Stress-related Metabolism Research Articles

Exploration and mapping of microsatellite markers from subtracted drought stress ESTs in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

Molecular variation within defined genes underlying specific biochemical or physiological functions provide candidate gene-based markers which show very close association with the trait of interest and thus should enable to design superior genotypes. We explored microsatellite loci in a total of 9,892 subtracted drought stress ESTs of sorghum (6,295 after flowering ESTs and 3,597 before flowering ESTs) available in the NCBI dbEST database. Analysis of 9,892 ESTs identified 221 non-redundant ESTs with SSRs, from which 109 functional SSRs were developed. Among them 62 EST-microsatellites (56.8%) exhibited polymorphism for at least one sorghum genotype among the five tested and yielded a total of 161 alleles, with an average of 2.59 alleles per marker. We present a microsatellite linkage map using a RIL population derived from the cross 296B and IS18551. The map contains 128 microsatellite loci distributed over 15 linkage groups, and spanning a genetic distance of 1,074.5 cM. The map includes map positions of 28 drought EST-microsatellites developed and seven new genomic-SSRs, and are distributed throughout the map. The developed EST markers include genes coding for important regulatory proteins and functional proteins that are involved in stress related metabolism. The drought EST-microsatellites will have applications in functional diversity studies, association studies, QTL studies for drought, and other agronomically important traits in sorghum, and comparative genomics studies between sorghum and other members of the Poaceae family.

Transient Occurrence of Seed Germination Processes during Coffee Post-harvest Treatment

The chemical composition of green coffee and thus the final coffee quality are specifically determined by the mode of post-harvest treatment, i.e. the wet and dry processing. Recently, it was shown that metabolic processes, i.e. germination and, a slightly delayed stress-related metabolism are executed during the course of processing. The specific ambient conditions of either post-harvest treatment may influence differentially the extent and time course of these metabolic reactions; therefore, the incidence and intensity of germination processes in coffee seeds were analysed during processing. Expression of the germination-specific isocitrate lyase was monitored using competitive RT-PCRs analyses. Resumption of cell cycle activity and cell division were determined by flow cytometry, as well as by the abundance of beta-tubulin quantified by Western blot analyses. The extent and the time courses of germination processes in coffee seeds differed significantly between wet and dry processed beans. The highest germination activity occurred 2 d after the onset of wet processing, whereas the corresponding maximum in the course of dry processing appeared about 1 week after the start of post harvest treatment. As recently shown, there are specific differences in the chemical composition of differentially processed coffee beans. It is concluded that these substantial differences are the consequence of the differential expression of germination processes, i.e. they are the result of differences in the corresponding metabolic activities. The coherence of germination-related metabolism and of expression-specific coffee qualities establishes the basis for a novel approach in coffee research.

Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and Plant Responses to Stress

4-aminobutyrate (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that is widely distributed throughout the biological world. In animals, GABA functions as the predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system by acting through the GABA receptors. The neuromuscular system enables animals to escape from environmental stresses. Being nonmotile, plants have evolved chemical responses to mitigate stress. Mechanisms by which GABA may facilitate these responses are discussed in this review. Environmental stresses increase GABA accumulation through two different mechanisms. Stresses causing metabolic and/or mechanical disruptions, resulting in cytosolic acidification, induce an acidic pH-dependent activation of glutamate decarboxylase and GABA synthesis. Extremely marked declines in cytosolic pH occur under oxygen deprivation, which is the primary stress factor in flooded soils, and this stress induces the greatest accumulation of GABA. Other stresses, including cold, heat, salt, and mild or transient environmental factors, such as touch, wind, rain, etc. rapidly increase cellular levels of Ca2+. Increased cytosolic Ca2+ stimulates calmodulin-dependent glutamate decarboxylase activity and GABA synthesis. A review of the kinetics of GABA accumulation in plants reveals a stress-specific pattern of accumulation that is consistent with a physiological role for GABA in stress mitigation. Recent physiological and genetic evidence indicates that plants may possess GAB A-like receptors that have features in common with the animal receptors. The mechanism of action of animal GABA receptors suggests a model for rapid amplification of ion-mediated signals and GABA accumulation in response to stress. Metabolic pathways that link GABA to stress-related metabolism and plant hormones are identified. The survival value of stress-related metabolism is dependent on metabolic changes occurring before stress causes irreversible damage to plant tissue. Rapid accumulation of GABA in stressed tissue may provide a critical link in the chain of events leading from perception of environmental stresses to timely physiological responses.

Molecular analysis of acclimation to cold

Temperature is expected to affect all plant processes. Consistent with this, expression of a large number of specific mRNAs and proteins is up-regulated during cold-acclimation. Their possible functions are outlined, encompassing a wide range of processes, some possibly related to other winter stresses besides cold. Some of the cold-responsive sequences are associated with constitutive or stress-related metabolism, others are probably protective, some may influence freezing, and many are of as yet unknown function. While many of the sequences code for intracellular proteins, a significant number code for apoplastic proteins with a variety of possible functions. Transient influx of calcium into the cytosol appears to be a key step in the response to cold, and also to many other stresses and signals. Similarly, the cold-responsive promoter element identified so far is also responsive to drought and salt. However, how cold is sensed, and any cold-specific aspects of the cold signal transduction pathway, are, so far, unknown. What is clear is that, at least in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, cold-, desiccation-, salt- and ABA-triggered signal transduction pathways, and possibly others, run partly in parallel and partly intersect. This may be partly explained by a need for an integrated winter-response. The total number of genes which are cold-responsive and the quantity of resources which this implies are used in this way, indicate that many must have a positive role in acclimation. Experiments which modify membrane lipid unsaturation or solute accumulation, achieved by transformation of plants to express exotic or heterologous genes or by other means, confirm that these factors affect chill- or freezing-tolerance. A transgenic test has shown that one cold-up-regulated gene of previously unknown function contributes to freezing-tolerance, but the small effect re-emphasises the probably cumulative nature of the contributions of many cold-up-regulated sequences to acclimation. On the other hand, mutant analysis indicates some genes may make a comparatively larger contribution. Transformation of alfalfa to overexpress a superoxide dismutase gene increased cold-tolerance and drought-resistance and demonstrated that improvements in field-survival of stresses is possible by transgenic means. Over-expression of a transcription factor, CBF1, conferred freezing-tolerance on Arabidopsis, showing that manipulation of the signal transduction pathway could be an important method for modifying cold-tolerance.