Soil water stress affects both cuticular wax content and cuticle-related gene expression in young saplings of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait)

Long-term rain exclusion in a Mediterranean forest: response of physiological and physico-chemical traits of Quercus pubescens across seasons

With climate change, an aggravation in summer drought is expected in the Mediterranean region. To assess the impact of such a future scenario, we compared the response of Quercus pubescens, a drought-resistant deciduous oak species, to long-term amplified drought (AD) (partial rain exclusion in natura for 10 years) and natural drought (ND). We studied leaf physiological and physico-chemical trait responses to ND and AD over the seasonal cycle, with a focus on chemical traits including major groups of central (photosynthetic pigments and plastoquinones) and specialized (tocochromanols, phenolic compounds, and cuticular waxes) metabolites. Seasonality was the main driver of all leaf traits, including cuticular triterpenoids, which were highly concentrated in summer, suggesting their importance to cope with drought and thermal stress periods. Under AD, trees not only reduced CO2 assimilation (-42%) in summer and leaf concentrations of some phenolic compounds and photosynthetic pigments (carotenoids from the xanthophyll cycle) but also enhanced the levels of other photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls, lutein, and neoxanthin) and plastochromanol-8, an antioxidant located in chloroplasts. Overall, the metabolomic adjustments across seasons and drought conditions reinforce the idea that Q. pubescens is highly resistant to drought although significant losses of antioxidant defenses and photoprotection were identified under AD.

Phenotypic Diversity in Leaf Cuticular Waxes in Brassica carinata Accessions

Brassica carinata has received considerable attention as a renewable biofuel crop for semi-arid zones due to its high oil content and polyunsaturated fatty acids contents. It is important to develop new drought-resistant cultivars of B. carinata production to expand its areas into more arid regions. The accumulation of leaf cuticular wax on plant surfaces is one mechanism that reduces non-stomatal water loss, thus increasing drought resistance in plants. To explore phenotypic variations in cuticular wax in B. carinata, leaf waxes were extracted and quantified from a diversity panel consisting of 315 accessions. The results indicate that the accessions have a wide range of total leaf wax content (289-1356 µg dm-2), wax classes, and their components. The C29 and C31 homologues of alkanes, C29 ketone homologue, C29 secondary alcohol, and C30 aldehyde were the most abundant leaf waxes extracted from B. carinata accessions. The high heritability values of these waxes point to the positive selection for high wax content during early generations of future B. carinata breeding programs. Positive correlation coefficients, combined with the effects of these waxes on leaf wax content accumulation, suggest that modifying specific wax content could increase the total wax content and enhance cuticle composition. The identified leaf wax content and compositions in B. carinata will lead to the future discovery of wax biosynthetic pathways, the dissection of its genetic regulatory networks, the identification of candidate genes controlling production of these waxes, and thus, develop and release new B. carinata drought-tolerant cultivars.

Chemical Profiling of Two Italian Olea europaea (L.) Varieties Subjected to UV-B Stress

The depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer due to natural and/or anthropogenic causes decreases the amount of UV-B radiation filtered, and consequently increases the risk of potential damage to organisms. In the Mediterranean region, high UV-B indices are frequent. Even for species typical of this region, such as the olive tree, the progressive increase in UV-B radiation represents a threat. This work aimed to understand how high UV-B radiation modulates the phenolic and lipophilic profile of olive varieties, and identify metabolites that enhance olive stress tolerance. Two Italian olive varieties were subjected to chronic UV-B stress, and leaves were analyzed by gas and liquid chromatography. The results indicated that the most representative phenolic and lipophilic compounds of Giarraffa and Olivastra Seggianese were readjusted in response to UV-B stress. The Giarraffa variety seemed better suited to prolonged UV-B stress, possibly due to the higher availability of flavonoids that could help control oxidative damage, and the accumulation of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives that could provide strong UV-B shield protection. In addition, this variety contained higher levels of fatty acids (e.g., palmitic, α-linolenic, and stearic acids), which can help to maintain membrane integrity and accumulate more sorbitol (which may serve as an osmoprotectant or act a free-radical scavenger), terpenes, and long-chain alkanes, providing higher protection against UV-B stress.

