Imaging of Chlorophyll a Fluorescence: A Tool to Study Abiotic Stress in Plants

In normal physiological conditions the fate of absorbed light by photosynthetic pigment is utilized for photosynthetic quantum conversion and only a small portion is de-excited via emission as heat or red and far-red chlorophyll fluorescence. By contrast, under many stress conditions the photosynthetic quantum conversion declines and concomitantly the chlorophyll fluorescence emission increases. For this reason, chlorophyll fluorescence analysis has long been an important tool for the estimation of a range of photosynthetic parameters in leaves. However, it is also known that changes in photosynthetic activity within leaves can be heterogeneous. In fact, the image of chlorophyll fluorescence have been revealed a heterogeneous response to changing light intensity, freezing, fungal or viral infection, ozone, water stress. For this reason, one of the major disadvantages of conventional chlorophyll fluorescence measurements is that it provides information only on a single leaf spot and is not representative of the physiological status of the whole leaf. By contrast, chlorophyll fluorescence imaging can allow detection of the early stages of many different types of stress, in particular when leaf samples are characterised by a large surface heterogeneity of chlorophyll fluorescence emission. Our research group studied from many years on the effect of biotic and abiotic stress on photosynthetic process. in this work we report some results that our research group have obtained. In particular we describe the effect of different abiotic stress on photosynthetic performance of some plant species

How Does Chloroplast Protect Chlorophyll Against Excessive Light?

Chlorophylls (Chls) are the most abundant plant pigments on Earth. Chls are located in the membrane of thylakoids where they constitute the two photosystems (PSII and PSI) of terrestrial plants, responsible for both light absorption and transduction of chemical energy via photosynthesis. The high efficiency of photosystems in terms of light absorption correlates with the need to protect themselves against absorption of excess light, a process that leads to the so-called photoinhibition. Dynamic photoinhibition consists of the downregulation of photosynthesis quantum yield and a series of photo-protective mechanisms aimed to reduce the amount of light reaching the chloroplast and/or to counteract the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can be grouped in: (i) the first line of chloroplast defence: non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), that is, the dissipation of excess excitation light as heat, a process that takes place in the external antennae of PSII and in which other pigments, that is carotenoids, are directly involved; (ii) the second line of defence: enzymatic antioxidant and antioxidant molecules that scavenge the generated ROS; alternative electron transport (cyclic electron transport, pseudo-cyclic electron flow, chlororespiration and water-water cycle) can efficiently prevent the over-reduction of electron flow, and reduced ferredoxin (Fd) plays a key role in this context

Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Photoinhibition and Abiotic Stress: Does it Make Any Difference the Fact to Be a C3 or C4 Species?

Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis is one of the most powerful and widely used techniques to study the effect of stresses on the photosynthetic process. From the first utilization, the Fv/Fm ratio has been largely used as a sensitive indicator of plant photosynthetic performance. Decreases of this index are indicative of the reduction of photosystem II (PSII) efficiency, namely photoinhibition. In the last 20 years, application of chlorophyll fluorescence has been largely improved, and many other informative parameters have been established to detect PSII photochemical efficiency and the partitioning of light energy to alternative dissipative mechanisms (qE, energy-dependent quenching; qZ, zeaxanthin-dependent quenching and qI, photoinhibitory quenching; qH, sustained photoprotective antenna quenching; qM, quenching dependent to chloroplast movement; qT, light harvesting complexes II–I state-transition) such as the recently developed “photoprotective power” of non-photochemical quenching (pNPQ). This review reports a brief description of the main chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and a wide analysis of the current bibliography on the use of different parameters which are useful to detect events of PSII photoinhibition. In addition, in view of the inherent differences in morpho-anatomical, physiological and biochemical features between C3 and C4 metabolism, possible differences in terms of photoinhibition between C3 and C4 plant species under stress conditions are proposed. The attempt is to highlight the limits of their comparison in terms of susceptibility to photoinhibition and to propose direction of future research which, assisted by chlorophyll fluorescence, should improve the knowledge of the different sensitivity of C3 and C4 to abiotic stressors

Impact of nitrogen supply on growth, steviol glycosides and photosynthesis in Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

This work investigated the agronomic, physiological and biochemical response of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni grown under different nitrogen (N) rates. A pot trial in open air conditions was set up in 2012 with the aim to evaluate the effect of four N rates on the biometric and productive characteristics, steviol glycoside (SG) content as well as on leaf gas exchanges, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic pigments, Rubisco activity and N use efficiency. N deficiency caused a decrease in leaf N content, chlorophylls and photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, resulting in a lower dry matter accumulation as well as in reduced SG production. The application of 150 kgNha21 seems to be the most effective treatment to improve rebaudioside A (Reb A) content, Reb A/stevioside ratio, photosynthetic CO2 assimilation, stomatal conductance, N use efficiency, ribulose-1,5-bis-phosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and PSII efficiency. The results demonstrate that by using an appropriate N rate it is possible to modulate the SG biosynthesis, with a significant increase in the Reb A content and in the ratio between Reb A and stevioside. This finding is of great relevance in order to obtain a raw material designed to meet consumer needs and bio-industry requirements for high-quality, Reb A content, and safe and environmentally friendly products

