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Current Opinion in Plant Biology Aug 2024Flowers of Cannabis sativa L. are densely covered with glandular trichomes containing cannabis resin that is used for medicinal and recreational purposes. The highly... (Review)
Review
Flowers of Cannabis sativa L. are densely covered with glandular trichomes containing cannabis resin that is used for medicinal and recreational purposes. The highly productive glandular trichomes have been described as 'biofactories.' In this review, we use this analogy to highlight recent advances in cannabis cell biology, metabolomics, and transcriptomics. The biofactory is built by epidermal outgrowths that differentiate into peltate-like glandular trichome heads, consisting of a disc of interconnected secretory cells with unique cellular structures. Cannabinoid and terpenoid products are warehoused in the extracellular storage cavity. Finally, multicellular stalks raise the glandular heads above the epidermis, giving cannabis flower their frosty appearance.
Topics: Cannabis; Trichomes; Flowers; Cannabinoids; Terpenes
PubMed: 38761520
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102549 -
Hereditas May 2024Kiwifruit (Actinidiaceae family) is an economically important fruit tree in China and New Zealand. It is a typical dioecious plant that has undergone frequent natural...
BACKGROUND
Kiwifruit (Actinidiaceae family) is an economically important fruit tree in China and New Zealand. It is a typical dioecious plant that has undergone frequent natural hybridization, along with chromosomal ploidy diversity within the genus Actinidia, resulting in higher genetic differences and horticultural diversity between interspecific and intraspecific traits. This diversity provides a rich genetic base for breeding. China is not only the original center of speciation for the Actinidia genus but also its distribution center, housing the most domesticated species: A. chinensis var. chinensis, A. chinensis var. deliciosa, A. arguta, and A. polygama. However, there have been relatively few studies on the application of DNA markers and the genetic basis of kiwifruit plants. By combining information from chloroplast-specific SNPs and nuclear SCoT (nSCoT) markers, we can uncover complementary aspects of genetic variation, population structure, and evolutionary relationships. In this study, one chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) marker pair was selected out of nine cpDNA candidate pairs. Twenty nSCoT markers were selected and used to assess the population structure and chloroplast-specific DNA haplotype diversity in 55 kiwifruit plants (Actinidia), including 20 samples of A. chinensis var. chinensis, 22 samples of A. chinensis var. deliciosa, 11 samples of A. arguta, and two samples of A. polygama, based on morphological observations collected from China.
RESULTS
The average genetic distance among the 55 samples was 0.26 with chloroplast-specific SNP markers and 0.57 with nSCoT markers. The Mantel test revealed a very small correlation (r = 0.21). The 55 samples were categorized into different sub-populations using Bayesian analysis, the Unweighted Pair Group Method with the Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA), and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method, respectively. Based on the analysis of 205 variable sites, a total of 15 chloroplast-specific DNA haplotypes were observed, contributing to a higher level of polymorphism with an Hd of 0.78. Most of the chloroplast-specific DNA haplotype diversity was distributed among populations, but significant diversity was also observed within populations. H1 was shared by 24 samples, including 12 of A. chinensis var. chinensis and 12 of A. chinensis var. deliciosa, indicating that H1 is an ancient and dominant haplotype among the 55 chloroplast-specific sequences. H2 may not have evolved further.The remaining haplotypes were rare and unique, with some appearing to be exclusive to a particular variety and often detected in single individuals. For example, the H15 haplotype was found exclusively in A. polygama.
CONCLUSION
The population genetic variation explained by chloroplast-specific SNP markers has greater power than that explained by nSCoTs, with chloroplast-specific DNA haplotypes being the most efficient. Gene flow appears to be more evident between A. chinensis var. chinensis and A. chinensis var. deliciosa, as they share chloroplast-specific DNA haplotypes, In contrast, A.arguta and A. polygama possess their own characteristic haplotypes, derived from the haplotype of A. chinensis var. chinensis. Compared with A. chinensis, the A.arguta and A. polygama showed better grouping. It also seems crucial to screen out, for each type of molecular marker, especially haplotypes, the core markers of the Actinidia genus.
Topics: Actinidia; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; DNA, Chloroplast; Genetic Markers; Haplotypes; Phylogeny; Chloroplasts; China; Genetics, Population; Genetic Variation
PubMed: 38760874
DOI: 10.1186/s41065-024-00321-3 -
BMC Plant Biology May 2024Salinity is one major abiotic stress affecting photosynthesis, plant growth, and development, resulting in low-input crops. Although photosynthesis underlies the...
