Adaptations to biotic and abiotic stress: Macaranga-ant plants optimize investment in biotic defence

Obligate ant plants (myrmecophytes) in the genus Macaranga produce energy- and nutrient-rich food bodies (FBs) to nourish mutualistic ants which live inside the plants. These defend their host against biotic stress caused by herbivores and pathogens. Facultative, 'myrmecophilic' interactions are based on the provision of FBs and/or extrafloral nectar (EFN) to defending insects that are attracted from the vicinity. FB production by the myrmecophyte, M. triloba, was limited by soil nutrient content under field conditions and was regulated according to the presence or absence of an ant colony. However, increased FB production promoted growth of the ant colonies living in the plants. Ant colony size is an important defensive trait and is negatively correlated to a plant's leaf damage. Similar regulatory patterns occurred in the EFN production of the myrmecophilic M. tanarius. Nectar accumulation resulting from the absence of consumers strongly decreased nectar flow, which increased again when consumers had access to the plant. EFN flow could be induced via the octadecanoid pathway. Leaf damage increased levels of endogenous jasmonic acid (JA), and both leaf damage and exogenous JA application increased EFN flow. Higher numbers of nectary visiting insects and lower numbers of herbivores were present on JA-treated plants. In the long run, this decreased leaf damage significantly. Ant food production is controlled by different regulatory mechanisms which ensure that costs are only incurred when counterbalanced by defensive effects of mutualistic insects.     

Resistance to biotic and abiotic stress in the Triticeae

Poverty, hunger and malnutrition occur in many parts of the world despite the enormous progress that has taken place in agriculture and food production in the last century. It is estimated for wheat, that by 2020 the world will require a 60% increase in production to meet the projected requirement. Resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses will be critical in reaching this goal. Distinct advantages accompany the use of genetic resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. The most important advantage is the fact that response to the stress situation occurs independently of the managerial ability, skill and resource level of the producer. Anyone can use a stress resistant crop. Immense progress has been made in the field of functional genomics and molecular manipulation. It is clear that the restraining factor in future will not be the availability of scientific techniques and tools, or for that matter, genetic resources; but the human and financial capacity to achieve the goals on a world-wide scale so that they really do make a difference to the livelihood of the poor. Triticeae form a meaningful proportion of staple and non-staple food crops around the world. To achieve world-wide food security in the future, Triticeae with resistance to stresses will have to play a major role. The future demands crops with stable yield irrespective of environmental constraints, good quality and a high nutritional value; crops that are free of pesticide residues and other harmful substances.     

Hydrogen sulfide regulates abiotic stress tolerance and biotic stress resistance in Arabidopsis

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important gaseous molecule in various plant developmental processes and plant stress responses. In this study, the transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants with modulated exp...     

Identification of biotic and abiotic stress up-regulated ESTs in Gossypium arboreum

Asiatic desi cotton (Gossypium arboreum) shows great potential against biotic and abiotic stresses. The stress resistant nature makes it a best source for the identification of biotic and abiotic stress resistant genes. As in many plants same set of genes show responding behavior against the various abiotic and biotic stresses. Thus in the present study the ESTs from the G. arboreum drought stressed leaves were subjected to find the up-regulated ESTs in abiotic and biotic stresses through homology and in-silico analysis. A cDNA library has been constructed from the drought stressed G. arboreum plant. 778 clones were randomly picked and sequenced. All these sequences were subjected to in-silico identification of biotic and abiotic up-regulated ESTs. Total 39 abiotic and biotic up-regulated ESTs were identified. The results were further validated by real-time PCR; by randomly selection of ten ESTs. These findings will help to develop stress resistant crop varieties for better yield and growth performance under stresses.     

