Myo-inositol and beyond--emerging networks under stress.
TL;DR: This review focuses on myo-inositol, its direct and more downstream derivatives (galactinol, raffinose), and the contribution of their associated networks to plant stress tolerance.
About: This article is published in Plant Science.The article was published on 2011-10-01. It has received 280 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Phosphatidylinositol & Crosstalk (biology).
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TL;DR: It is argued that truly salt-tolerant species possessing efficient mechanisms for Na(+) exclusion from the cytosol may not require a high level of antioxidant activity, as they simply do not allow excessive ROS production in the first instance.
Abstract: Halophytes are defined as plants that are adapted to live in soils containing high concentrations of salt and benefiting from it, and thus represent an ideal model to understand complex physiological and genetic mechanisms of salinity stress tolerance. It is also known that oxidative stress signalling and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification are both essential components of salinity stress tolerance mechanisms. This paper comprehensively reviews the differences in ROS homeostasis between halophytes and glycophytes in an attempt to answer the questions of whether stress-induced ROS production is similar between halophytes and glycophytes; is the superior salinity tolerance in halophytes attributed to higher antioxidant activity; and is there something special about the specific ‘pool’ of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in halophytes. We argue that truly salt-tolerant species possessing efficient mechanisms for Na + exclusion from the cytosol may not require a high level of antioxidant activity, as they simply do not allow excessive ROS production in the first instance. We also suggest that H 2O2 ‘signatures’ may operate in plant signalling networks, in addition to well-known cytosolic calcium ‘signatures’. According to the suggested concept, the intrinsically higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in halophytes are required for rapid induction of the H2O2 ‘signature’, and to trigger a cascade of adaptive responses (both genetic and physiological), while the role of other enzymatic antioxidants may be in decreasing the basal levels of H2O2, once the signalling has been processed. Finally, we emphasize the importance of non-enzymatic antioxidants as the only effective means to prevent detrimental effects of hydroxyl radicals on cellular structures.
660 citations
TL;DR: This review aims at extending the current concept of antioxidants functioning during abiotic stress, with special focus on the emanate role of sugars as true ROS scavengers, as different organelles seem to exploit distinct mechanisms.
Abstract: Plants suffering from abiotic stress are commonly facing an enhanced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with damaging as well as signalling effects at organellar and cellular levels. The outcome of an environmental challenge highly depends on the delicate balance between ROS production and scavenging by both enzymatic and metabolic antioxidants. However, this traditional classification is in need of renewal and reform, as it is becoming increasingly clear that soluble sugars such as disaccharides, raffinose family oligosaccharides and fructans--next to their associated metabolic enzymes--are strongly related to stress-induced ROS accumulation in plants. Therefore, this review aims at extending the current concept of antioxidants functioning during abiotic stress, with special focus on the emanate role of sugars as true ROS scavengers. Examples are given based on their cellular location, as different organelles seem to exploit distinct mechanisms. Moreover, the vacuole comes into the picture as important player in the ROS signalling network of plants. Elucidating the interplay between the mechanisms controlling ROS signalling during abiotic stress will facilitate the development of strategies to enhance crop tolerance to stressful environmental conditions.
582 citations
TL;DR: The data demonstrate that Cd perturbs the DNA methylation status through the involvement of a specific methyltransferase, linked to nuclear chromatin reconfiguration likely to establish a new balance of expressed/repressed chromatin.
Abstract: In mammals, cadmium is widely considered as a non-genotoxic carcinogen acting through a methylation-dependent epigenetic mechanism. Here, the effects of Cd treatment on the DNA methylation patten are examined together with its effect on chromatin reconfiguration in Posidonia oceanica. DNA methylation level and pattern were analysed in actively growing organs, under short- (6 h) and long- (2 d or 4 d) term and low (10 mM) and high (50 mM) doses of Cd, through a Methylation-Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism technique and an immunocytological approach, respectively. The expression of one member of the CHROMOMETHYLASE (CMT) family, a DNA methyltransferase, was also assessed by qRT-PCR. Nuclear chromatin ultrastructure was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Cd treatment induced a DNA hypermethylation, as well as an up-regulation of CMT, indicating that de novo methylation did indeed occur. Moreover, a high dose of Cd led to a progressive heterochromatinization of interphase nuclei and apoptotic figures were also observed after long-term treatment. The data demonstrate that Cd perturbs the DNA methylation status through the involvement of a specific methyltransferase. Such changes are linked to nuclear chromatin reconfiguration likely to establish a new balance of expressed/repressed chromatin. Overall, the data show an epigenetic basis to the mechanism underlying Cd toxicity in plants.
