Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Genotypic Variation in Germination and Early Seedling Growth of Chickpea under Suboptimal Soil–Water Conditions

Abstract

Protein expression patterns in imbibed seeds of three cultivars of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) with different rates of germination under limiting water supply in soil (>10% water holding capacity) were compared. A large number of soluble proteins expressed earlier and at higher levels in cv Rupali seeds compared to two other genotypes that germinated less rapidly (KH850) or not at all (KJ850). Among the proteins identified were those with chaperone-like functions, including LEA and HSP proteins and proteins involved in metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Only NAD-malate dehydrogenase was identified as an early, differentially abundant enzyme of the TCA cycle, but in cv Rupali, expression of phospho-enol-pyruvate carboxykinase rose very rapidly to a high level, indicating that an anaplerotic C input to the TCA cycle may have been important. Proteinase inhibitors were more highly expressed in the genotype that did not germinate compared to cv Rupali. Clustering analysis of proteomic data indicated a link between groups of proteins, implying a common regulatory mechanism possibly at the transcriptional level. The chaperone-like proteins and enzymes of ROS homeostasis provide a useful starting point for molecular genetic analysis that may well identify other important genes for the early germination trait.

Proteomic responses to progressive dehydration stress in leaves of chickpea seedlings

“…Indeed, the role of genes in drought tolerance requires an understanding of their function at the protein level [ 19 ]. In recent years, several proteomic studies on dehydration have focused on the extracellular matrix [ 19 , 20 ], cell nuclear [ 21 – 23 ], and seed germination [ 24 ] proteomes of chickpea seedlings. Proteome changes in chickpea have been investigated under other abiotic stresses, such as heat [ 25 ], salinity [ 26 , 27 ], and abscisic acid [ 28 ].…”

“…Among 4832 identified nuclear proteins of chickpea under drought stress, 299 unique phosphoproteins were involved in gene expression, protein degradation, and regulation of flowering time and the circadian clock [ 28 ]. Vessal et al (2012) [ 24 ] investigated the germination of chickpea genotypes under limited water supply using 2-DE and MALDI-TOF/TOF LC-MS/MS analyses. Of 65 identified proteins, LEA and HSP proteins and proteins associated with ROS metabolism and the TCA cycle were identified as important pathways for coping with chickpea germination under water-limited conditions.…”

Proteometabolomic Analysis Reveals Molecular Features Associated with Grain Size and Antioxidant Properties amongst Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Seeds Genotypes

“…The second strategy was a manual annotation with m / z values using the public database Foodb ( , last accessed on 1 July 2022). The identification and quantification of phenolic compounds were based on dynamic multiple reaction monitoring methods as was previously reported in Juárez-Trujillo et al [ 26 ], Camacho-Vázquez et al [ 27 ], and Monribot et al [ 21 , 22 ]. Detailed information is shown in Appendix A .…”

“…Proteometabolomics approaches have been used to identify differentially accumulated proteins and metabolites under diverse conditions [ 18 ]. These high-throughput-based systems have been applied in Medicago truncatula , Lotus japonicus , and soybeans, while chickpeas, lensculinaris, mung beans, and peanuts have been marginalized leguminous crops [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Based on this, the aim of this work was to study the differential proteome and metabolome of five Kabuli-type chickpea genotypes to determine molecular signatures and nutritional traits associated with grain size.…”

Molecular responses of legumes to abiotic stress: post-translational modifications of proteins and redox signaling

“…Tolerance was attributed, at least in part, to altered expression of proteins involved in ROS catabolism ( Subba et al , 2013 ). In the same species, up-regulation of expression of proteins with chaperone-like functions and of proteins involved in ROS homeostasis was associated with improved germination and early seedling growth under sub-optimal soil–water conditions ( Vessal et al , 2012 ). Other studies also suggested an important role of ROS in stress acclimation.…”