Can β-D-Glucan Protect Oat Seeds against a Heat Stress?

Abstract

Plants have evolved to live in environments where they are often exposed to different stress factors. Being sessile, they have developed specific mechanisms that allow them to detect precisely environmental changes and respond to complex conditions, minimizing damage while conserving valuable resources for growth and reproduction. The cell wall polysaccharide β-D-glucan observed in some species of Poales can determine responses to various environmental factors in specific plant developmental stages. It is located in the outer epidermal layer, at the place of stress attack and therefore its metabolism could relate to response of plant to environmental factors within moderate, physiological range. Putative protective role of β-D-glucan during heat stress was indicated through naked oats with higher content of β-D-glucan. It appeared that oats with higher β-D-glucan content are better adapted to stress conditions. The presented article discusses the β-D-glucan as a possible protective mechanism in oat during (heat) stress conditions.

Understanding the Genetic Basis of Spike Fertility to Improve Grain Number, Harvest Index, and Grain Yield in Wheat Under High Temperature Stress Environments

“…Two MTAs (S3B_768483613 and S3B_768483625) within 15 bp range were found in the gene, TraesCS3B01G526100, which is annotated as 1,3-beta-glucanase. Havrlentová et al (2016) suggested this gene as having a possible protective mechanism role in oat during heat stress conditions. Five markers on chromosome 6B (S6B_238165759, S6B_238165760, S6B_238165774, S6B_238165775, S6B_238165776) all within 17 bp range were detected in multiple environments suggesting the genetic stability of these MTAs.…”

Wheat, Barley, and Oat Breeding for Health Benefit Components in Grain

“…Changes in the concentration of avenanthramides in response to salinity stress in CBF3 transgenic oat demonstrated that these compounds might have a potential role in enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in oats [154]. Havrlentova et al [155] suggested that oats with higher β-D-glucan content may have thicker and, therefore, more insulating cell walls, better adapted to heat stress conditions. The same conclusion between higher content of β-D-glucan and greater cell wall thickness has been reported in barley [156].…”

Relationship between the Content of β-D-Glucans and Infection with Fusarium Pathogens in Oat (Avena sativa L.) Plants

“…Initial observations have suggested that oat genotypes disposing of higher β-D-glucans content are more resistant to pathogen manifestations caused by parasitic organisms being “inhibited” in their pathogen manifestations by thicker cell wall in which β-D-glucans are produced in higher amounts [ 19 ]. In our previous work it was proven that β-D-glucans in the oat grain can protect the grain against high temperature [ 22 ]. It this work, it was expected that oat genotypes with higher β-D-glucans content may be more resistant to artificial inoculation with FC and FG .…”

“…Rapid cell wall reinforcement can reduce success of pathogen’s penetration. Such enhancements occur due to the accumulation of β-(1-3)-glucan [ 19 , 20 ], β-D-glucans [ 21 ] and proteins in the area between the cell wall and the cell membrane [ 22 ]. The gel-layer formed by β-D-glucans in the cell wall may also act as a defensive wall protecting the cell from invasion by fungi but also providing a potential signal system to indicate when such an attack is under the way [ 23 ].…”

“…These cell wall polysaccharides occur only in selected plant species, especially grasses well adapted to different and often much stressed environments [ 21 ]. Wild types of cultivated plant species are good natural sources of interesting genes determining interesting features such as nutritional quality of the grain or resistance to pathogens and other kinds of biotic and abiotic stress factors [ 6 , 22 ]. Therefore, besides cultured A. sativa also wild species of Avena genus were analyzed in our work.…”