Stress Memory and the Inevitable Effects of Drought: A Physiological Perspective

Plants grow and develop by adjusting their physiology to changes in their environment. Changes in the abiotic environment occur over years, seasons and days, but also over minutes and even seconds. In this ever-changing environment, plants may adjust their structure and function rapidly to optimize growth and reproduction. Plant responses to reiterated drought (i.e. repeated cycles of drought) differ from those to single incidences of drought; in fact, in nature, plants are usually exposed to repeated cycles of drought that differ in duration and intensity. Nowadays, there is increased interest in better understanding mechanisms of plant response to reiterated drought due, at least in part, to the discovery of epigenomic changes that trigger drought stress memory in plants. Beyond epigenomic changes, there are, however, other aspects that should be considered in the study of plant responses to reiterated drought: from changes in other omics approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics), to changes in plant structure; all of which may help us to better understand plant stress memory and its underlying mechanisms. Here, we present an example in which reiterated drought affects the pigment composition of leaves in the ornamental plant Silene dioica and discuss the importance of structural changes (in this case in the photosynthetic apparatus) for the plant response to reiterated drought; they represent a stress imprint that can affect plant response to subsequent stress episodes. Emphasis is placed on the importance of considering structural changes, in addition to physiological adjustments at the omics level, to understand stress memory i

Stress memory and the inevitable effects of drought: A physiological perspective

Plants grow and develop by adjusting their physiology to changes in their environment. Changes in the abiotic environment occur over years, seasons, and days, but also over minutes and even seconds. In this ever-changing environment, plants may adjust their structure and function rapidly to optimize growth and reproduction. Plant responses to reiterated drought (i.e., repeated cycles of drought) differ from those to single incidences of drought; in fact, in nature, plants are usually exposed to repeated cycles of drought that differ in duration and intensity. Nowadays, there is increased interest in better understanding mechanisms of plant response to reiterated drought due, at least in part, to the discovery of epigenomic changes that trigger drought stress memory in plants. Beyond epigenomic changes, there are, however, other aspects that should be considered in the study of plant responses to reiterated drought: from changes in other 'omics' approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), to changes in plant structure; all of which may help us to better understand plant stress memory and its underlying mechanisms. Here, we present an example in which reiterated drought affects the pigment composition of leaves in the ornamental plant Silene dioica and discuss the importance of structural changes (in this case in the photosynthetic apparatus) for the plant response to reiterated drought; they represent a stress imprint that can affect plant response to subsequent stress episodes. Emphasis is placed on the importance of considering structural changes, in addition to physiological adjustments at the 'omics' level, to understand stress memory in plants better

Evidence of drought stress memory in the facultative CAM, Aptenia cordifolia: Possible role of phytohormones

Although plant responses to drought stress have been studied in detail in several plant species, including CAM plants, the occurrence of stress memory and possible mechanisms for its regulation are still very poorly understood. In an attempt to better understand the occurrence and possible mechanisms of regulation of stress memory in plants, we measured the concentrations of phytohormones in Aptenia cordifolia exposed to reiterated drought, together with various stress indicators, including leaf water contents, photosynthesis and mechanisms of photo- and antioxidant protection. Results showed that plants exposed to drought stress responded differently if previously challenged with a first drought. Gibberellin levels decreased upon exposure to the first drought and remained lower in double-stressed plants compared with those exposed to stress for the first time. In contrast, abscisic acid levels were higher in double- than single-stressed plants. This occurred in parallel with alterations in hydroperoxide levels, but not with malondialdehyde levels, thus suggesting an increased oxidation state that did not result in oxidative damage in double-stressed plants. It is concluded that (i) drought stress memory occurs in double-stressed A. cordifolia plants, (ii) both gibberellins and abscisic acid may play a role in plant response to repeated periods of drought, and (iii) changes in abscisic acid levels in double-stressed plants may have a positive effect by modulating changes in the cellular redox state with a role in signalling, rather than cause oxidative damage to the cell

Low Seroprevalence of West Nile Virus in Blood Donors from Catalonia, Spain

West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging arbovirus first recognized in Europe in the 1950s. Since then, outbreaks have been reported in several European countries. In 2010, the first WNV outbreak was recorded in Spain, affecting the southern part of the country. We conducted a seroprevalence study in the Catalonia region (northeastern Spain), an area considered at high risk of arbovirus transmission. A total of 800 serum samples from blood donors were collected and screened for antibodies against WNV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and confirmed by a microneutralization assay. More than 50 samples tested positive by ELISA, but only one sample contained neutralizing antibodies against WNV and was obtained from a donor native of Pakistan. The low seroprevalence detected may serve as reference baseline data for monitoring WNV activity in our region in future years

