Project description:Acid rain is a global ecological issue severely threatening crop growth. Curcumin (CUR), a natural antioxidant, can enhance the tolerance of plants to abiotic stresses via physiological and molecular modes. As both medicine and food, Akebia trifoliata exhibits high economic value. The effects of acid rain stress on A. trifoliata and the mitigation potential of exogenous CUR remain unclear. To explore the impact of acid rain stress on A. trifoliata and the mitigation potential of exogenous CUR, we investigated the plant growth, physiological characteristics of leaves, anatomical structure, and gene expression of A. trifoliata under acid rain stress before and after treatment with exogenous CUR. The results indicated that under acid rain stress, the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and starch and thicknesses of upper and lower epidermis of leaves decreased by 58.16%, 77.88%, 64.77%, 63.85%, 58.93%, and 35.57%, respectively. Moreover, MDA, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and proline contents and production rate of oxygen free radicals increased by 82.55%, 43.20%, 44.55%, 64.40% and 345.77%, respectively. This suggested that acid rain stress affected the growth and development of A. trifoliata. A. trifoliata resisted acid rain stress by increasing SOD and CAT activities; thickness of leaf, palisade tissue, and spongy tissue; and ratio of palisade/spongy tissue. However, exogenous CUR could effectively facilitate plant growth, maintain integrity of anatomical structure of leaf, and relieve the damages to A. trifoliata caused by acid rain stress. Fifty μmol/L (CUR50) was the most optimal concentration. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that CUR0 vs Control, CUR50 vs Control, and CUR50 vs CUR0 had 2978, 3145, and 993 DEGs, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis demonstrated that these DEGs are mainly associated with pathways such as ribosome, oxidative phosphorylation, plant hormone signal transduction, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Collectively, this study, through physiological, anatomical, and transcriptomic analyses, elucidates the effects of acid rain stress on A. trifoliata and the mitigation potential of exogenous CUR, offering a theoretical foundation for the widespread cultivation of A. trifoliata and phytoremediation in acid rain-prone regions.
2025-04-10 | GSE294141 | GEO