Comparative analysis of the cuticular waxes and related gene expression between 'Newhall' and 'Ganqi 3' navel orange during long-term cold storage

Previously, we obtained a wax-deficient mutant 'Ganqi 3' (MT) from 'Newhall' navel orange (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck cv. Newhall, WT). The weight loss and postharvest decay in MT fruit were much higher than those in WT fruit after long-term cold storage. To understand the underlying mechanism, the changes in the morphology, chemical composition and gene expression of cuticular waxes between WT and MT fruit were compared during 150 days of storage at 4 °C. The density of epicuticular wax crystals and the contents of most of the aliphatic wax fractions in MT fruit were much lower than those in WT fruit over 90 days of storage. Further research revealed that the differences in the morphology and chemical composition of cuticular waxes might be important causes for the differences of postharvest weight loss and decay rates between WT and MT fruit. Notably, the expression profiles of 16 wax-related genes in WT and MT fruit were consistent with the change trends of corresponding cuticular wax components during cold storage. These results suggest that the morphology and chemical composition of cuticular waxes may be regulated by wax-related genes and play an important role in regulating the postharvest weight loss and the tolerances to postharvest decay in navel orange.

Physiological, biochemical, and anatomical responses of Araucaria araucana seedlings to controlled water restriction

Water stress triggers acclimation responses and can damage plants, which varies by species and stress levels. Ongoing climate change is projected to result in longer and more intense water stress conditions leading to an alarming increase in drought-induced forest decline. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological responses of leaves and stem wood anatomy from Araucaria araucana pot-grown three-year old seedlings, a conifer tree from northwestern Patagonia. Plants were subjected to moderate and severe water restriction regimes and compared to well-watered controls. Severe water stress reduced relative leaf water content and triggered an accumulation of free proline in leaves, regardless of age. Epicuticular wax extrusions increased in apical leaf stomata while photosynthetic pigments decreased, resulting in differential oxidative damage. The concentration of phenolic compounds was not affected by water restrictions. Plants exposed to restricted water regimes showed diminished middle leaf biomass and expansion (~60% of total leaves), increased stem wood density, and experienced 7% and 30% mortality rates under moderate and severe water stress, respectively. Our findings suggest that under moderate water stress, analogous to short-term droughts, A. araucana seedlings activate physiological mechanisms that allow them to withstand short periods of drought, while more severe water stress and longer droughts can be severely harmful.

Multi-Approach Analysis Reveals Local Adaptation in a Widespread Forest Tree of Reunion Island

Detecting processes of local adaptation in forest trees and identifying environmental selective drivers are of primary importance for forest management and conservation. Transplant experiments, functional genomics and population genomics are complementary tools to efficiently characterize heritable phenotypic traits and to decipher the genetic bases of adaptive traits. Using an integrative approach combining phenotypic assessment in common garden, transcriptomics and landscape genomics, we investigated leaf adaptive traits in Coffea mauritiana, a forest tree endemic to Reunion Island. Eight populations of C. mauritiana originating from sites with contrasted environmental conditions were sampled in common garden to assess several leaf morphological traits, to analyze the leaf transcriptome and leaf cuticular wax composition. The relative alkane content of cuticular waxes was significantly correlated with major climatic gradients, paving the way for further transcriptome-based analyses. The expression pattern of cuticle biosynthetic genes was consistent with a modulation of alkane accumulation across the population studied, supporting the hypothesis that the composition of cuticular wax is involved in the local adaptation of C. mauritiana. Association tests in landscape genomics performed using RNA-seq-derived single-nucleotide polymorphisms revealed that genes associated with cell wall remodeling also likely play an adaptive role. By combining these different approaches, this study efficiently identified local adaptation processes in a non-model species. Our results provide the first evidence for local adaptation in trees endemic to Reunion Island and highlight the importance of cuticle composition for the adaptation of trees to the high evaporative demand in warm climates.