Seed priming for abiotic stress tolerance: an overview

Plants are exposed to any number of potentially adverse environmental conditions such as water deficit, high salinity, extreme temperature, submergence, etc. These abiotic stresses adversely affect the plant growth and productivity. Nowadays various strategies are employed to generate plants that can withstand these stresses. In recent years, seed priming has been developed as an indispensable method to produce tolerant plants against various stresses. Seed priming is the induction of a particular physiological state in plants by the treatment of natural and synthetic compounds to the seeds before germination. In plant defense, priming is defined as a physiological process by which a plant prepares to respond to imminent abiotic stress more quickly or aggressively. Moreover, plants raised from primed seeds showed sturdy and quick cellular defense response against abiotic stresses. Priming for enhanced resistance to abiotic stress obviously is operating via various pathways involved in different metabolic processes. The seedlings emerging from primed seeds showed early and uniform germination. Moreover, the overall growth of plants is enhanced due to the seed-priming treatments. The main objective of this review is to provide an overview of various crops in which seed priming is practiced and about various seed-priming methods and its effects.     

Plant miRNAs and abiotic stress responses

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous approximate 22 nucleotide (nt) small non-coding regulatory RNAs that play important roles in plants by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression. Plant miRNAs were described 10 years later than animal miRNAs did; there are some differences between them in terms of biogenesis and mechanism of function. Furthermore, plant miRNAs have been shown to be involved in various stress responses, such as oxidative, mineral nutrient deficiency, dehydration, and even mechanical stimulus. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of biogenesis and regulatory mechanisms of plant miRNAs. We also highlight specific examples of miRNAs, which are important regulators for plant abiotic stress responses.     

Salicylic acid and its location in response to biotic and abiotic stress

Salicylic acid (SA) is an important signal involved in the activation of plant defence responses against abiotic and biotic stress. SA may derive from the phenylpropanoid pathway or via isochorismate synthase as demonstrated in Nicotiana benthamiana, tomato and Arabidopsis thaliana. The phenylpropanoid pathway as well as isochorismate synthase are localized in the chloroplasts but it remains unknown if the end product SA is in the same organelle. We have studied the localization of SA in A. thaliana using the salicylate hydroxylase (NahG) gene expressed with a chloroplast targeting sequence. Plants expressing NahG in the chloroplasts are unable to accumulate SA induced after pathogen or UV exposure. Our data infer that SA is initially located in the chloroplasts.     

Roles of a membrane-bound caleosin and putative peroxygenase in biotic and abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis

We report here the localisation and properties of a new membrane-bound isoform of caleosin and its putative role as a peroxygenase involved in oxylipin metabolism during biotic and abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis. Caleosins are a family of lipid-associated proteins that are ubiquitous in plants and true fungi. Previous research has focused on lipid-body associated, seed-specific caleosins that have peroxygenase activity. Here, we demonstrate that a separate membrane-bound constitutively expressed caleosin isoform (Clo-3) is highly upregulated following exposure to abiotic stresses, such as salt and drought, and to biotic stress such as pathogen infection. The Clo-3 protein binds one atom of calcium per molecule, is phosphorylated in response to stress, and has a similar peroxygenase activity to the seed-specific Clo-1 isoform. Clo-3 is present in microsomal and chloroplast envelope fractions and has a type I membrane orientation with about 2 kDa of the C terminal exposed to the cytosol. Analysis of Arabidopsis ABA and related mutant lines implies that Clo-3 is involved in the generation of oxidised fatty acids in stress related signalling pathways involving both ABA and salicylic acid. We propose that Clo-3 is part of an oxylipin pathway induced by multiple stresses and may also generate fatty acid derived anti-fungal compounds for plant defence.     