BACKGROUND
Salinity is one major abiotic stress affecting photosynthesis, plant growth, and development, resulting in low-input crops. Although photosynthesis underlies the substantial productivity and biomass storage of crop yield, the response of the sunflower photosynthetic machinery to salinity imposition and how HS mitigates the salinity-induced photosynthetic injury remains largely unclear. Seed priming with 0.5 mM NaHS, as a donor of HS, was adopted to analyze this issue under NaCl stress. Primed and nonprime seeds were established in nonsaline soil irrigated with tape water for 14 d, and then the seedlings were exposed to 150 mM NaCl for 7 d under controlled growth conditions.
RESULTS
Salinity stress significantly harmed plant growth, photosynthetic parameters, the structural integrity of chloroplasts, and mesophyll cells. HS priming improved the growth parameters, relative water content, stomatal density and aperture, photosynthetic pigments, photochemical efficiency of PSII, photosynthetic performance, soluble sugar as well as soluble protein contents while reducing proline and ABA under salinity. HS also boosted the transcriptional level of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit gene (HaRBCS). Further, the transmission electron microscope showed that under HS priming and salinity stress, mesophyll cells maintained their cell membrane integrity and integrated chloroplasts with well-developed thylakoid membranes.
CONCLUSION
The results underscore the importance of HS priming in maintaining photochemical efficiency, Rubisco activity, and preserving the chloroplast structure which participates in salinity stress adaptation, and possibly sunflower productivity under salinity imposition. This underpins retaining and minimizing the injury to the photosynthetic machinery to be a crucial trait in response of sunflower to salinity stress.
Topics: Helianthus; Photosynthesis; Seedlings; Salt Stress; Hydrogen Sulfide; Osmoregulation; Chloroplasts; Salinity
PubMed: 38760671
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05071-y -
Journal of the American Chemical Society May 2024The ability to harvest light effectively in a changing environment is necessary to ensure efficient photosynthesis and crop growth. One mechanism, known as qE, protects...
The ability to harvest light effectively in a changing environment is necessary to ensure efficient photosynthesis and crop growth. One mechanism, known as qE, protects photosystem II (PSII) and regulates electron transfer through the harmless dissipation of excess absorbed photons as heat. This process involves reversible clustering of the major light-harvesting complexes of PSII (LHCII) in the thylakoid membrane and relies upon the ΔpH gradient and the allosteric modulator protein PsbS. To date, the exact role of PsbS in the qE mechanism has remained elusive. Here, we show that PsbS induces hydrophobic mismatch in the thylakoid membrane through dynamic rearrangement of lipids around LHCII leading to observed membrane thinning. We found that upon illumination, the thylakoid membrane reversibly shrinks from around 4.3 to 3.2 nm, without PsbS, this response is eliminated. Furthermore, we show that the lipid digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) is repelled from the LHCII-PsbS complex due to an increase in both the p of lumenal residues and in the dipole moment of LHCII, which allows for further conformational change and clustering in the membrane. Our results suggest a mechanistic role for PsbS as a facilitator of a hydrophobic mismatch-mediated phase transition between LHCII-PsbS and its environment. This could act as the driving force to sort LHCII into photoprotective nanodomains in the thylakoid membrane. This work shows an example of the key role of the hydrophobic mismatch process in regulating membrane protein function in plants.
Topics: Thylakoids; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; Photosynthesis; Photosystem II Protein Complex; Galactolipids; Light
PubMed: 38759103
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c05220 -
Molecular Biology and Evolution Jun 2024Mitochondria and plastids have both dramatically reduced their genomes since the endosymbiotic events that created them. The similarities and differences in the...
Mitochondria and plastids have both dramatically reduced their genomes since the endosymbiotic events that created them. The similarities and differences in the evolution of the two organelle genome types have been the target of discussion and investigation for decades. Ongoing work has suggested that similar mechanisms may modulate the reductive evolution of the two organelles in a given species, but quantitative data and statistical analyses exploring this picture remain limited outside of some specific cases like parasitism. Here, we use cross-eukaryote organelle genome data to explore evidence for coevolution of mitochondrial and plastid genome reduction. Controlling for differences between clades and pseudoreplication due to relatedness, we find that extents of mtDNA and ptDNA gene retention are related to each other across taxa, in a generally positive correlation that appears to differ quantitatively across eukaryotes, for example, between algal and nonalgal species. We find limited evidence for coevolution of specific mtDNA and ptDNA gene pairs, suggesting that the similarities between the two organelle types may be due mainly to independent responses to consistent evolutionary drivers.
