Stress Response Mechanisms Research Articles

In Silico Analysis and Tissue-Specific Transcription of Platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) Catalase Gene

The present study focused on conducting in silico analysis and investigating the tissue-specific distribution and expression of the catalase gene in platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus), which can be used as a model organism for studying stress responses in fish. Assay of the steady-state levels of cat gene transcripts by real time PCR revealed. The steady-state level of platyfish cat transcript was abundant liver (2162.21) compared with the level of cat transcript in intestine (1270.94), heart (1241.25), muscle (419.157), brain (46.205), eye (47.57), swimming bladder (28.99), gills (81.18), spleen (95.45), kidney (20.25) ovary (91.16) and testis (113.22). The results suggest that the liver is the major site of cat expression in platyfish, with significantly higher expression levels compared to other tissues. In addition, the research involved using bioinformatics tools to analyze the genetic sequence of the catalase gene and predict its structure and function. The results of the study indicated that the cat in Platyfish shares a high sequence identity and similarity with its orthologs in other teleost species, including medaka, fugu, and zebrafish. This observation suggests that the cat gene is conserved among these fish species, and the gene’s function and regulatory mechanisms are likely to be similar. The high conservation of the cat gene among teleost fish species highlights the importance of this gene in the antioxidant defense system and its potential role in responding to environmental stressors. Platyfish cat gene exhibits a conserved gene structure, as evidenced by its conserved gene synteny with the orthologous cat/CAT genes in other teleost fish and humans. Overall, the study provides evidence for the highly conserved gene structure of the cat gene in platyfish, which contributes to its functional stability and the maintenance of its critical role in antioxidant defense and stress response mechanisms.

Bacterial Community Shifts during Polyp Bail-Out Induction in Pocillopora Corals.

Polyp bail-out constitutes both a stress response and an asexual reproductive strategy that potentially facilitates dispersal of some scleractinian corals, including several dominant reef-building taxa in the family Pocilloporidae. Recent studies have proposed that microorganisms may be involved in onset and progression of polyp bail-out. However, changes in the coral microbiome during polyp bail-out have not been investigated. In this study, we induced polyp bail-out in Pocillopora corals using hypersaline and hyperthermal methods. Bacterial community dynamics during bail-out induction were examined using the V5-V6 region of the 16S-rRNA gene. From 70 16S-rRNA gene libraries constructed from coral tissues, 1,980 OTUs were identified. Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria consistently constituted the dominant bacterial taxa in all coral tissue samples. Onset of polyp bail-out was characterized by increased relative abundance of Alphaproteobacteria and decreased abundance of Gammaproteobacteria in both induction experiments, with the shift being more prominent in response to elevated temperature than to elevated salinity. Four OTUs, affiliated with Thalassospira, Marisediminitalea, Rhodobacteraceae, and Myxococcales, showed concurrent abundance increases at the onset of polyp bail-out in both experiments, suggesting potential microbial causes of this coral stress response. IMPORTANCE Polyp bail-out represents both a stress response and an asexual reproductive strategy with significant implications for reshaping tropical coral reefs in response to global climate change. Although earlier studies have suggested that coral-associated microbiomes likely contribute to initiation of polyp bail-out in scleractinian corals, there have been no studies of coral microbiome shifts during polyp bail-out. In this study, we present the first investigation of changes in bacterial symbionts during two experiments in which polyp bail-out was induced by different environmental stressors. These results provide a background of coral microbiome dynamics during polyp bail-out development. Increases in abundance of Thalassospira, Marisediminitalea, Rhodobacteraceae, and Myxococcales that occurred in both experiments suggest that these bacteria are potential microbial causes of polyp bail-out, shedding light on the proximal triggering mechanism of this coral stress response.

Genome Editing and Improvement of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants.