Mecanismos de protección frente al déficit hídrico reiterado en plantas

[spa] En esta tesis doctoral se estudian los mecanismos que las plantas pueden disponer para hacer frente al déficit hídrico reiterado, ya que en la naturaleza los ciclos repetidos de estrés son mucho más frecuentes que un solo periodo de estrés. La sequía es uno de los estreses ambientales que más afectan al crecimiento y desarrollo de las plantas, siendo el estrés abiótico el que más limita la producción de los cultivos. Además según los modelos climáticos actuales, la sequía va a seguir incrementando. Para resistir estos ciclos de estrés las plantas disponen de mecanismos que les ayudan a hacer frente a las consecuencias de la sequía, como son el incremento de ácido abscísico, la fotoprotección y protección antioxidante, y la memoria. La memoria es la capacidad de las plantas de responder mejor frente a un estrés tras haber estado previamente expuestas a dicho estrés. La memoria se puede dar tanto a nivel morfológico/estructural (como se aprecia en la reducción del tamaño de la antena de los cloroplastos indicado por la relación clorofila a/b), como a nivel bioquímico como se puede apreciar en los niveles de ácido abscísico. Plantas de Aptenia cordifolia previamente expuestas a la sequía mostraron mayores niveles de ácido abscísico y un tamaño menor de la antena del fotosistema II que las plantas expuestas a sequía por primera vez. La reducción en el tamaño de la antena también se observó en Silene dioica. El incremento en los niveles de ácido abscísico permite reducir la transpiración e inducir la síntesis de moléculas osmoprotectoras, y la reducción en el tamaño de la antena permite reducir la luz recibida por los fotosistemas, ya que el déficit hídrico suele darse en condiciones de exceso de luz cuando este sucede simultáneamente a un aumento en las temperaturas y la radiación solar, algo habitual en climas mediterráneos. A pesar de los mecanismos de disipación del exceso de la energía en los cloroplastos, como el ciclo de las xantofilas, es inevitable que en momentos de estrés se incremente la producción de especies reactivas de oxigeno (ROS). Para hacer frente a estas moléculas, es decir para encargarse de la fotoprotección, las plantas disponen de antioxidantes como los tococromanoles o carotenoides que son los antioxidantes lipofílicos más abundantes en cloroplastos. Tras déficits hídricos reiterados, en plantas de maíz se observó un incremento del 65% en los niveles de plastocromanol-8 (PC-8), un tococromanol del que aún no se conocía si aumentaba en condiciones de sequía, siendo además su cantidad el 25% de los tococromanoles totales. Sugiriendo estos resultados que el primer estrés ayudó a prevenir el daño en el fotosistema II con un incremento en la cantidad de tococromanoles, como indica la mejora de Fv/Fm en las plantas en el segundo estrés pese a tener un menor contenido hídrico relativo. Por último se estudió si la melatonina, una molécula con propiedades antioxidantes y reguladoras del crecimiento y desarrollo, ejercía un papel protector frente al déficit hídrico reiterado en plantas de maíz, y si actuaba como regulador o como hormona. Los resultados sugirieron que la melatonina endógena podría actuar como una hormona pero que aplicada exógenamente en el agua de riego en grandes cantidades podría ejercer un papel protector como antioxidante. En conclusión, las plantas tienen diferentes mecanismos para aclimatarse a las nuevas condiciones como la memoria, la regulación hormonal, la protección antioxidante y la fotoprotección.[eng] Plant responses to reiterated drought differ from those to single drought exposure, and in nature plants are usually exposed to repeated cycles of drought. Plants have different mechanisms to withstand reiterated drought, as plant stress memory, antioxidants, photoprotection and phytohormones. Stress memory is the capacity of the organism to respond better to a given stress factor when individuals have already been challenged previously with the same stimulus, relative to those that have not been exposed to the stress before. Stress memory mechanisms were observed in the three species studied, Aptenia cordifolia, Silene dioica and Zea mays. In A. cordifolia, morphological adjustments were observed, as cahnges in the pigment composition leading to reductions of the light harvest complex (to increase photoprotection), as well as biochemical mechanisms, as the modulation of phytohomone contents (increases of abscisic acid). Apart of the reduction of the light harvest complex (also observed in S. dioica), lipophilic antioxidants such as tocochromanols and carotenoids have a role in photoprotection. In maize plants, an increase in tococromanols, including plastocromanol-8, was observed under reiterated drought, suggesting acclimation to prevent photoinhibitory damage, as indicated by the improvement of Fv/Fm despite lower relative water content in double-stressed plants. Also, it was studied if melatonin, an antioxidant and regulator, exerts a protective role against reiterated drought in maize. Results suggest that endogenous melatonin may have a protective role acting as a phytohormone, but applications of high amounts of melatonin may exert a protective role as an antioxidant. In conclusion, plants are able to acclimate to the new conditions (drought in this case) though various mechanisms, including memory, hormone regulation, antioxidant protection and photoprotection

