Abstract
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a well-known animal hormone, is also involved in plant development and abiotic stress responses. In this study, it is shown that exogenous application of melatonin conferred improved salt, drought, and cold stress resistances in bermudagrass. Moreover, exogenous melatonin treatment alleviated reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and cell damage induced by abiotic stress; this involved activation of several antioxidants. Additionally, melatonin-pre-treated plants exhibited higher concentrations of 54 metabolites, including amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols, than non-treated plants under abiotic stress conditions. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiling identified 3933 transcripts (2361 up-regulated and 1572 down-regulated) that were differentially expressed in melatonin-treated plants versus controls. Pathway and gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analyses revealed that genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, major carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid (TCA)/org transformation, transport, hormone metabolism, metal handling, redox, and secondary metabolism were over-represented after melatonin pre-treatment. Taken together, this study provides the first evidence of the protective roles of exogenous melatonin in the bermudagrass response to abiotic stresses, partially via activation of antioxidants and modulation of metabolic homeostasis. Notably, metabolic and transcriptomic analyses showed that the underlying mechanisms of melatonin could involve major reorientation of photorespiratory and carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism.
Highlights
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a well-known seasonal reproductive physiology, temperature homeostasis, animal hormone that is involved in many biological processes sexual behaviour, antioxidative activity, and immunological including sleep, mood, circadian rhythms, retinal physiology, enhancement (Galano et al, 2011; Venegas et al, 2012; Calvo682 | Shi et al et al, 2013)
Pathway and gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analyses revealed that genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, major carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid (TCA)/org transformation, transport, hormone metabolism, metal handling, redox, and secondary metabolism were over-represented after melatonin pre-treatment
20 μM and 100 μM melatoninpre-treated plants exhibited healthy growth in comparison with non-treated and 4 μM melatonin-pre-treated plants, with significantly higher plant height and weight (Fig. 2F, G). These results indicate that exogenous melatonin application improved salt, drought, and freezing stress resistance in bermudagrass
Summary
Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a well-known seasonal reproductive physiology, temperature homeostasis, animal hormone that is involved in many biological processes sexual behaviour, antioxidative activity, and immunological including sleep, mood, circadian rhythms, retinal physiology, enhancement (Galano et al, 2011; Venegas et al, 2012; Calvo682 | Shi et al et al, 2013). Remarkably high concentrations of melatonin have been identified and quantified in popular beverages (beer, tea, coffee, and wine), crops (barley, corn, grape, wheat, rice, tobacco, and oats), and Arabidopsis in comparison with those in animals (Manchester et al, 2000; Kolář and Macháčkova, 2005; Arnao and Hernández-Ruiz, 2006, 2009b, 2013a, b; Tan et al, 2007a, 2012; Ramakrishna et al, 2012). The well-known beneficial effects of melatonin on human health and the abundance of melatonin in popular beverages and crops may encourage the daily consumption of these products (Tan et al, 2012)
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