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Vegetative desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant Xerophyta humilis has not evolved through reactivation of the seed canonical LAFL regulatory network.

ABSTRACT: It has been hypothesised that vegetative desiccation tolerance in resurrection plants evolved via reactivation of the canonical LAFL (i.e. LEC1, ABI3, FUS3 and LEC2) transcription factor (TF) network that activates the expression of genes during the maturation of orthodox seeds leading to desiccation tolerance of the plant embryo in most angiosperms. There is little direct evidence to support this, however, and the transcriptional changes that occur during seed maturation in resurrection plants have not previously been studied. Here we performed de novo transcriptome assembly for Xerophyta humilis, and analysed gene expression during seed maturation and vegetative desiccation. Our results indicate that differential expression of a set of 4205 genes is common to maturing seeds and desiccating leaves. This shared set of genes is enriched for gene ontology terms related to abiotic stress, including water stress and abscisic acid signalling, and includes many genes that are seed-specific in Arabidopsis thaliana and targets of ABI3. However, while we observed upregulation of orthologues of the canonical LAFL TFs and ABI5 during seed maturation, similar to what is seen in A. thaliana, this did not occur during desiccation of leaf tissue. Thus, reactivation of components of the seed desiccation program in X. humilis vegetative tissues likely involves alternative transcriptional regulators.

SUBMITTER: Lyall R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7187197 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Vegetative desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant Xerophyta humilis has not evolved through reactivation of the seed canonical LAFL regulatory network.

Lyall Rafe R Schlebusch Stephen A SA Proctor Jessica J Prag Mayur M Hussey Steven G SG Ingle Robert A RA Illing Nicola N

The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology 20191210 6

It has been hypothesised that vegetative desiccation tolerance in resurrection plants evolved via reactivation of the canonical LAFL (i.e. LEC1, ABI3, FUS3 and LEC2) transcription factor (TF) network that activates the expression of genes during the maturation of orthodox seeds leading to desiccation tolerance of the plant embryo in most angiosperms. There is little direct evidence to support this, however, and the transcriptional changes that occur during seed maturation in resurrection plants ...[more]

PMID: 31680354

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Project description:Main conclusionProvides a first comprehensive review of integrated physiological and molecular aspects of desiccation tolerance Xerophyta viscosa. A synopsis of biotechnological studies being undertaken to improve drought tolerance in maize is given. Xerophyta viscosa (Baker) is a monocotyledonous resurrection plant from the family Vellociacea that occurs in summer-rainfall areas of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. It inhabits rocky terrain in exposed grasslands and frequently experiences periods of water deficit. Being a resurrection plant it tolerates the loss of 95% of total cellular water, regaining full metabolic competency within 3 days of rehydration. In this paper, we review some of the molecular and physiological adaptations that occur during various stages of dehydration of X. viscosa, these being functionally grouped into early and late responses, which might be relevant to the attainment of desiccation tolerance. During early drying (to 55% RWC) photosynthesis is shut down, there is increased presence and activity of housekeeping antioxidants and a redirection of metabolism to the increased formation of sucrose and raffinose family oligosaccharides. Other metabolic shifts suggest water replacement in vacuoles proposed to facilitate mechanical stabilization. Some regulatory processes observed include increased presence of a linker histone H1 variant, a Type 2C protein phosphatase, a calmodulin- and an ERD15-like protein. During the late stages of drying (to 10% RWC) there was increased expression of several proteins involved in signal transduction, and retroelements speculated to be instrumental in gene silencing. There was induction of antioxidants not typically found in desiccation-sensitive systems, classical stress-associated proteins (HSP and LEAs), proteins involved in structural stabilization and those associated with changes in various metabolite pools during drying. Metabolites accumulated in this stage are proposed, inter alia, to facilitate subcellular stabilization by vitrification process which can include glass- and ionic liquid formation.

Dataset Information

Vegetative desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant Xerophyta humilis has not evolved through reactivation of the seed canonical LAFL regulatory network.

Publications

Vegetative desiccation tolerance in the resurrection plant Xerophyta humilis has not evolved through reactivation of the seed canonical LAFL regulatory network.

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