Tomato calmodulin-like protein SlCML37 is a calcium (Ca2+) sensor that interacts with proteasome maturation factor SlUMP1 and plays a role in tomato fruit chilling stress tolerance

Decoding the expression patterns and characterisation of calmodulin and calmodulin-like gene families in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) under abiotic stresses

Calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like (CML) gene families are important in combating stress conditions in plants. A total of 36 CaMs/CMLs were identified and found to be randomly dispersed over the 11 chromosomes of Citrullus lanatus (watermelon). Domain analysis verified the presence of characteristic four EF-hand domains in ClCaM proteins and 2-4 EF-hand domains in ClCML proteins. Most of the ClCML genes were intron-less, but all the ClCaM had introns. In the promoter region, 11% of the cis -regulatory elements were identified belonging to abiotic stress. Collinearity analysis suggested that the ClCaM/ClCML gene family expanded due to segmental duplications. Synteny analysis of 36 ClCaM/CML exhibited 31 pairs of collinearity with Arabidopsis thaliana . Twelve miRNAs were predicted to target one ClCaM and eleven ClCML genes. Analysis by real time quantitative PCR indicated all genes expressed under abiotic treatments. Among the analysed genes, ClCML1 is the most highly expressed gene, especially under cold stress, suggesting its strong involvement in stress response mechanisms. ClCML5 and ClCML27 showed consistent upregulation under salt and drought stresses, highlighting their potential roles in the salt and drought tolerance mechanism. These findings will facilitate the subsequent experiments in exploring the calcium signalling channel under stress situations and pave the way for further exploration of molecular mechanisms involved in defenses against cold, drought, and salt stress.

Transcriptome Analysis of the CML Gene Family in Bletilla striata and Regulation of Militarine Synthesis Under Sodium Acetate and Salicylic Acid Treatments

Calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs) are essential for calcium signal transduction in plants, influencing growth, development, stress responses, and the regulation of medicinal secondary metabolites. Despite their importance, the roles of CML genes in B. striata have not been characterized. This study aimed to elucidate the composition and function of the BsCML gene family in B. striata, identifying 38 genes across eight subfamilies. Evolutionary analysis showed that BsCML genes are stable and conserved, while functional predictions indicated involvement in environmental stress response, hormone regulation, and circadian rhythms. Expression profiling revealed that BsCML27 and BsCML16 were highly expressed during callus culture, suggesting their involvement in growth and development. Notably, BsCML32 and BsCML37 exhibited bidirectional regulation of militarine synthesis under sodium acetate (NaAc) and salicylic acid (SA) treatments, with tissue-specific expression strongly correlated (p < 0.01) with metabolite accumulation. These findings highlight the significant roles of BsCML genes in stress response and secondary metabolite synthesis, providing a foundation for enhancing the medicinal quality of B. striata.

Overexpression of the Vitis amurensis Ca2+-binding protein gene VamCP1 in Arabidopsis thaliana and grapevine improves cold tolerance

Calcium ions (Ca2+) are important second messengers and are known to participate in cold signal transduction. In the current study, we characterized a Ca2+-binding protein gene, VamCP1, from the extremely cold-tolerant grape species Vitis amurensis. VamCP1 expression varied among organs but was highest in leaves following cold treatment, peaking 24 h after treatment onset. VamCP1 was found to localize to the plasma membrane and nucleus and the gene showed transcriptional autoactivation activity. Overexpression of VamCP1 in Arabidopsis thaliana and grapevine (V. vinifera) resulted in transgenic plants that were more tolerant to cold stress than the wild type. This correlated with reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevated activity of antioxidant enzymes and proline content, as well as lower levels of malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage. Additionally, the expression of genes related to cold tolerance, including C-repeat binding factors (CBF) and cold-regulated (COR) genes, was higher in the transgenic lines. Taken together, our results indicate that overexpression of VamCP1 enhanced cold tolerance in plants by promoting the upregulation of genes related to cold tolerance and scavenging of excessive ROS. These findings provide a foundation for the molecular breeding of cold-tolerant grapevine.

