Can mosses serve as model organisms for forest research?

Abstract

& Key message Based on their impact on many ecosystems, we review the relevance of mosses in research regarding stress tolerance, metabolism, and cell biology. We introduce the potential use of mosses as complementary model systems in molecular forest research, with an emphasis on the most developed model moss Physcomitrella patens. & Context and aims Mosses are important components of several ecosystems. The moss P. patens is a well-established nonvascular model plant with a high amenability to molecular biology techniques and was designated as a JGI plant flagship genome. In this review, we will provide an introduction to moss research and highlight the characteristics of P. patens and other mosses as a potential complementary model system for forest research. & Methods Starting with an introduction into general moss biology, we summarize the knowledge about moss physiology and differences to seed plants. We provide an overview of the current research areas utilizing mosses, pinpointing potential links to tree biology. To complement literature review, we discuss moss advantages and available resources regarding molecular biology techniques. & Results and conclusion During the last decade, many fundamental processes and cell mechanisms have been studied in mosses and seed plants, increasing our knowledge of plant evolution. Additionally, moss-specific mechanisms of stress tolerance are under investigation to understand their resilience in ecosystems. Thus, using the advantages of model mosses such as P. patens is of high interest for various research approaches, including stress tolerance, organelle biology, cell polarity, and secondary metabolism.

A novel plant enzyme with dual activity: an atypical Nudix hydrolase and a dipeptidyl peptidase III

“…Among the first such hits by BLAST similarity search, we found the homologue of DPP III family in the moss Physcomitrella patens subsp. patens , which is used as a model organism for studies on plant physiology, development and evolution (Prigge and Bezanilla 2010, Müller et al 2015). Mosses share fundamental physiological processes with higher plants, although they diverged early in evolution.…”

Bioindication and modelling of atmospheric deposition in forests enable exposure and effect monitoring at high spatial density across scales

“…This would help to stronger link the exposure monitoring by use of moss with effect-related monitoring of forest ecosystem condition (Saarikoski et al 2015). That approach should be added by physiological investigations on how moss species adjust their cell morphology and metabolism to environmental stress (Basile et al 2013;Müller et al 2015;Parrotta et al 2015). A spatial re-arrangement of EMS sampling sites should be discussed and an adapted sampling size should be investigated by error maps for pollutants which have toxicological and ecological effects.…”

Molecular Mechanisms and Physiological Significance of Organelle Interactions and Cooperation

“…In order to monitor mitochondria and ER simultaneously in a plant, we used fluorescently labeled organelles of the model moss Physcomitrella patens, which provides a uniquely high rate of homologous recombination in plants (Strepp et al, 1998) and is amenable to confocal microscopy studies (Abel et al, 1989;Furt et al, 2012;Vidali and Bezanilla, 2012;Müller et al, 2015). We generated a stable transgenic moss line constitutively expressing mitochondria-targeted mEOS (mtEOS; Mathur et al, 2010) and transiently transfected protoplasts of this line with an ER marker that comprises a signal peptide, mCerulean, and a C-terminal KDEL ER retention signal (spCerKDEL).…”