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Recurrent drought stress triggers transcriptional reprogramming and epigenetic modifications in apple seedlings

ABSTRACT: Developing multiple stress-tolerant crops is the goal of many breeders in the current context of seasonal variability precipitated by the ongoing climate change. Among the most pressing stress, drought is becoming a major concern in many regions of the world. Plant responses to drought has been studied in many species, including perennial plants such as apple (Malus domestica); however, the effects of recurrent stress and the potential for stress memory, or priming, remain poorly described. Priming reflects the capacity of plants to “memorize” environmental stress experiences and potentially improve their responses to recurring stress. Such information may be retained through epigenetic modifications of DNA and associated histone proteins. This ability could enable training of plants to face future challenges. In this study, we explored the effects of recurrent drought stress on apple seedling morphology and investigated the transcriptomic and epigenetic changes in plants subjected to this treatment. Our results indicate that naïve apple seedlings can be primed upon first exposure to drought stress, and that primed plants respond differently to recurrent stress later in the season. Analyses of differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated regions further indicate that primed plants’ molecular responses differ significantly from plants exposed to drought stress for the first time. Finally, our results suggest that following a winter period, the previously induced priming effect may be partially lost. Overall, our study demonstrates the importance of studying recurrent stress to better understand the memory-associated mechanisms leading to morphological and gene expression alterations in perennial plants.

ORGANISM(S): Malus domestica

PROVIDER: GSE307875 | GEO | 2026/06/10

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Drought stress is a major problem around the world and although progress in understanding how vegetable crops and model plants adapt to drought have been made, there is still little information about how fruit crops deal with moderate drought stress. In this study, we investigated the response of two apple genotypes: a drought-sensitive genotype (M26) and a drought-tolerant genotype (MBB). Our results of the morphology, physiology and biochemistry under moderate drought stress, indicated that relative water content (RWC) and leaf area (LA) were not significant changes in two genotypes. However, it had larger leaf mass per area (LMA), and accumulated higher free proline (CFP), soluble sugars (CSS) and malonaldehyde (MDA) in the leaves. Thus, it appears that the MBB genotype could produce more osmosis-regulating substances. Phosphoproteomic was analyzed from leaves of both genotypes under moderate drought stress using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology. A total of 595 unique phosphopeptides, 682 phosphorylated sites and 446 phosphoproteins were quantitatively analyzed in the two genotypes. Motif analyses of the phosphorylation sites showed that six motifs including [PxsP], [sP], [sD], [Rxxs], [sxP] and [sxs] were enriched. We identified 12 and 48 PLSC phosphoproteins in M26 and MBB, respectively. Among these, 9 PLSC phosphoproteins were common to both genotypes, perhaps indicating a partial overlaps of the mechanisms to moderate drought stress. Gene ontology analyses revealed that the PLSC phosphoproteins present a unique combination of metabolism, transcription, translation and protein processing, suggesting that the response in apple to moderate drought stress encompasses a new homeostasis of major cellular processes. The basic trend was an increase in protein abundance related to drought and organic substance upon moderate drought stress between two genotypes. These increases were higher in the drought-tolerant genotype (MBB) than in the drought-sensitive genotype (M26). The 23 differentially expressed mRNA encoding phosphoproteins were analysis by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Our study is the first to address the phosphoproteome of a major fruit crop, apple rootstocks, in response to moderate drought stress, and provide insights into the molecular regulation mechanisms of apple rootstock under moderate drought stress.

Project description:Effects of heat priming applied to the first generation on tolerance of the successive generation to post-anthesis high temperature stress were investigated. Compared with the progeny of non-heat primed plants (NH), the progeny of heat-primed plants (PH) presented higher grain yield, leaf photosynthesis and activities of antioxidant enzymes and lower cell membrane damage under high temperature stress. In the transcriptome profile, 1430 probes showed obvious difference in expression between PH and NH. These genes were those of signal transduction, transcription, energy, defense, and protein destination and storage, respectively. Pot experiments (25 cm in diameter and 22 cm in depth) were conducted at the Experimental Station of Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China (32Ë30Ê¹N and 118Ë42Ê¹E). During the first generation, wheat plants were divided into two groups: one group were not primed (N) while the other were heat-primed (P) at pre-anthesis (at a day/night temperature of 32/28ËC for two days at the seven-leaf stage and the nine-leaf stage) and post-anthesis (34/30ËC for seven days at the 10th day after anthesis). At maturity, seeds from both groups were harvested. Seedlings (the progeny generation) from each group seed were further divided two sub-groups: one was subjected to high temperature stress at a day/night temperature of 34/30ËC, while the other was set at 26/22ËC for six days from the 10th day after anthesis (DAA). During both priming and high-temperature stress, plants under different treatments were moved into sepatarate growth chambers at preset temperatures. Thereafter, four treatments were established: NC, progeny of non-primed plants without post-anthesis high temperature stress; NH, progeny of non-primed plants with post-anthesis high temperature stress; PC, progeny of primed plants without post-anthesis high temperature stress; and PH, progeny of primed plants with post-anthesis high temperature stress.

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Recurrent drought stress triggers transcriptional reprogramming and epigenetic modifications in apple seedlings

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