International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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4 pages, 169 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism

by Laura Cornara, Manuela Mandrone and Antonella Smeriglio

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010121 (registering DOI) - 21 Dec 2023

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Abstract

Plants are subject to a variety of biotic and abiotic stress that affect their metabolism, physiology, morphology, and growth [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

Research

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21 pages, 4590 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Roles and Preliminary Mechanism of Tobacco cis-Abienol in Inducing Tomato Resistance against Bacterial Wilt

by Yuqing Sun, Zuqing Gui, Ning Yan, Qian Wang, Zhongfeng Zhang, Hongbo Zhang, Feifei Sun, Xiao Han and Yongmei Du

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12226; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512226 - 31 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1225

Abstract

Bacterial wilt negatively impacts the yield and quality of tomatoes. cis-Abienol, a labdane diterpenoid abundantly produced in the trichome secretion of Nicotiana spp., can induce bacterial wilt resistance in plants; however, study on its practical application and acting mechanism is very limited. [...] Read more.

Bacterial wilt negatively impacts the yield and quality of tomatoes. cis-Abienol, a labdane diterpenoid abundantly produced in the trichome secretion of Nicotiana spp., can induce bacterial wilt resistance in plants; however, study on its practical application and acting mechanism is very limited. This study established the application conditions of cis-abienol for inducing tomato bacterial wilt resistance by pot-inoculation experiments and investigated the underlying mechanism by determining the physio-biochemical indexes and transcriptomic changes. The results showed that applying cis-abienol to the roots was the most effective approach for inducing tomato bacterial wilt resistance. The optimal concentration was 60 μg/mL, and 2–3 consecutive applications with 3–6 days intervals were sufficient to induce the bacterial wilt resistance of tomato plants. cis-Abienol could enhance the antioxidant enzyme activity and stimulate the defensive signal transduction in tomato roots, leading to the upregulation of genes involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. It also upregulated the expression of JAZ genes and increased the content of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), which control the expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes and the content of phytoalexins in tomato roots. cis-Abienol-induced resistance mainly depends on the JA signalling pathway, and the SA signalling pathway is also involved in this process. This study established the feasibility of applying the plant-derived terpenoid cis-abienol to induce plant bacterial wilt resistance, which is of great value for developing eco-friendly bactericides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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25 pages, 7765 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Pedo-Climatic Conditions on the Micromorphological, Phytochemical Features, and Biological Properties of Leaves of Saponaria sicula Raf

by Laura Cornara, Paola Malaspina, Federica Betuzzi, Emilio Di Gristina, Manuela D’Arrigo, Mariarosaria Ingegneri, Domenico Trombetta and Antonella Smeriglio

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11693; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411693 - 20 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1012

Abstract

Saponaria sicula Raf. grows in Sicily, Sardinia, and Algeria on limestone cliffs and volcanic sands 1300–2500 m above sea level. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the pedo-climatic conditions influence the micromorphological, phytochemical, and biological properties of Sicilian S. [...] Read more.

Saponaria sicula Raf. grows in Sicily, Sardinia, and Algeria on limestone cliffs and volcanic sands 1300–2500 m above sea level. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the pedo-climatic conditions influence the micromorphological, phytochemical, and biological properties of Sicilian S. sicula leaves collected in the Madonie Mountains (SsM) and on Etna Mt (SsE). Micromorphological investigations revealed that leaves from SsM had a higher amount of calcium oxalate druses in the mesophyll and a more intense blue–green staining with Toluidine blue O, indicating a higher content of polyphenols. These data were confirmed by phytochemical analyses carried out on hydroalcoholic extracts, which showed a higher content of total phenols (8.56 ± 0.57 g GAE/100 g DE) and flavonoids (6.09 ± 0.17 g RE/100 g DE) in SsM. Sixty-four compounds were identified by LC-DAD-ESI-MS analysis with propelargonidin dimer as the most abundant compound (10.49% and 10.19% in SsM and SsE, respectively). The higher polyphenol content of SsM leaves matches also with their biological activity, identifying SsM extract as the strongest plant complex (IC₅₀ 2.75–477.30 µg/mL). In conclusion, the present study experimentally demonstrates that not only climatic differences but also soil characteristics affect the micromorphological, phytochemical, and biological features of this plant species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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18 pages, 4843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Investigation on Leaf Necrosis Induced by ZmWus2 Transient Overexpression in Nicotiana benthamiana

by Xianwen Zhang, Shuang Liang, Biao Luo, Zhongjing Zhou, Jiandong Bao, Ruiqiu Fang, Fang Wang, Xijiao Song, Zhenfeng Liao, Guang Chen, Yan Wang, Fei Xu, Yi Teng, Wanchang Li, Shengchun Xu and Fu-Cheng Lin

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 11190; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241311190 - 7 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1345

Abstract

WUSCHEL (WUS) is a crucial transcription factor in regulating plant stem cell development, and its expression can also improve genetic transformation. However, the ectopic expression of WUS always causes pleiotropic effects during genetic transformation, making it important to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying [...] Read more.