Genome editing aims to revolutionise plant breeding and could assist in safeguarding the global food supply. The inclusion of a 12-40 bp recognition site makes mega nucleases the first tools utilized for genome editing and first generation gene-editing tools. Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are the second gene-editing technique, and because they create double-stranded breaks, they are more dependable and effective. ZFNs were the original designed nuclease-based approach of genome editing. The Cys2-His2 zinc finger domain's discovery made this technique possible. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are utilized to improve genetics, boost biomass production, increase nutrient usage efficiency, and develop disease resistance. Plant genomes can be effectively modified using genome-editing technologies to enhance characteristics without introducing foreign DNA into the genome. Next-generation plant breeding will soon be defined by these exact breeding methods. There is abroad promise that genome-edited crops will be essential in the years to come for improving the sustainability and climate-change resilience of food systems. This method also has great potential for enhancing crops' resistance to various abiotic stressors. In this review paper, we summarize the most recent findings about the mechanism of abiotic stress response in crop plants and the use of the CRISPR/Cas mediated gene-editing systems to improve tolerance to stresses including drought, salinity, cold, heat, and heavy metals.

Effect of agricultural microplastic and mesoplastic in the vermicomposting process: Response of Eisenia fetida and quality of the vermicomposts obtained

This work evaluates the effect of agricultural plastic waste (APW) in two particle sizes, microplastic and film debris, and subjected to a pre-treatment by exposure to UV-C, in the development of the vermicomposting process. Eisenia fetida health status and metabolic response and the vermicompost quality and enzymatic activity were determined. The environmental significant of this study is mainly related to how can affect plastic presence (depending on plastic type, size and/or if it is partially degraded) not only to this biological process of organic waste degradation, but also to the vermicompost characteristics, since these organic materials will be reintroduced in the environment as organic amendments and/or fertilizers in agriculture. The plastic presence induced a significant negative effect in survival and body weight of E. fetida with an average decrease of 10% and 15%, respectively, and differences on the characteristics of the vermicomposts obtained, mainly related with NPK content. Although the plastic proportion tested (1.25% f. w.) did not induce acute toxicity in worms, effects of oxidative stress were found. Thus, the exposure of E. fetida to AWP with smaller size or pre-treated with UV seemed to induce a biochemical response, but the mechanism of oxidative stress response did not seem to be dependent on the size or shape of plastic fragments or pre-treated plastic.

Multi-Omics Pipeline and Omics-Integration Approach to Decipher Plant's Abiotic Stress Tolerance Responses.

The present day's ongoing global warming and climate change adversely affect plants through imposing environmental (abiotic) stresses and disease pressure. The major abiotic factors such as drought, heat, cold, salinity, etc., hamper a plant's innate growth and development, resulting in reduced yield and quality, with the possibility of undesired traits. In the 21st century, the advent of high-throughput sequencing tools, state-of-the-art biotechnological techniques and bioinformatic analyzing pipelines led to the easy characterization of plant traits for abiotic stress response and tolerance mechanisms by applying the 'omics' toolbox. Panomics pipeline including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, proteogenomics, interactomics, ionomics, phenomics, etc., have become very handy nowadays. This is important to produce climate-smart future crops with a proper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of abiotic stress responses by the plant's genes, transcripts, proteins, epigenome, cellular metabolic circuits and resultant phenotype. Instead of mono-omics, two or more (hence 'multi-omics') integrated-omics approaches can decipher the plant's abiotic stress tolerance response very well. Multi-omics-characterized plants can be used as potent genetic resources to incorporate into the future breeding program. For the practical utility of crop improvement, multi-omics approaches for particular abiotic stress tolerance can be combined with genome-assisted breeding (GAB) by being pyramided with improved crop yield, food quality and associated agronomic traits and can open a new era of omics-assisted breeding. Thus, multi-omics pipelines together are able to decipher molecular processes, biomarkers, targets for genetic engineering, regulatory networks and precision agriculture solutions for a crop's variable abiotic stress tolerance to ensure food security under changing environmental circumstances.

Genome-Wide Analysis of ZAT Gene Family in Osmanthus fragrans and the Function Exploration of OfZAT35 in Cold Stress.

