Summary
The diets of over two-thirds of the world's population lack one or more essential mineral elements. This can be remedied through dietary diversification, mineral supplementation, food fortification, or increasing the concentrations and/or bioavailability of mineral elements in produce (biofortification). This article reviews aspects of soil science, plant physiology and genetics underpinning crop biofortification strategies, as well as agronomic and genetic approaches currently taken to biofortify food crops with the mineral elements most commonly lacking in human diets: iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iodine (I) and selenium (Se). Two complementary approaches have been successfully adopted to increase the concentrations of bioavailable mineral elements in food crops. First, agronomic approaches optimizing the application of mineral fertilizers and/or improving the solubilization and mobilization of mineral elements in the soil have been implemented. Secondly, crops have been developed with: increased abilities to acquire mineral elements and accumulate them in edible tissues; increased concentrations of ‘promoter’ substances, such as ascorbate, β-carotene and cysteine-rich polypeptides which stimulate the absorption of essential mineral elements by the gut; and reduced concentrations of ‘antinutrients’, such as oxalate, polyphenolics or phytate, which interfere with their absorption. These approaches are addressing mineral malnutrition in humans globally.

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Biofortification of crops with seven mineral elements often lacking in human diets--iron, zinc, copper, calcium, magnesium, selenium and iodine.

This review focuses on the responses of the plant cell wall to several abiotic stresses including drought, flooding, heat, cold, salt, heavy metals, light, and air pollutants. The effects of stress on cell wall metabolism are discussed at the physiological (morphogenic), transcriptomic, proteomic and biochemical levels. The analysis of a large set of data shows that the plant response is highly complex. The overall effects of most abiotic stress are often dependent on the plant species, the genotype, the age of the plant, the timing of the stress application, and the intensity of this stress. This shows the difficulty of identifying a common pattern of stress response in cell wall architecture that could enable adaptation and/or resistance to abiotic stress. However, in most cases, two main mechanisms can be highlighted: (i) an increased level in xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) and expansin proteins, associated with an increase in the degree of rhamnogalacturonan I branching that maintains cell wall plasticity and (ii) an increased cell wall thickening by reinforcement of the secondary wall with hemicellulose and lignin deposition. Taken together, these results show the need to undertake large-scale analyses, using multidisciplinary approaches, to unravel the consequences of stress on the cell wall. This will help identify the key components that could be targeted to improve biomass production under stress conditions.

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Cell Wall Metabolism in Response to Abiotic Stress.

The environmental stress is a major area of scientific concern because it constraints plant as well as crop productivity. This situation has been further worsened by anthropogenic activities. Therefore, there is a much scientific saddle on researchers to enhance crop productivity under environmental stress in order to cope with the increasing food demands. The abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, cold, and heat negatively influence the survival, biomass production and yield of staple food crops. According to an estimate of FAO, over 6 % of the world’s land is affected by salinity. Thus, salinity stress appears to be a major constraint to plant and crop productivity. Here, we review our understanding of salinity impact on various aspects of plant metabolism and its tolerance strategies in plants.

Effect of salinity stress on plants and its tolerance strategies: a review.

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Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.

Plant proteome changes under abiotic stress--contribution of proteomics studies to understanding plant stress response

Improvement of nutritive value of crop plants, in particular the amino acid composition, has been a major long-term goal of plant breeding programs. Toward this end, we reported earlier the cloning of the seed albumin gene AmA1 from Amaranthus hypochondriacus. The AmA1 protein is nonallergenic in nature and is rich in all essential amino acids, and the composition corresponds well with the World Health Organization standards for optimal human nutrition. In an attempt to improve the nutritional value of potato, the AmA1 coding sequence was successfully introduced and expressed in tuber-specific and constitutive manner. There was a striking increase in the growth and production of tubers in transgenic populations and also of the total protein content with an increase in most essential amino acids. The expressed protein was localized in the cytoplasm as well as in the vacuole of transgenic tubers. Thus we have been able to use a seed albumin gene with a well-balanced amino acid composition as a donor protein to develop a transgenic crop plant. The results document, in addition to successful nutritional improvement of potato tubers, the feasibility of genetically modifying other crop plants with novel seed protein composition.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/97/7/3724.full.pdf

Increased nutritive value of transgenic potato by expressing a nonallergenic seed albumin gene from Amaranthus hypochondriacus

Comparative Proteomics Analysis of Differentially Expressed Proteins in Chickpea Extracellular Matrix during Dehydration Stress

In a globalized economy, the control of fruit ripening is of strategic importance because excessive softening limits shelf life. Efforts have been made to reduce fruit softening in transgenic tomato through the suppression of genes encoding cell wall–degrading proteins. However, these have met with very limited success. N-glycans are reported to play an important role during fruit ripening, although the role of any particular enzyme is yet unknown. We have identified and targeted two ripening-specific N-glycoprotein modifying enzymes, α-mannosidase (α-Man) and β-D-N-acetylhexosaminidase (β-Hex). We show that their suppression enhances fruit shelf life, owing to the reduced rate of softening. Analysis of transgenic tomatoes revealed ≈2.5- and ≈2-fold firmer fruits in the α-Man and β-Hex RNAi lines, respectively, and ≈30 days of enhanced shelf life. Overexpression of α-Man or β-Hex resulted in excessive fruit softening. Expression of α-Man and β-Hex is induced by the ripening hormone ethylene and is modulated by a regulator of ripening, rin (ripening inhibitor). Furthermore, transcriptomic comparative studies demonstrate the down-regulation of cell wall degradation- and ripening-related genes in RNAi fruits. It is evident from these results that N-glycan processing is involved in ripening-associated fruit softening. Genetic manipulation of N-glycan processing can be of strategic importance to enhance fruit shelf life, without any negative effect on phenotype, including yield.

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Enhancement of fruit shelf life by suppressing N-glycan processing enzymes

Proteomics Approach to Identify Dehydration Responsive Nuclear Proteins from Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Dehydration-responsive Nuclear Proteome of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Illustrates Protein Network, Novel Regulators of Cellular Adaptation, and Evolutionary Perspective

Subhra Chakraborty

Papers

Increased nutritive value of transgenic potato by expressing a nonallergenic seed albumin gene from Amaranthus hypochondriacus

Comparative Proteomics Analysis of Differentially Expressed Proteins in Chickpea Extracellular Matrix during Dehydration Stress

Enhancement of fruit shelf life by suppressing N-glycan processing enzymes

Proteomics Approach to Identify Dehydration Responsive Nuclear Proteins from Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Dehydration-responsive Nuclear Proteome of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Illustrates Protein Network, Novel Regulators of Cellular Adaptation, and Evolutionary Perspective