Physiological and Metabolite Reconfiguration of Olea europaea to Cope and Recover from a Heat or High UV-B Shock

To understand how olives reconfigure their metabolism to face stress shock episodes, plants from the economically relevant olive (Olea europaea cv. Cobrançosa) were exposed to high UV-B radiation (UV-B, 12 kJ m^-2 d^-1) or heat shock (HS, 40 °C) for two consecutive days. The physiological responses and some important lipophilic compounds were evaluated immediately (day 0) and 30 days after UV-B or HS episodes. Both treatments induced a reduction of the olive physiological performance, particularly increasing cell membrane damages and proline pool and at the same time reducing chlorophyll levels, the quantum yield of photosystem II (Φ_PSII), and the efficiency of excitation energy capture by open photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers (F'_v/F'_m). Nevertheless, the HS episode caused more adverse effects, additionally reducing the pool of protective pigments (carotenoids) and the maximum efficiency of PSII (with F₀ increase). In the UV-B treatment, despite the higher lipid peroxidation, the activation of some stress protective mechanisms (e.g., increase of NPQ and carotenoids and remobilization of some metabolites, such as phytol and proline) might have contributed to avoiding photoinhibition. Thirty days after stress relief, the performance of olives from both treatments recovered similarly, in part due to the metabolites' adjustments that contributed to strengthened stress protection (an increase of long-chain alkanes) and provided energy (through the use of soluble sugars, mannitol, and myo-inositol) for re-establishment. Other metabolites, like anthocyanins and squalene, also have an important role in responding specifically to HS or UV-B recovery for helping in the oxidative damage control. These data contribute to understanding how young olive plants may deal with climatic episodes when being transferred from nurseries to field orchards, under the actual context of climate change.

Relationship between the amount and composition of epicuticular wax and tolerance of Ipomoea biotypes to glyphosate

Ipomoea species are troublesome weeds in crop systems through Brazil. Drought stress typically reduces glyphosate efficacy by reducing the foliar uptake of herbicides and their translocation. Using both glyphosate tolerant (GT) and sensitive (GS) plants from Ipomoea grandifolia, I. indivisa and I. purpurea species, this research aimed to (a) correlate amounts of epicuticular wax and tolerance to glyphosate in plants and (b) determine the effect of drought stress (DStress) on changes in the quantity and chemical composition of plant epicuticular waxes. The dose that causes 50% inhibition of growth (GR50) of the biotypes varied between 62 and 1208 (I. grandifolia), 159 and 913 (I. indivisa), and 389 and 1925 g a.e. ha-1 of glyphosate (I. purpurea). There was low inverse correlation (-0.46) between the amount of epicuticular wax and the sensitivity to glyphosate. GT biotypes of the species presented greater plastic capacities than GS biotypes for increasing the amount of epicuticular wax under DStress. The three Ipomoea species exhibited different chemical profiles of waxes supported by IR spectra, which allows for their differentiation. For I. grandifolia and I. purpurea, there was an increase in the polar components in the state without DStress, while for the species I. indivisa, no differences in infrared spectra were detected between the two water conditions.

Cuticular wax coverage and its transpiration barrier properties in Quercus coccifera L. leaves: does the environment matter?

Plants prevent uncontrolled water loss by synthesizing, depositing and maintaining a hydrophobic layer over their primary aerial organs-the plant cuticle. Quercus coccifera L. can plastically respond to environmental conditions at the cuticular level. When exposed to hot summer conditions with high vapour-pressure deficit (VPD) and intense solar radiation (Mediterranean atmospheric conditions; MED), this plant species accumulates leaf cuticular waxes even over the stomata, thereby decreasing transpirational water loss. However, under mild summer conditions with moderate VPD and regular solar radiation (temperate atmospheric conditions; TEM), this effect is sharply reduced. Despite the ecophysiological importance of the cuticular waxes of Q. coccifera, the wax composition and its contribution to avoiding uncontrolled dehydration remain unknown. Thus, we determined several leaf traits for plants exposed to both MED and TEM conditions. Further, we qualitatively and quantitatively investigated the cuticular lipid composition by gas chromatography. Finally, we measured the minimum leaf conductance (gmin) as an indicator of the efficacy of the cuticular transpiration barrier. The MED leaves were smaller, stiffer and contained a higher load of cuticular lipids than TEM leaves. The amounts of leaf cutin and cuticular waxes of MED plants were 1.4 times and 2.6 times higher than that found for TEM plants, respectively. In detail, MED plants produced higher amounts of all compound classes of cuticular waxes, except for the equivalence of alkanoic acids. Although MED leaves contained higher cutin and cuticular wax loads, the gmin was not different between the two habitats. Our findings suggest that the qualitative accumulation of equivalent cuticular waxes might compensate for the higher wax amount of MED plants, thereby contributing equally to the efficacy of the cuticular transpirational barrier of Q. coccifera. In conclusion, we showed that atmospheric conditions profoundly affect the cuticular lipid composition of Q. coccifera leaves, but do not alter its transpiration barrier properties.