Osmanthus fragrans is a popular ornamental and odorant plant with high commercial value, but its cultivation and exploitation are limited by low temperature. The ZAT (zinc finger of Arabidopsis thaliana) genes as a subclass of the C2H2-type zinc finger proteins (C2H2-ZFP) family play essential roles in various abiotic stresses. However, their roles in cold stress response in O. fragrans remain unclear. This study identified 38 OfZATs, which could be divided into 5 subgroups based on the phylogenetic tree, with OfZATs in the same subgroup harboring similar gene structures and motif patterns. In addition, 49 segmental and 5 tandem duplication events were detected among OfZAT genes, while some OfZAT genes exhibited specific expression patterns in different tissues. Furthermore, two OfZATs were induced in salt stress and eight OfZATs responded to cold stress. Interestingly, OfZAT35 showed a continuously increasing expression trend under cold stress, while its protein showed nucleus localization with no transcriptional activation activity. Transiently transformed tobacco overexpressing OfZAT35 exhibited a significantly higher relative electrolyte leakage (REL) level and increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), while there was significantly decreased activity of catalase (CAT). Moreover, CAT, DREB3, and LEA5, which are associated with cold stress, were dramatically decreased after cold treatment in transiently transformed tobacco, suggesting that overexpression of OfZAT35 negatively regulated cold stress. This study provides a basis for exploring the roles of ZAT genes and contributes to uncovering the mechanism of ZAT-mediated cold stress response in O. fragrans.

Adenine DNA methylation is involved in regulating ethanol and osmotic stress responses in Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Zhang

AbstractAs an important feature of epigenetics, DNA methylation is a critical way to regulate gene expression and thus bacterial growth and metabolism. Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Zhang is a probiotic strain originated from koumiss. This study hypothesized that adenine methylation was involved in bacterial regulation of physiological adaptations when grown under environmental stress. Thus, this study compared the growth of an adenine methyltransferase‐inactivated mutant (ΔpglX) and the wild‐type L. paracasei Zhang when cultured under ethanol and osmotic stress. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were implemented to identify their differentially expressed genes/proteins (DEGs/DEPs) when grown under the stressed environments. The membrane fatty acid composition was also determined. Comparing with the wild‐type, the viable counts of the mutant under ethanol and osmotic stress increased by 2.6 times and decreased by half, respectively (ethanol stress: mutant, 4.30 ± 0.0038 × 108 CFU/mL; wild‐type, 1.64 ± 0.010 × 108 CFU/mL; osmotic stress: mutant, 2.21 ± 0.029 × 108 CFU/mL; wild‐type, 4.30 ± 0.13 × 108 CFU/mL). Common to both conditions, many identified DEGs and DEPs were involved in carbohydrate metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis, generally, with more carbohydrate metabolism pathways but fewer fatty acid biosynthesis pathways, accompanied by increases in the membrane fatty acids. Our observations suggested that L. paracasei Zhang maximizes its energy metabolism by enhancing carbohydrate metabolism and improves its membrane strength via increasing the fatty acid content under environmental stress. This is the first report analyzing the epigenetic‐level stress responsive mechanism of L. paracasei Zhang, providing insights into methylation‐based regulation of bacterial adaptive responses.

Mechanistic and structural insights into the bifunctional enzyme PaaY from Acinetobacter baumannii

PaaY is a thioesterase that enables toxic metabolites to be degraded through the bacterial phenylacetic acid (PA) pathway. The Acinetobacter baumannii gene FQU82_01591 encodes PaaY, which we demonstrate to possess γ-carbonic anhydrase activity in addition to thioesterase activity. The crystal structure of AbPaaY in complex with bicarbonate reveals a homotrimer with a canonical γ-carbonic anhydrase active site. Thioesterase activity assays demonstrate a preference for lauroyl-CoA as a substrate. The AbPaaY trimer structure shows a unique domain-swapped C-termini, which increases the stability of the enzyme invitro and decreases its susceptibility to proteolysis invivo. The domain-swapped C-termini impact thioesterase substrate specificity and enzyme efficacy without affecting carbonic anhydrase activity. AbPaaY knockout reduced the growth of Acinetobacter in media containing PA, decreased biofilm formation, and impaired hydrogen peroxide resistance. Collectively, AbPaaY is a bifunctional enzyme that plays a key role in the metabolism,growth, and stress response mechanisms of A.baumannii.