450 citations
TL;DR: This review summarizes the immense knowledge on the relationship between TOR signaling and nutrients in nonphotosynthetic organisms and presents recent findings in plants that illuminate the crucial role of this pathway in conveying nutrient-derived signals and regulating many aspects of metabolism and growth.
Abstract: All living organisms rely on nutrients to sustain cell metabolism and energy production, which in turn need to be adjusted based on available resources. The evolutionarily conserved target of rapamycin (TOR) protein kinase is a central regulatory hub that connects environmental information about the quantity and quality of nutrients to developmental and metabolic processes in order to maintain cellular homeostasis. TOR is activated by both nitrogen and carbon metabolites and promotes energy-consuming processes such as cell division, mRNA translation, and anabolism in times of abundance while repressing nutrient remobilization through autophagy. In animals and yeasts, TOR acts antagonistically to the starvation-induced AMP-activated kinase (AMPK)/sucrose nonfermenting 1 (Snf1) kinase, called Snf1-related kinase 1 (SnRK1) in plants. This review summarizes the immense knowledge on the relationship between TOR signaling and nutrients in nonphotosynthetic organisms and presents recent findings in plants that illuminate the crucial role of this pathway in conveying nutrient-derived signals and regulating many aspects of metabolism and growth.
301 citations
TL;DR: The working hypothesis involves signaling events associated with increased ABA levels, decreased glucose levels, disruption of ABA/sugar signaling, activation of programmed cell death/senescence through repression of a phospholipase C-mediated signaling pathway, and arrest of the cell cycle in the stressed ovary at 1 d after pollination.
Abstract: Drought stress affects cereals especially during the reproductive stage. The maize (Zea mays) drought transcriptome was studied using RNA-Seq analysis to compare drought-treated and well-watered fertilized ovary and basal leaf meristem tissue. More drought-responsive genes responded in the ovary compared with the leaf meristem. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis revealed a massive decrease in transcript abundance of cell division and cell cycle genes in the drought-stressed ovary only. Among Gene Ontology categories related to carbohydrate metabolism, changes in starch and Suc metabolism-related genes occurred in the ovary, consistent with a decrease in starch levels, and in Suc transporter function, with no comparable changes occurring in the leaf meristem. Abscisic acid (ABA)-related processes responded positively, but only in the ovaries. Related responses suggested the operation of low glucose sensing in drought-stressed ovaries. The data are discussed in the context of the susceptibility of maize kernel to drought stress leading to embryo abortion and the relative robustness of dividing vegetative tissue taken at the same time from the same plant subjected to the same conditions. Our working hypothesis involves signaling events associated with increased ABA levels, decreased glucose levels, disruption of ABA/sugar signaling, activation of programmed cell death/senescence through repression of a phospholipase C-mediated signaling pathway, and arrest of the cell cycle in the stressed ovary at 1 d after pollination. Increased invertase levels in the stressed leaf meristem, on the other hand, resulted in that tissue maintaining hexose levels at an “unstressed” level, and at lower ABA levels, which was correlated with successful resistance to drought stress.
298 citations
References
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TL;DR: Inositol trisphosphate is a second messenger that controls many cellular processes by generating internal calcium signals through receptors whose molecular and physiological properties closely resemble the calcium-mobilizing ryanodine receptors of muscle.
