Advances in determination of polymer structure and in preservation of structure for electron microscopy provide the best view to date of how polysaccharides and structural proteins are organized into plant cell walls. The walls that form and partition dividing cells are modified chemically and structurally from the walls expanding to provide a cell with its functional form. In grasses, the chemical structure of the wall differs from that of all other flowering plant species that have been examined. Nevertheless, both types of wall must conform to the same physical laws. Cell expansion occurs via strictly regulated reorientation of each of the wall's components that first permits the wall to stretch in specific directions and then lock into final shape. This review integrates information on the chemical structure of individual polymers with data obtained from new techniques used to probe the arrangement of the polymers within the walls of individual cells. We provide structural models of two distinct types of walls in flowering plants consistent with the physical properties of the wall and its components.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-313X.1993.tb00007.x

Structural models of primary cell walls in flowering plants: consistency of molecular structure with the physical properties of the walls during growth

In the last decade, our understanding of the processes underlying plant response to drought, at the molecular and whole-plant levels, has rapidly progressed. Here, we review that progress. We draw attention to the perception and signalling processes (chemical and hydraulic) of water deficits. Knowledge of these processes is essential for a holistic understanding of plant resistance to stress, which is needed to improve crop management and breeding techniques. Hundreds of genes that are induced under drought have been identified. A range of tools, from gene expression patterns to the use of transgenic plants, is being used to study the specific function of these genes and their role in plant acclimation or adaptation to water deficit. However, because plant responses to stress are complex, the functions of many of the genes are still unknown. Many of the traits that explain plant adaptation to drought - such as phenology, root size and depth, hydraulic conductivity and the storage of reserves - are those associated with plant development and structure, and are constitutive rather than stress induced. But a large part of plant resistance to drought is the ability to get rid of excess radiation, a concomitant stress under natural conditions. The nature of the mechanisms responsible for leaf photoprotection, especially those related to thermal dissipation, and oxidative stress are being actively researched. The new tools that operate at molecular, plant and ecosystem levels are revolutionising our understanding of plant response to drought, and our ability to monitor it. Techniques such as genome-wide tools, proteomics, stable isotopes and thermal or fluorescence imaging may allow the genotype-phenotype gap to be bridged, which is essential for faster progress in stress biology research.

Understanding plant responses to drought — from genes to the whole plant

Plant growth and productivity are greatly affected by environmental stresses such as drought, high salinity, and low temperature. Expression of a variety of genes is induced by these stresses in various plants. The products of these genes function not only in stress tolerance but also in stress response. In the signal transduction network from perception of stress signals to stress-responsive gene expression, various transcription factors and cis-acting elements in the stress-responsive promoters function for plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Recent progress has been made in analyzing the complex cascades of gene expression in drought and cold stress responses, especially in identifying specificity and cross talk in stress signaling. In this review article, we highlight transcriptional regulation of gene expression in response to drought and cold stresses, with particular emphasis on the role of transcription factors and cis-acting elements in stress-inducible promoters.

Transcriptional regulatory networks in cellular responses and tolerance to dehydration and cold stresses.

Seeds are a vital component of the world’s diet. Cereal grains alone, which comprise -90% of all cultivated seeds, contribute up to half of the global per capita energy intake. Not surprisingly then, seed biology is one of the most extensively researched areas in plant physiology. Even in relation to the topics reviewed here, a casual perusal of the Agricola database reveals that well over 5000 publications on seed germination and 700 on seed dormancy have appeared in the last decade. Yet we still cannot answer two fundamental questions: how does the embryo emerge from the seed to complete germination, and how is embryo emergence blocked so that seeds can be maintained in the dormant state? Obviously, with such a large literature on the subject, this review is far from comprehensive. Nevertheless, it provides both an overview of the essential processes that are associated with germination and a description of the possible impediments thereto that may result in dormancy. With the seed, the independence of the next generation of plants begins. The seed, containing the embryo as the new plant in miniature, is structurally and physiologically equipped for its role as a dispersa1 unit and is well provided with food reserves to sustain the growing seedling until it establishes itself as a self-sufficient, autotrophic organism. Because the function of a seed is to establish a new plant, it may seem peculiar that dormancy, an intrinsic block to germination, exists. But it may not be advantageous for a seed to germinate freely, even in seemingly favorable conditions. For example, germination of annuals in the spring allows time for vegetative growth and the subsequent production of offspring, whereas germination in similar conditions in the fall could lead to the demise of the vegetative plant during the winter. Thus, dormancy is an adaptive trait that optimizes the distribution of germination over time in a population of seeds. Seed dormancy is generally an undesirable characteristic in agricultural crops, where rapid germination and growth are required. However, some degree of dormancy is advantageous, at least during seed development. This is particularly true for cereal crops because it prevents germination of grains while still on the ear of the parent plant (preharvest sprouting), a phenomenon that results in major losses to the

/pdf/seed-germination-and-dormancy-33s4axu1ho.pdf

Seed Germination and Dormancy.