Mechanisms and control measures of low temperature storage-induced chilling injury to solanaceous vegetables and fruits

Low temperature storage is widely used for storage and transportation of fruits and vegetables after harvest. As a cold-sensitive fruit vegetable, post-harvest solanaceous vegetables and fruits are susceptible to chilling injury during low temperature storage, which reduces its sensory quality and edible quality and shortens its storage period, thus leading to huge economic losses. Therefore, it is an essential to clarify the occurrence mechanism of chilling injury caused by low temperature storage in solanaceous vegetables and fruits, and to propose corresponding prevention and control measures for chilling injury. In recent years, a series of progress has been made in the research on chilling injury prevention and control and low temperature stress tolerance of solanaceous vegetables and fruits. This paper describes the chilling injury symptoms of postharvest solanaceous vegetables and fruits, clarifies the physiological and biochemical mechanisms in the chilling injury process, the molecular mechanisms, and prevention and control measures, and summarizes the latest research advancements on chilling injury and chilling tolerance regulation of solanaceous vegetables and fruits, which can provide valuable references for low temperature storage and chilling injury prevention and control measures of solanaceous vegetables and fruits.

Recent Insights into the Physio-Biochemical and Molecular Mechanisms of Low Temperature Stress in Tomato

Climate change has emerged as a crucial global issue that significantly threatens the survival of plants. In particular, low temperature (LT) is one of the critical environmental factors that influence plant morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes during both the vegetative and reproductive growth stages. LT, including abrupt drops in temperature, as well as winter conditions, can cause detrimental effects on the growth and development of tomato plants, ranging from sowing, transplanting, truss appearance, flowering, fertilization, flowering, fruit ripening, and yields. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the comprehensive mechanisms underlying the adaptation and acclimation of tomato plants to LT, from the morphological changes to the molecular levels. In this review, we discuss the previous and current knowledge of morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes, which contain vegetative and reproductive parameters involving the leaf length (LL), plant height (PH) stem diameter (SD), fruit set (FS), fruit ripening (FS), and fruit yield (FY), as well as photosynthetic parameters, cell membrane stability, osmolytes, and ROS homeostasis via antioxidants scavenging systems during LT stress in tomato plants. Moreover, we highlight recent advances in the understanding of molecular mechanisms, including LT perception, signaling transduction, gene regulation, and fruit ripening and epigenetic regulation. The comprehensive understanding of LT response provides a solid basis to develop the LT-resistant varieties for sustainable tomato production under the ever-changing temperature fluctuations.

Calmodulin-like protein CML15 interacts with PP2C46/65 to regulate papaya fruit ripening via integrating calcium, ABA and ethylene signals

It is well known that calcium, ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA) can regulate fruit ripening, however, their interaction in the regulation of fruit ripening has not yet been fully clarified. The present study found that the expression of the papaya calcium sensor CpCML15 was strongly linked to fruit ripening. CpCML15 could bind Ca2+ and served as a true calcium sensor. CpCML15 interacted with CpPP2C46 and CpPP2C65, the candidate components of the ABA signalling pathways. CpPP2C46/65 expression was also related to fruit ripening and regulated by ethylene. CpCML15 was located in the nucleus and CpPP2C46/65 were located in both the nucleus and membrane. The interaction between CpCML15 and CpPP2C46/65 was calcium dependent and further repressed the activity of CpPP2C46/65 in vitro. The transient overexpression of CpCML15 and CpPP2C46/65 in papaya promoted fruit ripening and gene expression related to ripening. The reduced expression of CpCML15 and CpPP2C46/65 by virus-induced gene silencing delayed fruit colouring and softening and repressed the expression of genes related to ethylene signalling and softening. Moreover, ectopic overexpression of CpCML15 in tomato fruit also promoted fruit softening and ripening by increasing ethylene production and enhancing gene expression related to ripening. Additionally, CpPP2C46 interacted with CpABI5, and CpPP2C65 interacted with CpERF003-like, two transcriptional factors in ABA and ethylene signalling pathways that are closely related to fruit ripening. Taken together, our results showed that CpCML15 and CpPP2Cs positively regulated fruit ripening, and their interaction integrated the cross-talk of calcium, ABA and ethylene signals in fruit ripening through the CpCML15-CpPP2Cs-CpABI5/CpERF003-like pathway.

Dissecting postharvest chilling injuries in pome and stone fruit through integrated omics

