Environmental Signals Act as a Driving Force for Metabolic and Defense Responses in the Antarctic Plant Colobanthus quitensis

Abstract

During evolution, plants have faced countless stresses of both biotic and abiotic nature developing very effective mechanisms able to perceive and counteract adverse signals. The biggest challenge is the ability to fine-tune the trade-off between plant growth and stress resistance. The Antarctic plant Colobanthus quitensis has managed to survive the adverse environmental conditions of the white continent and can be considered a wonderful example of adaptation to prohibitive conditions for millions of other plant species. Due to the progressive environmental change that the Antarctic Peninsula has undergone over time, a more comprehensive overview of the metabolic features of C. quitensis becomes particularly interesting to assess its ability to respond to environmental stresses. To this end, a differential proteomic approach was used to study the response of C. quitensis to different environmental cues. Many differentially expressed proteins were identified highlighting the rewiring of metabolic pathways as well as defense responses. Finally, a different modulation of oxidative stress response between different environmental sites was observed. The data collected in this paper add knowledge on the impact of environmental stimuli on plant metabolism and stress response by providing useful information on the trade-off between plant growth and defense mechanisms.