Protein expression plasticity contributes to heat and drought tolerance of date palm

Abstract

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of warming and drought periods around the globe, currently representing a threat to many plant species. Understanding the resistance and resilience of plants to climate change is, therefore, urgently needed. As date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) evolved adaptation mechanisms to a xeric environment and can tolerate large diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations, we studied the protein expression changes in leaves, volatile organic compound emissions, and photosynthesis in response to variable growth temperatures and soil water deprivation. Plants were grown under controlled environmental conditions of simulated Saudi Arabian summer and winter climates challenged with drought stress. We show that date palm is able to counteract the harsh conditions of the Arabian Peninsula by adjusting the abundances of proteins related to the photosynthetic machinery, abiotic stress and secondary metabolism. Under summer climate and water deprivation, these adjustments included efficient protein expression response mediated by heat shock proteins and the antioxidant system to counteract reactive oxygen species formation. Proteins related to secondary metabolism were downregulated, except for the P. dactylifera isoprene synthase (PdIspS), which was strongly upregulated in response to summer climate and drought. This study reports, for the first time, the identification and functional characterization of the gene encoding for PdIspS, allowing future analysis of isoprene functions in date palm under extreme environments. Overall, the current study shows that reprogramming of the leaf protein profiles confers the date palm heat- and drought tolerance. We conclude that the protein plasticity of date palm is an important mechanism of molecular adaptation to environmental fluctuations.

Isoprene Emission Influences the Proteomic Profile of Arabidopsis Plants under Well-Watered and Drought-Stress Conditions

“…The proteomic analysis did not reveal significant variations in the abundance of the classical drought-related molecular chaperones and enzymes involved in drought signaling, ROS scavenging, and hormone synthesis, as reported elsewhere [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. This may indicate that our plants experienced a mild stress compared to those activating the proteome in other experiments.…”

Plant Group II LEA Proteins: Intrinsically Disordered Structure for Multiple Functions in Response to Environmental Stresses

“…Dramatic changes in the abiotic factors of the arid regions have resulted in a decline in its production [158]. Many studies have characterized the consequences of abiotic stresses on the growth and physiology of date palm and focused on its tolerance mechanism for the functional characterization of abiotic stress responsive genes [159,160]. As a desert plant with a native tolerance to wide range of abiotic stresses, the date palm may act as a treasure store of novel genetic resources that can be exploited for abiotic stress tolerance [160].…”

“…Many studies have characterized the consequences of abiotic stresses on the growth and physiology of date palm and focused on its tolerance mechanism for the functional characterization of abiotic stress responsive genes [159,160]. As a desert plant with a native tolerance to wide range of abiotic stresses, the date palm may act as a treasure store of novel genetic resources that can be exploited for abiotic stress tolerance [160]. Although a number of physiological, molecular, and biochemical analyses of stress-related genes in date palms have been documented, research on the functional properties of date palm group II LEA genes is still scarce [156,157,161].…”

Isoprene-Emitting Tobacco Plants Are Less Affected by Moderate Water Deficit under Future Climate Change Scenario and Show Adjustments of Stress-Related Proteins in Actual Climate

“…sHsps belong to the chaperone system that prevents heat stress-induced denatured proteins from forming non-specific aggregates that severely impede normal cellular functions [ 68 , 69 ]. The increasing expression of heat shock proteins in concert with high ISPS protein levels have also been reported under water limitation in date palm [ 70 ]. sHsps have also been shown to be amphitropic and to increase the molecular order of the lipid bilayer, conferring thermotolerance [ 71 , 72 , 73 ].…”