Topics: Genome, Mitochondrial; Genome, Plastid; Plastids; DNA, Mitochondrial; Evolution, Molecular; Mitochondria; Species Specificity; Biological Evolution; Eukaryota
PubMed: 38758976
DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae097 -
Plant Communications May 2024The expression of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) from the plastid genome has been proven to be an effective method for controlling herbivorous pests by targeting...
The expression of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) from the plastid genome has been proven to be an effective method for controlling herbivorous pests by targeting essential insect genes. However, there are limitations to the efficiency of plastid-mediated RNA interference (PM-RNAi) due to the initial damage caused by the insects and their slow response to RNA interference. In this study, we developed transplastomic poplar plants that express dsRNAs targeting the β-Actin (dsACT) and Srp54k (dsSRP54K) genes of Plagiodera versicolora. Feeding experiments showed that transplastomic poplar plants can cause significantly higher mortality in P. versicolora larvae compared with nuclear transgenic or wild-type poplar plants. The efficient killing effect of PM-RNAi on P. versicolora larvae was found to be dependent on the presence of gut bacteria. Importantly, foliar application of a gut bacterial strain, Pseudomonas putida, will induce dysbiosis in the gut bacteria of P. versicolora larvae, leading to a significant acceleration in the speed of killing by PM-RNAi. Overall, our findings suggest that interfering with gut bacteria could be a promising strategy to enhance the effectiveness of PM-RNAi for insect pest control, offering a novel and effective approach for crop protection based on RNAi technology.
PubMed: 38751119
DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.100974 -
BMC Plant Biology May 2024The lifestyle transition from autotrophy to heterotrophy often leads to extensive degradation of plastomes in parasitic plants, while the evolutionary trajectories of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
The lifestyle transition from autotrophy to heterotrophy often leads to extensive degradation of plastomes in parasitic plants, while the evolutionary trajectories of plastome degradation associated with parasitism in hemiparasitic plants remain poorly understood. In this study, phylogeny-oriented comparative analyses were conducted to investigate whether obligate Loranthaceae stem-parasites experienced higher degrees of plastome degradation than closely related facultative root-parasites and to explore the potential evolutionary events that triggered the 'domino effect' in plastome degradation of hemiparasitic plants.
RESULTS
Through phylogeny-oriented comparative analyses, the results indicate that Loranthaceae hemiparasites have undergone varying degrees of plastome degradation as they evolved towards a heterotrophic lifestyle. Compared to closely related facultative root-parasites, all obligate stem-parasites exhibited an elevated degree plastome degradation, characterized by increased downsizing, gene loss, and pseudogenization, thereby providing empirical evidence supporting the theoretical expectation that evolution from facultative parasitism to obligate parasitism may result in a higher degree of plastome degradation in hemiparasites. Along with infra-familial divergence in Loranthaceae, several lineage-specific gene loss/pseudogenization events occurred at deep nodes, whereas further independent gene loss/pseudogenization events were observed in shallow branches.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that in addition to the increasing levels of nutritional reliance on host plants, cladogenesis can be considered as another pivotal evolutionary event triggering the 'domino effect' in plastome degradation of hemiparasitic plants. These findings provide new insights into the evolutionary trajectory of plastome degradation in hemiparasitic plants.
Topics: Phylogeny; Loranthaceae; Biological Evolution; Plastids; Evolution, Molecular
PubMed: 38750463
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05094-5 -
Plant Cell Reports May 2024A GLK homologue was identified and functionally characterized in Catharanthus roseus. Silencing CrGLK with VIGS or the chloroplast retrograde signaling inducer...
