The role of MicroRNAs in stress response in the resurrection plant Tripogon loliiformis

Research in this thesis focussed on the improvement of agricultural crops in increasing water use efficiency that impacts global crop productivity. The study identified key genetic regulatory mechanisms that the resurrection plant Tripogon loliiformis utilises to tolerate desiccation. Due to the conserved nature of the pathways involved, this information can be transferred for the enhancement of drought tolerance and water use efficiency in agricultural crops. Specifically this study used high throughput sequencing, microscopy and plant transformation to further the understanding of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. It was shown that T. loliiformis uses microRNAs to regulate pro-survival autophagy pathways to tolerate desiccation.

The resurrection plant Sporobolus stapfianus: An unlikely model for engineering enhanced plant biomass?

The resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus Gandoger can rapidly recover from extended periods of time in the desiccated state (water potential equilibrated to 2% relative humidity) (Gaff and Ellis, Bothalia 11:305–308 1974; Gaff and Loveys, Transactions of the Malaysian Society of Plant Physiology 3:286–287 1993). Physiological studies have been conducted in S. stapfianus to investigate the responses utilised by these desiccation-tolerant plants to cope with severe water-deficit. In a number of instances, more recent gene expression analyses in S. stapfianus have shed light on the molecular and cellular mechanisms mediating these responses. S. stapfianus is a versatile research tool for investigating desiccation-tolerance in vegetative grass tissue, with several useful characteristics for differentiating desiccation-tolerance adaptive genes from the many dehydration-responsive genes present in plants. A number of genes orthologous to those isolated from dehydrating S. stapfianus have been successfully used to enhance drought and salt tolerance in model plants as well as important crop species. In addition to the ability to desiccate and rehydrate successfully, the survival of resurrection plants in regions experiencing short sporadic rainfall events may depend substantially on the ability to tightly down-regulate cell division and cell wall loosening activities with decreasing water availability and then grow rapidly after rainfall while water is plentiful. Hence, an analysis of gene transcripts present in the desiccated tissue of resurrection plants may reveal important growth-related genes. Recent findings support the proposition that, as well as being a versatile model for devising strategies for protecting plants from water-loss, resurrection plants may be a very useful tool for pinpointing genes to target for enhancing growth rate and biomass production.

Trehalose accumulation triggers autophagy during plant desiccation

Global climate change, increasingly erratic weather and a burgeoning global population are significant threats to the sustainability of future crop production. There is an urgent need for the development of robust measures that enable crops to withstand the uncertainty of climate change whilst still producing maximum yields. Resurrection plants possess the unique ability to withstand desiccation for prolonged periods, can be restored upon watering and represent great potential for the development of stress tolerant crops. Here, we describe the remarkable stress characteristics of Tripogon loliiformis, an uncharacterised resurrection grass and close relative of the economically important cereals, rice, sorghum, and maize. We show that T. loliiformis survives extreme environmental stress by implementing autophagy to prevent Programmed Cell Death. Notably, we identified a novel role for trehalose in the regulation of autophagy in T.loliiformis. Transcriptome, Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, immunoblotting and confocal microscopy analyses directly linked the accumulation of trehalose with the onset of autophagy in dehydrating and desiccated T. loliiformis shoots. These results were supported in vitro with the observation of autophagosomes in trehalose treated T. loliiformis leaves; autophagosomes were not detected in untreated samples. Presumably, once induced, autophagy promotes desiccation tolerance in T.loliiformis , by removal of cellular toxins to suppress programmed cell death and the recycling of nutrients to delay the onset of senescence. These findings illustrate how resurrection plants manipulate sugar metabolism to promote desiccation tolerance and may provide candidate genes that are potentially useful for the development of stress tolerant crops.

