Project description:Many cyanobacteria can form nitrogen-fixing symbioses with a broad range of plant species. Unlike other plant-bacteria symbioses, little is understood about the immunological responses induced by plant cyanobionts (symbiotic cyanobacteria). Here, we used Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cell cultures as a model system to demonstrate that the model plant-symbiotic cyanobacteria, Nostoc punctiforme is capable of protecting against plant programmed cell death (PCD). We also profiled the early transcriptomic changes that were induced in response to conditioned medium (CM) from N. punctiforme cell cultures. Interestingly, the PCD reduction was preceded by the induction of genes associated with defence and immunity, the most striking of which were a number of WRKY-family transcription factors. Down-regulated included genes involved in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. This work is the first to show that a cyanobacteria can regulate plant PCD and provides a useful transcriptome resource for studying early plant cell responses to symbiotic cyanobacteria.
Project description:<p>Diazotrophic cyanobacteria have a pivotal role in nitrogen fixation and soil fertility in paddy ecosystems, yet their responses to soil acidity stress (SAS) remain elusive. This study investigated the physiological and metabolic mechanisms underlying acid tolerance in diazotrophic cyanobacteria by comparing an acid-resistant strain (Nostoc sp. AT-23S) and an acid-sensitive strain (Nostoc sp. AS-61S) under acidic (pH 4.68) and neutral (pH 7.0) soil conditions. The results demonstrated that AT-23S maintained cytoplasmic pH homeostasis, sustained high levels of photosynthetic efficiency and nitrogenase activity, and exhibited enhanced synthesis of tightly bound extracellular polysaccharides (TB-EPS) under acid stress. Metabolomic analysis revealed significant up-regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid (P5C) in AT-23S under acid stress; in contrast, AS-61S failed to maintain pH homeostasis, showed severe oxidative stress, and down-regulated GABA and P5C synthesis. The GABA was primarily originated from the putrescine degradation pathway, as confirmed by elevated diamine oxidase (DAO) activity and putrescine utilization rate. These findings demonstrate that the accumulation of GABA and P5C may be critical adaptive mechanism for acid tolerance in diazotrophic cyanobacteria, providing novel insights into their survival in acidic paddy soils.</p>