Abiotic Stress Conditions Research Articles

Deciphering the features and functions of serine/arginine protein kinases in bread wheat

Serine/arginine protein kinases (SRPKs) are members of the serine-threonine kinase family that phosphorylate the Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins involved in alternate splicing. They are reported in various eukaryotes including mammals, and in a few plants, but seldom explored in important crop species. Herein, we identified a total of nine TaSRPK genes from all three subgenomes (A, B, and D) of a staple crop Triticum aestivum, and phylogenetically classified them into two groups. The TaSRPKs have conserved gene architecture with four exons. Each TaSRPK protein consists of a characteristic protein kinase domain having an active site and ATP binding region. The occurrence of diverse cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region, and interaction with assorted groups of transcription factors and miRNAs exhibited their divergent functions. Differential expression of certain TaSRPKs in vegetative and reproductive tissues and in the presence of fungal pathogens and various abiotic stress conditions further assured their association during development processes and stress response. Our study highlighted the importance of TaSRPKs, which might be useful for their detailed characterization in future research.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of autophagy-related genes (ATG) in Gossypium spp. reveals their crucial role in stress tolerance

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process mediated by AuTophaGy (ATG) genes, in which cellular components are degraded and recycled within vacuoles or lysosome. Yeast ATG was extensively studied; their homologs are reported in plants including Arabidopsis. However, they have not been reported in cotton. In the present study, the ATG cascade genes were studied in four Gossypium species, namely G. hirsutum, G. arboreum, G. herbaceum, and G. raimondii. A total of 40 GhirATG, 33 GaATG, 34 GherbATG, and 25 GrATG genes were identified in these species. These ATG sequences exhibited conserved ATG domains and other overlapping domains, including Ras, Pkinase, Snf7, WD40, Glyco_hydro_17, and bZIP_1, and were named based on their phylogenetic relationships with Arabidopsis ATGs. A phylogenetic analysis revealed evolutionary relationships among ATG genes among these species, as well as significant sub-clades indicating patterns of gene retention. Based on synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, cotton groups diverged at different times from Arabidopsis. Gene structure analysis and chromosome localization showed exon-intron patterns and locations. Expression analysis of ATGs in different tissues during development and under stress conditions indicated their functional specificity. The ATG8 subclass genes were significantly expressed under abiotic stress conditions, indicating their role in stress response. In addition, qRT-PCR analysis of selected 12 GhirATGs in leaves treated with stress elicitors, MeJA, SA, NaCl, and PEG for varying time intervals showed a pattern of their significant upregulation. The findings contribute to our understanding of autophagy-related processes in cotton, including their potential role in stress response and development.

Mitigation of cadmium toxicity stress by magnetopriming during germination of soybean

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal that poses a significant threat to food safety and agricultural production worldwide. Its solubility enables easy entry into plants, leading to reductions in seed germination, growth and crop yield. Thus, it is crucial to discover methods to alleviate the harmful impact of Cd on plant growth. Magnetopriming (MP) is a non-invasive and cost-effective technique that has been proposed to improve plant growth under abiotic stress conditions. The current study investigated the potential of MP to improve the seed germination, early seedling growth and biochemical responses of soybean under Cd toxicity. Soybean seeds were magnetoprimed with static magnetic field (SMF) strength of 200 mT for 1 hour before germination. The unprimed and magnetoprimed seeds were grown under different concentrations of cadmium chloride (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 and 300 μM CdCl2) in Petri plates for five days in the dark at 25 + 1°C. The results revealed that Cd toxicity significantly reduced the germination percentage and inhibited the seedling growth parameters and increased oxidative stress, as determined by malondialdehyde (MDA) content in soybean seedlings from unprimed seeds. The inhibitory effect was increased with increasing concentration of Cd. However, MP remarkably increased the germination percentage, seedling growth parameters, activities of total amylase and protease, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content and decreased MDA and proline content in germinating soybean seedlings at all concentrations of Cd. These findings suggest that MP can alleviate the adverse effects of Cd stress in soybean seedlings and increase the tolerance index towards Cd toxicity by enhancing the activity of amylotic and proteolytic enzymes and reducing oxidative stress.