WUSCHEL (WUS) is a crucial transcription factor in regulating plant stem cell development, and its expression can also improve genetic transformation. However, the ectopic expression of WUS always causes pleiotropic effects during genetic transformation, making it important to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying these phenomena. In our study, we found that the transient expression of the maize WUS ortholog ZmWus2 caused severe leaf necrosis in Nicotiana benthamiana. We performed transcriptomic and non-target metabolomic analyses on tobacco leaves during healthy to wilted states after ZmWus2 transient overexpression. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that ZmWus2 transformation caused active metabolism of inositol trisphosphate and glycerol-3-phosphate, while also upregulating plant hormone signaling and downregulating photosystem and protein folding pathways. Metabolomic analysis mainly identified changes in the synthesis of phenylpropanoid compounds and various lipid classes, including steroid synthesis. In addition, transcription factors such as ethylene-responsive factors (ERFs), the basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) factors, and MYBs were found to be regulated by ZmWus2. By integrating these findings, we developed a WUS regulatory model that includes plant hormone accumulation, stress responses, lipid remodeling, and leaf necrosis. Our study sheds light on the mechanisms underlying WUS ectopic expression causing leaf necrosis and may inform the development of future genetic transformation strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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17 pages, 18838 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating the Resistance Mechanism of Wheat Varieties to Fusarium Head Blight Using Comparative Metabolomics

by Yifan Dong, Xiaobo Xia, Dawood Ahmad, Yuhua Wang, Xu Zhang, Lei Wu, Peng Jiang, Peng Zhang, Xiujuan Yang, Gang Li and Yi He

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(4), 3214; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043214 - 6 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1822

Abstract

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum and severely reduces wheat yield, causing mycotoxin contamination in grains and derived products. F. graminearum-secreted chemical toxins stably accumulate in plant cells, disturbing host metabolic homeostasis. We determined the potential mechanisms underlying [...] Read more.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is primarily caused by Fusarium graminearum and severely reduces wheat yield, causing mycotoxin contamination in grains and derived products. F. graminearum-secreted chemical toxins stably accumulate in plant cells, disturbing host metabolic homeostasis. We determined the potential mechanisms underlying FHB resistance and susceptibility in wheat. Three representative wheat varieties (Sumai 3, Yangmai 158, and Annong 8455) were inoculated with F. graminearum and their metabolite changes were assessed and compared. In total, 365 differentiated metabolites were successfully identified. Amino acids and derivatives, carbohydrates, flavonoids, hydroxycinnamate derivatives, lipids, and nucleotides constituted the major changes in response to fungal infection. Changes in defense-associated metabolites, such as flavonoids and hydroxycinnamate derivatives, were dynamic and differed among the varieties. Nucleotide and amino acid metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were more active in the highly and moderately resistant varieties than in the highly susceptible variety. We demonstrated that two plant-derived metabolites, phenylalanine and malate, significantly suppressed F. graminearum growth. The genes encoding the biosynthetic enzymes for these two metabolites were upregulated in wheat spike during F. graminearum infection. Thus, our findings uncovered the metabolic basis of resistance and susceptibility of wheat to F. graminearum and provided insights into engineering metabolic pathways to enhance FHB resistance in wheat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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15 pages, 3796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overexpression of ZmDHN15 Enhances Cold Tolerance in Yeast and Arabidopsis

by Nannan Chen, Xuhong Fan, Chunlai Wang, Peng Jiao, Zhenzhong Jiang, Yiyong Ma, Shuyan Guan and Siyan Liu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010480 - 28 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1928

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) originates from the subtropical region and is a warm-loving crop affected by low-temperature stress. Dehydrin (DHN) protein, a member of the Group 2 LEA (late embryogenesis abundant proteins) family, plays an important role in plant abiotic stress. In [...] Read more.