Agricultural productivity worldwide is subject to increasing environmental constraints, particularly to drought and salinity due to their high magnitude of impact and wide distribution. Traditional breeding programs trying to improve abiotic stress tolerance have had some success, but are limited by the multigenic nature of the trait. Tolerant plants such as Craterostigma plantagenium, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, Thellungiella halophila and other hardy plants could be valuable tools to dissect the extreme tolerance nature. In the last decade, Arabidopsis thaliana, a genetic model plant, has been extensively used for unravelling the molecular basis of stress tolerance. Arabidopsis also proved to be extremely important for assessing functions for individual stress-associated genes due to the availability of knock-out mutants and its amenability for genetic transformation. In this review, the responses of plants to salt and water stress are described, the regulatory circuits which allow plants to cope wit...

Drought and Salt Tolerance in Plants

The phytohormone abscisic acid is probably present in all higher plants. This hormone is necessary for regulation of several events during seed development and for the response to environmental stresses such as desiccation, salt and cold. An important part of the physiological response to abscisic acid is achieved through gene expression. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of regulation of abscisic acid-induced transcription. The main focus is on a description of the known abscisic acid-responsive cis-elements, their properties and the possible transacting factors binding to the elements. Results have shown that cooperative action of cis-elements and the promoter configuraton is crucial for regulation by abscisic acid. Furthermore, several elements are organ- and species-specific. Recent studies of the chromatin structure of abscisic acid-responsive genes point to the importance of induction of transcription by coactivators or by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of transcription factors. An interesting example of activation by a cofactor is the cooperative action between abscisic acid-signaling and the regulatory protein Viviparous 1 through the abscisic acid responsive element.

Regulation of abscisic acid-induced transcription.

Plant hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) appear to modulate the responses of plants under adverse conditions1,2 ABA has a poorly-understood role in embryogenesis, accumulating in the stages before dessication3,4, and altering the rate of transcription of a specific set of genes5,6. The functions of the proteins encoded by these genes, however, are unknown, and their messenger RNAs decrease again during early germination7–9. No correlation has been established between ABA levels and the induction of particular genes in non-embryonic organs. The level of ABA increases substantially in leaf tissues subjected to water stress10 and thus it has been proposed that ABA mediates plant–water relations1,10. Here we describe the isolation of complementary DNA and genomic clones of a gene that is ABA-inducible in the maize embryo, and whose messenger RNA accumulates in epidermial cells, which is also induced by water stress and wounding in leaves. The deduced protein is rich in glycine. Identification of this gene will contribute to our understanding of the role of ABA.

A gene induced by the plant hormone abscisic acid in response to water stress encodes a glycine-rich protein

The abscisic acid-responsive gene rab17 of maize is expressed during late embryogenesis, and is induced by ABA and desiccation in embryo and vegetative tissues. ABRE and DRE cis-elements are involved in regulation of the gene by ABA and drought. Using yeast one-hybrid screening, we isolated two cDNAs encoding two new DRE-binding proteins, designated DBF1 and DBF2, that are members of the AP2/EREBP transcription factor family. Analysis of mRNA accumulation profiles showed that DBF1 is induced during maize embryogenesis and after desiccation, NaCl and ABA treatments in plant seedlings, whereas the DBF2 mRNA is not induced. DNA-binding preferences of DBFs were analysed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and showed that both DBF1 and DBF2 bound to the wild-type DRE2 element, but not to the DRE2 mutant or to the DRE1 element which differs only in a single nucleotide. Transactivation activity using particle bombardment showed that DBF1 functioned as activator of DRE2-dependent transcription of rab17 promoter by ABA, whereas DBF2 overexpression had a repression action downregulating not only the basal promoter activity, but also the ABA effect. These results show that ABA plays a role in the regulation of DBF activity, and suggests the existence of an ABA-dependent pathway for the regulation of genes through the C-repeat/DRE element.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1365-313X.2002.01325.x

Maize DRE-binding proteins DBF1 and DBF2 are involved in rab17 regulation through the drought-responsive element in an ABA-dependent pathway.

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1016/S0014-5793%2801%2902460-7

Role of AP2/EREBP transcription factors in gene regulation during abiotic stress

Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins are associated with tolerance to water-related stress. A wheat (Triticum durum) group 2 LEA proteins, known also as dehydrin (DHN-5), has been previously shown to be induced by salt and abscisic acid (ABA). In this report, we analyze the effect of ectopic expression of Dhn-5 cDNA in Arabidopsis thaliana plants and their response to salt and osmotic stress. When compared to wild type plants, the Dhn-5 transgenic plants exhibited stronger growth under high concentrations of NaCl or under water deprivation, and showed a faster recovery from mannitol treatment. Leaf area and seed germination rate decreased much more in wild type than in transgenic plants subjected to salt stress. Moreover, the water potential was more negative in transgenic than in wild type plants. In addition, the transgenic plants have higher proline contents and lower water loss rate under water stress. Also, Na+ and K+ accumulate to higher contents in the leaves of the transgenic plants. Our data strongly support the hypothesis that Dhn-5, by its protective role, contributes to an improved tolerance to salt and drought stress through osmotic adjustment.

Montserrat Pagès

Papers

Regulation of abscisic acid-induced transcription.

A gene induced by the plant hormone abscisic acid in response to water stress encodes a glycine-rich protein

Maize DRE-binding proteins DBF1 and DBF2 are involved in rab17 regulation through the drought-responsive element in an ABA-dependent pathway.

Role of AP2/EREBP transcription factors in gene regulation during abiotic stress

Overexpression of wheat dehydrin DHN-5 enhances tolerance to salt and osmotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana