植物响应联合胁迫机制的研究进展

自然界中, 植物通常面对多重联合胁迫。在全球气候变化日益加剧的背景下, 多重联合胁迫对植物生长发育及作物产量形成的不利影响日益显著。阐明植物响应和适应联合胁迫的生理与分子机制, 对人们理解植物对自然环境的适应机理, 及培育耐受联合胁迫的新品种有重要意义。研究表明, 植物响应联合胁迫的机制是特异的, 不能简单地从单一胁迫响应叠加来推断。植物遭受联合胁迫时, 各种生理、代谢和信号途径相互作用, 使得植物响应联合胁迫非常复杂。该文综述了植物响应联合胁迫的生理与分子机理的最新进展, 并阐述了植物响应联合胁迫的研究方法。     

植物响应联合胁迫机制的研究进展

自然界中, 植物通常面对多重联合胁迫。在全球气候变化日益加剧的背景下, 多重联合胁迫对植物生长发育及作物产量形成的不利影响日益显著。阐明植物响应和适应联合胁迫的生理与分子机制, 对人们理解植物对自然环境的适应机理, 及培育耐受联合胁迫的新品种有重要意义。研究表明, 植物响应联合胁迫的机制是特异的, 不能简单地从单一胁迫响应叠加来推断。植物遭受联合胁迫时, 各种生理、代谢和信号途径相互作用, 使得植物响应联合胁迫非常复杂。该文综述了植物响应联合胁迫的生理与分子机理的最新进展, 并阐述了植物响应联合胁迫的研究方法。     

Stress magnitude matters: different intensities of pulsed water stress produce non‐monotonic resistance responses of host plants to insect herbivores

Abstract 1. Water stress may increase or reduce the suitability of plants for herbivores. The recently proposed ‘pulsed stress hypothesis’ suggests consideration of stress phenology (pulsed vs. continuous stress) to explain these conflicting effects of plant water stress on herbivore performance. 2. This hypothesis was tested for the effect of differing stress intensity on performance and preference of insect herbivores belonging to different feeding guilds, namely leaf‐chewing insects (Spodoptera littoralis caterpillars) and phloem‐feeding insects (Aphis pomi aphids), on apple plants (Malus domestica). The plants were non‐stressed or exposed to a low or high intensity of pulsed water stress. 3. Plant responses to the different stress levels were generally monotonic. Growth, stomatal conductance (g_s), leaf water, and old‐leaf nitrogen concentration decreased, whereas young‐leaf nitrogen concentration and leaf mass per area (LMA) increased with increasing stress intensity. The stable isotope composition of foliar carbon (δ¹³C) responded non‐monotonically to the drought treatments. The δ¹³C values were highest in low‐stress plants, intermediate in high‐stress plants, and lowest in non‐stressed plants. 4. The preference and performance responses of the caterpillars were also non‐monotonic. Non‐stressed plants were intermediately, low‐stress plants least, and high‐stress plants most attractive or suitable. Aphid population growth was highest on non‐stressed plants and lowest on low‐stress plants. 5. The results highlight the importance of water stress intensity for the outcome of interactions between herbivores and drought‐affected plants. They show that pulsed water stress may enhance or reduce insect herbivore performance and plant resistance, depending on stress intensity.     

海绵城市建设中22种园林植物耐淹性比较

在海绵城市建设背景下，为探究不同园林植物对水淹胁迫的生理响应，选取华南地区常用的22种园林植物开展水分胁迫实验。结果表明，在25 d内通过2次水淹胁迫后，22种植物叶片叶绿素含量均明显下降，而可溶性糖和可溶性淀粉的含量无规律性变化。依据耐淹性强弱可将22种园林植物分为3组：(1)耐淹性较好植物10种，包括樟树、小叶榄仁、肾蕨等；(2)耐淹性中等植物6种，包括桂花、黄兰、深山含笑等；(3)耐淹性一般植物6种，包括短序润楠、炮仗花、海桐等。     

Plastic responses in the metabolome and functional traits of maize plants to temperature variations

Environmentally inducible phenotypic plasticity is a major player in plant responses to climate change. However, metabolic responses and their role in determining the phenotypic plasticity of plants that are subjected to temperature variations remain poorly understood. The metabolomic profiles and metabolite levels in the leaves of three maize inbred lines grown in different temperature conditions were examined with a nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomic technique. The relationship of functional traits to metabolome profiles and the metabolic mechanism underlying temperature variations were then explored. A comparative analysis showed that during heat and cold stress, maize plants shared common plastic responses in biomass accumulation, carbon, nitrogen, sugars, some amino acids and compatible solutes. We also found that the plastic response of maize plants to heat stress was different from that under cold stress, mainly involving biomass allocation, shikimate and its aromatic amino acid derivatives, and other non‐polar metabolites. The plastic responsiveness of functional traits of maize lines to temperature variations was low, while the metabolic responsiveness in plasticity was high, indicating that functional and metabolic plasticity may play different roles in maize plant adaptation to temperature variations. A linear regression analysis revealed that the maize lines could adapt to growth temperature variations through the interrelation of plastic responses in the metabolomes and functional traits, such as biomass allocation and the status of carbon and nitrogen. We provide valuable insight into the plastic response strategy of maize plants to temperature variations that will permit the optimisation of crop cultivation in an increasingly variable environment.     

Wounding increases salt tolerance in tomato plants: evidence on the participation of calmodulin-like activities in cross-tolerance signalling

Cross-tolerance is the phenomenon by which a plant resistance to a stress results in resistance to another form of stress. It has previously been shown that salt stress causes the accumulation of proteinase inhibitors and the activation of other wound-related genes in tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum). However, very little is known about how different stresses interact with one another, and which are the signalling components that interrelate the responses triggered by different stress types. In the present work, it is shown that mechanical wounding increases salt-stress tolerance in tomato plants through a mechanism that involves the signalling peptide systemin and the synthesis of JA. Data are also provided indicating that calmodulin-like activities are necessary for the downstream signalling events that lead to cross-tolerance between wounding and salt stress. Finally, evidence was gathered supporting the hypothesis that LeCDPK1, a Ca2+ -dependent protein kinase from tomato previously described in our laboratory, could participate in this cross-tolerance mechanism interrelating the signalling responses to wounding and salt stress.     

Trends of Superoxide Dismutase and Soluble Protein of Aquatic Plants in Lakes of Different Trophic Levels in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River,China

A limnological study was carried out to determine the responses of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and soluble protein (SP) contents of 11 common aquatic plants to eutrophication stress.Field investigation in 12 lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was carried out from March to September 2004.Our results indicated that nonsubmersed (emergent and floating-leafed) plants and submersed plants showed different responses to eutrophication stress.Both SOD activities of the non-submersed and submersed plants were negatively correlated with their SP contents (P < 0.000 1).SP contents of non-submersed plants were significantly correlated with all nitrogen variables in the water (P < 0.05),whereas SP contents of submersed plants were only significantly correlated with carbon variables as well as ammonium and Secchi depth (SD) in water (P<0.05).Only SOD activities of submersed plants were decreased with decline of SD in water (P < 0.001).Our results indicate that the decline of SOD activities of submersed plants were mainly caused by light limitation,this showed a coincidence with the decline of macrophytes in eutrophic lakes,which might imply that the antioxidant system of the submersed plants were impaired under eutrophication stress.     

植物蛋白激酶与作物非生物胁迫抗性的研究

干旱、盐碱、高温等非生物逆境胁迫严重影响作物生长发育、产量和品质。在遭受非生物逆境的威胁时,植物通过信号受体,可感知、转导胁迫信号,启动一系列抗逆相关基因的表达,最终缓解或抵御非生物逆境胁迫对植物造成的危害。其中,蛋白激酶和蛋白磷酸酯酶的磷酸化/去磷酸化作用在植物感受外界胁迫信号的分子传递过程中起到开关的作用。正常情况下,蛋白激酶磷酸化开启信号转导途径,启动相应的抗逆基因表达反应;当信号消失后,蛋白激酶去磷酸化将信号转导途径关闭,达到调控植物正常生长的目的。因此,蛋白激酶在调控感受胁迫信号、启动各种非生物逆境胁迫响应中起到了极其重要的作用。近年来,对植物蛋白激酶参与非生物胁迫响应的研究倍受关注。本文阐述了不同类型蛋白激酶在改良作物非生物胁迫抗性上的应用,为进一步研究提供资料。     