Some like it hot: small genomes may be more prevalent under climate extremes

Changing climates can influence species range shifts and biological invasions, but the mechanisms are not fully known. Using the model species Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (Poaceae), we conducted a global analysis of climate and plant native and introduced cytotypes to determine whether this relationship influences population distributions, hypothesizing that smaller genomes are more common in regions of greater environmental stress. First, we identified 598 Phragmites australis field-collected native and introduced genome size variants using flow cytometry. We then evaluated whether temperature and precipitation were associated with P. australis monoploid genome size (Cx-value) distributions using Cx-value and Worldclim data. After accounting for potential spatial autocorrelation among source populations, we found climate significantly influenced Cx-value prevalence on continents. The relationships of Cx-value to temperature and precipitation varied according to whether plants were native or introduced in North America and Europe, and Cx-values were strongly influenced by precipitation during the dry season. Smaller plant monoploid genome size was associated with more stressful abiotic conditions; under extreme high temperatures and under drought, plants had smaller Cx-values. This may influence genome dominance, biological invasions, and range expansions and contractions as climate change selects for genome sizes that maximize fitness.

Genome-wide 5′-C-phosphate-G-3′ methylation patterns reveal the effect of heat stress on the altered semen quality in Bubalus bubalis

Semen production and quality are closely correlated with different environmental factors in bovines, particularly for the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bulls reared under tropical and sub-tropical conditions. Factors including DNA methylation patterns, an intricate process in sperm cells, have an impact on the production of quality semen in buffalo bulls under abiotic stress conditions. The present study was conducted to identify DNA methylome signatures for semen quality in Murrah buffalo bulls, acclaimed as a major dairy breed globally, under summer heat stress. Based on semen quality parameters that significantly varied between the two groups over the seasons, the breeding bulls were classified into seasonally affected (SA = 6) and seasonally non-affected (SNA = 6) categories. DNA was isolated from purified sperm cells and sequenced using the RRBS (Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing) technique for genome-wide methylome data generation. During the hot summer months, the physiological parameters such as scrotal surface temperature, rectal temperature, and respiration rate for both the SA and SNA bulls were significantly higher in the afternoon than in the morning. Whereas, the global CpG% of SA bulls was positively correlated with the afternoon's scrotal surface and rectal temperature. The RRBS results conveyed differentially methylated cytosines in the promoter region of the genes encoding the channels responsible for Ca2+ exchange, NPTN, Ca2+ activated chloride channels, ANO1, and a few structure-related units such as septins (SEPT4 and SEPT6), SPATA, etc. Additionally, the hypermethylated set of genes in SA was significantly enriched for pathways such as the FOXO signaling pathway and oocyte meiosis. The methylation patterns suggest promoter methylation in the genes regulating the sperm structure as well as surface transporters, which could contribute to the reduced semen quality in the Murrah buffalo bulls during the season-related heat stress.

Recent Advancements in Mitigating Abiotic Stresses in Crops

In recent years, the progressive escalation of climate change scenarios has emerged as a significant global concern. The threat to global food security posed by abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, temperature stress (heat stress, freezing, and chilling), and high heavy metal accumulation is substantial. The implementation of any of these stresses on agricultural land induces modifications in the morphological, biochemical, and physiological processes of plants, leading to diminished rates of germination, growth, photosynthesis, respiration, hormone and enzyme activity disruption, heightened oxidative stress, and ultimately, a reduction in crop productivity. It is anticipated that the frequency of these stresses will progressively escalate in the future as a result of a rise in climate change events. Therefore, it is crucial to develop productive strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of these challenges on the agriculture industry and improve crop resilience and yield. Diverse strategies have been implemented, including the development of cultivars that are resistant to climate change through the application of both conventional and modern breeding techniques. An additional application of the prospective and emerging technology of speed breeding is the acceleration of tolerance cultivar development. Additionally, plant growth regulators, osmoprotectants, nutrient and water management, planting time, seed priming, microbial seed treatment, and arbuscular mycorrhiza are regarded as effective methods for mitigating abiotic stresses. The application of biochar, kaolin, chitosan, superabsorbent, yeast extract, and seaweed extract are examples of promising and environmentally benign agronomic techniques that have been shown to mitigate the effects of abiotic stresses on crops; however, their exact mechanisms are still not yet fully understood. Hence, collaboration among researchers should be intensified to fully elucidate the mechanisms involved in the action of the emerging technologies. This review provides a comprehensive and current compilation of scientific information on emerging and current trends, along with innovative strategies to enhance agricultural productivity under abiotic stress conditions.