Immune mechanisms in stress response: from vulnerability to pharmacological intervention

It is known that exposure to stress can produce different psychopathologic domains through the modulation of specific brain mechanisms. In our studies, we have used two different stress paradigms, namely prenatal stress (PNS) and Chronic Mild Stress (CMS), to investigate the contribution of immune mechanisms to the short and long-term changes associated with such adverse experiences. We also investigated the potential effects of chronic treatment with the antipsychotic drug lurasidone in normalizing such alterations in the CMS model. In both experimental paradigms, we found that only a sub-group of animals develops a pathologic phenotype, with emotional dysregulation including anhedonia, anxiety, and reduced sociability. Such vulnerability was associated with an increased inflammatory response as well as with an up-regulation of different microglial markers (Complement C3/C4, Cd11b, CD68) in the hippocampal subregions. Interestingly, treatment with the antipsychotic drug lurasidone was able to normalize the up-regulation of microglial markers while buffering the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in the CMS paradigm, an effect that may ultimately promote resilience. Our preclinical studies show that exposure to stress has harmful effects on emotional behavior at different life stages. The vulnerability to stress may be driven, among other mechanisms, by significant alterations of immune-inflammatory mechanisms within selected brain regions, such as the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. The ability of chronic treatment with the antipsychotic drug lurasidone to counteract such changes, in addition to the ability in regulating different synaptic mechanisms, may represent an important element for its clinical effectiveness in the treatment of different psychiatric disorders.

Stress, glucose metabolism and the HPA axis: Early life adversity-the missing piece of the puzzle?

Physiological stress prompts metabolic reactions aimed at increasing glucose supply, to initiate a fight/flight response in a healthy individual. The quality of the first 1000 days of life is a critical period which impacts the overall metabolic trajectory. Exposure to stress in early life increases the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. This may be due to epigenetic programming of cardiometabolic and stress response mechanisms. The objective of this study was to investigate both stress induced and baseline glucose levels in different models of early life adversity, in addition to dissecting mechanisms that drive these changes. We determined baseline and stress mediated blood glucose release in 3 different early life adversity models. Furthermore, we administered an escalating cortisol dose to an adversity negative cohort, to dissect the gluconeogenic driving mechanism and checked glucocorticoid driven gene expression to confirm GC-GR binding. Our study showed an impairment of stress response along with sex dependent differences in basal glucose levels in early life adversity models. The human institutionalisation/adoption and mice infection models showed higher baseline glucose levels in females, while the rat maternal deprivated males showed lower baseline glucose levels compared to the control group. Additionally, we established the stress mediated glucose release as a glucocorticoid independent process. Our study proposes a new outlook on potential mechanisms that may drive stress mediated metabolic changes. Additionally, we emphasise quality of early life as the missing piece of the puzzle to get a better understanding of the adult metabolic profile.

Stress response and tolerance mechanisms of spirobudiclofen exposure based on multiomics in Panonychus citri (Acari: Tetranychidae)

The toxicity of insecticides used in the field decreases gradually to sublethal concentrations over time. Therefore, it is necessary to study sublethal effects of pesticides for controlling population explosion. Panonychus citri is a global pest which control is based on insecticides. This study explores the stress responses of spirobudiclofen on the P.citri. Spirobudiclofen significantly inhibited survival and reproduction of P.citri, and the effects aggravated as concentration increased. The transcriptomes and metabolomes of spirobudiclofen-treated and control were compared to characterize spirobudiclofen molecular mechanism. Transcriptomics indicated stress induced by spirobudiclofen stimulated immune defense, antioxidative system, cuticle formation, and lipid metabolism, as deduced from RNA-seq analysis. Meanwhile, our study found that tolerance metabolism in P.citri was regulated by promoting the metabolism of glycerophospholipids, glycine, serine, and threonine. The results of this study can provide a basis for exploring the adaptation strategies of P.citri to spirobudiclofen stress.

