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Plant Response to Abiotic Stress

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 19744

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Prof. Dr. Shaoliang Chen

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Key Laboratory of Forest and Flower Genetics and Breeding of Ministry of Education, College of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: plant response; abiotic stress; plant biology
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Dear Colleagues,

Adverse conditions caused by drought, salt, toxic metals and extreme temperatures can restrain the growth and development of plants. Environmental abiotic stresses are becoming increasingly frequent and persistent due to global climate change. Plants have evolved complex and sophisticated mechanisms to overcome adverse conditions; for example, plant cells initiate signaling transduction in response to abiotic stress, resulting in down-stream responses, such as specific gene transcription and protein expression. A variety of signaling molecules are involved in the regulation of plant adaptation to diverse environmental stresses, such as abscisic acid, calcium ions, hydrogen sulfide, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, extracellular ATP, ethylene, etc. These signaling molecules mitigate stress-elicited damage at the cellular, tissue and whole-plant levels. In the majority of cases, stressed plants benefit from signal-mediated water, reactive oxygen species, and ionic homeostasis. More importantly, these signaling molecules form a network in higher plants, with the aim of combatting abiotic stress. In addition to the stress-elicited signals, several signaling molecules can also be produced by plant–microbe interactions; for example, the symbiosis of soil fungus with plant roots leads to the production of signals that aid plants to tolerate a stressful environment.

The genetic and transcriptomic bases for physiological acclimation are stress sensing and signaling networks that activate target genes. Therefore, genetic engineering can be utilized to strengthen signaling networks and improve the stress tolerance of economically important plants. Moreover, other biotechnological approaches, such as mycorrhizations with arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungus, have great potential for improving the water and mineral nutrition of stressed plants.

All types of articles, including original research and reviews, are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Shaoliang Chen
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2664 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relevance of the Exocyst in Arabidopsis exo70e2 Mutant for Cellular Homeostasis under Stress

by João Neves, João Monteiro, Bruno Sousa, Cristiano Soares, Susana Pereira, Fernanda Fidalgo, José Pissarra and Cláudia Pereira

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010424 - 27 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1569

Abstract

Plants must adapt to cope with adverse environmental conditions that affect their growth and development. To overcome these constraints, they can alter their developmental patterns by modulating cellular processes and activating stress-responsive signals. Alongside the activation of the antioxidant (AOX) system, a high number of genes are expressed, and proteins must be distributed to the correct locations within the cell. The endomembrane system and associated vesicles thus play an important role. Several pathways have been associated with adverse environmental conditions, which is the case for the exocyst-positive organelle—EXPO. The present work, using Arabidopsis mutants with T-DNA insertions in the gene EXO70, essential for EXPO vesicles formation, was designed to characterise the anatomical (morphology and root length), biochemical (quantification of stress markers and antioxidant system components), and molecular responses (gene expression) to abiotic stresses (saline, drought, oxidative, and metal-induced toxicity). The results obtained showed that mutant plants behave differently from the wild type (WT) plants. Therefore, in the exo70 mutant, morphological changes were more noticeable in plants under stress, and the non-enzymatic component of the antioxidant system was activated, with no alterations to the enzymatic component. Furthermore, other defence strategies, such as autophagy, did not show important changes. These results confirmed the EXPO as an important structure for tolerance/adaptation to stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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16 pages, 5148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

MdPP2C24/37, Protein Phosphatase Type 2Cs from Apple, Interact with MdPYL2/12 to Negatively Regulate ABA Signaling in Transgenic Arabidopsis

by Ying-Ying Liu, Wen-Sen Shi, Yu Liu, Xue-Meng Gao, Bo Hu, Hao-Ran Sun, Xiao-Yi Li, Yi Yang, Xu-Feng Li, Zhi-Bin Liu and Jian-Mei Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 14375; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214375 - 19 Nov 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1533

Abstract

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in the ability of plants to cope with drought stress. As core members of the ABA signaling pathway, protein phosphatase type 2Cs (PP2Cs) have been reported in many species. However, the functions of MdPP2Cs in apple (Malus domestica) are unclear. In this study, we identified two PP2C-encoding genes, MdPP2C24/37, with conserved PP2C catalytic domains, using sequence alignment. The nucleus-located MdPP2C24/37 genes were induced by ABA or mannitol in apple. Genetic analysis revealed that overexpression of MdPP2C24/37 in Arabidopsis thaliana led to plant insensitivity to ABA or mannitol treatment, in terms of inhibiting seed germination and overall seedling establishment. The expression of stress marker genes was upregulated in MdPP2C24/37 transgenic lines. At the same time, MdPP2C24/37 transgenic lines displayed inhibited ABA-mediated stomatal closure, which led to higher water loss rates. Moreover, when exposed to drought stress, chlorophyll levels decreased and MDA and H₂O₂ levels accumulated in the MdPP2C24/37 transgenic lines. Further, MdPP2C24/37 interacted with MdPYL2/12 in vitro and vivo. The results indicate that MdPP2C24/37 act as negative regulators in response to ABA-mediated drought resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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15 pages, 3838 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comprehensive Identification and Functional Analysis of Stress-Associated Protein (SAP) Genes in Osmotic Stress in Maize