Abstract: Inositol trisphosphate is a second messenger that controls many cellular processes by generating internal calcium signals. It operates through receptors whose molecular and physiological properties closely resemble the calcium-mobilizing ryanodine receptors of muscle. This family of intracellular calcium channels displays the regenerative process of calcium-induced calcium release responsible for the complex spatiotemporal patterns of calcium waves and oscillations. Such a dynamic signalling pathway controls many cellular processes, including fertilization, cell growth, transformation, secretion, smooth muscle contraction, sensory perception and neuronal signalling.
6,389 citations
"Myo-inositol and beyond--emerging n..." refers background in this paper
...2A), which primarily serves as a precursor to produce inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate (one of the InsP3 forms) and diacylglycerol (DAG) as second messengers [25,26]....
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TL;DR: In this article, the experimental amenability of yeast as a unicellular model system has enabled the discovery of multiple sugar sensors and signaling pathways, and a central role for hexokinase (HXK) as conserved glucose sensor.
Abstract: Sugars not only fuel cellular carbon and energy metabolism but also play pivotal roles as signaling molecules. The experimental amenability of yeast as a unicellular model system has enabled the discovery of multiple sugar sensors and signaling pathways. In plants, different sugar signals are generated by photosynthesis and carbon metabolism in source and sink tissues to modulate growth, development, and stress responses. Genetic analyses have revealed extensive interactions between sugar and plant hormone signaling, and a central role for hexokinase (HXK) as a conserved glucose sensor. Diverse sugar signals activate multiple HXK-dependent and HXKindependent pathways and use different molecular mechanisms to control transcription, translation, protein stability and enzymatic activity. Important and complex roles for Snf1-related kinases (SnRKs), extracellular sugar sensors, and trehalose metabolism in plant sugar signaling are now also emerging.
1,983 citations
TL;DR: Investigating plants under stress can learn about the plasticity of metabolic pathways and the limits to their functioning, and questions of an ecological and evolutionary nature need investigation.
Abstract: Environmental stresses come in many forms, yet the most prevalent stresses have in common their effect on plant water status. The availability of water for its biological roles as solvent and transport medium, as electron donor in the Hill reaction, and as evaporative coolant is often impaired by environmental conditions. Although plant species vary in their sensitivity and response to the decrease in water potential caused by drought, low temperature, or high salinity, it may be assumed that all plants have encoded capability for stress perception, signaling, and response. First, most cultivated species have wild relatives that exhibit excellent tolerance to abiotic stresses. Second, biochemical studies have revealed similarities in processes induced by stress that lead to accumulated metabolites in vascular and nonvascular plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria (Csonka, 1989; Galinski, 1993; Potts, 1994). These metabolites include nitrogen-containing compounds (proline, other amino acids, quaternary amino compounds, and polyamines) and hydroxyl compounds (sucrose, polyols, and oligosaccharides) (McCue and Hanson, 1990). Accumulation of any single metabolite is not restricted to taxonomic groupings, indicating that these are evolutionarily old traits. Third, molecular studies have revealed that a wide variety of species express a common set of genes and similar proteins (for example, Rab-related proteins and dehydrins) when stressed (Skriver and Mundy, 1990; Vilardell et al., 1994). Although functions for many of these genes have not yet been unequivocally assigned, it is likely, based on their characteristics, that these proteins play active roles in the response to stress. Learning about the biochemical and molecular mechanisms by which plants tolerate environmentat stresses is necessary for genetic engineering approaches to improving crop performance under stress. By investigating plants under stress, we can learn about the plasticity of metabolic pathways and the limits to their functioning. Also, questions of an ecological and evolutionary nature need investigation. Are the genes that confer salt tolerance on halophytes and/or drought tolerance on xerophytes evolutionarily ancient genes that have been selected against in saltand drought-sensitive plants (glycophytes) for the sake of productivity? Or have some species obtained nove1 genes in their evolutionary history that have enabled them to occupy stressful environments? How will the
1,763 citations
"Myo-inositol and beyond--emerging n..." refers background in this paper
...Ins, pinitol and RFOs all serve as potent osmoprotectants enhancing plant stress tolerance [65,66] (see Section 3....
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TL;DR: These structures show that the leucine-rich repeat domain of TIR1 contains an unexpected inositol hexakisphosphate co-factor and recognizes auxin and the Aux/IAA polypeptide substrate through a single surface pocket, establishing the first structural model of a plant hormone receptor.
