Linking genome wide RNA sequencing with physio-biochemical and cytological responses to catalogue key genes and metabolic pathways for alkalinity stress tolerance in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus).

BACKGROUND: Alkaline soils cause low productivity in crop plants including lentil. Alkalinity adaptation strategies in lentil were revealed when morpho-anatomical and physio-biochemical observations were correlated with transcriptomics analysis in tolerant (PDL-1) and sensitive (L-4076) cultivars at seedling stage. RESULTS: PDL-1 had lesser salt injury and performed better as compared to L-4076. Latter showed severe wilting symptoms and higher accumulation of Na+ and lower K+ in roots and shoots. PDL-1 performed better under high alkalinity stress which can be attributed to its higher mitotic index, more accumulation of K+ in roots and shoots and less aberrantly dividing cells. Also, antioxidant enzyme activities, osmolytes' accumulation, relative water content, membrane stability index and abscisic acid were higher in this cultivar. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to these parameters were upregulated in tolerant genotypes compared to the sensitive one. Significantly up-regulated DEGs were found to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and secondary metabolites synthesis. ABA responsive genes viz. dehydrin 1, 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase, ABA-responsive protein 18 and BEL1-like homeodomain protein 1 had log2fold change above 4.0. A total of 12,836 simple sequence repeats and 4,438 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified which can be utilized in molecular studies. CONCLUSIONS: Phyto-hormones biosynthesis-predominantly through ABA signalling, and secondary metabolism are the most potent pathways for alkalinity stress tolerance in lentil. Cultivar PDL-1 exhibited high tolerance towards alkalinity stress and can be used in breeding programmes for improving lentil production under alkalinity stress conditions.

Evaluation of cytotoxic potential of chlorpyrifos using Lens culinaris Med as efficient bioindicator.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of different concentrations of chlorpyrifos (CPF), using L. culinaris apical cells as a biological indicator. L. culinaris seeds were exposed to different concentrations of chlorpyrifos (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 15 mg L-1) and a control solution based on distilled water. Subsequently, root growth was measured during 24, 48 and 72 h. Therefore, the mitotic index (MI) and the number of cellular abnormalities were determined at 72 h. According to the obtained results, a decrease in root size was observed in the concentrations of T5 (8 mg L-1) and T6 (10 mg L-1). On the other hand, it was evidenced that, through all the evaluated concentrations, the inhibition of mitosis in the concentrations of T5 (8 mg L-1), T6 (10 mg L-1) and T7 (15 mg L-1) was greater than 50%. Additionally, a variety of chromosomal abnormalities were reported, such as Micronuclei, sticky chromosomes in anaphase, chromosome disruption, irregular anaphase, nucleus absence, nuclear lesions, chromosomes grouped in metaphase, anaphase bridges, metaphase sticky chromosomes, present in all concentrations evaluated. Consequently, the presence of micronuclei in the concentrations of 8 mg L-1, 10 mg L-1 and 15 mg L-1 indicates that the CPF is a highly cytotoxic substance to L. culinaris. Therefore, L. culinaris is a plant species that offers a feasible experimental model to be implemented in laboratory studies with the purpose to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of pesticides.

Overexpression of a novel biotrophy-specific Colletotrichum truncatum effector, CtNUDIX, in hemibiotrophic fungal phytopathogens causes incompatibility with their host plants.

The hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum truncatum causes anthracnose disease on lentils and a few other grain legumes. It shows initial symptomless intracellular growth, where colonized host cells remain viable (biotrophy), and then switches to necrotrophic growth, killing the colonized host plant tissues. Here, we report a novel effector gene, CtNUDIX, from C. truncatum that is exclusively expressed during the late biotrophic phase (before the switch to necrotrophy) and elicits a hypersensitive response (HR)-like cell death in tobacco leaves transiently expressing the effector. CtNUDIX homologs, which contain a signal peptide and a Nudix hydrolase domain, may be unique to hemibiotrophic fungal and fungus-like plant pathogens. CtNUDIX lacking a signal peptide or a Nudix motif failed to induce cell death in tobacco. Expression of CtNUDIX:eGFP in tobacco suggested that the fusion protein might act on the host cell plasma membrane. Overexpression of CtNUDIX in C. truncatum and the rice blast pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, resulted in incompatibility with the hosts lentil and barley, respectively, by causing an HR-like response in infected host cells associated with the biotrophic invasive hyphae. These results suggest that C. truncatum and possibly M. oryzae elicit cell death to signal the transition from biotrophy to necrotrophy.

Hexavalent chromium disrupts mitosis by stabilizing microtubules in Lens culinaris root tip cells.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] is an accumulating environmental pollutant due to anthropogenic activities, toxic for humans, animals and plants. Therefore, the effects of Cr(VI) on dividing root cells of lentil (Lens culinaris) were investigated by tubulin immunofluorescence and DNA staining. In Cr(VI)-treated roots, cell divisions were perturbed, the chromosomes formed irregular aggregations, multinucleate cells were produced and tubulin clusters were entrapped within the nuclei. All cell cycle-specific microtubule (MT) arrays were affected, indicating a stabilizing effect of Cr(VI) on the MTs of L. culinaris. Besides, a time- and concentration-dependent gradual increase of acetylated α-tubulin, an indicator of MT stabilization, was observed in Cr(VI)-treated roots by both immunofluorescence and western blotting. Evidence is also provided that reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by Cr(VI), determined with the specific marker dichlorofluorescein, may be responsible for MT stabilization. Combined treatments with Cr(VI) and oryzalin revealed that Cr(VI) overcomes the depolymerizing ability of oryzalin, as it does experimentally introduced hydrogen peroxide, further supporting its stabilizing effect. In conclusion, it is suggested that the mitotic aberrations caused by Cr(VI) in L. culinaris root cells may be the result of MT stabilization rather than depolymerization, which consequently disturbs MT dynamics and their related functions.

Analysis of the distribution of copper amine oxidase in cell walls of legume seedlings.

Copper-containing amine oxidase (CuAO) has been proposed to play a role in H2O2 production in plant cell walls during cell development and in response to pathogen attack. We have compared the localisation of CuAO in pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris M.) and chick pea (Cicer arietinum L.) grown under different light conditions, using both immuno- and histochemical techniques. The enzyme was detected by indirect immunofluorescence in the cell walls of parenchyma tissues of etiolated pea and lentil plants and was particularly abundant at intercellular spaces. Upon de-etiolation, CuAO largely disappeared from cortical cell walls except in the region of intercellular spaces. In the apical internode of light-grown seedlings, CuAO occurred mainly in cortical cell walls and, to some extent, in cell walls of xylem vessels. In both the elongation zone and mature regions of roots, CuAO was restricted to cortical cell walls and some cell junctions close to the meristem. Extensin epitopes co-localised to intercellular spaces of the cortex in de-etiolated pea, indicating that CuAO may have a role in cell wall strengthening at intercellular spaces. In chick pea, the localisation of the enzyme varied between different cultivars that have differing susceptibility to the fungus Ascochyta rabiei. In a susceptible cultivar Calia, immunogold labelling localised CuAO to cell walls of the cortex, as in lentil and pea, while in a resistant cultivar Sultano, it was most abundant in xylem vessels and, in light-grown plants, in the epidermis. These expression patterns are discussed with regard to the possible functions of amine oxidase in cell growth, cell differentiation and pathogen resistance.