Tripogon loliiformis elicits a rapid physiological and structural response to dehydration for desiccation tolerance

Resurrection plants can withstand extreme dehydration to an air-dry state and then recover upon receiving water. Tripogon loliiformis (F.Muell.) C.E.Hubb. is a largely uncharacterised native Australian desiccation-tolerant grass that resurrects from the desiccated state within 72 h. Using a combination of structural and physiological techniques the structural and physiological features that enable T. loliiformis to tolerate desiccation were investigated. These features include: - (i) a myriad of structural changes such as leaf folding, cell wall folding and vacuole fragmentation that mitigate desiccation stress; - (ii) potential role of sclerenchymatous tissue within leaf folding and radiation protection; - (iii) retention of ~70% chlorophyll in the desiccated state; - (iv) early response of photosynthesis to dehydration by 50% reduction and ceasing completely at 80 and 70% relative water content, respectively; - (v) a sharp increase in electrolyte leakage during dehydration, and; - (vi) confirmation of membrane integrity throughout desiccation and rehydration. Taken together, these results demonstrate that T. loliiformis implements a range of structural and physiological mechanisms that minimise mechanical, oxidative and irradiation stress. These results provide powerful insights into tolerance mechanisms for potential utilisation in the enhancement of stress-tolerance in crop plants.

牛耳草Bose hygrometrica 离体叶脱水-复水过程的光合作用及基因表达

本文以复苏植物牛耳草Boea hygrometrica成熟植株的离体叶片为试材，对比非复苏植物烟叶唇苣苔Chirita heterotricha, 以光合作用在脱水－复水过程中的变化为切入点，从生理水平上探讨其脱水保护位点：应用mRNA差异显示技术，从分子水平上探讨其脱水保护机制。 光合放氧速率、快速荧光诱导动力学、慢速荧光诱导动力学、荧光发射光谱、荧光激发谱的结果表明，相对于烟叶唇柱苣苔，脱水对牛耳草净光合速率、PS II和PS I光化学活性、电子传递、光合磷酸化及CO_2固定的影响有一个共同的特点，即脱水时迅速降低，复水后恢复能力强。通过非变性绿胶的研究牛耳草叶片类囊体膜叶绿素－蛋白复合体在脱水－复水过程中保持高度稳定。色素含量分析表明牛耳草的叶绿素含量在脱水－复水过程中也相对稳定。这些特征可能是牛耳草叶片光合作用脱水保护机制的一部分。 SDS－PAGE和IEF电泳结果表明，牛耳草脱水复苏过程中蛋白质表达有差异，或增或减，并分别发现了一条（SDS－PAGE）和两条（IEF）在脱水过程中特异出现的蛋白质。 本文以银染法代替放射自显影用于mRNA差异显示，不但简化了实验步骤，缩短了实验周期，而且在不降低灵敏度的前提下避免了放射性危害，降低了实验成本。本文证明了mRNA差异银染显示法用于复苏植物牛耳草脱水－复水过程中基因表达变化的研究是可行的。 mRNA差异银染显示法揭示牛耳草耐脱水复苏机制涉及到基因表达的调控。脱水－复水过程中差异表达的基因有6种，其中脱水特异诱导表达的13个cDNA所相应的基因、脱水上调节的15个cDNA所相应的基因可能参与牛耳草叶片脱水保护机制，复水特异诱导的8个cDNA的所相应基因可能参与牛耳草复水后的修复机制。2个脱水特异诱导表达的cDNA片段进行了克隆和测序。

牛耳草光合作用的脱水保护和复苏机理

本文以复苏植物牛耳草成熟植株的离体叶片为实验材料，以光合作用、蔗糖、抗氧化剂系统和离子渗漏等在脱水复苏过程中的变化为切入点，从生理生化水平上探讨其耐脱水复苏的机制;同时应用mRNA差异显示技术，从分子水平上探讨其耐脱水复苏的机制。 牛耳草叶片光系统II光化学活性参数和叶黄素循环色素在脱水复苏过程中的变化结果表明，极微弱光强（3μmol.m-2.s-1）下，脱水8天的牛耳草叶片诱导了叶黄素循环，叶黄素循环可能介导了牛耳草叶片脱水过程中的光保护作用。 利用不同浓度的磷酸盐溶液处理牛耳草叶片的结果表明，0.1mol/L以上的磷酸盐溶液对牛耳草叶片具有损伤作用，极大的影响了其光系统II的光化学活性，使得牛耳草叶片在脱水后不能很好的复苏。 牛耳草叶片在脱水复苏过程中，抗坏血酸（AsA）、还原型谷胱甘肽（GSH）和蔗糖含量在脱水时很快增加，复苏时又迅速恢复到原来水平，表明它们可能对脱水的牛耳草叶片具有保护作用，但对复苏的牛耳草叶片可能不重要;其离子渗漏情况表明质膜结构的完整性和稳定性在脱水复苏过程中能得到很好的保持，这可能是其耐脱水复苏的重要机制之一。 利用mRNA差异显示技术分离到牛耳草叶片脱水过程中一些脱水和磷酸盐特异诱导表达的cDNA。对其中5个脱水特异诱导表达和3个磷酸盐特异诱导表达的cDNA进行克隆测序、同源性探测和Northern 杂交检测表明，牛耳草脱水过程中诱导表达的基因可能涉及到脱水胁迫的信号转导、调节基因的级联和结构基因产物调节细胞结构在脱水胁迫中的稳定性等。