Adaptation of Forest Trees to Rapidly Changing Climate

Climate change leads to global drought-induced stress and increased plant mortality. Tree species living in rapidly changing climate conditions are exposed to danger and must adapt to new climate conditions to survive. Trees respond to changes in the environment in numerous ways. Physiological modulation at the seed stage, germination strategy and further development are influenced by many different factors. We review forest abiotic threats (such as drought and heat), including biochemical responses of plants to stress, and biotic threats (pathogens and insects) related to global warming. We then discus the varied adaptations of tree species to changing climate conditions such as seed resistance to environmental stress, improved by an increase in temperature, affinity to specific fungal symbionts, a wide range of tolerance to abiotic environmental conditions in the offspring of populations occurring in continental climate, and germination strategies closely linked to the ecological niche of the species. The existing studies do not clearly indicate whether tree adaptations are shaped by epigenetics or phenology and do not define the role of phenotypic plasticity in tree development. We have created a juxtaposition of literature that is useful in identifying the factors that play key roles in these processes. We compare scientific evidence that species distribution and survival are possible due to phenotypic plasticity and thermal memory with studies that testify that trees’ phenology depends on phylogenesis, but this issue is still open. It is possible that studies in the near future will bring us closer to understanding the mechanisms through which trees adapt to stressful conditions, especially in the context of epigenetic memory in long-lived organisms, and allow us to minimize the harmful effects of climatic events by predicting tree species’ responses or by developing solutions such as assisted migration to mitigate the consequences of these phenomena.

Evaluation of the Foliar Damage That Threatens a Millennial-Age Tree, Araucaria araucana (Molina) K. Koch, Using Leaf Waxes

A. araucana is an endemic species of the temperate forests from Chile and Argentina; protected in both countries and categorized as in danger of extinction. Individuals of this species have begun to show foliar damage (i.e., discoloration) in branches and upper parts. The discoloration begins from the base to the top and from the trunk to the branches with necrotic rings appearing; in some cases causing death; and is currently attributed to an as yet unknown disease. This study focuses on the first protective layer of plants against environmental stress and pathogens; known as leaf waxes. The abundance and distribution of three classes of leaf waxes (long chain fatty acids; alkanes and alcohols) were measured in healthy individuals of A. araucana from different sites and individuals that present foliar damage (sick individuals). In the case of sick individuals; their leaf waxes were measured considering the level of leaf damage; that is; leaves without; medium and full foliar damage. The most abundant class of leaf wax in both sick and healthy individuals was fatty acids; followed by alkanes and then alcohols; with common dominant chains; C28 fatty acid; C29 alkane and C24 alcohol. Sick individuals have higher abundances of alkanes and alcohols than healthy individuals. The leaves of sick individuals have lower values of distribution indices (the carbon preference index of fatty acids and average chain length of alkanes) as foliar damage increases that are interpreted as a reduction of in vivo biosynthesis of waxes. This is the first evidence of A. araucana response to a still unknown disease that is killing individuals of this endemic species.

Cuticular wax coverage and its transpiration barrier properties in Quercus coccifera L. leaves: does the environment matter?

Plants prevent uncontrolled water loss by synthesizing, depositing and maintaining a hydrophobic layer over their primary aerial organs-the plant cuticle. Quercus coccifera L. can plastically respond to environmental conditions at the cuticular level. When exposed to hot summer conditions with high vapour-pressure deficit (VPD) and intense solar radiation (Mediterranean atmospheric conditions; MED), this plant species accumulates leaf cuticular waxes even over the stomata, thereby decreasing transpirational water loss. However, under mild summer conditions with moderate VPD and regular solar radiation (temperate atmospheric conditions; TEM), this effect is sharply reduced. Despite the ecophysiological importance of the cuticular waxes of Q. coccifera, the wax composition and its contribution to avoiding uncontrolled dehydration remain unknown. Thus, we determined several leaf traits for plants exposed to both MED and TEM conditions. Further, we qualitatively and quantitatively investigated the cuticular lipid composition by gas chromatography. Finally, we measured the minimum leaf conductance (gmin) as an indicator of the efficacy of the cuticular transpiration barrier. The MED leaves were smaller, stiffer and contained a higher load of cuticular lipids than TEM leaves. The amounts of leaf cutin and cuticular waxes of MED plants were 1.4 times and 2.6 times higher than that found for TEM plants, respectively. In detail, MED plants produced higher amounts of all compound classes of cuticular waxes, except for the equivalence of alkanoic acids. Although MED leaves contained higher cutin and cuticular wax loads, the gmin was not different between the two habitats. Our findings suggest that the qualitative accumulation of equivalent cuticular waxes might compensate for the higher wax amount of MED plants, thereby contributing equally to the efficacy of the cuticular transpirational barrier of Q. coccifera. In conclusion, we showed that atmospheric conditions profoundly affect the cuticular lipid composition of Q. coccifera leaves, but do not alter its transpiration barrier properties.