Stress memory and the inevitable effects of drought: A physiological perspective

Plants grow and develop by adjusting their physiology to changes in their environment. Changes in the abiotic environment occur over years, seasons, and days, but also over minutes and even seconds. In this ever-changing environment, plants may adjust their structure and function rapidly to optimize growth and reproduction. Plant responses to reiterated drought (i.e., repeated cycles of drought) differ from those to single incidences of drought; in fact, in nature, plants are usually exposed to repeated cycles of drought that differ in duration and intensity. Nowadays, there is increased interest in better understanding mechanisms of plant response to reiterated drought due, at least in part, to the discovery of epigenomic changes that trigger drought stress memory in plants. Beyond epigenomic changes, there are, however, other aspects that should be considered in the study of plant responses to reiterated drought: from changes in other 'omics' approaches (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics), to changes in plant structure; all of which may help us to better understand plant stress memory and its underlying mechanisms. Here, we present an example in which reiterated drought affects the pigment composition of leaves in the ornamental plant Silene dioica and discuss the importance of structural changes (in this case in the photosynthetic apparatus) for the plant response to reiterated drought; they represent a stress imprint that can affect plant response to subsequent stress episodes. Emphasis is placed on the importance of considering structural changes, in addition to physiological adjustments at the 'omics' level, to understand stress memory in plants better

Evidence of Drought Stress Memory in the Facultative CAM, Aptenia cordifolia: Possible Role of Phytohormones.

Although plant responses to drought stress have been studied in detail in several plant species, including CAM plants, the occurrence of stress memory and possible mechanisms for its regulation are still very poorly understood. In an attempt to better understand the occurrence and possible mechanisms of regulation of stress memory in plants, we measured the concentrations of phytohormones in Aptenia cordifolia exposed to reiterated drought, together with various stress indicators, including leaf water contents, photosynthesis and mechanisms of photo- and antioxidant protection. Results showed that plants exposed to drought stress responded differently if previously challenged with a first drought. Gibberellin levels decreased upon exposure to the first drought and remained lower in double-stressed plants compared with those exposed to stress for the first time. In contrast, abscisic acid levels were higher in double- than single-stressed plants. This occurred in parallel with alterations in hydroperoxide levels, but not with malondialdehyde levels, thus suggesting an increased oxidation state that did not result in oxidative damage in double-stressed plants. It is concluded that (i) drought stress memory occurs in double-stressed A. cordifolia plants, (ii) both gibberellins and abscisic acid may play a role in plant response to repeated periods of drought, and (iii) changes in abscisic acid levels in double-stressed plants may have a positive effect by modulating changes in the cellular redox state with a role in signalling, rather than cause oxidative damage to the cell

Evidence of drought stress memory in the facultative CAM, Aptenia cordifolia: Possible role of phytohormones

Although plant responses to drought stress have been studied in detail in several plant species, including CAM plants, the occurrence of stress memory and possible mechanisms for its regulation are still very poorly understood. In an attempt to better understand the occurrence and possible mechanisms of regulation of stress memory in plants, we measured the concentrations of phytohormones in Aptenia cordifolia exposed to reiterated drought, together with various stress indicators, including leaf water contents, photosynthesis and mechanisms of photo- and antioxidant protection. Results showed that plants exposed to drought stress responded differently if previously challenged with a first drought. Gibberellin levels decreased upon exposure to the first drought and remained lower in double-stressed plants compared with those exposed to stress for the first time. In contrast, abscisic acid levels were higher in double- than single-stressed plants. This occurred in parallel with alterations in hydroperoxide levels, but not with malondialdehyde levels, thus suggesting an increased oxidation state that did not result in oxidative damage in double-stressed plants. It is concluded that (i) drought stress memory occurs in double-stressed A. cordifolia plants, (ii) both gibberellins and abscisic acid may play a role in plant response to repeated periods of drought, and (iii) changes in abscisic acid levels in double-stressed plants may have a positive effect by modulating changes in the cellular redox state with a role in signalling, rather than cause oxidative damage to the cell

Endogenous concentrations of gibberellin 4 (GA₄), and its precursors, gibberellin 9 (GA₉) and gibberellin 24 (GA₂₄) in leaves of <i>A</i>. <i>cordifolia</i>.

<p>Data represent the mean ± SE of <i>n</i> = 7 individuals. Significant differences between groups were tested by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan posthoc tests.</p

<i>P</i> values of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test the effect of treatment, sampling time and its interaction on the levels of phytohormones in leaves of <i>A</i>. <i>cordifolia</i>.

<p>IAA, indole-3-acetic acid; iPA, isopentenyl adenosine; 2iP, isopentenyl adenine; Z, zeatin; ZR, zeatin riboside; SA, salicylic acid; JA, jasmonic acid. NS, not significant (<i>P</i>>0.050).</p><p><i>P</i> values of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test the effect of treatment, sampling time and its interaction on the levels of phytohormones in leaves of <i>A</i>. <i>cordifolia</i>.</p