by Qiankun Fu, Huaming Duan, Yang Cao, Yan Li, XiaoLong Lin, Haowan Pang, Qingqing Yang, Wanchen Li, Fengling Fu, Yuanyuan Zhang and Haoqiang Yu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 14010; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214010 - 13 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1418

Abstract

Stress-associated proteins (SAPs) are a kind of zinc finger protein with an A20/AN1 domain and contribute to plants’ adaption to various abiotic and biological stimuli. However, little is known about the SAP genes in maize (Zea mays L.). In the present study, the SAP genes were identified from the maize genome. Subsequently, the protein properties, gene structure and duplication, chromosomal location, and cis-acting elements were analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Finally, their expression profiles under osmotic stresses, including drought and salinity, as well as ABA, and overexpression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae W303a cells, were performed to uncover the potential function. The results showed that a total of 10 SAP genes were identified and named ZmSAP1 to ZmSAP10 in maize, which was unevenly distributed on six of the ten maize chromosomes. The ZmSAP1, ZmSAP4, ZmSAP5, ZmSAP6, ZmSAP7, ZmSAP8 and ZmSAP10 had an A20 domain at N terminus and AN1 domain at C terminus, respectively. Only ZmSAP2 possessed a single AN1 domain at the N terminus. ZmSAP3 and ZmSAP9 both contained two AN1 domains without an A20 domain. Most ZmSAP genes lost introns and had abundant stress- and hormone-responsive cis-elements in their promoter region. The results of quantitative real-time PCR showed that all ZmSAP genes were regulated by drought and saline stresses, as well as ABA induction. Moreover, heterologous expression of ZmSAP2 and ZmSAP7 significantly improved the saline tolerance of yeast cells. The study provides insights into further underlying the function of ZmSAPs in regulating stress response in maize. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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16 pages, 7857 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphological, Transcriptome, and Hormone Analysis of Dwarfism in Tetraploids of Populus alba × P. glandulosa

by Yongyu Ren, Shuwen Zhang, Tingting Xu and Xiangyang Kang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(17), 9762; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23179762 - 28 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1672

Abstract

Breeding for dwarfism is an important approach to improve lodging resistance. Here, we performed comparative analysis of the phenotype, transcriptome, and hormone contents between diploids and tetraploids of poplar 84K (Populus alba × P. glandulosa). Compared with diploids, the indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellin (GA₃) contents were increased, whereas the jasmonic acid (JA) and abscisic acid (ABA) contents were decreased in tetraploids. RNA-sequencing revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves of tetraploids were mainly involved in plant hormone pathways. Most DEGs associated with IAA and GA promotion of plant growth and development were downregulated, whereas most DEGs associated with ABA and JA promotion of plant senescence were upregulated. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis indicated that certain transcription factors may be involved in the regulation of genes involved in plant hormone pathways. Thus, the altered expression of some genes in the plant hormone pathways may lead to a reduction in IAA and GA contents, as well as an elevation in ABA and JA contents, resulting in the dwarfing of tetraploids. The results show that polyploidization is a complex biological process affected by multiple plant hormone signals, and it provides a foundation for further exploration of the mechanism of tetraploids dwarfing in forest trees. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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16 pages, 3568 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Calmodulin-Binding Transcription Activator (CAMTA) Gene Family in Plants and the Expression Pattern Analysis of CAMTA3/SR1 in Tomato under Abiotic Stress

by Hua Fang, Peng Wang, Fujin Ye, Jing Li, Meiling Zhang, Chunlei Wang and Weibiao Liao

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 6264; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23116264 - 03 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2200