RVE1, DBB1b, and COL2 Transcription Factors Are Responsive to Combined Stress by UV-B Radiation and Cold in Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) and cold limit the growth and development of plants, which generates changes in gene expression. This allows plants to respond to stress through regulatory proteins, such as transcription factors, that activate or repress the expression of stress-response genes. RNA-Seq data and WGCNA analyses were utilized to identify the hub genes. Our study found a total of 25, 24, and 29 transcription factors at different time points T1, T2, and T3, respectively, under combined stress (ultraviolet-B radiation and cold). RVE1 (MYB-related), COL2 (CO-like), and DBB1b (DBB) were identified as candidate hub genes. Moreover, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment showed that RVE1, DBB1b, and COL2 were mostly involved in energy production, the antioxidant system (enzymatic and non-enzymatic), signaling through abscisic acid and CA2+, response to light stimulus, and cellular homeostasis. These findings provide the basis for further investigation related to UV-B radiation and cold stress response mechanisms in plants.

Transcriptome Sequencing and WGCNA Reveal Key Genes in Response to Leaf Blight in Poplar.

Leaf blight is a fungal disease that mainly affects the growth and development of leaves in plants. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of leaf blight defense in poplar, we performed RNA-Seq and enzyme activity assays on the Populus simonii × Populus nigra leaves inoculated with Alternaria alternate fungus. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we obtained co-expression gene modules significantly associated with SOD and POD activities, containing 183 and 275 genes, respectively. We then constructed a co-expression network of poplar genes related to leaf blight resistance based on weight values. Additionally, we identified hub transcription factors (TFs) and structural genes in the network. The network was dominated by 15 TFs, and four out of them, including ATWRKY75, ANAC062, ATMYB23 and ATEBP, had high connectivity in the network, which might play important functions in leaf blight defense. In addition, GO enrichment analysis revealed a total of 44 structural genes involved in biotic stress, resistance, cell wall and immune-related biological processes in the network. Among them, there were 16 highly linked structural genes in the central part, which may be directly involved in poplar resistance to leaf blight. The study explores key genes associated with leaf blight defense in poplar, which further gains an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of biotic stress response in plants.

Identification and characterization of microRNAs responsive to fluoride toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that act as important modulators of gene expression related to several stress responses in plants. While several miRNAs have been implicated in the modulation of multiple abiotic and biotic stresses in rice, there role in response to fluoride stress is yet to be explored. In the present study, fourteen conserved rice miRNAs with proven role in multiple stress response were analysed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in response to fluoride toxicity in two popular rice varieties- Gobindobhog (GB; F-tolerant) and IR64 (F-sensitive). Stem-Loop RT-PCR revealed that miR156, miR166, and miR171 were significantly induced in GB seedlings post treatment with fluoride. Likewise, miR160, miR319, miR396, and miR444 were prominently induced in the fluoride-sensitive IR64. Additionally, miR393 was significantly induced post-treatment with fluoride stress in both the genotypes exhibiting a basal response to fluoride toxicity. Further, we computationally predicted the miRNA targets many of which encoded transcription factors associated with stress response mechanism. The miRNA targets were experimentally validated using ligation mediated 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends analysis. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of nine selected miRNA target genes (Os11g30370, Os06g47150, Os06g03670, Os04g48290, Os02g44360, Os08g34380, Os05g05800, Os04g57050, Os04g51350) revealed simultaneous reciprocal changes in the expression patterns of the miRNAs and the corresponding target genes suggesting their involvement in the modulation of fluoride stress response in rice. Analysis of proximal promoter sequences of the F-responsive miRNAs revealed that these miRNAs possess stress-responsive, elicitor and hormonal related motifs. Overall, our results suggest that multiple conserved miRNAs are involved in fluoride toxicity and a miRNA-mediated regulation of signal response is critical for rice response to fluoride stress.

