Introduction to desiccation biology: from old borders to new frontiers

Leprince, Olivier; Buitink, Julia

doi:10.1007/s00425-015-2357-6

Cited by 67 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Several plant species have developed specialized water-storing organs, as exemplified by succulents. Others, such as resurrection plants, are truly drought tolerant (36). However, most plants do not conserve water and initiate adaptive responses only when water becomes scarce.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging abscisic acid receptors for efficient water use in Arabidopsis

Yang

Liu

Tischer

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

114

141

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Plant growth requires the influx of atmospheric CO 2 through stomatal pores, and this carbon uptake for photosynthesis is inherently associated with a large efflux of water vapor. Under water deficit, plants reduce transpiration and are able to improve carbon for water exchange leading to higher water use efficiency (WUE). Whether increased WUE can be achieved without trade-offs in plant growth is debated. The signals mediating the WUE response under water deficit are not fully elucidated but involve the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). ABA is perceived by a family of related receptors known to mediate acclimation responses and to reduce transpiration. We now show that enhanced stimulation of ABA signaling via distinct ABA receptors can result in plants constitutively growing at high WUE in the model species Arabidopsis. WUE was assessed by three independent approaches involving gravimetric analyses, 13 C discrimination studies of shoots and derived cellulose fractions, and by gas exchange measurements of whole plants and individual leaves. Plants expressing the ABA receptors RCAR6/PYL12 combined up to 40% increased WUE with high growth rates, i.e., are water productive. Water productivity was associated with maintenance of net carbon assimilation by compensatory increases of leaf CO 2 gradients, thereby sustaining biomass acquisition. Leaf surface temperatures and growth potentials of plants growing under well-watered conditions were found to be reliable indicators for water productivity. The study shows that ABA receptors can be explored to generate more plant biomass per water transpired, which is a prime goal for a more sustainable water use in agriculture.carbon assimilation | drought resistance | water deficit | water productivity | water use efficiency P lants are ferocious consumers of water, and plant transpiration is the dominant vector for water mobilization from terrestrial surfaces to the atmosphere (1). Plant transpiration is sustained by efficient water uptake through the root systems, which can comprise 500 m 2 of root surface and 500 km in combined length even in a single barley plant. Water is the major factor limiting crop productivity in the field (2). Thus, more than two-thirds of the fresh water resources used globally are channeled into agriculture, thereby contributing to potential social conflicts over water (3).Whereas the gas exchange of CO 2 and water vapor at the stomatal pore is a physical process controlled by both the ratio in partial pressure gradients and gas diffusivities (4, 5), terrestrial plants are able to capture carbon more efficiently under water deficit. Both short-term leaf gas exchange measurements and 13 C isotope discrimination analyses revealed increases of the instantaneous water use efficiency (insWUE) and intrinsic WUE (iWUE), respectively, by a factor of 1.5-2.5 in wheat and other species (6, 7). The underlying mechanisms, however, are not fully elucidated. Gains in WUE have been found to be associated with trade-offs in growth potential (8-10). WUE is control...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging abscisic acid receptors for efficient water use in Arabidopsis

Yang

Liu

Tischer

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

114

141

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“…Unfavorable conditions for life can arise from changes in abiotic factors, including the availability of water. Some animals have evolved remarkable strategies to withstand virtually complete water loss for prolonged periods of time, despite the cellular damage associated with desiccation, such as membrane destabilization, protein and nucleic acid denaturation, oxidative stress, and metabolic dysregulation . This transient state of life has been an enigma since 1702, when Van Leeuwenhoek first noted anhydrobiosis in rotifers or ‘wheel animals’ .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Intrinsic Disorder in Animal Desiccation Tolerance

2018

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This review compares the molecular strategies employed by anhydrobiotic invertebrates to survive extreme water stress. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play a central role in desiccation tolerance in all species investigated. Various hypotheses about the functions of anhydrobiosis-related intrinsically disordered (ARID) proteins, including late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) and tardigrade-specific intrinsically disordered proteins, are evaluated by broad sequence characterization. A surprisingly wide range in sequence characteristics, including hydropathy and the frequency and distribution of charges, is discovered. Interestingly, two clusters of similar proteins are found that potentially correlate with distinct functions. This may indicate two broad groups of ARID proteins, composed of one group that folds into functional conformations during desiccation and a second group that potentially displays functions in the hydrated state. A broad range of physiochemical properties suggest that folding may be induced by factors such as hydration level, molecular crowding, and interactions with binding partners. This plasticity may be required to fine-tune the ARID-proteome response at different hydration levels during desiccation. Furthermore, the sequence properties of some LEA proteins share qualities with IDPs known to undergo liquid-liquid phase separations during environmental challenges.

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“…During desiccation, cells of desiccation tolerant plant tissues considerably reduce their volume as the cytoplasm increases its viscosity up to a point at which it resembles a solid (Leprince and Buitink 2015;Walters 2015). This change from fluid to solid is known as vitrification glass transition from solid to fluid and the resulting (amorphous) solid is often referred to as a glass.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This change from fluid to solid is known as vitrification glass transition from solid to fluid and the resulting (amorphous) solid is often referred to as a glass. Desiccation tolerant organisms survive the compressive forces and cell volume reduction before glasses are formed (Leprince and Buitink 2015;Walters 2015;Ballesteros et al 2017), and after vitrification they ideally should survive a relatively long time in the glassy state (e.g. Walters et al 2005;Ballesteros et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photo-oxidation modulates green fern spore longevity during dry storage

Ballesteros

Narayan

Varghese

et al. 2018

Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult

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Desiccation tolerance and longevity of plant propagules in the dry state have significant implications for biotechnological applications. In this study fern spores were used as a unicellular model to characterize some of the mechanisms of ageing during dry storage of plant propagules (at relative humidity ca. 15%). More specifically, we compared the potential relationships among indicators of photo-oxidative stress and spore viability during dry storage between green (chlorophyllous) spores of Todea barbara and non-green spores of Christella dentata. Green spores stored under the light aged faster than those stored in the dark, and faster than light-and dark-stored non-green spores of C. dentata. This rapid ageing in light-stored green spores was associated with significantly lower antioxidant activity (relative to time zero and dark-stored spores) during storage, and a burst of hydrogen peroxide during the latter stages of storage, which was not a feature of dark-stored spores. We attribute these signs of enhanced oxidative-stress mediated ageing in light-stored spores to photo-oxidative processes, similar to those described in other homoiochlorophyllous organisms. Additionally, high antioxidant activity and low levels of reactive oxygen species in green spores compared with non-green spores suggests differing mechanisms of coping with life in the dry state.

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Introduction to desiccation biology: from old borders to new frontiers

Cited by 67 publications

References 75 publications

Leveraging abscisic acid receptors for efficient water use in Arabidopsis

Leveraging abscisic acid receptors for efficient water use in Arabidopsis

Role of Intrinsic Disorder in Animal Desiccation Tolerance

Photo-oxidation modulates green fern spore longevity during dry storage

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