Genome-wide analysis of PvMADS in common bean and functional characterization of PvMADS31 in Arabidopsis thaliana as a player in abiotic stress responses.

Changing climatic conditions with rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity, particularly for common bean crops. Transcription factors (TFs) are crucial regulators that can mitigate the impact of biotic and abiotic stresses on crop production. The MADS-box TFs family has been implicated in various plant physiological processes, including stress-responsive mechanisms. However, their role in common bean and their response to stressful conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we identified 35 MADS-box gene family members in common bean, with conserved MADS-box domains and other functional domains. Gene duplication events were observed, suggesting the significance of duplication in the evolutionary development of gene families. The analysis of promoter regions revealed diverse elements, including stress-responsive elements, indicating their potential involvement in stress responses. Notably, PvMADS31, a member of the PvMADS-box gene family, demonstrated rapid upregulation under various abiotic stress conditions, including NaCl, polyethylene glycol, drought, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. Transgenic plants overexpressing PvMADS31 displayed enhanced lateral root development, root elongation, and seed germination under stress conditions. Furthermore, PvMADS31 overexpression in Arabidopsis resulted in improved drought tolerance, likely attributed to the enhanced scavenging of ROS and increased proline accumulation. These findings suggest that PvMADS31 might play a crucial role in modulating seed germination, root development, and stress responses, potentially through its involvement in auxin and ABA signaling pathways. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the potential roles of PvMADS-box genes in abiotic stress responses in common bean, offering prospects for crop improvement strategies to enhance resilience under changing environmental conditions.

An overview on Azelaic Acid: Biosynthesis, signalling and the action under stress conditions in plants

Plants are exposed to various biotic and abiotic stress factors throughout their lives. For this reason, they have developed some defense mechanisms. They can induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR), which provides long-lasting protection against diverse pathogen attacks. In recent years, several chemical inducers (salicylic acid, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, azelaic acid, pipecolic acid, and dehydroabietic acid) have been determined to play roles in this mechanism. The transfer of these signal molecules from infected tissue to non-infected tissues through phloem provides potent defence communication. Azelaic acid is a well-known molecule that triggers salicylic acid accumulation under biotic stress as a priming factor to induce SAR, although little is known about its role under abiotic stress. Here, this review aims to call attention to the effects of AzA under abiotic stress conditions as well as biosynthesis, transport and signalling.

Efficacy of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria to Improve the Biochemical Properties and Development of Wheat Seedlings under Drought Stress Control

The most significant cereal crop is wheat, which ranks third among the world's most demanding staple crops after rice and maize. Temperate climates with moderate rainfall are ideal for growing it. Under the current changing climate, abiotic stress conditions, particularly drought conditions, have a significant impact on wheat crop productivity. Plants under drought stress have less water accessible to them, which slows down germination, growth, and yield. In this study, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is used to boost the drought tolerance capability of the wheat plant. PGPR isolate KD-3B strain is used to investigate the plant growth characteristic such as, mineral solubilization (zinc, phosphate, and potassium), ammonia production, indole acetic acid (IAA), and the enzyme 1-carboxylic acid (ACC). Moreover, the plant showed drought tolerance at polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) concentrations of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% (w/v). Wheat seedlings were exposed to both normal and drought conditions when they interacted with the KD-3B bacterial strain, which possesses many features that promote plant development. In comparison to growth in a non-PEG condition, this strain is tested for relative growth up to 41.05% in a 25% PEG concentration. When inoculum of KD-3B bacterial strain used under normal and drought conditions, the relationship between microbes and plants was examine in wheat seedlings grown under hydroponic condition. Under drought stress condition significant changes were observed in the morphological and biochemical conditions of seedlings. This research concluded that, in drought stress condition, PGPR KD-3B strain inoculated seedlings showed increased chlorophyll content, TSS content, malondialdehyde concentration and decreased proline, H2O2 content, SOD and POD activities, as compared to the negative control seedlings. The PGPR stain KD-3B improved their biochemical and physiological parameters and plant microbe interaction decreased the deleterious effect of drought on wheat seedlings.