Role of miRNAs and siRNAs in biotic and abiotic stress responses of plants

Small, non-coding RNAs are a distinct class of regulatory RNAs in plants and animals that control a variety of biological processes. In plants, several classes of small RNAs with specific sizes and dedicated functions have evolved through a series of pathways. The major classes of small RNAs include microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which differ in their biogenesis. miRNAs control the expression of cognate target genes by binding to reverse complementary sequences, resulting in cleavage or translational inhibition of the target RNAs. siRNAs have a similar structure, function, and biogenesis as miRNAs but are derived from long double-stranded RNAs and can often direct DNA methylation at target sequences. Besides their roles in growth and development and maintenance of genome integrity, small RNAs are also important components in plant stress responses. One way in which plants respond to environmental stress is by modifying their gene expression through the activity of small RNAs. Thus, understanding how small RNAs regulate gene expression will enable researchers to explore the role of small RNAs in biotic and abiotic stress responses. This review focuses on the regulatory roles of plant small RNAs in the adaptive response to stresses. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant gene regulation in response to abiotic stress.     

NAC转录因子在植物抗病和抗非生物胁迫反应中的作用

NAC转录因子是植物特有的一类转录因子,其共同特点是在N端含有一段高度保守、由约150个氨基酸组成的NAC结构域,而C端为高度变异的转录调控区。研究表明,NAC转录因子不仅参与植物生长发育的调控,而且在植物抗逆反应中具有重要的调控作用。文章着重介绍NAC转录因子在植物抗逆反应中的作用及其调控机制,并简要讨论NAC转录因子生物学功能的研究方向。     

ABA signal transduction at the crossroad of biotic and abiotic stress responses

Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates key processes relevant to seed germination, plant development, and biotic and abiotic stress responses. Abiotic stress conditions such as drought induce ABA biosynthesis initiating the signalling pathways that lead to a number of molecular and cellular responses, among which the best known are the expression of stress-related genes and stomatal closure. Stomatal closure also serves as a mechanism for pathogen defence, thereby acting as a platform for crosstalk between biotic and abiotic stress responses involving ABA action. Significant advances in our understanding of ABA signal transduction have been made with combination of approaches including genetics, biochemistry, electrophysiology and chemical genetics. Molecular components associated with the ABA signalling have been identified, and their relationship in the complex network of interactions is being dissected. We focused on the recent progress in ABA signal transduction, especially those studies related to identification of ABA receptors and downstream components that lead ABA signal to cellular response. In particular, we will describe a pathway model that starts with ABA binding to the PYR/PYL/RCAR family of receptors, followed by inactivation of 2C-type protein phosphatases and activation of SnRK2-type kinases, and eventually lead to activation of ion channels in guard cells and stomatal closure.     

Volatiles emitted from in vitro grown tomato shoots during abiotic and biotic stress

Different stress factors were applied to in vitro grown tomato shoots (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. `Moneymaker') to investigate the volatiles released in the headspace. Solid phase microextraction was used for the experiments with an abiotic stress factor (constant light) and automated dynamic sampling was used for the experiments with a biotic stress factor (Spodoptera littoralis caterpillar). Continuous light as stress factor induced constant emission of the sesquiterpene a-copaene. Constant emission was not found with any other sesquiterpene or with monoterpenes. Therefore, we hypothesize that this compound needs light for its biosynthesis and/ or emission. An attack by caterpillars caused an immediate higher emission of the constitutive compounds (mono-and sesquiterpenes) and the induced compounds (linalool and indole); the latter were emitted approximately 1 day after the attack and linalool was even emitted 2 days after removal of the caterpillar.     

菜豆泛肽基因在生物和非生物胁迫下的表达

差别筛选HgCl2胁迫处理的菜豆（Phaseolus vulgaris L.）幼苗叶片cDNA库,分离出1个重金属胁迫响应基因PvSR52克隆,其cDNA长度为281bp。cDNA和氨基酸序列同源性分析表明PvSR52编码一种多聚泛肽。Southern blot结果表明菜豆泛肽可能由少数基因编码。Northern blot分析表明多聚泛肽叶片中表达较少;重金属Hg、Cd和As等、过量的Zn和Cu及高温、病毒侵染和水杨酸等环境胁迫均能强烈地刺激其在叶片中的表达。推测泛肽水解系统在提高植物的抗塑性方面有重要作用。