Lowering the storage temperature is an effective method to extend the postharvest and shelf life of fruits. Nevertheless, this technique often leads to physiological disorders, commonly known as chilling injuries. Apples and pears are susceptible to chilling injuries, among which superficial scald is the most economically relevant. Superficial scald is due to necrotic lesions of the first layers of hypodermis manifested through skin browning. In peaches and nectarines, chilling injuries are characterized by internal symptoms, such as mealiness. Fruits with these aesthetic or compositional/structural defects are not suitable for fresh consumption. Genetic variation is a key factor in determining fruit susceptibility to chilling injuries; however, physiological, or technical aspects such as harvest maturity and storage conditions also play a role. Multi-omics approaches have been used to provide an integrated explanation of chilling injury development. Metabolomics in pome fruits specifically targets the identification of ethylene, phenols, lipids, and oxidation products. Genomics and transcriptomics have revealed interesting connections with metabolomic datasets, pinpointing specific genes linked to cold stress, wax synthesis, farnesene metabolism, and the metabolic pathways of ascorbate and glutathione. When applied to Prunus species, these cutting-edge approaches have uncovered that the development of mealiness symptoms is linked to ethylene signaling, cell wall synthesis, lipid metabolism, cold stress genes, and increased DNA methylation levels. Emphasizing the findings from multi-omics studies, this review reports how the integration of omics datasets can provide new insights into understanding of chilling injury development. This new information is essential for successfully creating more resilient fruit varieties and developing novel postharvest strategies.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Calmodulin and Calmodulin-like Genes, Revealing CaM3 and CML13 Participating in Drought Stress in Phoebe bournei

Calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like (CML) proteins are major Ca2+ sensors involved in the regulation of plant development and stress responses by converting Ca2+ signals into appropriate cellular responses. However, characterization and expression analyses of CaM/CML genes in the precious species, Phoebe bournei, remain limited. In this study, five PbCaM and sixty PbCML genes were identified that only had EF-hand motifs with no other functional domains. The phylogenetic tree was clustered into 11 subgroups, including a unique clade of PbCaMs. The PbCaMs were intron-rich with four EF-hand motifs, whereas PbCMLs had two to four EF-hands and were mostly intronless. PbCaMs/CMLs were unevenly distributed across the 12 chromosomes of P. bournei and underwent purifying selection. Fragment duplication was the main driving force for the evolution of the PbCaM/CML gene family. Cis-acting element analysis indicated that PbCaMs/CMLs might be related to hormones, growth and development, and stress response. Expression analysis showed that PbCaMs were generally highly expressed in five different tissues and under drought stress, whereas PbCMLs showed specific expression patterns. The expression levels of 11 candidate PbCaMs/CMLs were responsive to ABA and MeJA, suggesting that these genes might act through multiple signaling pathways. The overexpression of PbCaM3/CML13 genes significantly increased the tolerance of yeast cells to drought stress. The identification and characterization of the CaM/CML gene family in P. bournei laid the foundation for future functional studies of these genes.

The Role of Calmodulin Binding Transcription Activator in Plants under Different Stressors: Physiological, Biochemical, Molecular Mechanisms of Camellia sinensis and Its Current Progress of CAMTAs

Low temperatures have a negative effect on plant development. Plants that are exposed to cold temperatures undergo a cascade of physiological, biochemical, and molecular changes that activate several genes, transcription factors, and regulatory pathways. In this review, the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms of Camellia sinensis have been discussed. Calmodulin binding transcription activator (CAMTAs) by molecular means including transcription is one of the novel genes for plants' adaptation to different abiotic stresses, including low temperatures. Therefore, the role of CAMTAs in different plants has been discussed. The number of CAMTAs genes discussed here are playing a significant role in plants' adaptation to abiotic stress. The illustrated diagrams representing the mode of action of calcium (Ca2+) with CAMTAs have also been discussed. In short, Ca2+ channels or Ca2+ pumps trigger and induce the Ca2+ signatures in plant cells during abiotic stressors, including low temperatures. Ca2+ signatures act with CAMTAs in plant cells and are ultimately decoded by Ca2+sensors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review reporting CAMAT's current progress and potential role in C. sinensis, and this study opens a new road for researchers adapting tea plants to abiotic stress.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the mechanism of zinc ion-mediated plant resistance to TMV in Nicotiana benthamiana

Zinc ions (Zn2+) are used to promote plant growth and treat multiple diseases. However, it is still unclear which pathways in plants respond to Zn2+. In this study, we found that supplying (CH3COO)2Zn can effectively delay tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) replication and movement in Nicotiana benthamiana. To further understand the regulatory mechanism of antiviral activity mediated by Zn2+, we examined the transcriptomic changes of leaves treated with Zn2+. Three days after treatment, 7575 differential expression genes (DEGs) were enriched in the Zn2+ treatment group compared with the control group. Through GO and KEGG analysis, the pathway of phosphatidylinositol signaling system and inositol phosphate metabolism were significantly enriched after treated with Zn2+, and a large number of ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERFs) involved in inositol phosphate metabolism were found to be enriched. We identified ERF5 performed a positive effect on plant immunity. Our findings demonstrated that Zn2+-mediated resistance in N. benthamiana activated signal transduction and regulated the expression of resistance-related genes. The results of the study uncover a global view of mRNA changes in Zn2+-mediated cellular processes involved in the competition between plants and viruses.