Plant biomarkers as early detection tools in stress management in food crops: a review.

Plant Biomarkers are objective indicators of a plant's cellular state in response to abiotic and biotic stress factors. They can be explored in crop breeding and engineering to produce stress-tolerant crop species. Global food production safely and sustainably remains a top priority to feed the ever-growing human population, expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. However, abiotic and biotic stress factors negatively impact food production systems, causing between 70 and 100% reduction in crop yield. Understanding the plant stress responses is critical for developing novel crops that can adapt better to various adverse environmental conditions. Using plant biomarkers as measurable indicators of a plant's cellular response to external stimuli could serve as early warning signals to detect stresses before severe damage occurs. Plant biomarkers have received considerable attention in the last decade as pre-stress indicators for various economically important food crops. This review discusses some biomarkers associated with abiotic and biotic stress conditions and highlights their importance in developing stress-resilient crops. In addition, we highlighted some factors influencing the expression of biomarkers in crop plants under stress. The information presented in this review would educate plant researchers, breeders, and agronomists on the significance of plant biomarkers in stress biology research, which is essential for improving plant growth and yield toward sustainable food production.

CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing and functional analysis of SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 genes of Solanum lycopersicum L. in imparting genetic tolerance to multiple stress factors.

CRISPR/Cas is a breakthrough genome editing system because of its precision, target specificity, and efficiency. As a speed breeding system, it is more robust than the conventional breeding and biotechnological approaches for qualitative and quantitative trait improvement. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an economically important crop, but its yield and productivity have been severely impacted due to different abiotic and biotic stresses. The recently identified SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 are two potential negative regulatory genes in response to different abiotic (drought and salinity) and biotic stress (bacterial leaf spot and bacterial wilt) conditions in S. lycopersicum L. The present study aimed to evaluate the drought, salinity, bacterial leaf spot, and bacterial wilt tolerance response in S. lycopersicum L. crop through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing of SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 and their functional analysis. The transient single- and dual-gene SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 CRISPR-edited plants were phenotypically better responsive to multiple stress factors taken under the study. The CRISPR-edited SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 plants showed a higher level of chlorophyll and proline content compared to wild-type (WT) plants under abiotic stress conditions. Reactive oxygen species accumulation and the cell death count per total area of leaves and roots under biotic stress were less in CRISPR-edited SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 plants compared to WT plants. The study reveals that the combined loss-of-function of SlHyPRP1 along with SlDEA1 is essential for imparting significant multi-stress tolerance (drought, salinity, bacterial leaf spot, and bacterial wilt) in S. lycopersicum L. The main feature of the study is the detailed genetic characterization of SlDEA1, a poorly studied 8CM family gene in multi-stress tolerance, through the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system. The study revealed the key negative regulatory role of SlDEA1 that function together as an anchor gene with SlHyPRP1 in imparting multi-stress tolerance in S. lycopersicum L. It was interesting that the present study also showed that transient CRISPR/Cas9 editing events of SlHyPRP1 and SlDEA1 genes were successfully replicated in stably generated parent-genome-edited line (GEd0) and genome-edited first-generation lines (GEd1) of S. lycopersicum L. With these upshots, the study's key findings demonstrate outstanding value in developing sustainable multi-stress tolerance in S. lycopersicum L. and other crops to cope with climate change.

An Insight into the Role of Phenolics in Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: Current Perspective for Sustainable Environment

Phenolic compounds (PCs) are a prominent class of secondary metabolites produced by plants and are essential for the natural role of the entire plant life cycle. PCs are formed in plants under both favorable and unfavorable conditions and have essential functions in signaling pathways, such as cell division, nutrient mineralization, hormone control, and reproduction. Under abiotic stress conditions, plants produce more polyphenols, which aid them in adapting to their environment. The phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway is activated under various environmental stress conditions, such as drought, heavy metal toxicity, salinity, and high/low temperatures, resulting in the deposition of compounds. These compounds can neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in excessive amounts in crops under stressful conditions and adversely affect plants. It is imperative to investigate the functions of PCs in response to several abiotic stresses, as the phenylpropanoid pathway plays a crucial role in the metabolic pathway in crop plants, leading to the biosynthesis of a wide range of PCs. These compounds play various roles in plant growth, development, and response to environmental stress. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive understanding of PCs and their exchanges with other cellular components, which is crucial for harnessing their potential to improve crop resilience to environmental stresses.