Characterization of a Bacillus velezensis with Antibacterial Activity and Its Inhibitory Effect on Gray Mold Germ

The present study provides a comprehensive overview of the Bacillus velezensis strain Htq6, and its potential applications in plant disease control. Htq6 is an endophytic bacterium derived from walnut, which was found to possess a strong inhibitory effect on a wide range of plant pathogenic microorganisms and was identified as a good plant disease control agent. The entire genome of the Bacillus velezensis Htq6 was sequenced, and a comparative genomic analysis was conducted with various Bacillus species in order to better understand the mechanism of the strain’s biological control. At the same time, a new classification result was presented. Additionally, transcriptome analysis was performed to explore the response mechanism of tomato gray mold fungus after treatment with the fermentation liquid of Bacillus velezensis Htq6. The study analyzed the distribution of various secondary metabolite gene clusters in the Bacillus model strains and employed RNA-Seq technology to obtain transcriptome expression profiles. Furthermore, the cell wall, cell membrane, and antioxidant-related genes of Botrytis cinerea were analyzed, providing insight into the antibacterial mechanism of biocontrol bacteria and the stress response mechanism of Botrytis cinerea. The results of the research are promising, and could potentially lead to the development of an effective biocontrol agent for the prevention and control of various plant diseases.

Cellular response of Parachlorella kessleri to a solid surface culture environment.

Attached culture allows high biomass productivity and is a promising biomass cultivating system because neither a huge facility area nor a large volume of culture medium are needed. This study investigates photosynthetic and transcriptomic behaviors in Parachlorella kessleri cells on a solid surface after their transfer from liquid culture to elucidate the physiological and gene-expression regulatory mechanisms that underlie their vigorous proliferation. The chlorophyll content shows a decrease at 12h after the transfer; however, it has fully recovered at 24h, suggesting temporary decreases in the amounts of light harvesting complexes. On PAM analysis, it is demonstrated that the effective quantum yield of PSII decreases at 0h right after the transfer, followed by its recovery in the next 24h. A similar changing pattern is observed for the photochemical quenching, with the PSII maximum quantum yield remaining at an almost unaltered level. Non-photochemical quenching was increased at both 0h and 12h after the transfer. These observations suggest that electron transfer downstream of PSII but not PSII itself is only temporarily damaged in solid-surface cells just after the transfer, with light energy in excess being dissipated as heat for PSII protection. It thus seems that the photosynthetic machinery acclimates to high-light and/or dehydration stresses through its temporal size-down and functional regulation that start right after the transfer. Meanwhile, transcriptomic analysis by RNA-Seq demonstrates temporary upregulation at 12h after the transfer as to the expression levels of many genes for photosynthesis, amino acid synthesis, general stress response, and ribosomal subunit proteins. These findings suggest that cells transferred to a solid surface become stressed immediately after transfer but can recover their high photosynthetic activity through adaptation of photosynthetic machinery and metabolic flow as well as induction of general stress response mechanisms within 24h.

M1BP is an essential transcriptional activator of oxidative metabolism during Drosophila development

Oxidative metabolism is the predominant energy source for aerobic muscle contraction in adult animals. How the cellular and molecular components that support aerobic muscle physiology are put in place during development through their transcriptional regulation is not well understood. Using the Drosophila flight muscle model, we show that the formation of mitochondria cristae harbouring the respiratory chain is concomitant with a large-scale transcriptional upregulation of genes linked with oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) during specific stages of flight muscle development. We further demonstrate using high-resolution imaging, transcriptomic and biochemical analyses that Motif-1-binding protein (M1BP) transcriptionally regulates the expression of genes encoding critical components for OXPHOS complex assembly and integrity. In the absence of M1BP function, the quantity of assembled mitochondrial respiratory complexes is reduced and OXPHOS proteins aggregate in the mitochondrial matrix, triggering a strong protein quality control response. This results in isolation of the aggregate from the rest of the matrix by multiple layers of the inner mitochondrial membrane, representing a previously undocumented mitochondrial stress response mechanism. Together, this study provides mechanistic insight into the transcriptional regulation of oxidative metabolism during Drosophila development and identifies M1BP as a critical player in this process.