Systemin-dependent salinity tolerance in tomato: evidence of specific convergence of abiotic and biotic stress responses

Plants have evolved complex mechanisms to perceive environmental cues and develop appropriate and coordinated responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Considerable progress has been made towards a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of plant response to a single stress. However, the existence of cross-tolerance to different stressors has proved to have great relevance in the control and regulation of organismal adaptation. Evidence for the involvement of the signal peptide systemin and jasmonic acid in wound-induced salt stress adaptation in tomato has been provided. To further unravel the functional link between plant responses to salt stress and mechanical damage, transgenic tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants constitutively expressing the prosystemin cDNA have been exposed to a moderate salt stress. Prosystemin over-expression caused a reduction in stomatal conductance. However, in response to salt stress, prosystemin transgenic plants maintained a higher stomatal conductance compared with the wild-type control. Leaf concentrations of abscissic acid (ABA) and proline were lower in stressed transgenic plants compared with their wild-type control, implying that either the former perceived a less stressful environment or they adapted more efficiently to it. Consistently, under salt stress, transgenic plants produced a higher biomass, indicating that a constitutive activation of wound responses is advantageous in saline environment. Comparative gene expression profiling of stress-induced genes suggested that the partial stomatal closure was not mediated by ABA and/or components of the ABA signal transduction pathway. Possible cross-talks between genes involved in wounding and osmotic stress adaptation pathways in tomato are discussed.     

Constitutive over-expression of AtGSK1 induces NaCl stress responses in the absence of NaCl stress and results in enhanced NaCl tolerance in Arabidopsis

GSK3/shaggy-like protein kinases have been shown to play diverse roles in development and signal transduction pathways in various organisms. An Arabidopsis homologue of GSK3/shaggy-like kinase, AtGSK1, has been shown to be involved in NaCl stress responses. In order to further clarify the role of AtGSK1 in NaCl stress responses in plants, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants that over-expressed AtGSK1 mRNA. These plants showed enhanced resistance to NaCl stress when assayed either as whole plants or by measurement of root growth on NaCl plates. In addition, AtGSK1 transgenic plants in the absence of NaCl stress showed phenotypic changes, such as accumulation of anthocyanin, that were similar to those observed in wild-type plants under NaCl stress. Transgenic plants accumulated 30-50% more Na+ than did wild-type plants when subjected to NaCl stress, and Ca2+ content was increased by 15-30% in the transgenic plants regardless of the NaCl stress level. Northern blotting revealed that AtGSK1 over-expression induced expression of the NaCl stress-responsive genes AtCP1, RD29A and CHS1 in the absence of NaCl stress. In addition, AtCBL1 and AtCP1 were super-induced in the NaCl-stressed transgenic plants. Taken together, these results suggest that AtGSK1 is involved in the signal transduction pathway(s) of NaCl stress responses in Arabidopsis.     

碱蓬属植物耐盐机理研究进展

碱蓬属(Suaeda)植物是一类典型的真盐生植物,属于重要的盐生植物资源,全球广泛分布.人们已经对20种碱蓬属植物进行了观察和盐胁迫实验,研究了不同器官或组织的生理生化特征及其对盐胁迫的反应,并基于这些研究分析了盐胁迫的应答机制.叶片肉质化、细胞内离子区域化、渗透调节物质增加和抗氧化系统能力增强是碱蓬属植物响应和适应盐胁迫的重要方式和途径.但迄今为止的研究工作尚有一定的局限性,主要包括:研究工作主要集中在植物地上部分,而对植物地下部分的研究较少;多是少数生物学指标或生理学现象的单独观察,而缺乏对生理代谢过程的整体和综合分析;针对某种碱蓬的独立分析较多,而与近缘种的比较研究较少;植物对中性盐胁迫的反应研究较多,而对碱性盐的研究较少.为进一步系统阐明碱蓬属植物的耐盐机制,今后的工作应注重碱蓬属植物响应和适应盐胁迫的信号网络和调控机制研究,基于系统生物学研究思路,采用现代组学技术探索该属植物响应盐胁迫的由复杂信号网络调控的特殊生理特征和特异代谢途径.     