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Decrease Drought-Induced Oxidative Damage in Sorghum Leading to Higher Photosynthesis and Grain Yield

Drought is a major abiotic stress affecting crop growth and yield worldwide. Drought-induced oxidative stress results in the reduction of plant photosynthesis and reproductive success. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nanoceria) possess potent antioxidant properties that can alleviate drought-induced oxidative stress by catalytic scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby protecting sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] photosynthesis and grain yield. Drought was imposed at the booting stage by withholding water for 21 d. Foliar-sprayed nanoceria (10 mg L-1) efficiently reduced leaf superoxide radical (41%) and hydrogen peroxide (36%) levels and decreased cell membrane lipid peroxidation (37%) under drought. Nanoceria increased leaf carbon assimilation rates (38%), pollen germination (31%), and seed yield per plant (31%) in drought-stressed plants relative to water-sprayed controls. Translocation study indicated that nanoceria can move from root to shoot of sorghum plants. Toxicity assays in mammalian cells indicated that nanoceria effective concentration (EC)50 of >250 mg L-1 is well above the concentration used in this study. Foliar-sprayed nanoceria protect sorghum plants from oxidative damage under drought stress leading to higher grain yield.

Unraveling lipid metabolism in maize with time-resolved multi-omics data

Maize is the cereal crop with the highest production worldwide, and its oil is a key energy resource. Improving the quantity and quality of maize oil requires a better understanding of lipid metabolism. To predict the function of maize genes involved in lipid biosynthesis, we assembled transcriptomic and lipidomic data sets from leaves of B73 and the high-oil line By804 in two distinct time-series experiments. The integrative analysis based on high-dimensional regularized regression yielded lipid-transcript associations indirectly validated by Gene Ontology and promoter motif enrichment analyses. The co-localization of lipid-transcript associations using the genetic mapping of lipid traits in leaves and seedlings of a B73 × By804 recombinant inbred line population uncovered 323 genes involved in the metabolism of phospholipids, galactolipids, sulfolipids and glycerolipids. The resulting association network further supported the involvement of 50 gene candidates in modulating levels of representatives from multiple acyl-lipid classes. Therefore, the proposed approach provides high-confidence candidates for experimental testing in maize and model plant species.

UV-B radiation modulates physiology and lipophilic metabolite profile in Olea europaea

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation plays an important role in plant photomorphogenesis. Whilst the morpho-functional disorders induced by excessive UV irradiation are well-known, it remains unclear how this irradiation modulates the metabolome, and which metabolic shifts improve plants' tolerance to UV-B. In this study, we use an important Mediterranean crop, Olea europaea, to decipher the impacts of enhanced UV-B radiation on the physiological performance and lipophilic metabolite profile. Young olive plants (cv. 'Galega Vulgar') were exposed for five days to UV-B biologically effective doses of 6.5 kJ m^-2 d^-1 and 12.4 kJ m^-2 d^-1. Cell cycle/ploidy, photosynthesis and oxidative stress, as well as GC-MS metabolites were assessed. Both UV-B treatments impaired net CO₂ assimilation rate, transpiration rate, photosynthetic pigments, and RuBisCO activity, but 12.4 kJ m^-2 d^-1 also decreased the photochemical quenching (qP) and the effective efficiency of PSII (Φ_PSII). UV-B treatments promoted mono/triperpene pathways, while only 12.4 kJ m^-2 d^-1 increased fatty acids and alkanes, and decreased geranylgeranyl-diphosphate. The interplay between physiology and metabolomics suggests some innate ability of these plants to tolerate moderate UV-B doses (6.5 kJ m^-2 d^-1). Also their tolerance to higher doses (12.4 kJ m^-2 d^-1) relies on plants' metabolic adjustments, where the accumulation of specific compounds such as long-chain alkanes, palmitic acid, oleic acid and particularly oleamide (which is described for the first time in olive leaves) play an important protective role. This is the first study demonstrating photosynthetic changes and lipophilic metabolite adjustments in olive leaves under moderate and high UV-B doses.