Phenolic compounds profiles of different barley varieties under the action of nanocomposite complex bacterial preparation Azogran in conditions of abiotic stress

Phenolic compounds profiles of different barley varieties under the action of nanocomposite complex bacterial preparation Azogran in conditions of abiotic stress

Ethylene Modulates Rice Root Plasticity under Abiotic Stresses

Plants live in constantly changing environments that are often unfavorable or stressful. Root development strongly affects plant growth and productivity, and the developmental plasticity of roots helps plants to survive under abiotic stress conditions. This review summarizes the progress being made in understanding the regulation of the phtyohormone ethylene in rice root development in response to abiotic stresses, highlighting the complexity associated with the integration of ethylene synthesis and signaling in root development under adverse environments. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of ethylene in regulating root architecture and response to environmental signals can contribute to the genetic improvement of crop root systems, enhancing their adaptation to stressful environmental conditions.

Genome-wide identification and transcriptome profiling expression analysis of the U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase gene family related to abiotic stress in maize (Zea mays L.)

BackgroundThe U-box gene family encodes E3 ubiquitin ligases involved in plant hormone signaling pathways and abiotic stress responses. However, there has yet to be a comprehensive analysis of the U-box gene family in maize (Zea mays L.) and its responses to abiotic stress.ResultsIn this study, 85 U-box family proteins were identified in maize and were classified into four subfamilies based on phylogenetic analysis. In addition to the conserved U-box domain, we identified additional functional domains, including Pkinase, ARM, KAP and Tyr domains, by analyzing the conserved motifs and gene structures. Chromosomal localization and collinearity analysis revealed that gene duplications may have contributed to the expansion and evolution of the U-box gene family. GO annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis identified a total of 105 GO terms and 21 KEGG pathways that were notably enriched, including ubiquitin-protein transferase activity, ubiquitin conjugating enzyme activity and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway. Tissue expression analysis showed that some ZmPUB genes were specifically expressed in certain tissues and that this could be due to their functions. In addition, RNA-seq data for maize seedlings under salt stress revealed 16 stress-inducible plant U-box genes, of which 10 genes were upregulated and 6 genes were downregulated. The qRT-PCR results for genes responding to abiotic stress were consistent with the transcriptome analysis. Among them, ZmPUB13, ZmPUB18, ZmPUB19 and ZmPUB68 were upregulated under all three abiotic stress conditions. Subcellular localization analysis showed that ZmPUB19 and ZmPUB59 were located in the nucleus.ConclusionsOverall, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the U-box gene family in maize and its responses to abiotic stress, suggesting that U-box genes play an important role in the stress response and providing insights into the regulatory mechanisms underlying the response to abiotic stress in maize.

Silicon ameliorates cadmium (Cd) toxicity in pearl millet by inducing antioxidant defense system

Cadmium (Cd) stress is a significant environmental pollutant that can negatively impact crop yield and growth, and is a serious global issue. However, silicon (Si) has been shown to have a potential function in alleviating the effects of several abiotic stress conditions on crops, including Cd stress. This study investigated the effectiveness of applying silicon to soil as a method for reducing cadmium toxicity in pearl millet (IP14599) seedlings. Seeds of IP14599 were treated with Si + Cd element which cumulated to a combination of 9 treatments. Different Cd concentration of (0, 200, and 300 mg/kg-1) was taken and manually mixed into a sieved soil prior to planting and Si (0, 100 and 200 mg/kg-1) was selectively introduced till after attaining 12 days of seedling emergence. The physiochemical parameters of Cd stressed plants investigated includes chlorophyll, gas exchange attributes, proline, relative water contents, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD),catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), peroxidase (POD). Our result revealed that the metal (Cd) caused serious oxidative impairment thereby reducing photosynthetic performance, increased activity of MDA and Cd content in the roots and leaves of IP14599.In addition, Si increased the growth pattern and antioxidant defense action thereby mitigating the Cd toxicity. The results revealed that at Si 200, Si significantly increased the chlorophyll, carotenoids and plant height at 122 %, 69 % and 128 % under the Cd 200 and Cd 300 mg/kg-1 treatment, respectively. The single treatment at Si100 and Si 200 decreased ROS by 29 %, and 37 % respectively and MDA decreased by 33 % and 43 % in contrast to Cd 200 and 300 treatments, respectively. However, Si200 showed significant increase in the activities of APX 97 %, SOD by 89 %, CAT 35 % and POD 86 % as compared to single Si, Cd or combine Cd + Si treatment. Also, a gradual decline in Cd level in both the leaf and root was present when exposed to high concentrations of Si at Si200 and 300 mg/kg-1. Our findings revealed that Si might significantly increase the capacity to tolerate Cd stress in crop plants. Therefore, the study revealed that Si has the potential to alleviate Cd-induced toxicity by reducing Cd assimilation and enhancing the growth attributes of IP14599 plants.

