Proteome and Interactome Linked to Metabolism, Genetic Information Processing, and Abiotic Stress in Gametophytes of Two Woodferns

Abstract

Ferns and lycophytes have received scant molecular attention in comparison to angiosperms. The advent of high-throughput technologies allowed an advance towards a greater knowledge of their elusive genomes. In this work, proteomic analyses of heart-shaped gametophytes of two ferns were performed: the apomictic Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis and its sexual relative Dryopteris oreades. In total, a set of 218 proteins shared by these two gametophytes were analyzed using the STRING database, and their proteome associated with metabolism, genetic information processing, and responses to abiotic stress is discussed. Specifically, we report proteins involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleotides, the biosynthesis of amino acids and secondary compounds, energy, oxide-reduction, transcription, translation, protein folding, sorting and degradation, and responses to abiotic stresses. The interactome of this set of proteins represents a total network composed of 218 nodes and 1792 interactions, obtained mostly from databases and text mining. The interactions among the identified proteins of the ferns D. affinis and D. oreades, together with the description of their biological functions, might contribute to a better understanding of the function and development of ferns as well as fill knowledge gaps in plant evolution.

Transcriptomic analyses in the gametophyte of Dryopteris affinis: apomixis and more

“…Likewise, the research performed enlarges our previous studies on this and other ferns, such as Struthiopteris spicant and Dryopteris oreades , focusing on the molecular basis of reproduction in the gametophyte of this group of plants (Valledor et al, 2014; Grossmann et al, 2017; Wyder et al, 2020; Fernandez et al, 2021; Ojosnegros et al, 2022; 2023). In this study, we specifically examine the transcriptome of the gametophyte, noting its ease of cultivation in a laboratory setting, which allows for the collection of sufficient material to conduct molecular analyses.…”

“…Vegetative and reproductive development of ferns is underexplored compared with other plant groups. In this regard, the most studied aspects in ferns are: photomorphogenesis (Wada, 2007), spore germination (Salmi et al, 2005; Suo et al, 2015), cell polarity (Salmi and Bushart, 2010), cell wall composition (Eeckhout et al, 2014), reproduction (Kaźmierczak, 2010; Lopez and Renzaglia, 2014; Valledor et al, 2014; de Vries et al, 2016; Domzalska et al, 2017; Grossmann et al, 2017; Rivera et al, 2018; Wyder et al, 2020; Fernández et al, 2021; Ojosnegros et al, 2022; 2023), or adaptation to the environment (Gill et al, 2009; Thagela et al, 2016; Sareen et al, 2019). In particular, these studies show that ferns are able to survive atmospheric conditions with a higher amount of carbon dioxide than we have now, and to resist in situations of salinity, drought, or soil contamination with heavy metals (Rathinasabapathi, 2006; Wang et al, 2010).…”