Lin Yuan, Jingzhi Wang, Rong Liu, Yuqi Tang, Di Wu, Ri Jin, Weihong Zhu
{"title":"Soil properties, climate, and topography jointly determine plant community characteristics in marsh wetlands.","authors":"Lin Yuan, Jingzhi Wang, Rong Liu, Yuqi Tang, Di Wu, Ri Jin, Weihong Zhu","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01593-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01593-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Various environmental conditions influence the characteristics of plant communities within wetlands. Although the influence of key environmental factors on plant community traits within specific types of wetland ecosystems has been studied extensively, how they regulate plant communities across marsh wetland types remains poorly understood. We examined how environmental conditions influence plant communities in marsh wetlands along the lower Tumen River in northeastern China. We collected and analyzed data on the plant community characteristics (species, height, and coverage), soil physicochemical properties (organic carbon, inorganic nitrogen, and sulfur), and climatic and topographic factors (temperature, precipitation, and elevation) of 56 distinct marsh plots (29 herbaceous, 14 shrub, and 13 forested marshes) to understand how these variables correlate with plant community characteristics across marsh types. The wetland plant diversity varied, with the lowest, intermediate, and highest diversity occurring in herbaceous, shrub, and forested marshes, respectively. Climate, topography, and soil properties had crucial influences on plant diversity and biomass. Structural equation modeling showed that, in herbaceous marshes, plant biomass was primarily determined by soil and plant diversity, with climate exerting an indirect effect. In shrub marshes, soil, climate, and plant diversity directly influenced biomass. In forest marshes, soil and plant diversity directly affected biomass, whereas climate and topography had indirect effects. These findings highlight the complex interactions among environmental factors across marsh ecosystems and their influence mechanisms on biomass, aiding in formulating effective conservation and restoration strategies for marsh wetland ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"37-50"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142604109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New insights into the evolution and function of the UMAMIT (USUALLY MULTIPLE ACIDS MOVE IN AND OUT TRANSPORTER) gene family.","authors":"Chenhao Cao, Xinbao Qiu, Zhongnan Yang, Yue Jin","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01596-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01596-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>UMAMIT proteins have been known as key players in amino acid transport. In Arabidopsis, functions of several UMAMITs have been characterized, but their precise mechanism, evolutionary history and functional divergence remain elusive. In this study, we conducted phylogenetic analysis of the UMAMIT gene family across key species in the evolutionary history of plants, ranging from algae to angiosperms. Our findings indicate that UMAMIT proteins underwent a substantial expansion from algae to angiosperms, accompanied by the stabilization of the EamA (the main domain of UMAMIT) structure. Phylogenetic studies suggest that UMAMITs may have originated from green algae and be divided into four subfamilies. These proteins first diversified in bryophytes and subsequently experienced gene duplication events in seed plants. Subfamily I was potentially associated with amino acid transport in seeds. Regarding subcellular localization, UMAMITs were predominantly localized in the plasma membrane and chloroplasts. However, members from clade 8 in subfamily III exhibited specific localization in the tonoplast. These members may have multiple functions, such as plant disease resistance and root development. Furthermore, our protein structure prediction revealed that the four-helix bundle motif is crucial in controlling the UMAMIT switch for exporting amino acid. We hypothesize that the specific amino acids in the amino acid binding region determine the type of amino acids being transported. Additionally, subfamily II contains genes that are specifically expressed in reproductive organs and roots in angiosperms, suggesting neofunctionalization. Our study highlights the evolutionary complexity of UMAMITs and underscores their crucial role in the adaptation and diversification of seed plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"3-17"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142622663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Toshihiro Watanabe, Nozomi Imai, Syuntaro Hiradate, Hayato Maruyama, Jun Wasaki