Differential physiological and genetic responses of five European Scots pine provenances to induced water stress

Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine) is the conifer with widest natural distribution area. Portugal constitutes its westernmost limit of distribution. Most of the Portuguese populations were planted but two autochthonous populations were recently ascribed to 'Serra do Gerês' (NW Portugal), and seem to be well adapted to the temperate climate. However, the ongoing climate changes may compromise their survival. With this study we intend to evaluate the anatomic-physiological and genetic responses of Scots pine from five European provenances ('Gerês', 'Puebla de Lillo', 'Montes Universales', Germany and Sweden) to three water availability regimes, in order to determine which one(s) present higher resistance to drought. Individuals from 'Gerês' presented the highest stability in photosynthetic reactions as well as the better photochemical and metabolic behaviours under drought (T3). Hence, the relative expression ratio of three water stress-responsive genes during drought was lower and gradual in 'Gerês', compared to all other provenances, followed by Germany. The results achieved in 'Gerês' and Germany provenances are very interesting since they reflected that the native populations of 'Gerês' along with the Portuguese Scots pine planted populations with a probable German provenance, have ability and high adaptive potential to respond to situations of water deficit. Moreover, the present genetic and physiological data demonstrated the urgent demand for the conservation of Portuguese Scots pine genetic resources as well as its use in plantation/afforestation of areas where the warming and drought has been affecting the survival of this species.

Cuticle lipids on heteromorphic leaves of Populus euphratica Oliv. growing in riparian habitats differing in available soil moisture

Populus euphratica is an important native tree found in arid regions from North Africa and South Europe to China, and is known to tolerate many forms of environmental stress, including drought. We describe cuticle waxes, cutin and cuticle permeability for the heteromorphic leaves of P. euphratica growing in two riparian habitats that differ in available soil moisture. Scanning electron microscopy revealed variation in epicuticular wax crystallization associated with leaf type and site. P. euphratica leaves are dominated by cuticular wax alkanes, primary-alcohols and fatty acids. The major cutin monomers were 10,16-diOH C_16:0 acids. Broad-ovate leaves (associated with adult phase growth) produced 1.3- and 1.6-fold more waxes, and 2.1- and 0.9-fold more cutin monomers, than lanceolate leaves (associated with juvenile phase growth) at the wetter site and drier site, respectively. The alkane-synthesis-associated ECERIFERUM1 (CER1), as well as ABC transporter- and elongase-associated genes, were expressed at much higher levels at the drier than wetter sites, indicating their potential function in elevating leaf cuticle lipids in the dry site conditions. Higher cuticle lipid amounts were closely associated with lower cuticle permeability (both chlorophyll efflux and water loss). Our results implicate cuticle lipids as among the xeromorphic traits associated with P. euphratica adult-phase broad-ovate leaves. Results here provide useful information for protecting natural populations of P. euphratica and their associated ecosystems, and shed new light on the functional interaction of cuticle and leaf heterophylly in adaptation to more arid, limited-moisture environments.

Genetic control of cuticular wax compounds in Eucalyptus globulus

Plant cuticular wax compounds perform functions that are essential for the survival of terrestrial plants. Despite their importance, the genetic control of these compounds is poorly understood outside of model taxa. Here we investigate the genetic basis of variation in cuticular compounds in Eucalyptus globulus using quantitative genetic and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses. Quantitative genetic analysis was conducted using 246 open-pollinated progeny from 13 native sub-races throughout the geographic range. QTL analysis was conducted using 112 clonally replicated progeny from an outcross F2 population. Nine compounds exhibited significant genetic variation among sub-races with three exhibiting signals of diversifying selection. Fifty-two QTL were found with co-location of QTL for related compounds commonly observed. Notable among these was the QTL for five wax esters, which co-located with a gene from the KCS family, previously implicated in the biosynthesis of cuticular waxes in Arabidopsis. In combination, the QTL and quantitative genetic analyses suggest the variation and differentiation in cuticular wax compounds within E. globulus has a complex genetic origin. Sub-races exhibited independent latitudinal and longitudinal differentiation in cuticular wax compounds, likely reflecting processes such as historic gene flow and diversifying selection acting upon genes that have diverse functions in distinct biochemical pathways.

