WHIRLY proteins maintain seed longevity by effects on seed oxygen signalling during imbibition

The WHIRLY (WHY) family of DNA/RNA binding proteins fulfil multiple but poorly characterised functions in plants. We analysed WHY protein functions in the Arabidopsis Atwhy1, Atwhy3, Atwhy1why3 single and double mutants and wild type controls. The Atwhy3 and Atwhy1why3 double mutants showed a significant delay in flowering, having more siliques per plant but with fewer seeds per silique than the wild type. While germination was similar in the unaged high-quality seeds of all lines, significant decreases in vigour and viability were observed in the aged mutant seeds compared with the wild type. Imbibition of unaged high-quality seeds was characterised by large increases in transcripts that encode proteins involved in oxygen sensing and responses to hypoxia. Seed aging resulted in a disruption of the imbibition-induced transcriptome profile such that transcripts encoding RNA metabolism and processing became the most abundant components of the imbibition signature. The imbibition-related profile of the Atwhy1why3 mutant seeds, was characterised by decreased expression of hypoxia-related and oxygen metabolism genes even in the absence of aging. Seed aging further decreased the abundance of hypoxia-related and oxygen metabolism transcripts relative to the wild type. These findings suggest that the WHY1 and WHY3 proteins regulate the imbibition-induced responses to oxygen availability and hypoxia. Loss of WHY1 and WHY3 functions decreases the ability of Arabidopsis seeds to resist the adverse effects of seed aging

Salt stress induced damages on the photosynthesis of physic nut young plants

Salinity is a major limiting factor to crop productivity in the world especially in semiarid regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the photosynthetic resistance of Jatropha curcas (L.) young plants subjected to salt stress. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design with treatments in a 2 x 3 factorial: two NaCl levels (0 and 100 mmol L-1) and three harvest times: 7 and 14 days of salt exposure and three days of recovery. Leaf Na+ and Cl-concentrations and the K+/Na+ ratios, after seven days of salt exposure, did not reach ionic toxic levels, suggesting that the NaCl-induced osmotic effects prevailed over the ionic ones. Under this condition, the salt stress caused reduction in leaf gas exchange parameters, such as CO2 fixation, stomatal conductance and transpiration. In contrast, salt stress did not change the photochemical efficiency of photossystem II. Conversely, after 14 days of treatment, Na+ and Clions reached very high concentrations, up to toxic levels in leaves. Under such conditions, both leaf gas exchange and photochemistry suffered strong impairment probably caused by ionic toxicity. The recovery treatment for 3d did not significantly decrease the leaf salt concentrations and no improvement was observed in the photosynthetic performance. Physic nut young plants are sensitive to high NaCl-salinity conditions, with high leaf Na+ and Cl- concentrations, low K+/Na+ ratio and great photosynthetic damages due to stomatal and biochemical limitations.A salinidade é um dos principais fatores que limitam a produtividade das culturas no mundo principalmente em regiões semiáridas. Avaliou-se a resistência da fotossíntese de plantas jovens de pinhãomanso (Jatropha curcas L.) submetidas ao estresse salino. O experimento foi realizado em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com tratamentos em fatorial 2 x 3: duas concentrações de NaCl (0 e 100 mmol L-1) e três tempos de avaliação (7 e 14 dias de exposição e três dias de recuperação). As concentrações de Na+ e Cl- e a relação K+/Na+ nas folhas, após sete dias de exposição ao sal, não indicaram níveis tóxicos, sugerindo os efeitos osmóticos induzidos pelo NaCl prevaleceram sobre as causas iônicas. Sob essas condições, o estresse salino causou redução nos parâmetros de trocas gasosas, como fixação de CO2, condutância estomática e transpiração, mas ao contrário, não alterou a eficiência fotoquímica do fotossistema II. Após 14 dias de tratamento, os íons salinos atingiram concentrações muito elevadas nas folhas, provavelmente atingindo níveis tóxicos. Em tais condições, as trocas gasosas e a atividade fotoquímica sofreram forte redução causada pelo estresse iônico. O tratamento de recuperação não induziu queda intensa nas concentrações dos íons salinos nas folhas e nenhuma melhoria foi observada no desempenho fotossintético. Plantas jovens de pinhão manso são sensíveis a condições de salinidade elevada por NaCl, mostrando altas concentrações de Na+ e Cl-, baixa razão K+/Na+ e danos fotossintéticos intensos causados tanto por limitações estomáticas como por limitações bioquímicas