Effect of glutathione-transport-related gene gsiD on desiccation tolerance of Cronobacter sakazakii and its related regulatory mechanism.

The outstanding desiccation tolerance of Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii) enables long-term persistence in food products with low-water activity to increase the infection risk, especially in low-birth-weight, immuno-compromised neonates, and infants less than 4 weeks of age. In our previous study, the disruption of glutathione transport-related gene gsiD by transposon was found to significantly increase its inactivation rate under drying stress challenges. However, the mechanism underlying the association between glutathione transport and desiccation tolerance of C. sakazakii remains to be clarified. In this study, the mechanism underlying their association was investigated in detail by constructing the gsiD gene deletion mutant. gsiD gene deletion was found to cause the dysfunction of the glutathione transport system GsiABCD and the limitation of glutathione import. The resulting decrease in intracellular glutathione caused the decreased potassium ions uptake and increased potassium ions efflux, inhibited the proline synthesis process, limited extracellular glutathione utilization, increased oxidant stress, reduced biofilm formation, and increased outer membrane permeability, which may be the main reasons for the significant reduction of the desiccation tolerance of C. sakazakii.IMPORTANCEContributing to its superior environmental adaptability, Cronobacter sakazakii can survive under many abiotic stress conditions. The outstanding desiccation tolerance makes this species persist in low-water activity foods, which increases harm to humans. For decades, many studies have focused on the desiccation tolerance of C. sakazakii, but the existing research is still insufficient. Our study found that gsiD gene deletion inhibited glutathione uptake and further decreased intracellular glutathione content, causing a decrease in desiccation tolerance and biofilm formation and an increase in outer membrane permeability. Moreover, the expression level of relative genes verified that gsiD gene deletion made the mutant not conducive to surviving in dry conditions due to restricting potassium ions uptake and efflux, inhibiting the conversion of glutamate to compatible solute proline, and increasing the oxidative stress of C. sakazakii. The above results enrich our knowledge of the desiccation tolerance mechanism of C. sakazakii.

Rapid and low-cost screening for single and combined effects of drought and heat stress on the morpho-physiological traits of African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) germplasm.

Drought and heat are two stresses that often occur together and may pose significant risks to crops in future climates. However, the combined effects of these two stressors have received less attention than single-stressor investigations. This study used a rapid and straightforward phenotyping method to quantify the variation in 128 African eggplant genotype responses to drought, heat, and the combined effects of heat and drought at the seedling stage. The study found that the morphophysiological traits varied significantly among the 128 eggplants, highlighting variation in response to abiotic stresses. Broad-sense heritability was high (> 0.60) for chlorophyll content, plant biomass and performance index, electrolyte leakage, and total leaf area. Positive and significant relationships existed between biomass and photosynthetic parameters, but a negative association existed between electrolyte leakage and morpho-physiological traits. The plants underwent more significant stress when drought and heat stress were imposed concurrently than under single stresses, with the impact of drought on the plants being more detrimental than heat. There were antagonistic effects on the morphophysiology of the eggplants when heat and drought stress were applied together. Resilient genotypes such as RV100503, RV100501, JAMBA, LOC3, RV100164, RV100169, LOC 3, RV100483, GH5155, RV100430, GH1087, GH1087*, RV100388, RV100387, RV100391 maintained high relative water content, low electrolyte leakage, high Fv/Fm ratio and performance index, and increased biomass production under abiotic stress conditions. The antagonistic interactions between heat and drought observed here may be retained or enhanced during several stress combinations typical of plants' environments and must be factored into efforts to develop climate change-resilient crops. This paper demonstrates improvised climate chambers for high throughput, reliable, rapid, and cost-effective screening for heat and drought and combined stress tolerance in plants.

