Characterization of the response to circadian stress in Arabidopsis thaliana
Plant Physiology
Final Report Abstract
In the project “Characterization of circadian stress in Arabidopsis thaliana,” a new type of abiotic stress in plants was investigated. This stress was referred to as “circadian stress” when the application was submitted but was later renamed “photoperiod stress”. Photoperiod stress is induced by an extension of the light period and first stress symptoms appear during the night following extended light period. This stress activates a characteristic set of stress genes, the concentration of stress hormones increases, and more reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed. The next day plants display a reduced photosynthetic efficiency and show water-soaked lesions that ultimately may enter programmed cell death. The project was divided into three sections, in which (i) a basic characterization of parameters that play a role in photoperiod stress was to be carried out, (ii) the special role of the hormone jasmonic acid (JA) in the stress response was to be investigated, and (iii) access to the signaling pathway should be found through transcriptome analysis and the isolation of suppressor mutants. The main results are summarized in this report. In initial studies, the effect of stress was described in plants of different age and in different tissues. The investigation of the amount of light required for a stress effect and genetic analyses surprisingly showed an important role of chloroplasts in photoperiod stress. Furthermore, the light receptors CRY2 and to a lesser extent phyB have important functions. Stress induction is therefore dependent on two different light signaling pathways. Cytokinin formed in the root protects against photoperiod stress, whereas auxin promotes it. Preliminary results that demonstrated a particularly important role for jasmonate were refuted by a broad analysis of mutants of jasmonate synthesis and action. An independent second site mutation in the jasmonate synthesis mutant jar1-1 was the cause of the stress resistance originally found in this mutant. Further hormone measurements and transcriptome analyses showed that an important part of the stress response is dependent on salicylic acid (SA). The signaling protein NPR1 is essential for mediating part of the consequences of photoperiod stress. Furthermore, the transcriptome analyses showed a great similarity between the response to photoperiod stress and the response to pathogen attack. Plants pretreated with photoperiod stress were more resistant to subsequent pathogen attack. This opens up the possibility of using photoperiod stress treatment for plant protection in greenhouse crops. In genetic screens, suppressor mutants were isolated in particularly stress-sensitive genotypes and provisionally characterized. However, the relevant gene loci could as yet not be isolated due to time constraints. Overall, this project conducted an in-depth analysis of the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in the response to photoperiod stress, which contributed to a better understanding of this new abiotic stress syndrome.
Publications
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Cytokinin action in response to abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. Plant, Cell & Environment, 42(3), 998-1018.
Cortleven, Anne; Leuendorf, Jan Erik; Frank, Manuel; Pezzetta, Daniela; Bolt, Sylvia & Schmülling, Thomas
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The involvement of phytohormones, tissue and age in the response to photoperiod stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Doctoral thesis, Freie Universität Berlin
Frank, M.
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Light acts as a stressor and influences abiotic and biotic stress responses in plants. Plant, Cell & Environment, 44(3), 645-664.
Roeber, Venja M.; Bajaj, Ishita; Rohde, Mareike; Schmülling, Thomas & Cortleven, Anne
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Photoperiod stress induces an oxidative burst-like response and is associated with increased apoplastic peroxidase and decreased catalase activities. Journal of Plant Physiology, 253, 153252.
Abuelsoud, Walid; Cortleven, Anne & Schmülling, Thomas
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Root‐derived trans ‐zeatin cytokinin protects Arabidopsis plants against photoperiod stress. Plant, Cell & Environment, 43(11), 2637-2649.
Frank, Manuel; Cortleven, Anne; Novák, Ondřej & Schmülling, Thomas
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Photoperiod Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana Induces a Transcriptional Response Resembling That of Pathogen Infection. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13.
Cortleven, Anne; Roeber, Venja M.; Frank, Manuel; Bertels, Jonas; Lortzing, Vivien; Beemster, Gerrit T. S. & Schmülling, Thomas
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The Photoperiod Stress Response in Arabidopsis thaliana Depends on Auxin Acting as an Antagonist to the Protectant Cytokinin. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(6), 2936.
Frank, Manuel; Cortleven, Anne; Pěnčík, Aleš; Novak, Ondrej & Schmülling, Thomas
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The Photoperiod: Handling and Causing Stress in Plants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12.
Roeber, Venja M.; Schmülling, Thomas & Cortleven, Anne
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Factors affecting photoperiod stress: light quality and quantity, flowering pathway, and natural genetic background of Arabidopsis thaliana. Doctoral thesis, Freie Universität Berlin
Bajaj Hengge, I.
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Plastid- and photoreceptor-dependent signaling is required for the response to photoperiod stress. Journal of Plant Physiology, 306, 154429.
Bajaj Hengge, Ishita; Cortleven, Anne & Schmülling, Thomas