复苏植物牛耳草干旱诱导的ACC氧化酶及乙烯调控的引导蛋白基因的克隆、表达与功能分析

本文以耐旱的牛耳草(Boea hygrometirica)为材料，研究了乙烯合成关键酶之一——ACC氧化酶编码基因（BhACO1）在干旱复苏过程中的诱导表达及其编码蛋白的酶活，分析了乙烯在干旱复苏过程中的积累及其对叶片复苏能力的影响和对干旱诱导基因的调控，探讨了一个受乙烯调控的干旱诱导的引导蛋白编码基因（BhDIR1）的表达及其功能。 利用cDNA微阵列技术从牛耳草干旱2h的叶片中得到一个ACC氧化酶基因片段，经5’-RACE得到全长cDNA，命名为BhACO1。BhACO1包含317个氨基酸，与其它植物中的ACC氧化酶具有80%左右的序列相似性。BhACO1基因受乙烯和干旱诱导、但ACC氧化酶抑制剂氯化钴可抑制其干旱诱导表达。BhACO1基因受ABA、2,4-D、SA、H2O2、CaCl2、EGTA及热害和盐害的诱导，但不受冷害诱导。原核表达的GST-BhACO1融合蛋白在体内体外均表现出ACC氧化酶的活性，而过量表达BhACO1的转基因植物的蛋白提取物也表现出较野生型更强的ACC氧化酶活性。 乙烯在牛耳草叶片干旱复水过程中随着时间延长而逐步积累。外源乙烯可诱导叶片黄化，但不影响叶片在复水后的复苏能力;氯化钴处理可部分地抑制乙烯合成而降低牛耳草叶片在干旱过程中乙烯的释放量，同时导致叶片失去复苏能力。与对照相比，氯化钴处理的叶片在干旱时仍可维持较低的离子渗漏水平，但复水后发生大量离子外渗，表明细胞膜完整性也遭到破坏;光系统ІІ活性下降程度在干旱时与对照相似，但复水后完全丧失。 乙烯诱导牛耳草干旱响应基因BhDohb561，BhLEA2和BhDIR1的表达，但不影响牛耳草干旱响应基因BhCML1，BhGRP1，BhSGP和BhLEA1的表达。除BhLEA1外，上述基因在干旱过程中的诱导表达均可被氯化钴预处理所抑制，尤其是BhSGP最明显。 BhDIR1在牛耳草干旱复水过程中mRNA明显地积累，乙烯、ABA、CaCl2、EGTA、H2O2、SA和热害、冷害、盐害都可诱导其表达。BhDIR1编码一个199个氨基酸的小分子量蛋白质，与松柏等植物中发现的可能参与木质素合成的引导蛋白具有约20-30%的序列相似性。与其它引导蛋白相同，BhDIR1在N’端包含一个外泌的信号肽，GFP定位分析表明BhDIR1定位于细胞膜和壁上。 上述结果表明，乙烯在牛耳草叶片耐脱水复苏反应中有不可或缺的作用，而ACC氧化酶所催化的反应是干旱诱导的乙烯合成中的关键步骤。氯化钴预处理通过抑制干旱过程中的乙烯合成，影响一系列基因的干旱诱导表达导致叶片在生理水平和细胞水平上造成了损伤，或是使牛耳草失去了在复水过程中原有的修复能力而无法恢复生命力。BhDIR1作为乙烯调控的下游靶基因之一，可能通过调控木质素的单体间的连接方式而改变木质素的物理性质来影响细胞壁的机械强度和柔韧性，减少干旱对细胞造成的机械伤害。