Abstract: Auxin is a pivotal plant hormone that controls many aspects of plant growth and development. Perceived by a small family of F-box proteins including transport inhibitor response 1 (TIR1), auxin regulates gene expression by promoting SCF ubiquitin-ligase-catalysed degradation of the Aux/IAA transcription repressors, but how the TIR1 F-box protein senses and becomes activated by auxin remains unclear. Here we present the crystal structures of the Arabidopsis TIR1-ASK1 complex, free and in complexes with three different auxin compounds and an Aux/IAA substrate peptide. These structures show that the leucine-rich repeat domain of TIR1 contains an unexpected inositol hexakisphosphate co-factor and recognizes auxin and the Aux/IAA polypeptide substrate through a single surface pocket. Anchored to the base of the TIR1 pocket, auxin binds to a partially promiscuous site, which can also accommodate various auxin analogues. Docked on top of auxin, the Aux/IAA substrate peptide occupies the rest of the TIR1 pocket and completely encloses the hormone-binding site. By filling in a hydrophobic cavity at the protein interface, auxin enhances the TIR1-substrate interactions by acting as a 'molecular glue'. Our results establish the first structural model of a plant hormone receptor.
1,391 citations
"Myo-inositol and beyond--emerging n..." refers background in this paper
...[44] X. Tan, L.A. Calderon-Villalobos, M. Sharon, C. Zheng, C.V. Robinson, M. Estelle, N. Zheng, Mechanism of auxin perception by the TIR1 ubiquitin ligase, Nature 446 (2007) 640–645....
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...Interestingly, it was shown that InsP6 can act as a structural cofactor of the transport inhibitor response 1 (TIR1) [44]....
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...However, it is unknown whether InsP5 can also bind to TIR1....
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...Alternatively, nsP6 can be dephosphorylated to Ins, which can be used for the roduction of compatible solutes such as galactinol and RFOs that re known to accumulate in seeds and play a role in ROS homeostais [44]....
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...This genuine auxin receptor is an F-box protein subunit of the ubiquitin–ligase complex SCFTIR1, taking a central position in the auxin signaling cascade....
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TL;DR: These studies uncover surprisingly pivotal roles of KIN10/11 in linking stress, sugar and developmental signals to globally regulate plant metabolism, energy balance, growth and survival.
Abstract: Photosynthetic plants are the principal solar energy converter sustaining life on Earth. Despite its fundamental importance, little is known about how plants sense and adapt to darkness in the daily light-dark cycle, or how they adapt to unpredictable environmental stresses that compromise photosynthesis and respiration and deplete energy supplies. Current models emphasize diverse stress perception and signalling mechanisms. Using a combination of cellular and systems screens, we show here that the evolutionarily conserved Arabidopsis thaliana protein kinases, KIN10 and KIN11 (also known as AKIN10/At3g01090 and AKIN11/At3g29160, respectively), control convergent reprogramming of transcription in response to seemingly unrelated darkness, sugar and stress conditions. Sensing and signalling deprivation of sugar and energy, KIN10 targets a remarkably broad array of genes that orchestrate transcription networks, promote catabolism and suppress anabolism. Specific bZIP transcription factors partially mediate primary KIN10 signalling. Transgenic KIN10 overexpression confers enhanced starvation tolerance and lifespan extension, and alters architecture and developmental transitions. Significantly, double kin10 kin11 deficiency abrogates the transcriptional switch in darkness and stress signalling, and impairs starch mobilization at night and growth. These studies uncover surprisingly pivotal roles of KIN10/11 in linking stress, sugar and developmental signals to globally regulate plant metabolism, energy balance, growth and survival. In contrast to the prevailing view that sucrose activates plant SnRK1s (Snf1-related protein kinases), our functional analyses of Arabidopsis KIN10/11 provide compelling evidence that SnRK1s are inactivated by sugars and share central roles with the orthologous yeast Snf1 and mammalian AMPK in energy signalling.
1,278 citations