Calcium Mediated Cold Acclimation in Plants: Underlying Signaling and Molecular Mechanisms

Exposure of plants to low temperatures adversely affects plant growth, development, and productivity. Plant response to cold stress is an intricate process that involves the orchestration of various physiological, signaling, biochemical, and molecular pathways. Calcium (Ca²⁺) signaling plays a crucial role in the acquisition of several stress responses, including cold. Upon perception of cold stress, Ca²⁺ channels and/or Ca²⁺ pumps are activated, which induces the Ca²⁺ signatures in plant cells. The Ca²⁺ signatures spatially and temporally act inside a plant cell and are eventually decoded by specific Ca²⁺ sensors. This series of events results in the molecular regulation of several transcription factors (TFs), leading to downstream gene expression and withdrawal of an appropriate response by the plant. In this context, calmodulin binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) constitute a group of TFs that regulate plant cold stress responses in a Ca²⁺ dependent manner. The present review provides a catalog of the recent progress made in comprehending the Ca²⁺ mediated cold acclimation in plants.

Proteome-wide identification of non-histone lysine methylation in tomato during fruit ripening

INTRODUCTION

Histone and non-histone methylations are important post-translational modifications in plants. Histone methylation plays a crucial role in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression. However, the involvement of non-histone methylation in plant biological processes remains largely unknown.

METHODS

The methylated substrates and methylation sites during tomato fruit ripening were identified by LC-MS/MS. Bioinformatics of lysine methylated proteins was conducted to analyze the possible role of methylated proteins. The effects of methylation modification on protein functions were preliminarily investigated by site-directed mutation simulation.

RESULTS

A total of 241 lysine methylation (mono-, di- and trimethylation) sites in 176 proteins were identified with two conserved methylation motifs: xxxxxxExxx_K_xxxExxxxxx and xxxxxxExxx_K_xxxxxxxxxx. These methylated proteins were mainly related to fruit ripening and senescence, oxidation reduction process, signal transduction, stimulus and stress responses, and energy metabolism. Three representative proteins, thioredoxin (Trx), glutathione S-transferase T1 (GST T1), and NADH dehydrogenase (NOX), were selected to investigate the effect of methylation modifications on protein activity. Mimicking demethylation led to decreased Trx activity but increased GST T1 and NOX activities. In addition, RT-qPCR exhibited that the expression of many genes that encode proteins subjected to methylation was upregulated during fruit ripening.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that tomato fruit ripening undergo non-histone lysine methylation, which may participate in the regulation of fruit ripening. It is the first report of methyl proteome profiling of non-histone lysine in horticultural crops.

Calmodulin and calmodulin-like gene family in barley: Identification, characterization and expression analyses

Calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like (CML) proteins are Ca²⁺ relays and play diverse and multiple roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. However, CaM/CML gene family has not been identified in barley (Hordeum vulgare). In the present study, 5 HvCaMs and 80 HvCMLs were identified through a genome-wide analysis. All HvCaM proteins possessed 4 EF-hand motifs, whereas HvCMLs contained 1 to 4 EF-hand motifs. HvCaM2, HvCaM3 and HvCaM5 coded the same polypeptide although they differed in nucleotide sequence, which was identical to the polypeptides coded by OsCaM1-1, OsCaM1-2 and OsCaM1-3. HvCaMs/CMLs were unevenly distributed over barley 7 chromosomes, and could be phylogenetically classified into 8 groups. HvCaMs/CMLs differed in gene structure, cis-acting elements and tissue expression patterns. Segmental and tandem duplication were observed among HvCaMs/CMLs during evolution. HvCML16, HvCML18, HvCML50 and HvCML78 were dispensable genes and the others were core genes in barley pan-genome. In addition, 14 HvCaM/CML genes were selected to examine their responses to salt, osmotic and low potassium stresses by qRT-PCR, and their expression were stress-and time-dependent. These results facilitate our understanding and further functional identification of HvCaMs/CMLs.

