthesis (NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase) and glycolipids (phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase, PEP-synthetase, PEP-carboxykinase, trehalose phosphate synthase) were analyzed in cell-free extracts obtained after the destruction of cells by ultrasound. Results. It was found that potassium and sodium cations in concentrations of 50 and 100 mM are inhibitors of NADP+-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase, and in lower concentrations (5–20 mM) – activators of this enzyme, as well as PEP-carboxykinase and PEP-synthetase. The increase in the biosurfactant concentration to 6.1−7.7 g/l during cultivation of A. calcoaceticus ІМV B-7241 in medium #1 and #3 was due to the predominant synthesis of glycolipids under such conditions, which was evidenced by the increase in 1.8−6.5 times in the activity of PEP-carboxylase, PEP-carboxykinase, PEP-synthetase and trehalose phosphate synthetase compared to the indicators on the basal medium. The concentration of surfactants synthesized in the basal medium was 3.6 g/l, but such surfactants were characterized by the highest antimicrobial and anti-adhesive activity. Their MIC against the test-cultures of studied bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. MI-2, Bacillus subtilis BT-2, Escherichia coli IEM-1, Staphylococcus aureus BMS-1, Enterobacter cloaceae C-8) and fungi (Candida albicans D-6, Rhizopus nigricans P1, Aspergillus niger P-3, Fusarium culmorum T-7) were 0.88−56 μg/ml and were by 2−3 orders of magnitude lower compared to established for surfactants synthesized in modified media #1–3. In the case of treatment of abiotic materials with surfactant solutions obtained on the basal medium, the adhesion of bacteria and fungi was on average 10–20% lower than after surface treatment by the surfactant synthesized in modified media. In the presence of 148−296 μg/ml of surfactants obtained in the basal medium, destruction of S. aureus BMS-1 and B. subtilis BT-2 biofilms was 45−66%, and C. albicans D-6 yeast – 39−44%. Under the action of similar concentrations of surfactants synthesized in modified media, the destruction of bacterial and yeast biofilms was lower: 6-52 and 20–46%, respectively. Conclusions. The obtained results are consistent with the data of our previous studies on the possibility of regulating the antimicrobial and antiadhesive activity of surfactants in the process of producer cultivation by changing the content of cations in the medium, which are inhibitors/activators of enzymes responsible for the synthesis of components of the surfactants complex, which have certain biological properties.

Identification of a low CO2 responsive mutant from chemical mutagenesis of Setaria viridis shows that reduced carbonic anhydrase severely limits C4 photosynthesis

In C4 species β-carbonic anhydrase (CA), localized to the cytosol of the mesophyll cells, accelerates the interconversion of CO2 to HCO3 -, the substrate used by PEP carboxylase in the first step of C4 photosynthesis. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a low CO2 responsive mutant 1 (lcr1) isolated from a N-Nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) treated Setaria viridis mutant population. Forward genetic investigation revealed that the mutated gene Sevir.5G247800 of lcr1 possessed a single nucleotide transition from Cytosine to Thymine in a β-carbonic anhydrase gene causing an amino acid change from Leucine to Phenylalanine. This resulted in severe reduction in growth and photosynthesis in the mutant. Both the CO2 compensation point and carbon isotope discrimination values of the mutant were significantly increased. Growth of the mutants were stunted when grown under ambient pCO2 but recovered at elevated pCO2. Further bioinformatics analyses revealed that the mutation has led to functional changes in one of the conserved residues of the protein, situated near the catalytic site. CA transcript accumulation in the mutant was 80% lower, CA protein accumulation 30% lower and CA activity ~98% lower compared to WT. Changes in the abundance of other primary C4 pathway enzymes were observed; accumulation of PEP carboxylase (PEPC) protein was significantly increased and accumulation of Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH) and Malic Enzyme (ME) decreased. The reduction of CA protein activity and abundance in lcr1 restricts the supply of bicarbonate to PEPC limiting C4 photosynthesis and growth. This study establishes Sevir.5G247800 as the major CA allele in Setaria for C4 photosynthesis and provides important insights into the function of CA in C4 photosynthesis that would be required to generate a rice plant with a functional C4 biochemical pathway.

A partial C4 photosynthetic biochemical pathway in rice

Introduction of a C4 photosynthetic pathway into C3 rice (Oryza sativa) requires installation of a biochemical pump that concentrates CO2 at the site of carboxylation in modified bundle sheath cells. To investigate the feasibility of this, we generated a quadruple line that simultaneously expresses four of the core C4 photosynthetic enzymes from the NADP-malic enzyme subtype, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (ZmPEPC), NADP-malate dehydrogenase (ZmNADP-MDH), NADP-malic enzyme (ZmNADP-ME) and pyruvate phosphate dikinase (ZmPPDK), in a cell-specific manner. This led to enhanced enzyme activity but was largely neutral in its effects on photosynthetic rate and growth. Measurements of the flux of 13CO2 through photosynthetic metabolism revealed a significant increase in the incorporation of 13C into malate, consistent with increased fixation of 13CO2 via PEP carboxylase in lines expressing the maize PEPC enzyme. We also showed 13C labelling of aspartate indicating additional 13CO2 fixation into oxaloacetate by PEPC and conversion to aspartate by the endogenous aspartate aminotransferase activity. However, there were no significant differences in labelling of 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA) or phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) indicating limited carbon flux through C4 enzymes into the Calvin-Benson cycle. Crossing the quadruple line with a line with reduced glycine decarboxylase H-protein (OsGDCH) abundance led to a photosynthetic phenotype characteristic of the reduced OsGDCH line and higher labelling of malate, aspartate and citrate. While Kranz anatomy or other anatomical modifications have not yet been installed in these plants to enable a fully functional C4 cycle, these results demonstrate for the first-time flux through the carboxylation phase of C4 metabolism in transgenic rice containing the key metabolic steps in the C4 pathway.

Time-Course of Metabolic and Proteomic Responses to Different Nitrate/Ammonium Availabilities in Roots and Leaves of Maize

The availability of nitrate and ammonium significantly affects plant growth. Co-provision of both nutrients is generally the best nutritional condition, due to metabolic interactions not yet fully elucidated. In this study, maize grown in hydroponics was exposed to different nitrogen (N) availabilities, consisting of nitrate, ammonium and co-provision. Roots and leaves were analyzed after 6, 30, and 54 h by biochemical evaluations and proteomics. The ammonium-fed plants showed the lowest biomass accumulation and the lowest ratio of inorganic to organic N content, suggesting a metabolic need to assimilate ammonium that was not evident in plants grown in co-provision. The N sources differently affected the root proteome, inducing changes in abundance of proteins involved in N and carbon (C) metabolisms, cell water homeostasis, and cell wall metabolism. Notable among these changes was that some root enzymes, such as asparagine synthetase, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase, and formate dehydrogenase showed a relevant upsurge only under the sole ammonium nutrition. However, the leaf proteome appeared mainly influenced by total N availability, showing changes in the abundance of several proteins involved in photosynthesis and in energy metabolism. Overall, the study provides novel information about the biochemical determinants involved in plant adaptation to different N mineral forms.