A history of stress alters drought calcium signalling pathways in Arabidopsis

Environmental stresses commonly encountered by plants lead to rapid transient elevations in cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) (Bush, 1995; Knight et al., 1991). These cellular calcium (Ca2+) signals lead ultimately to the increased expression of stress-responsive genes, including those encoding proteins of protective function (Knight et al., 1996; Knight et al., 1997). The kinetics and magnitude of the Ca2+ signal, or 'calcium signature', differ between different stimuli and are thought to contribute to the specificity of the end response (Dolmetsch et al., 1997; McAinsh and Hetherington, 1998). We measured [Ca2+]cyt changes during treatment with mannitol (to mimic drought stress) in whole intact seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana. The responses of plants which were previously exposed to osmotic and oxidative stresses were compared to those of control plants. We show here that osmotic stress-induced Ca2+ responses can be markedly altered by previous encounters with either osmotic or oxidative stress. The nature of the alterations in Ca2+ response depends on the identity and severity of the previous stress: oxidative stress pre-treatment reduced the mannitol-induced [Ca2+]cyt response whereas osmotic stress pretreatment increased the [Ca2+]cyt response. Therefore, our data show that different combinations of environmental stress can produce novel Ca2+ signal outputs. These alterations are accompanied by corresponding changes in the patterns of osmotic stress-induced gene expression and, in the case of osmotic stress pre-treatment, the acquisition of stress-tolerance. This suggests that altered Ca2+ responses encode a 'memory' of previous stress encounters and thus may perhaps be involved in acclimation to environmental stresses.     

Comparative Analysis of Physio-Biochemical Responses to Cold Stress in Tetraploid and Hexaploid Wheat

The cellular changes induced by cold stress (CS) include responses that lead to oxidative stress and limits plant growth, metabolism, and productivity. In this study, responses of physio-biochemical to CS phases were comparatively studied in three genotypes of bread and durum wheats differing in sensitivity, two of them (Norstar, bread wheat and Gerdish, durum wheat) were tolerant to CS and the other one, SRN (durum wheat) was sensitive to CS. 14-day-old seedlings were subjected to CS (12 and 24 h) with or without cold acclimation (CA) phase. During CS, the elevated levels of electrolyte leakage index, contents of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and malondialdehyde in Norstar and Gerdish were lower than that of SRN plants. Positive correlation and co-regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging systems, superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and proline especially after CA phase suggested crucial role for holding back toxic ROS levels in CS phase. However, different activities of this system resulted in different intensities of oxidative stress in acclimated and non-acclimated plants. Our results showed that a CA phase induced oxidative stress tolerance by modulating antioxidative systems. These responses confirmed the existence of wide range of genetic capacity in durum wheat to increase cold tolerance particularly in Gerdish so that the sensitivity of SRN plants to CS was linearly correlated with the more decrease of antioxidant systems. These general responses may be a sign for associating other metabolites or enzymes activities to create partly tolerance against cold-induced oxidative stress. Eventually, assessing the dynamic of cell responses in short intervals after CS without CA phases profitably could be a novel path in plant stress response investigations in a short period of time.     

Genetic engineering of woody plants: current and future targets in a stressful environment

Abiotic stress is a major factor in limiting plant growth and productivity. Environmental degradation, such as drought and salinity stresses, will become more severe and widespread in the world. To overcome severe environmental stress, plant biotechnologies, such as genetic engineering in woody plants, need to be implemented. The adaptation of plants to environmental stress is controlled by cascades of molecular networks including cross-talk with other stress signaling mechanisms. The present review focuses on recent studies concerning genetic engineering in woody plants for the improvement of the abiotic stress responses. Furthermore, it highlights the recent advances in the understanding of molecular responses to stress. The review also summarizes the basis of a molecular mechanism for cell wall biosynthesis and the plant hormone responses to regulate tree growth and biomass in woody plants. This would facilitate better understanding of the control programs of biomass production under stressful conditions.     

