scholarly journals Wood Formation under Severe Drought Invokes Adjustment of the Hormonal and Transcriptional Landscape in Poplar

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 9899
Author(s):  
Dade Yu ◽  
Dennis Janz ◽  
Krzysztof Zienkiewicz ◽  
Cornelia Herrfurth ◽  
Ivo Feussner ◽  
...  

Drought is a severe environmental stress that exerts negative effects on plant growth. In trees, drought leads to reduced secondary growth and altered wood anatomy. The mechanisms underlying wood stress adaptation are not well understood. Here, we investigated the physiological, anatomical, hormonal, and transcriptional responses of poplar to strong drought. Drought-stressed xylem was characterized by higher vessel frequencies, smaller vessel lumina, and thicker secondary fiber cell walls. These changes were accompanied by strong increases in abscisic acid (ABA) and antagonistic changes in salicylic acid in wood. Transcriptional evidence supported ABA biosynthesis and signaling in wood. Since ABA signaling activates the fiber-thickening factor NST1, we expected upregulation of the secondary cell wall (SCW) cascade under stress. By contrast, transcription factors and biosynthesis genes for SCW formation were down-regulated, whereas a small set of cellulose synthase-like genes and a huge array of genes involved in cell wall modification were up-regulated in drought-stressed wood. Therefore, we suggest that ABA signaling monitors normal SCW biosynthesis and that drought causes a switch from normal to “stress wood” formation recruiting a dedicated set of genes for cell wall biosynthesis and remodeling. This proposition implies that drought-induced changes in cell wall properties underlie regulatory mechanisms distinct from those of normal wood.

Author(s):  
Ruiqi Wang ◽  
Mengxuan Reng ◽  
Shuanghui Tian ◽  
Cong Liu ◽  
He Cheng ◽  
...  

Abstract We applied miRNA expression profiling method to Populus trichocarpa stems of the three developmental stages, primary stem (PS), transitional stem (TS), and secondary stem (SS), to investigate miRNA species and their regulation on lignocellulosic synthesis and related processes. We obtained 892, 872, and 882 known miRNAs and 1,727, 1,723, and 1,597 novel miRNAs, from PS, TS, and SS, respectively. Comparisons of these miRNA species among different developmental stages led to the identification of 114, 306, and 152 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs), which had 921, 2,639, and 2,042 candidate target genes (CTGs) in the three respective stages of the same order. Corelation analysis revealed 47, 439, and 71 DE-miRNA-CTG pairs of high negative correlation in PS, TS and SS, respectively. Through biological process analysis, we finally identified 34, 6, and 76 miRNA-CTG pairs from PS, TS, and SS, respectively, and the miRNA target genes in these pairs regulate or participate lignocellulosic biosynthesis related biological processes: cell division and differentiation, cell wall modification, secondary cell wall biosynthesis, lignification, and programmed cell death processes. This is the first report on an integrated analysis of genome-wide mRNA and miRNA profilings during multiple phases of poplar stem development. Our analysis results imply that individual miRNAs modulate secondary growth and lignocellulosic biosynthesis through regulating transcription factors and lignocellulosic biosynthetic pathway genes, resulting in more dynamic promotion, suppression, or regulatory circuits. This study advanced our understanding of many individual miRNAs and their essential, diversified roles in dynamic regulation of secondary growth in woody tree species.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruiqi Wang ◽  
Mengxuan Ren ◽  
Shuanghui Tian ◽  
Cong Liu ◽  
He Cheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that have important regulatory functions in plant growth and development. However, the miRNAs that are involved in different developmental stages of tree stems have not been systemically characterized. In this study, we applied miRNA expression profiling method to the Populus trichocarpa trunks of the three distinct developmental stages defined as the primary stem (PS), transitional stem (TS), and secondary stem (SS) to investigate the miRNA species, their dynamic regulation and functions during the transitions of wood formation in different developmental stages at the genome-wide scale by Solexa sequencing.Results: We obtained 892, 872, and 882 known miRNAs and 1,727, 1,723, and 1,597 novel miRNAs, from PS, TS, and SS, respectively. And identified 114, 306, and 152 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) with 921, 2,639, and 2,042 candidate target genes (CTGs), which formed 158, 855, and 297 DE-miRNA-CTG pairs in PS vs TS, PS vs SS, and TS vs SS , respectively. Among these, 47, 439, and 71 DE-miRNA-CTG pairs showed a significant negative correlation, respectively. Finally, we identified 39, 9, and 92 miRNA-CTG pairs involved in PS, TS, and SS, respectively. These DE-miRNA-CTG pairs in poplar or whose counterparts in other plant species are known to be transcriptional factors or structural genes involved in cell division and differentiation, cell wall modification, secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis, lignification, and programmed cell death processes of wood formation. Moreover, qRT–PCR analysis confirmed that the results of small RNA-seq were robust and reliable and most miRNA-CTG pairs exhibited an inverse correlation.Conclusions: This is the first report on an integrated analysis of genome-wide mRNA and miRNA profiling of diverse phases of wood formation in poplar trunks. We showed that even though miRNAs involved in diverse developmental phases were not in a considerable number, their roles in the regulatory network that govern wood formation during different developmental stages cannot be negligible or underestimated. The information and data obtained in this paper significantly advanced our understanding of these miRNAs and their essential, dynamic and diversified roles as well as functions in diverse phases of wood formation in tree species.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1002
Author(s):  
Shenquan Cao ◽  
Cong Wang ◽  
Huanhuan Ji ◽  
Mengjie Guo ◽  
Jiyao Cheng ◽  
...  