A GLK homologue was identified and functionally characterized in Catharanthus roseus. Silencing CrGLK with VIGS or the chloroplast retrograde signaling inducer lincomycin increased terpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis. Catharanthus roseus is the sole source of the chemotherapeutic terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) vinblastine and vincristine. TIA pathway genes, particularly genes in the vindoline pathway, are expressed at higher levels in immature versus mature leaves, but the molecular mechanisms responsible for this developmental regulation are unknown. We investigated the role of GOLDEN2-LIKE (GLK) transcription factors in contributing to this ontogenetic regulation since GLKs are active in seedlings upon light exposure and in the leaf's early development, but their activity is repressed as leaves age and senesce. We identified a GLK homologue in C. roseus and functionally characterized its role in regulating TIA biosynthesis, with a focus on the vindoline pathway, by transiently reducing its expression through two separate methods: virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) and application of chloroplast retrograde signaling inducers, norflurazon and lincomycin. Reducing CrGLK levels with each method reduced chlorophyll accumulation and the expression of the light harvesting complex subunit (LHCB2.2), confirming its functional homology with GLKs in other plant species. In contrast, reducing CrGLK via VIGS or lincomycin increased TIA accumulation and TIA pathway gene expression, suggesting that CrGLK may repress TIA biosynthesis. However, norflurazon had no effect on TIA gene expression, indicating that reducing CrGLK alone is not sufficient to induce TIA biosynthesis. Future work is needed to clarify the specific molecular mechanisms leading to increased TIA biosynthesis with CrGLK silencing. This is the first identification and characterization of GLK in C. roseus and the first investigation of how chloroplast retrograde signaling might regulate TIA biosynthesis.
Topics: Catharanthus; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids; Plant Proteins; Transcription Factors; Gene Silencing; Plant Leaves; Chloroplasts
PubMed: 38743349
DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03208-9 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024The plastid stroma-localized chaperone HSP90C plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal proteostasis within chloroplasts and participates in protein translocation...
The plastid stroma-localized chaperone HSP90C plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal proteostasis within chloroplasts and participates in protein translocation processes. While existing studies have revealed HSP90C's direct interaction with the Sec translocase-dependent client pre-protein PsbO1 and the SecY1 subunit of the thylakoid membrane-bound Sec1 translocase channel system, its direct involvement with the extrinsic homodimeric Sec translocase subunit, SecA1, remains elusive. Employing bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay and other in vitro analyses, we unraveled potential interactions between HSP90C and SecA1. Our investigation revealed dynamic interactions between HSP90C and SecA1 at the thylakoid membrane and stroma. The thylakoid membrane localization of this interaction was contingent upon active HSP90C ATPase activity, whereas their stromal interaction was associated with active SecA1 ATPase activity. Furthermore, we observed a direct interaction between these two proteins by analyzing their ATP hydrolysis activities, and their interaction likely impacts their respective functional cycles. Additionally, using PsbO1, a model Sec translocase client pre-protein, we studied the intricacies of HSP90C's possible involvement in pre-protein translocation via the Sec1 system in chloroplasts. The results suggest a complex nature of the HSP90C-SecA1 interaction, possibly mediated by the Sec client protein. Our studies shed light on the nuanced aspects of HSP90C's engagement in orchestrating pre-protein translocation, and we propose a potential collaborative role of HSP90C with SecA1 in actively facilitating pre-protein transport across the thylakoid membrane.
PubMed: 38732479
DOI: 10.3390/plants13091265 -
Open Research Europe 2023Some Sacoglossa sea slugs steal and integrate chloroplasts derived from the algae they feed on into their cells where they continue to function photosynthetically, a...
BACKGROUND
Some Sacoglossa sea slugs steal and integrate chloroplasts derived from the algae they feed on into their cells where they continue to function photosynthetically, a process termed kleptoplasty. The stolen chloroplasts - kleptoplasts - can maintain their functionality up to several months and support animal metabolism. However, chloroplast longevity can vary depending on sea slug species and algal donor. In this study, we focused on , a polyphagous species that is mostly found associated with the macroalga , but that was reported to eat other macroalgae, including sp.
METHODS
We have investigated the changes in physiology when provided with the two different food sources to evaluate to which extent the photosynthetic and photoprotective mechanisms of the algae chloroplasts matched those of the plastids once in the animal cells. To perform the study, we rely on the evaluation of chlorophyll variable fluorescence to study the photophysiological state of the integrated kleptoplasts and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to study variations in the photosynthetic pigments.
RESULTS
We observed that the photosynthetic efficiency of is lower when fed with . Also, significant differences were observed in the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) abilities of the sea slugs. While sea slugs fed with react similarly to high-light stress as the alga, hosting chloroplasts were unable to properly recover from photoinhibition or perform a functional xanthophyll cycle (XC).
CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed that, even if the sea slugs fed with the two algae show photosynthetic activities like the respective algal donors, not all the photoprotective mechanisms present in can be maintained in . This indicates that the functionality of the kleptoplasts does not depend solely on their origin but also on the degree of compatibility with the animal species integrating them.
PubMed: 38725452
DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.16162.2