Abstract

Calmodulin-binding transcription activator (CAMTA) plays an important regulatory role in plant growth, development, and stress response. This study identified the phylogenetic relationships of the CAMTA family in 42 plant species using a genome-wide search approach. Subsequently, the evolutionary relationships, gene structures, and conservative structural domain of CAMTA3/SR1 in different plants were analyzed. Meanwhile, in the promoter region, the cis-acting elements, protein clustering interaction, and tissue-specific expression of CAMTA3/SR1 in tomato were identified. The results show that SlCAMTA3/SR1 genes possess numerous cis-acting elements related to hormones, light response, and stress in the promoter regions. SlCAMTA3 might act together with other Ca²⁺ signaling components to regulate Ca²⁺-related biological processes. Then, the expression pattern of SlCAMTA3/SR1 was also investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The results show that SlCAMTA3/SR1 might respond positively to various abiotic stresses, especially Cd stress. The expression of SlCAMTA3/SR1 was scarcely detected in tomato leaf at the seedling and flowering stages, whereas SlCAMTA3/SR1 was highly expressed in the root at the seedling stage. In addition, SlCAMTA3/SR1 had the highest expression levels in flowers at the reproductive stage. Here, we provide a basic reference for further studies about the functions of CAMTA3/SR1 proteins in plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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15 pages, 4930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Maize ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and -9 Transcription Factors Negatively Regulate Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis

by Wenqi Feng, Yuan Liu, Yang Cao, Yiran Zhao, Hongwanjun Zhang, Fuai Sun, Qingqing Yang, Wanchen Li, Yanli Lu, Xuecai Zhang, Fengling Fu and Haoqiang Yu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 6025; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23116025 - 27 May 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2303

Abstract

The BRI1-EMS suppressor 1 (BES1)/brassinazole-resistant 1(BZR1) transcription factors play crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. However, little is known about the function of maize’s BES1/BZR1s. In this study, the ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and ZmBES1/BZR1-9 genes were cloned from maize’s inbred line, B73, and they were functionally evaluated by analyzing their expression pattern, subcellular localization, transcriptional activation activity, as well as their heterologous expression in Arabidopsis, respectively. The results of the qRT-PCR showed that the ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and ZmBES1/BZR1-9 genes were predominantly expressed in the root, and their expression was significantly down-regulated by drought stress. The ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and ZmBES1/BZR1-9 proteins localized in the nucleus but showed no transcriptional activation activity as a monomer. Subsequently, it was found that the heterologous expression of the ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and ZmBES1/BZR1-9 genes in Arabidopsis decreased drought tolerance, respectively. The transgenic lines showed a more serious wilting phenotype, shorter root length, lower fresh weight, and higher relative electrolyte leakage (REL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content compared to the control under drought stress. The RNA-sequencing data showed that the 70.67% and 93.27% differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly down-regulated in ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and ZmBES1/BZR1-9 transgenic Arabidopsis, respectively. The DEGs of ZmBES1/BZR1-3 gene’s expressing lines were mainly associated with oxidative stress response and amino acid metabolic process and enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum. But the DEGs of the ZmBES1/BZR1-9 gene’s expressing lines were predominantly annotated with water deprivation, extracellular stimuli, and jasmonic acid and enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and plant hormone signal transduction. Moreover, ZmBES1/BZR1-9 increased stomatal aperture in transgenic Arabidopsis under drought stress. This study indicates that ZmBES1/BZR1-3 and ZmBES1/BZR1-9 negatively regulate drought tolerance via different pathways in transgenic Arabidopsis, and it provides insights into the underlying the function of BES1/BZR1s in crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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19 pages, 4703 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Populus euphratica Phospholipase Dδ Increases Salt Tolerance by Regulating K⁺/Na⁺ and ROS Homeostasis in Arabidopsis

by Ying Zhang, Jun Yao, Kexin Yin, Zhe Liu, Yanli Zhang, Chen Deng, Jian Liu, Yinan Zhang, Siyuan Hou, Huilong Zhang, Dade Yu, Nan Zhao, Rui Zhao and Shaoliang Chen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(9), 4911; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23094911 - 28 Apr 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1665