Secondary cell wall (SCW) deposition is an important process during wood formation. Although aspartic proteases (APs) have been reported to have regulatory roles in herbaceous plants, the involvement of atypical APs in SCW deposition in trees has not been reported. In this study, we characterised the Populus trichocarpa atypical AP gene PtAP66, which is involved in wood SCW deposition. Transcriptome data from the AspWood resource showed that in the secondary xylem of P. trichocarpa, PtAP66 transcripts increased from the vascular cambium to the xylem cell expansion region and maintained high levels in the SCW formation region. Fluorescent signals from transgenic Arabidopsis plant roots and transiently transformed P. trichocarpa leaf protoplasts strongly suggested that the PtAP66-fused fluorescent protein (PtAP66-GFP or PtAP66-YFP) localised in the plasma membrane. Compared with the wild-type plants, the Cas9/gRNA-induced PtAP66 mutants exhibited reduced SCW thickness of secondary xylem fibres, as suggested by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data. In addition, wood composition assays revealed that the cellulose content in the mutants decreased by 4.90–5.57%. Transcription analysis further showed that a loss of PtAP66 downregulated the expression of several SCW synthesis-related genes, including cellulose and hemicellulose synthesis enzyme-encoding genes. Altogether, these findings indicate that atypical PtAP66 plays an important role in SCW deposition during wood formation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis O Morales ◽  
Alexey Shapiguzov ◽  
Omid Safronov ◽  
Johanna Leppälä ◽  
Lauri Vaahtera ◽  
...  

Abstract Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a major air pollutant that decreases yield of important crops worldwide. Despite long-lasting research of its negative effects on plants, there are many gaps in our knowledge on how plants respond to O3. In this study, we used natural variation in the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to characterize molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying O3 sensitivity. A key parameter in models for O3 damage is stomatal uptake. Here we show that the extent of O3 damage in the sensitive Arabidopsis accession Shahdara (Sha) does not correspond with O3 uptake, pointing toward stomata-independent mechanisms for the development of O3 damage. We compared tolerant (Col-0) versus sensitive accessions (Sha, Cvi-0) in assays related to photosynthesis, cell death, antioxidants, and transcriptional regulation. Acute O3 exposure increased cell death, development of lesions in the leaves, and decreased photosynthesis in sensitive accessions. In both Sha and Cvi-0, O3-induced lesions were associated with decreased maximal chlorophyll fluorescence and low quantum yield of electron transfer from Photosystem II to plastoquinone. However, O3-induced repression of photosynthesis in these two O3-sensitive accessions developed in different ways. We demonstrate that O3 sensitivity in Arabidopsis is influenced by genetic diversity given that Sha and Cvi-0 developed accession-specific transcriptional responses to O3. Our findings advance the understanding of plant responses to O3 and set a framework for future studies to characterize molecular and physiological mechanisms allowing plants to respond to high O3 levels in the atmosphere as a result of high air pollution and climate change.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guiming Deng ◽  
Fangcheng Bi ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
Weidi He ◽  
Chunyu Li ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundBanana plant height is an important trait for horticultural practices and semi-dwarf cultivars show better resistance to damages by wind and rain. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the pseudostem height remain poorly understood. Herein, we studied the molecular changes in the pseudostem of a semi-dwarf banana mutant Aifen No. 1 (Musaspp. Pisang Awak sub-group ABB) as compared to its wild-type dwarf cultivar using a combined transcriptome and metabolome approach.ResultsA total of 127 differentially expressed genes and 48 differentially accumulated metabolites were detected between the mutant and its wild type. Metabolites belonging to amino acid and its derivatives, flavonoids, lignans, coumarins, organic acids, and phenolic acids were up-regulated in the mutant. The transcriptome analysis showed the differential regulation of genes related to the gibberellin pathway, auxin transport, cell elongation, and cell wall modification. Based on the regulation of gibberellin and associated pathway-related genes, we discussed the involvement of gibberellins in pseudostem elongation in the mutant banana. Genes and metabolites associated with cell wall were explored and their involvement in cell extension is discussed.ConclusionsThe results suggest that gibberellins and associated pathways are possibly developing the observed semi-dwarf pseudostem phenotype together with cell elongation and cell wall modification. The findings increase the understanding of the mechanisms underlying banana stem height and provide new clues for further dissection of specific gene functions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Tapia ◽  
M. González ◽  
J. Burgos ◽  
M. V. Vega ◽  
J. Méndez ◽  
...  

AbstractCultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum (Slyc) is sensitive to water shortages, while its wild relative Solanum peruvianum L. (Sper), an herbaceous perennial small shrub, can grow under water scarcity and soil salinity environments. Plastic Sper modifies the plant architecture when suffering from drought, which is mediated by the replacement of leaf organs, among other changes. The early events that trigger acclimation and improve these morphological traits are unknown. In this study, a physiological and transcriptomic approach was used to understand the processes that differentiate the response in Slyc and Sper in the context of acclimation to stress and future consequences for plant architecture. In this regard, moderate (MD) and severe drought (SD) were imposed, mediating PEG treatments. The results showed a reduction in water and osmotic potential during stress, which correlated with the upregulation of sugar and proline metabolism-related genes. Additionally, the senescence-related genes FTSH6 protease and asparagine synthase were highly induced in both species. However, GO categories such as “protein ubiquitination” or “endopeptidase inhibitor activity” were differentially enriched in Sper and Slyc, respectively. Genes related to polyamine biosynthesis were induced, while several cyclins and kinetin were downregulated in Sper under drought treatments. Repression of photosynthesis-related genes was correlated with a higher reduction in the electron transport rate in Slyc than in Sper. Additionally, transcription factors from the ERF, WRKY and NAC families were commonly induced in Sper. Although some similar responses were induced in both species under drought stress, many important changes were detected to be differentially induced. This suggests that different pathways dictate the strategies to address the early response to drought and the consequent episodes in the acclimation process in both tomato species.


1955 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
AB Wardrop ◽  
HE Dadswell

The cell wall organization, the cell wall texture, and the degree of lignification of tension wood fibres have been investigated in a wide variety of temperate and tropical species. Following earlier work describing the cell wall structure of tension wood fibres, two additional types of cell wall organization have been observed. In one of these, the inner thick "gelatinous" layer which is typical of tension wood fibres exists in addition to the normal three-layered structure of the secondary wall; in the other only the outer layer of the secondary wall and the thick gelatinous layer are present. In all the tension wood examined the micellar orientation in the inner gelatinous layer has been shown to be nearly axial and the cellulose of this layer found to be in a highly crystalline state. A general argument is presented as to the meaning of differences in the degree, of crystallinity of cellulose. The high degree of crystallinity of cellulose in tension wood as compared with normal wood is attributed to a greater degree of lateral order in the crystalline regions of tension wood, whereas the paracrystalline phase is similar in both cases. The degree of lignification in tension wood fibres has been shown to be extremely variable. However, where the degree of tension wood development is marked as revealed by the thickness of the gelatinous layer the lack of lignification is also most marked. Severity of tension wood formation and lack of lignification have also been correlated with the incidence of irreversible collapse in tension wood. Such collapse can occur even when no whole fibres are present, e.g. in thin cross sections. Microscopic examination of collapsed samples of tension wood has led to the conclusion that the appearance of collapse in specimens containing tendon wood can often be attributed in part to excessive shrinkage associated with the development of fissures between cells, although true collapse does also occur. Possible explanations of the irreversible shrinkage and collapse of tension wood fibres are advanced.


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