{"title":"Why can Palhinhaea cernua (lycophyte) grow closer to fumaroles in highly acidic solfatara fields?","authors":"Toshihiro Watanabe, Nozomi Imai, Syuntaro Hiradate, Hayato Maruyama, Jun Wasaki","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01587-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01587-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Palhinhaea cernua, a lycophyte, and Dicranopteris linearis, a fern, are commonly observed in solfatara fields in Kyushu, Japan, but their distribution trends are different. The aim of this study was to determine why P. cernua is more abundant in areas closer to fumaroles from both a soil and plant perspective. Samples of P. cernua and D. linearis, as well as their respective growing soils, were collected, and the mineral properties, including the concentration of various mineral elements and inorganic anions and δ<sup>15</sup>N, were determined. P. cernua was better adapted to soil with lower pH, higher soluble aluminum concentrations, and poorer calcium and phosphorus concentrations than D. linearis. A positive correlation was observed between shoot nitrogen concentration and both shoot sulfur concentration and soil water-soluble sulfur concentration in P. cernua, implying the involvement of sulfur in nitrogen acquisition in P. cernua. The results also suggested that D. linearis mainly uses soil NO<sub>3</sub>-N, while P. cernua uses NH<sub>4</sub>-N, which is predominant and excessive in the solfatara fields, particularly near the fumaroles. This high preference for NH<sub>4</sub>-N in P. cernua was confirmed through a cultivation experiment. While D. linearis prefers NO<sub>3</sub>-N and distributes further from fumaroles, P. cernua may have survived in the solfatara fields by utilizing NH<sub>4</sub>-N and sulfur, which are abundant near fumaroles where competition from other plant species is minimal.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"19-35"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142622667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Generation of viable hypomorphic and null mutant plants via CRISPR-Cas9 targeting mRNA splicing sites.","authors":"Mika Yoshimura, Takashi Ishida","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01597-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01597-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genetic analysis is important for modern plant molecular biology, and in this regard, the existence of specific mutants is crucial. While genome editing technologies, particularly CRISPR-Cas9, have revolutionized plant molecular biology by enabling precise gene disruption, knockout methods are ineffective for lethal genes, necessitating alternatives like gene knockdown. This study demonstrates the practical generation of a hypomorphic mutant allele, alongside severe null mutant alleles, via the targeting of mRNA splicing sites using CRISPR-Cas9. The Arabidopsis HIGH PLOIDY 2 (HPY2) encodes a yeast NSE2 ortholog, part of the conserved eukaryotic SMC5/6 complex, with SUMO E3 ligase activity essential for cell cycle progression and plant development. Loss-of-function HPY2 mutants exhibit severe dwarfism and seedling lethality, making functional analysis challenging. To overcome these limitations, we created HPY2 knockdown mutants as novel tools to investigate gene function. Of the three mutant alleles, the hpy2-cr1 and hpy2-cr2 mutants resembled the existing severe hpy2-1 allele, both harboring a single base pair insertion in one exon, causing significant root shortening and seedling lethality. In contrast, the hypomorphic mutant hpy2-cr3, which has a five bp deletion at an intron-exon junction, showed relatively longer root growth and survived until the reproductive stage. RT-PCR analysis of hpy2-cr3 revealed atypical mRNAs producing truncated polypeptides that retained some HPY2 function, explaining the milder phenotype. These results establish the successful generation of novel hypomorphic mutant alleles critical for studying the lethal gene HPY2, and demonstrate the usefulness of CRISPR-Cas9 for producing viable hypomorphic mutants for investigating complex genetic interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"189-196"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142643790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gabriela Brito Costa, Gustavo Júnio Santos Oliveira, João Paulo Souza
{"title":"Phenotypic plasticity does not prevent impairment of aboveground biomass production due to increased light and water deficit in Dimorphandra exaltata, an endangered species.","authors":"Gabriela Brito Costa, Gustavo Júnio Santos Oliveira, João Paulo Souza","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01598-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01598-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phenotypic plasticity may allow plant species to cope with environmental variability that influences plant growth and may limit the distribution of a species. The present study investigated the morphophysiology and phenotypic plasticity responses due to light and water variability of young Dimorphandra exaltata plants, an endemic threatened tree from the Atlantic Forest. After emergence, plants were grown in two light conditions: shading (70%) and full sun. At 160 days old, we measured chlorophyll a fluorescence, chlorophyll indices, and biomass