High-density SNP assay development for genetic analysis in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster)

Maritime pine provides essential ecosystem services in the south-western Mediterranean basin, where it covers around 4 million ha. Its scattered distribution over a range of environmental conditions makes it an ideal forest tree species for studies of local adaptation and evolutionary responses to climatic change. Highly multiplexed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping arrays are increasingly used to study genetic variation in living organisms and for practical applications in plant and animal breeding and genetic resource conservation. We developed a 9k Illumina Infinium SNP array and genotyped maritime pine trees from (i) a three-generation inbred (F2) pedigree, (ii) the French breeding population and (iii) natural populations from Portugal and the French Atlantic coast. A large proportion of the exploitable SNPs (2052/8410, i.e. 24.4%) segregated in the mapping population and could be mapped, providing the densest ever gene-based linkage map for this species. Based on 5016 SNPs, natural and breeding populations from the French gene pool exhibited similar level of genetic diversity. Population genetics and structure analyses based on 3981 SNP markers common to the Portuguese and French gene pools revealed high levels of differentiation, leading to the identification of a set of highly differentiated SNPs that could be used for seed provenance certification. Finally, we discuss how the validated SNPs could facilitate the identification of ecologically and economically relevant genes in this species, improving our understanding of the demography and selective forces shaping its natural genetic diversity, and providing support for new breeding strategies.

RNA-seq analysis reveals genetic response and tolerance mechanisms to ozone exposure in soybean

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress caused by ground level ozone is a contributor to yield loss in a number of important crop plants. Soybean (Glycine max) is considered to be ozone sensitive, and current research into its response to oxidative stress is limited. To better understand the genetic response in soybean to oxidative stress, an RNA-seq analysis of two soybean cultivars was performed comparing an ozone intolerant cultivar (Mandarin-Ottawa) and an ozone resistant cultivar (Fiskeby III) following exposure to ozone.

RESULTS

Analysis of the transcriptome data revealed cultivar-specific expression level differences of genes previously implicated in oxidative stress responses, indicating unique cultivar-specific responses. Both Fiskeby III and Mandarin (Ottawa) exhibit an increased expression of oxidative response genes as well as glutathiones, phenylpropanoids, and phenylalanine ammonia-lyases. Mandarin (Ottawa) exhibited more general stress response genes whereas Fiskeby III had heightened expression of metabolic process genes. An examination of the timing of gene responses over the course of ozone exposure identified significantly more differentially expressed genes across all time points in Mandarin (Ottawa) than in Fiskeby III. The timing of expression was also considered to identify genes that may be indicative of a delayed response to ozone stress in Fiskeby III, We found that Mandarin (Ottawa) exhibits an higher level of expression in early time points for oxidative and general stress response genes while Fiskeby III seems to maintain expression of defense and stress response genes. Of particular interest was the expression of wax and cutin biosynthetic genes that we found to be expressed in Mandarin (Ottawa) in all sampled time points, whereas the expression of this pathway is only in the first time point for Fiskeby III.

CONCLUSIONS

We were able to identify differentially expressed genes that correspond to each of the known or expected categories of genes previously implicated in other species for ozone stress. Our study shows evidence that at least part of the observed ozone tolerance of Fiskeby III may be due to its thicker, denser leaves providing passive resistance thereby limiting the degree of ozone exposure. The observed diminished genetic response is then likely a consequence of this reduced exposure.

Global analysis of gene expression profiles in physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) seedlings exposed to drought stress

BACKGROUND

Physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) is a small perennial tree or large shrub, which is well-adapted to semi-arid regions and is considered to have potential as a crop for biofuel production. It is now regarded as an excellent model for studying biofuel plants. However, our knowledge about the molecular responses of this species to drought stress is currently limited.