Genome Identification and Expression Profiling of the PIN-Formed Gene Family in Phoebe bournei under Abiotic Stresses.

PIN-formed (PIN) proteins-specific transcription factors that are widely distributed in plants-play a pivotal role in regulating polar auxin transport, thus influencing plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. Although the identification and functional validation of PIN genes have been extensively explored in various plant species, their understanding in woody plants-particularly the endangered species Phoebe bournei (Hemsl.) Yang-remains limited. P. bournei is an economically significant tree species that is endemic to southern China. For this study, we employed bioinformatics approaches to screen and identify 13 members of the PIN gene family in P. bournei. Through a phylogenetic analysis, we classified these genes into five sub-families: A, B, C, D, and E. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the physicochemical properties, three-dimensional structures, conserved motifs, and gene structures of the PbPIN proteins. Our results demonstrate that all PbPIN genes consist of exons and introns, albeit with variations in their number and length, highlighting the conservation and evolutionary changes in PbPIN genes. The results of our collinearity analysis indicate that the expansion of the PbPIN gene family primarily occurred through segmental duplication. Additionally, by predicting cis-acting elements in their promoters, we inferred the potential involvement of PbPIN genes in plant hormone and abiotic stress responses. To investigate their expression patterns, we conducted a comprehensive expression profiling of PbPIN genes in different tissues. Notably, we observed differential expression levels of PbPINs across the various tissues. Moreover, we examined the expression profiles of five representative PbPIN genes under abiotic stress conditions, including heat, cold, salt, and drought stress. These experiments preliminarily verified their responsiveness and functional roles in mediating responses to abiotic stress. In summary, this study systematically analyzes the expression patterns of PIN genes and their response to abiotic stresses in P. bournei using whole-genome data. Our findings provide novel insights and valuable information for stress tolerance regulation in P. bournei. Moreover, the study offers significant contributions towards unraveling the functional characteristics of the PIN gene family.

Heterologous overexpression of Tawzy1-2 gene encoding an SK3 dehydrin enhances multiple abiotic stress tolerance in Escherichia coli and Nicotiania benthamiana.

The nuclear localized TaWZY1-2 helps plants resist abiotic stress by preserving the cell's ability to remove reactive oxygen species and decrease lipid oxidation under such conditions. In light of the unpredictable environmental conditions in which food crops grow, precise strategies must be developed by crops to effectively cope with abiotic stress and minimize damage over their lifespan. A key component in this endeavor is the group II of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, known as dehydrins, which play crucial roles in enhancing the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress. Tawzy1-2 is a dehydrin-encoding gene which is constitutively expressed in various tissues of wheat. However, the biological function of TaWZY1-2 is not yet fully understood. In this study, TaWZY1-2 was isolated and identified in the wheat genome, and its functional role in conferring tolerance to abiotic stresses was detected in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Results showed that TaWZY1-2 is a nuclear localized hydrophilic protein that accumulates in response to multiple stresses. Escherichia coli cells expressing TaWZY1-2 showed enhanced tolerance to multiple stress conditions. Overexpression of TaWZY1-2 in Nicotiania benthamiana improved growth, germination and survival rate of the transgenic plants exposed to four kinds of abiotic stress conditions. Our results show that Tawzy1-2 transgenic plants exhibit improved capability in clearing reactive oxygen species and reducing lipid degradation, thereby enhancing their resistance to abiotic stress. This demonstrates a significant role of TaWZY1-2 in mitigating abiotic stress-induced damage. Consequently, these findings not only establish a basis for future investigation into the functional mechanism of TaWZY1-2 but also contribute to the expansion of functional diversity within the dehydrin protein family. Moreover, they identify potential candidate genes for crop optimization.