allocation. Afterward, the plants were subdivided into two water regimes: irrigation vs suspension of irrigation. At 310 days old, morphophysiological measurements and stem water potential were taken. D. exaltata plants showed higher specific leaf area (SLA, 160 days old) and chlorophyll b (310 days old) under shading. Over time, plants under shading showed a decrease in SLA. Also, there was a decrease in the leaf area ratio in both light treatments and an increase in the phenotypic plasticity index. Even showing morphological adjustments to light and water deficit, the higher biomass allocation to roots at the expense of the aboveground part could impair the growth of young plants in understory areas. The phenotypic plasticity presented by D. exaltata does not guarantee that the species can withstand severe disturbance while maintaining normal development. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of ecosystem fragmentation and water variation and their impacts on the maintenance of species in their areas of occurrence, especially endangered species such as D. exaltata.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"51-64"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142710404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li Wang, Guohui Sun, Jia Wang, Hongyang Zhu, Yifeng Wu
{"title":"Systematic characterization of cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase members revealed classification and function divergence in Haplomitrium mnioides.","authors":"Li Wang, Guohui Sun, Jia Wang, Hongyang Zhu, Yifeng Wu","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01601-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01601-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD; EC 1.1.1.195) is considered to be a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis, which can catalyze cinnamyl aldehyde to produce cinnamyl alcohol. In this study, three putative CADs were characterized from the liverwort Haplomitrium mnioides. The sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis revealed that HmCADs belonged to a multigene family, with three HmCADs belonging to class II, class III, and class IV, respectively. In vitro enzymatic studies demonstrated that HmCAD2 exhibited high affinity and catalytic activity towards five cinnamyl aldehydes, followed by HmCAD3 with poor catalytic activity, and HmCAD1 catalyzed only the reaction of p-coumaryl aldehyde and coniferyl aldehyde with extremely low catalytic capacity. Protein-substrate binding simulations were performed to investigate the differences in catalytic activity exhibited when proteins catalyzed different substrates. Furthermore, distinct expression patterns of three HmCADs were identified in different plant tissues. Subcellular localization tests confirmed that HmCAD1/2/3 was located in the cytoplasm. The simulated responses of HmCADs to different stresses showed that HmCAD1 played a positive role in coping with each stress, while HmCAD2/3 was weak. These findings demonstrate the diversity of CADs in liverwort, highlight the divergent role of HmCAD1/2/3 in substrate catalysis, and also suggest their possible involvement in stress response, thereby providing new insights into CAD evolution while emphasizing their potential distinctive and collaborative contributions to the normal growth of primitive liverworts.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"173-187"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142750764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nikita K Lapshin, Michail S Piotrovskii, Marina S Trofimova
{"title":"How sterols affect protoplasts plasma membrane water permeability and their volume under osmotic shock.","authors":"Nikita K Lapshin, Michail S Piotrovskii, Marina S Trofimova","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01599-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01599-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Protoplasts isolated from Arabidopsis leaves were used to study the initial stages of the plant cell response to osmotic stress. The role of sterols in these processes was investigated by their extraction from the protoplast plasma membrane in the presence of the oligosaccharide - methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD). Depletion of membrane sterols caused by MβCD treatment did not alter protoplast volume under isosmotic conditions; however, volumes changed significantly when protoplasts were exposed to osmotic stress. Estimation of the plasma membrane water permeability coefficient (P<sub>os</sub>), calculated from the initial rate of protoplast osmotic shrinkage, showed that control suspension is characterized by a high dispersion of the P<sub>os</sub> values. However, P<sub>os</sub> became more homogeneous after plasma membrane sterol depletion. Protoplasts were stained with FM 1-43 to assess how sterol extraction affects vesicular transport under osmotic shock. In order to determine the protoplast non-osmotic volume (V<sub>b</sub>) steady-state volumes at different external osmolarities were fitted with linear dependences of the Boyle-van't Hoff (BVH) plot. It was found that sterol extraction is accompanied by a change in the slope of the BVH plot and a decrease in the apparent V<sub>b</sub>. Several possible mechanisms behind the change in the protoplast volume and plasma membrane P<sub>os</sub> regulation by sterols under osmotic stress are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"161-172"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142750661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andrea A Zanini, Martin C Dominguez, Marianela S Rodríguez
