Overexpression of A Biotic Stress-Inducible Pvgstu Gene Activates Early Protective Responses in Tobacco under Combined Heat and Drought.

Drought and heat stresses are major factors limiting crop growth and productivity, and their effect is more devastating when occurring concurrently. Plant glutathione transferases (GSTs) are differentially expressed in response to different stimuli, conferring tolerance to a wide range of abiotic stresses. GSTs from drought-tolerant Phaseolus vulgaris var. "Plake Megalosperma Prespon" is expected to play an important role in the response mechanisms to combined and single heat and drought stresses. Herein, we examined wild-type N. tabacum plants (cv. Basmas Xanthi) and T1 transgenic lines overexpressing the stress-induced Pvgstu3-3 and Pvgstu2-2 genes. The overexpression of Pvgstu3-3 contributed to potential thermotolerance and greater plant performance under combined stress. Significant alterations in the primary metabolism were observed in the transgenic plants between combined stress and stress-free conditions. Stress-responsive differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and transcription factors (TFs) related to photosynthesis, signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism, osmotic adjustment and thermotolerance, were identified under combined stress. In contrast, induction of certain DEGs and TF families under stress-free conditions indicated that transgenic plants were in a primed state. The overexpression of the Pvgstu3-3 is playing a leading role in the production of signaling molecules, induction of specific metabolites and activation of the protective mechanisms for enhanced protection against combined abiotic stresses in tobacco.

Plant glutathione transferase-mediated stress tolerance: functions and biotechnological applications.

Plant glutathione transferases (EC 2.5.1.18, GSTs) are an ancient, multimember and diverse enzyme class. Plant GSTs have diverse roles in plant development, endogenous metabolism, stress tolerance, and xenobiotic detoxification. Their study embodies both fundamental aspects and agricultural interest, because of their ability to confer tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses and to detoxify herbicides. Here we review the biotechnological applications of GSTs towards developing plants that are resistant to biotic and abiotic stresses. We integrate recent discoveries, highlight, and critically discuss the underlying biochemical and molecular pathways involved. We elaborate that the functions of GSTs in abiotic and biotic stress adaptation are potentially a result of both catalytic and non-catalytic functions. These include conjugation of reactive electrophile species with glutathione and the modulation of cellular redox status, biosynthesis, binding, and transport of secondary metabolites and hormones. Their major universal functions under stress underline the potential in developing climate-resilient cultivars through a combination of molecular and conventional breeding programs. We propose that future GST engineering efforts through rational and combinatorial approaches, would lead to the design of improved isoenzymes with purpose-designed catalytic activities and novel functional properties. Concurrent GST-GSH metabolic engineering can incrementally increase the effectiveness of GST biotechnological deployment.

A role for katanin in plant cell division: microtubule organization in dividing root cells of fra2 and lue1Arabidopsis thaliana mutants.

Severing of microtubules by katanin has proven to be crucial for cortical microtubule organization in elongating and differentiating plant cells. On the contrary, katanin is currently not considered essential during cell division in plants as it is in animals. However, defects in cell patterning have been observed in katanin mutants, implying a role for it in dividing plant cells. Therefore, microtubule organization was studied in detail by immunofluorescence in dividing root cells of fra2 and lue1 katanin mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana. In both, early preprophase bands consisted of poorly aligned microtubules, prophase spindles were multipolar, and the microtubules of expanding phragmoplasts were elongated, bended toward and connected to the surface of daughter nuclei. Accordingly, severing by katanin seems to be necessary for the proper organization of these microtubule arrays. In both fra2 and lue1, metaphase/anaphase spindles and initiating phragmoplasts exhibited typical organization. However, they were obliquely oriented more frequently than in the wild type. It is proposed that this oblique orientation may be due to prophase spindle multipolarity and results in a failure of the cell plate to follow the predetermined division plane, during cytokinesis, producing oblique cell walls in the roots of both mutants. It is therefore concluded that, like in animal cells, katanin is important for plant cell division, influencing the organization of several microtubule arrays. Moreover, failure in microtubule severing indirectly affects the orientation of the division plane.