Abstract

Phospholipase Dα (PLDα), which produces signaling molecules phosphatidic acid (PA), has been shown to play a critical role in plants adapting to salt environments. However, it is unclear whether phospholipase Dδ (PLDδ) can mediate the salt response in higher plants. PePLDδ was isolated from salt-resistant Populus euphratica and transferred to Arabidopsis thaliana to testify the salt tolerance of transgenic plants. The NaCl treatment (130 mM) reduced the root growth and whole-plant fresh weight of wild-type (WT) A. thaliana, vector controls (VC) and PePLDδ-overexpressed lines, although a less pronounced effect was observed in transgenic plants. Under salt treatment, PePLDδ-transgenic Arabidopsis exhibited lower electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde content and H₂O₂ levels than WT and VC, resulting from the activated antioxidant enzymes and upregulated transcripts of genes encoding superoxide dismutase, ascorbic acid peroxidase and peroxidase. In addition, PePLDδ-overexpressed plants increased the transcription of genes encoding the plasma membrane Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter (AtSOS1) and H⁺-ATPase (AtAHA2), which enabled transgenic plants to proceed with Na⁺ extrusion and reduce K⁺ loss under salinity. The capacity to regulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and K⁺/Na⁺ homeostasis was associated with the abundance of specific PA species in plants overexpressing PePLDδ. PePLDδ-transgenic plants retained a typically higher abundance of PA species, 34:2 (16:0–18:2), 34:3 (16:0–18:3), 36:4 (18:2–18:2), 36:5 (18:2–18:3) and 36:6 (18:3–18:3), under control and saline conditions. It is noteworthy that PA species 34:2 (16:0–18:2), 34:3 (16:0–18:3), 36:4 (18:2–18:2) and 36:5 (18:2–18:3) markedly increased in response to NaCl in transgenic plants. In conclusion, we suppose that PePLDδ-derived PA enhanced the salinity tolerance by regulating ROS and K⁺/Na⁺ homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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17 pages, 49607 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drought-Responsive NAC Transcription Factor RcNAC72 Is Recognized by RcABF4, Interacts with RcDREB2A to Enhance Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis

by Xin Jia, Zhen Zeng, Yingmin Lyu and Shiwei Zhao

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1755; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23031755 - 03 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2516

Abstract

RcNAC72, a key transcription factor that may respond to drought stress in Rosa chinensis ‘Old Blush’, was selected in our previous study. In the present study, we found that RcNAC72 is localized in the nucleus and is a transcriptional activator. RcNAC72 expression could be significantly induced by drought, low temperature, salt as well as abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Analysis of the promoter revealed that multiple abiotic stress and hormone response elements were located in the promoter region. The promoter could respond to drought, low temperature, salt and ABA treatments to activate GUS gene expression. Overexpressing RcNAC72 in Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced sensitivity to ABA and tolerance to drought stress. Silencing of RcNAC72 by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in rose leaves significantly reduced leaf water loss tolerance and leaf extension capacity. Physical interaction of RcNAC72 with RcDREB2A was shown by means of the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays. RcABF4 was demonstrated to be able to bind to the promoter of RcNAC72 by means of the yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assay. These results provide new insights into the regulatory network of RcNAC72 response to drought stress in roses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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Review

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13 pages, 1350 KiB

Open AccessReview

Signaling Transduction of ABA, ROS, and Ca²⁺ in Plant Stomatal Closure in Response to Drought

by Hui Liu, Songbo Song, Hui Zhang, Yanhua Li, Liangjie Niu, Jinghua Zhang and Wei Wang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(23), 14824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232314824 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 3858

Abstract

Drought is a global threat that affects agricultural production. Plants have evolved several adaptive strategies to cope with drought. Stomata are essential structures for plants to control water status and photosynthesis rate. Stomatal closure is an efficient way for plants to reduce water loss and improve survivability under drought conditions. The opening and closure of stomata depend on the turgor pressure in guard cells. Three key signaling molecules, including abscisic acid (ABA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and calcium ion (Ca²⁺), play pivotal roles in controlling stomatal closure. Plants sense the water-deficit signal mainly via leaves and roots. On the one hand, ABA is actively synthesized in root and leaf vascular tissues and transported to guard cells. On the other hand, the roots sense the water-deficit signal and synthesize CLAVATA3/EMBRYO-SURROUNDING REGION RELATED 25 (CLE25) peptide, which is transported to the guard cells to promote ABA synthesis. ABA is perceived by pyrabactin resistance (PYR)/PYR1-like (PYL)/regulatory components of ABA receptor (RCAR) receptors, which inactivate PP2C, resulting in activating the protein kinases SnRK2s. Many proteins regulating stomatal closure are activated by SnRK2s via protein phosphorylation. ABA-activated SnRK2s promote apoplastic ROS production outside of guard cells and transportation into the guard cells. The apoplastic H₂O₂ can be directly sensed by a receptor kinase, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE-INDUCED CA²⁺ INCREASES1 (HPCA1), which induces activation of Ca²⁺ channels in the cytomembrane of guard cells, and triggers an increase in Ca²⁺ in the cytoplasm of guard cells, resulting in stomatal closure. In this review, we focused on discussing the signaling transduction of ABA, ROS, and Ca²⁺ in controlling stomatal closure in response to drought. Many critical genes are identified to have a function in stomatal closure under drought conditions. The identified genes in the process can serve as candidate genes for genetic engineering to improve drought resistance in crops. The review summarizes the recent advances and provides new insights into the signaling regulation of stomatal closure in response to water-deficit stress and new clues on the improvement of drought resistance in crops. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Response to Abiotic Stress)

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