Metabolic profiling and gene expression analyses provide insights into cold adaptation of an Antarctic moss Pohlia nutans

Abstract

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and most windy continent on earth. The major terrestrial vegetation consists of cryptogams (mosses and lichens) and two vascular plant species. However, the molecular mechanism of cold tolerance and relevant regulatory networks were largely unknown in these Antarctic plants. Here, we investigated the global alterations in metabolites and regulatory pathways of an Antarctic moss (Pohlia nutans) under cold stress using an integrated multi-omics approach. We found that proline content and several antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly increased in P. nutans under cold stress, but the contents of chlorophyll and total flavonoids were markedly decreased. A total of 559 metabolites were detected using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). We observed 39 and 71 differentially changed metabolites (DCMs) after 24 h and 60 h cold stress, indicating that several major pathways were differentially activated for producing fatty acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids. In addition, the quantitative transcriptome sequencing was conducted to uncover the global transcriptional profiles of P. nutans under cold stress. The representative differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and summarized to the function including Ca2+ signaling, ABA signaling, jasmonate signaling, fatty acids biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and other biological processes. The integrated dataset analyses of metabolome and transcriptome revealed that jasmonate signaling, auxin signaling, very-long-chain fatty acids and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways might contribute to P. nutans acclimating to cold stress. Overall, these observations provide insight into Antarctic moss adaptations to polar habitats and the impact of global climate change on Antarctic plants.

Genome-wide identification of the B3 gene family in soybean and the response to melatonin under cold stress

“…Nevertheless, how plants perceive cold signals remains an important question to be addressed. Plants may sense and transmit cold signals to cells through a variety of mechanisms, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), calcium (Ca 2+ ), and plant hormone signals (Liu et al, 2022). Melatonin is a pleiotropic molecule widely existing in animals and plants, which has a positive regulatory role in drought, low temperature, salinity, and other abiotic stresses (Zhan et al, 2019;Arnao and Hernańdez-Ruiz, 2021).…”

Mechanisms of Gills Response to Cadmium Exposure in Greenfin Horse-Faced Filefish (Thamnaconus septentrionalis): Oxidative Stress, Immune Response, and Energy Metabolism

“…Total RNA was extracted from gill tissues of Cd-treated filefish (0 h, 12 h, 48 h, and 7 d) using TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA). The transcriptome sequencing process was performed according to the steps we described previously [17]. Libraries were sequenced on Illumina novaseq 6000 Platform for 6G raw data and generated 150nt pair-end reads.…”

Insights into the Jasmonate Signaling in Basal Land Plant Revealed by the Multi-Omics Analysis of an Antarctic Moss Pohlia nutans Treated with OPDA

“…The wheat OPR gene ( TaOPR1 ) can enhance the tolerance of plants to salt stress through upregulation of MYC2 transcripts, and then activate the ABA signaling pathway [ 40 ]. We also found that the OPR gene family is largely expended in the Antarctic moss Pohlia nutans [ 41 ]. In the present study, three OPR genes were upregulated by the treatment of exogenous OPDA.…”