RESULTS

In this study, genome-wide transcriptional profiles of roots and leaves of 8-week old physic nut seedlings were analyzed 1, 4 and 7 days after withholding irrigation. We observed a total of 1533 and 2900 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in roots and leaves, respectively. Gene Ontology analysis showed that the biological processes enriched in droughted plants relative to unstressed plants were related to biosynthesis, transport, nucleobase-containing compounds, and cellular protein modification. The genes found to be up-regulated in roots were related to abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis and ABA signal transduction, and to the synthesis of raffinose. Genes related to ABA signal transduction, and to trehalose and raffinose synthesis, were up-regulated in leaves. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response genes were significantly up-regulated in leaves under drought stress, while a number of genes related to wax biosynthesis were also up-regulated in leaves. Genes related to unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis were down-regulated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were significantly reduced in leaves 7 days after withholding irrigation. As drought stress increased, genes related to ethylene synthesis, ethylene signal transduction and chlorophyll degradation were up-regulated, and the chlorophyll content of leaves was significantly reduced by 7 days after withholding irrigation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides us with new insights to increase our understanding of the response mechanisms deployed by physic nut seedlings under drought stress. The genes and pathways identified in this study also provide much information of potential value for germplasm improvement and breeding for drought resistance.

Leaf cuticular lipids on the Shandong and Yukon ecotypes of saltwater cress, Eutrema salsugineum, and their response to water deficiency and impact on cuticle permeability

The impact of water-deficit stress on leaf cuticular waxes and cutin monomers, and traits associated with cuticle permeability were examined in Shandong and Yukon ecotypes of Eutrema salsugineum (syn. Thellungiella salsuginea). Although Shandong exhibits glaucous leaves, and Yukon is non-glaucous, wax amounts on non-stressed Yukon leaves were 4.6-fold higher than on Shandong, due mainly to Yukon's eightfold higher wax fatty acids, especially the C22 and C24 acid homologues. Water deficit caused a 26.9% increase in total waxes on Shandong leaves, due mainly to increased C22 and C24 acids; and caused 10.2% more wax on Yukon, due mainly to an increase in wax alkanes. Total cutin monomers on non-stressed leaves of Yukon were 58.3% higher than on Shandong. Water deficit caused a 28.2% increase in total cutin monomers on Shandong, whereas total cutin monomers were not induced on Yukon. With or without stress, more abundant cuticle lipids were generally associated with lower water loss rates, lower chlorophyll efflux rates and an extended time before water deficit-induced wilting. In response to water deficit, Shandong showed elevated transcription of genes encoding elongase subunits, consistent with the higher stress induction of acids by Shandong. Yukon's higher induction of CER1 and CER3 transcripts may explain why alkanes increased most on Yukon after water deficit. Eutrema, with its diverse cuticle lipids and responsiveness, provides a valuable genetic resource for identifying new genes and alleles effecting cuticle metabolism, and lays groundwork for studies of the cuticle's role in extreme stress tolerance.

Enhanced expression of EsWAX1 improves drought tolerance with increased accumulation of cuticular wax and ascorbic acid in transgenic Arabidopsis

Drought can activate several stress responses in plants, such as stomatal closure, accumulation of cuticular wax and ascorbic acid (AsA), which have been correlated with improvement of drought tolerance. In this study, a novel MYB gene, designed as EsWAX1, was isolated and characterized from Eutrema salsugineum. EsWAX1 contained a full-length open reading frame (ORF) of 1068 bp, which encoding 355 amino acids. Transcript levels of EsWAX1 were quickly inducible by drought stress and ABA treatment, indicating that EsWAX1 may act as a positive regulator in response to drought stress. Ectopic expression of EsWAX1 increased accumulation of cuticular wax via modulating the expression of several wax-related genes, such as CER1, KCS2 and KCR1. Scanning electron microscopy further revealed higher densities of wax crystalline structures on the adaxial surfaces of leaves in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. In addition, the expression of several AsA biosynthetic genes (VTC1, GLDH and MIOX4) was significantly up-regulated in EsWAX1-overexpressing lines and these transgenic plants have approximately 23-27% more total AsA content than WT plants. However, the high-level expression of EsWAX1 severely disrupted plant normal growth and development. To reduce negative effects of EsWAX1 over-expression on plant growth, we generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing EsWAX1 driven by the stress-inducible RD29A promoter. Our data indicated the RD29A::EsWAX1 transgenic plants had greater tolerance to drought stress than wild-type plants. Taken together, the EsWAX1 gene is a potential regulator that may be utilized to improve plant drought tolerance by genetic manipulation.