The rate of development of water deficits affects Saxifraga cernua leaf respiration

We allowed plant water deficits to develop at two different rates following the cessation of watering in order to investigate the effects of water stress on cytochrome pathway and alternative pathway respiration in the leaves of the arctic herb Saxifraga cernua. Plants were pretreated by growth in either a commercial organic (CO) mixture or a vermiculite-perlite (VP) mixture, which allowed the complete development of water deficits in 19 and 8 days, respectively. The rate of water potential reduction was approximately 0.11 MPa day⁻¹ in the leaves of CO plants, compared to a reduction of 0.21 MPa day⁻¹ in leaves of VP plants. Osmotic adjustment occurred to a greater extent in leaves of CO plants and corresponded with an increase in ethanol-soluble sugars. In leaves of CO plants, cytochrome pathway activity gradually declined from that of control rates until day 11, and then declined more rapidly. In contrast, cytochrome pathway activity significantly increased in response to water deficits in leaves of VP plants. In leaves of both CO and VP plants, alternative pathway activity declined as water stress progressed. Relatively severe water deficits reduced alternative pathway capacity in leaves of both CO and VP plants. We also investigated the effect of previous exposure to water deficits on leaf respiration. In plants that had previously experienced three cycles of water stress, the increase in cytochrome pathway activity during the fourth water stress cycle was small compared to the increase observed in leaves of plants experiencing water stress for the first time. These results suggest that cytochrome pathway activity is differentially sensitive to the rate of development of plant water deficits and that respiratory responses to acute water stress are not necessarily similar to the responses to chronic water stress.     

Rumor has it...: relay communication of stress cues in plants

Recent evidence demonstrates that plants are able not only to perceive and adaptively respond to external information but also to anticipate forthcoming hazards and stresses. Here, we tested the hypothesis that unstressed plants are able to respond to stress cues emitted from their abiotically-stressed neighbors and in turn induce stress responses in additional unstressed plants located further away from the stressed plants. Pisum sativum plants were subjected to drought while neighboring rows of five unstressed plants on both sides, with which they could exchange different cue combinations. On one side, the stressed plant and its unstressed neighbors did not share their rooting volumes (UNSHARED) and thus were limited to shoot communication. On its other side, the stressed plant shared one of its rooting volumes with its nearest unstressed neighbor and all plants shared their rooting volumes with their immediate neighbors (SHARED), allowing both root and shoot communication. Fifteen minutes following drought induction, significant stomatal closure was observed in both the stressed plants and their nearest unstressed SHARED neighbors, and within one hour, all SHARED neighbors closed their stomata. Stomatal closure was not observed in the UNSHARED neighbors. The results demonstrate that unstressed plants are able to perceive and respond to stress cues emitted by the roots of their drought-stressed neighbors and, via 'relay cuing', elicit stress responses in further unstressed plants. Further work is underway to study the underlying mechanisms of this new mode of plant communication and its possible adaptive implications for the anticipation of forthcoming abiotic stresses by plants.     

Virtual plants: modelling as a tool for the genomics of tolerance to water deficit

Modelling can simulate the responses of virtual plants carrying diverse combinations of alleles under different scenarios of abiotic stress. The main difficulty is mathematically expressing the genetic variability of responses to environmental conditions. Modelling via gene regulatory networks is not feasible for such complex systems, but plants can be modelled using response curves to environmental conditions that are 'meta mechanisms' at plant level. Each genotype is represented by a set of response parameters that are valid under a wide range of conditions. Transgenesis of one function experimentally affected one response parameter only. Transgenic plants or plants carrying any combination of quantitative trait loci might therefore be simulated and tested under different climatic scenarios, before genetic manipulations are performed.