{"title":"Exploring sugar allocation and metabolic shifts in cassava plants infected with Cassava common mosaic virus (CsCMV) under long-day photoperiod: diel changes in source and sink leaves.","authors":"Andrea A Zanini, Martin C Dominguez, Marianela S Rodríguez","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01595-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01595-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cassava common mosaic virus (CsCMV) is a potexvirus that impairs chloroplast and metabolism, causing significant yield losses to cassava crops. Crop yield depends on diel rhythms, influencing carbon allocation and growth, and sugar signaling also impacting light-dark rhythms. This study aimed to elucidate the early impact of CsCMV infection on diel carbon allocation, metabolism, and defense mechanisms in both source and sink cassava leaves before storage root bulking. Soluble sugar and starch concentrations were examined over a 24-h cycle (16:8 photoperiod) in CsCMV-infected plants. The expression of an array of genes-carbohydrate metabolism, SnRK1 activity marker, defense, circadian marker-was analyzed at ZT6, ZT16 and ZT24/ZT0. In CsCMV-infected source leaves, at ZT6, sucrose increased whereas glucose, fructose and sucrose rose at night. An increase in Suc:hexose ratio and upregulation of SnRK1 activity marker genes and PR1 transcripts were found in infected leaves, suggesting a combination of altered carbon metabolism and defense response mechanisms against the viral infection. GIGANTEA, a clock-controlled gene, showed a reduced expression in infected leaves at ZT6 and ZT24/ZT0, suggesting a circadian phase shift compared with uninfected control plants. Additionally, starch mobilization transcripts were downregulated at ZT24/ZT0, though starch content remained unchanged during the 24-h cycle. In sink leaves, a transient peak of maltose (ZT6) was observed. Our findings suggest that CsCMV disrupts the plant's natural rhythms of sugar metabolism and allocation. Spikes in sucrose levels may serve as infection signals in the internal daily clock of the plant, influencing plant responses during the cassava-CsCMV interaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"131-145"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142667837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative transcriptome reveals lignin biosynthesis being the key molecular pathway regulating oilseed rape growth treated by SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs and biochar.","authors":"Ziming Wang, Ziyue Wang, Zhaodi Zhang, Qiong Lu, Yikun Sheng, Xiangyuan Song, Ruipeng Huo, Juyuan Wang, Sheng Zhai","doi":"10.1007/s10265-024-01590-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10265-024-01590-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biochar and SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs are effective soil conditioners, but the impacts and mechanisms of combined application in oilseed rape are not yet clear. Therefore, an experiment was designed to investigate oilseed rape growth, physiological indexes, and transcriptome sequencing under four treatments: control (CK), Platanus orientalis L. leaf biochar (B), SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs (S), and BS. Our results showed that B, S and BS treatments all promoted the root growth, root activity and biomass of oilseed rape, especially the root length and fresh weight in BS, which were increased by 77.48% and 279.07%, respectively. Moreover, the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of B and BS were similar, and the tyrosine-like substance proportion in B, S and BS increased from 7.8 to 9.4%, 10.2% and 19.5%, respectively. In transcriptome analysis, there were 10,280 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) shared in B and BS, 3431 DEGs shared in S and BS, and 2815 DEGs shared in B, S and BS. We also found that B, S and BS all regulated oilseed rape growth by inducing the lignin biosynthesis and the relevant genes encoding BBE-like, BGL, UDP in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway. The results provide gene regulation associated with the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis applying the biochar and SiO<sub>2</sub> NPs, which can be used to increase biomass.</p>","PeriodicalId":16813,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Plant Research","volume":" ","pages":"147-159"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142622640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}