Application of multi-omics combined with bioinformatics techniques to assess salinity stress response and tolerance mechanisms of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) during depuration.

Depuration is a vital stage to ensure the safety of oyster consumption, and salinity had a great impact on the environmental adaptability of oysters, but the underlying molecular mechanism was poorly understood during depuration stage. Here, Crassostrea gigas was depurated for 72h at different salinity (26, 29, 32, 35, 38g/L, corresponding to ±20%, ±10% salinity fluctuation away from oyster's production area) and then analyzed by using transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome combined with bioinformatics techniques. The transcriptome showed that the salinity stress led to 3185 differentially expressed genes and mainly enriched in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, etc. A total of 464 differentially expressed proteins were screened by the proteome, and the number of up-regulated expression proteins was less than the down-regulated, indicating that the salinity stress would affect the regulation of metabolism and immunity in oysters. 248 metabolites significantly changed in response to depuration salinity stress in oysters, including phosphate organic acids and their derivatives, lipids, etc. The results of integrated omics analysis indicated that the depuration salinity stress induced abnormal metabolism of the citrate cycle (TCA cycle), lipid metabolism, glycolysis, nucleotide metabolism, ribosome, ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport pathway, etc. By contrast with Pro-depuration, more radical responses were observed in the S38 group. Based on the results, we suggested that the 10% salinity fluctuation was suitable for oyster depuration and the combination of multi-omics analysis could provide a new perspective for the analysis of the mechanism changes.

Pre-Treatment of Rice Plants with ABA Makes Them More Tolerant to Multiple Abiotic Stress.

Multiple abiotic stress is known as a type of environmental unfavourable condition maximizing the yield and growth gap of crops compared with the optimal condition in both natural and cultivated environments. Rice is the world's most important staple food, and its production is limited the most by environmental unfavourable conditions. In this study, we investigated the pre-treatment of abscisic acid (ABA) on the tolerance of the IAC1131 rice genotype to multiple abiotic stress after a 4-day exposure to combined drought, salt and extreme temperature treatments. A total of 3285 proteins were identified and quantified across the four treatment groups, consisting of control and stressed plants with and without pre-treatment with ABA, with 1633 of those proteins found to be differentially abundant between groups. Compared with the control condition, pre-treatment with the ABA hormone significantly mitigated the leaf damage against combined abiotic stress at the proteome level. Furthermore, the application of exogenous ABA did not affect the proteome profile of the control plants remarkably, while the results were different in stress-exposed plants by a greater number of proteins changed in abundance, especially those which were increased. Taken together, these results suggest that exogenous ABA has a potential priming effect for enhancing the rice seedlings' tolerance against combined abiotic stress, mainly by affecting stress-responsive mechanisms dependent on ABA signalling pathways in plants.

Adverse effects of early-life stress: focus on the rodent neuroendocrine system.

Early-life stress is associated with a high prevalence of mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety or depressive behavior, which constitute major public health problems. In the early stages of brain development after birth, events such as synaptogenesis, neuron maturation, and glial differentiation occur in a highly orchestrated manner, and external stress can cause adverse long-term effects throughout life. Our body utilizes multifaceted mechanisms, including neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter signaling pathways, to appropriately process external stress. Newborn individuals first exposed to early-life stress deploy neurogenesis as a stress-defense mechanism; however, in adulthood, early-life stress induces apoptosis of mature neurons, activation of immune responses, and reduction of neurotrophic factors, leading to anxiety, depression, and cognitive and memory dysfunction. This process involves the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and neurotransmitters secreted by the central nervous system, including norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. The rodent early-life stress model is generally used to experimentally assess the effects of stress during neurodevelopment. This paper reviews the use of the early-life stress model and stress response mechanisms of the body and discusses the experimental results regarding how early-life stress mediates stress-related pathways at a high vulnerability of psychiatric disorder in adulthood.