Transcriptomics Reveals the ERF2-bHLH2-CML5 Module Responses to H2S and ROS in Postharvest Calcium Deficiency Apples

Calcium deficiency usually causes accelerated quality deterioration in postharvest fruit, whereas the underlining mechanism is still unclear. Here, we report that calcium deficiency induced the development of bitter pit on the surface of apple peels compared with the healthy appearance in control apples during postharvest storage. Physiological analysis indicates that calcium-deficient peels contained higher levels of superoxide anion (O₂^•−), malondialdehyde (MDA), total phenol, flavonoid contents and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, and reduced calcium, H₂S production, anthocyanin, soluble protein content, and peroxidase (POD) activity compared with those in calcium-sufficient peels. The principal component analysis (PCA) results show that calcium content, ROS, and H₂S production were the main factors between calcium-deficient and calcium-sufficient apple peels. Transcriptome data indicated that four calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs), seven AP2/ERFs, and three bHLHs transcripts were significantly differentially expressed in calcium-deficient apple peels. RT-qPCR and correlation analyses further revealed that CML5 expression was significantly positively correlated with the expression of ERF2/17, bHLH2, and H₂S production related genes. In addition, transcriptional co-activation of CML5 by ERF2 and bHLH2 was demonstrated by apple transient expression assays and dual-luciferase reporter system experiments. Therefore, these findings provide a basis for studying the molecular mechanism of postharvest quality decline in calcium-deficient apples and the potential interaction between Ca²⁺ and endogenous H₂S.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Apple CBL Family Reveals That Mdcbl10.1 Functions Positively in Modulating Apple Salt Tolerance

Abiotic stresses are increasingly harmful to crop yield and quality. Calcium and its signaling pathway play an important role in modulating plant stress tolerance. As specific Ca²⁺ sensors, calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins play vital roles in plant stress response and calcium signaling. The CBL family has been identified in many plant species; however, the characterization of the CBL family and the functional study of apple MdCBL proteins in salt response have yet to be conducted in apple. In this study, 11 MdCBL genes were identified from the apple genome. The coding sequences of these MdCBL genes were cloned, and the gene structure and conserved motifs were analyzed in detail. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that these MdCBL proteins could be divided into four groups. The functional identification in Na⁺-sensitive yeast mutant showed that the overexpression of seven MdCBL genes could confer enhanced salt stress resistance in transgenic yeast. The function of MdCBL10.1 in regulating salt tolerance was also verified in cisgenic apple calli and apple plants. These results provided valuable insights for future research examining the function and mechanism of CBL proteins in regulating apple salt tolerance.

Small signaling molecules in plant response to cold stress

Cold stress is one of the harsh environmental stresses that adversely affect plant growth and crop yields in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, plants have evolved mechanisms to overcome the impact of cold stress. Progress has been made in understanding how plants perceive and transduce low-temperature signals to tolerate cold stress. Small signaling molecules are crucial for cellular signal transduction by initiating the downstream signaling cascade that helps plants to respond to cold stress. These small signaling molecules include calcium, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, phosphatidic acid, and sphingolipids. The small signaling molecules are involved in many aspects of cellular and physiological functions, such as inducing gene expression and activating hormone signaling, resulting in upregulation of the antioxidant enzyme activities, osmoprotectant accumulation, malondialdehyde reduction, and photosynthesis improvement. We summarize our current understanding of the roles of the small signaling molecules in cold stress in plants, and highlight their crosstalk in cold signaling transduction. These discoveries help us understand how the plateau plants adapt to the severe alpine environment as well as to develop new crops tolerating cold stress in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Characteristics of SlCML39, a Tomato Calmodulin-like Gene, and Its Negative Role in High Temperature Tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana during Germination and Seedling Growth

Calmodulin-like (CML) proteins are primary calcium sensors and function in plant growth and response to stress stimuli. However, so far, the function of plant CML proteins, including tomato, is still unclear. Previously, it was found that a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) CML, here named SlCML39, was significantly induced by high temperature (HT) at transcription level, but its biological function is scarce. In this study, the characteristics of SlCML39 and its role in HT tolerance were studied. SlCML39 encodes a protein of 201 amino acids containing four EF hand motifs. Many cis-acting elements related to plant stress and hormone response appear in the promoter regions of SlCML39. SlCML39 is mainly expressed in the root, stem, and leaf and can be regulated by HT, cold, drought, and salt stresses as well as ABA and H₂O₂. Furthermore, heterologous overexpression of SlCML39 reduces HT tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana at the germination and seedling growth stages. To better understand the molecular mechanism of SlCML39, the downstream gene network regulated by SlCML39 under HT was analyzed by RNA-Seq. Interestingly, we found that many genes involved in stress responses as well as ABA signal pathway are down-regulated in the transgenic seedlings under HT stress, such as KIN1, RD29B, RD26, and MAP3K18. Collectively, these data indicate that SlCML39 acts as an important negative regulator in response to HT stress, which might be mediated by the ABA signal pathway.