Maize (Zea mays L.) originates from the subtropical region and is a warm-loving crop affected by low-temperature stress. Dehydrin (DHN) protein, a member of the Group 2 LEA (late embryogenesis abundant proteins) family, plays an important role in plant abiotic stress. In this study, five maize DHN genes were screened based on the previous transcriptome sequencing data in our laboratory, and we performed sequence analysis and promoter analysis on these five DHN genes. The results showed that the promoter region has many cis-acting elements related to cold stress. The significantly upregulated ZmDHN15 gene has been further screened by expression pattern analysis. The subcellular localization results show that ZmDHN15 fusion protein is localized in the cytoplasm. To verify the role of ZmDHN15 in cold stress, we overexpressed ZmDHN15 in yeast and Arabidopsis. We found that the expression of ZmDHN15 can significantly improve the cold resistance of yeast. Under cold stress, ZmDHN15-overexpressing Arabidopsis showed lower MDA content, lower relative electrolyte leakage, and less ROS (reactive oxygen species) when compared to wild-type plants, as well as higher seed germination rate, seedling survival rate, and chlorophyll content. Furthermore, analysis of the expression patterns of ROS-associated marker genes and cold-response-related genes indicated that ZmDHN15 genes play an important role in the expression of these genes. In conclusion, the overexpression of the ZmDHN15 gene can effectively improve the tolerance to cold stress in yeast and Arabidopsis. This study is important for maize germplasm innovation and the genetic improvement of crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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17 pages, 3659 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Metabolomic Studies of Siberian Wildrye (Elymus sibiricus L.): A New Look at the Mechanism of Plant Drought Resistance

by Qingqing Yu, Yi Xiong, Xiaoli Su, Yanli Xiong, Zhixiao Dong, Junming Zhao, Xin Shu, Shiqie Bai, Xiong Lei, Lijun Yan and Xiao Ma

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010452 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1588

Abstract

Drought is one of the most important factors affecting plant growth and production due to ongoing global climate change. Elymus sibiricus has been widely applied for ecological restoration and reseeding of degraded grassland in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) because of its strong adaptability [...] Read more.

Drought is one of the most important factors affecting plant growth and production due to ongoing global climate change. Elymus sibiricus has been widely applied for ecological restoration and reseeding of degraded grassland in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) because of its strong adaptability to barren, salted, and drought soils. To explore the mechanism of drought resistance in E. sibiricus, drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive genotypes of E. sibiricus were used in metabolomic studies under simulated long-term and short-term drought stress. A total of 1091 metabolites were detected, among which, 27 DMs were considered to be the key metabolites for drought resistance of E. sibiricus in weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Ten metabolites, including 3-amino-2-methylpropanoic acid, coniferin, R-aminobutyrate, and so on, and 12 metabolites, including L-Proline, L-histidine, N-acetylglycine, and so on, showed differential accumulation patterns under short-term and long-term drought stress, respectively, and thus, could be used as biomarkers for drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive E. sibiricus. In addition, different metabolic accumulation patterns and different drought response mechanisms were also found in drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive genotypes of E. sibiricus. Finally, we constructed metabolic pathways and metabolic patterns for the two genotypes. This metabolomic study on the drought stress response of E. sibiricus can provide resources and a reference for the breeding of new drought-tolerant cultivars of E. sibiricus. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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18 pages, 5217 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Transcriptomic Analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Responses to Ailanthone, a Potential Bio-Herbicide

by Chantz Allen Hopson, Purushothaman Natarajan, Suhas Shinde, Arjun Ojha Kshetry, Krishna Reddy Challa, Armando Pacheco Valenciana, Padma Nimmakayala and Umesh K. Reddy

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11854; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911854 - 6 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2010

Abstract

Many plants naturally synthesize and secrete secondary metabolites that exert an allelopathic effect, offering compelling alternatives to chemical herbicides. These natural herbicides are highly important for sustainable agricultural practices. Ailanthone is the chemical responsible for the herbicidal effect of Ailanthus altissima, or [...] Read more.

Many plants naturally synthesize and secrete secondary metabolites that exert an allelopathic effect, offering compelling alternatives to chemical herbicides. These natural herbicides are highly important for sustainable agricultural practices. Ailanthone is the chemical responsible for the herbicidal effect of Ailanthus altissima, or “tree of heaven”. The molecular studies involving ailanthone’s effect on plant growth are limited. In the current study, we combined whole-transcriptome and physiology analysis of three Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes treated with ailanthone to identify the effect of this allelopathic chemical on genes and plant growth. Our physiology results showed 50% reduced root growth, high proline accumulation, and high reactive-oxygen-species accumulation in response to ailanthone stress. Deep transcriptome analysis revealed 528, 473, and 482 statistically significant differentially expressed genes for Col-0, Cvi-0, and U112-3 under ailanthone stress, including 131 genes shared among the three accessions. The common genes included 82 upregulated and 42 downregulated genes and varied in expression at least twofold. The study also revealed that 34 of the 131 genes had a similar expression pattern when Arabidopsis seedlings were subjected to other herbicides. Differentially expressed genes significantly induced in response to ailanthone included DTXL1, DTX1, ABCC3, NDB4, UGT74E2, and AZI1. Pathways of stress, development and hormone metabolism were significantly altered under ailanthone stress. These results suggest that ailanthone triggers a significant stress response in multiple pathways similar to other herbicides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotic and Abiotic Stressors in Plant Metabolism)

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