The Neural Correlates of Spatial and Object Working Memory in Elderly and Parkinson’s Disease Subjects

This fMRI study deals with the neural correlates of spatial and objects working memory (SWM and OWM) in elderly subjects (ESs) and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD). Normal aging and IPD can be associated with a WM decline. In IPD population, some studies reported similar SWM and OWM deficits; others reported a greater SWM than OWM impairment. In the present fMRI research, we investigated whether compensated IPD patients and elderly subjects with comparable performance during the execution of SWM and OWM tasks would present differences in WM-related brain activations. We found that the two groups recruited a prevalent left frontoparietal network when performing the SWM task and a bilateral network during OWM task execution. More specifically, the ESs showed bilateral frontal and subcortical activations in SWM, at difference with the IPD patients who showed a strict left lateralized network, consistent with frontostriatal degeneration in IPD. The overall brain activation in the IPD group was more extended as number of voxels with respect to ESs, suggesting underlying compensatory mechanisms. In conclusion, notwithstanding comparable WM performance, the two groups showed consistencies and differences in the WM activated networks. The latter underline the compensatory processes of normal typical and pathological aging

Combining radial and continuous flow synthesis to optimize and scale-up the production of medicines

Current drug production in batch cannot adapt rapidly to market demands, evidenced by recent shortages in many markets globally of essential medicines. Flow chemistry is a valuable tool for on-demand production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Here, we reveal a new concept to develop and produce APIs, where an automated synthesizer that works with discrete volumes of solutions is employed at the discovery stage to identify the optimal synthetic route and conditions before a commercially available continuous flow system is used for scale-up. This concept is illustrated by the synthesis of nifedipine and paracetamol, in short supply in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the local anesthetic lidocaine

UV radiation promotes flavonoid biosynthesis, while negatively affecting the biosynthesis and de-epoxidation of xanthophylls: consequence for photoprotection?

There is evidence that UV radiation may detrimentally affect the biosynthesis of carotenoids, particularly de-epoxided xanthophylls, while strongly promoting phenylpropanoid, particularly flavonoid biosynthesis in a range of taxa. Here we tested the hypothesis that mesophyll flavonoids might protect chloroplasts from UV-induced photo-oxidative damage, by partially compensating for the UV-induced depression of xanthophyll biosynthesis. To test this hypothesis we grew two members of the Oleaceae family, Ligustrum vulgare L. and Phillyrea latifolia L., under either partial shading or fully exposed to sunlight, in the presence or in the absence of UV radiation. The examined species, which display very similar flavonoid composition, largely differ in their ability to limit the transmission of UV and visible light through the leaf and, hence, in the accumulation of flavonoids in mesophyll cells. We conducted measurements of photosynthesis, chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics, the concentrations of individual carotenoids and phenylpropanoids at the level of whole-leaf, as well as the content of epidermal flavonoids. We also performed multispectral fluorescence micro-imaging to unveil the intra-cellular distribution of flavonoids in mesophyll cells. UV radiation decreased the concentration of carotenoids, particularly of xanthophylls, while greatly promoting the accumulation of flavonoids in palisade parenchyma cells. These effects were much greater in L. vulgare than in P. latifolia. UV radiation significantly inhibited the de-epoxidation of xanthophyll cycle pigments, while enhancing the concentration of luteolin, and particularly of quercetin glycosides. Flavonoids accumulated in the vacuole and the chloroplasts in palisade cells proximal to the adaxial epidermis. We hypothesize that flavonoids might complement the photo-protective functions of xanthophylls in the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells exposed to the greatest doses of UV radiation. However, UV radiation might result in adaxial mesophyll cells being less effective in dissipating the excess of radiant energy, e.g., by decreasing their capacity of thermal dissipation of excess visible light in the chloroplast

Variations in physiological and biochemical traits of oak seedlings grown under drought and ozone stress

Despite the huge biodiversity characterizing the Mediterranean environment, environmental constraints, such as high sunlight and high temperatures alongside with dry periods, makes plant survival hard. In addition, high irradiance leads to increasing ozone (O3 ) concentrations in ambient air. In this era of global warming, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms that allow native species to tolerate these environmental constraints and how such mechanisms interact. Three Mediterranean oak species (Quercus ilex, Q. pubescens and Q. cerris) with different features (drought tolerant, evergreen or deciduous species) were selected to assess their biometrical, physiological and biochemical responses under drought and/or O3 stress (80-100 nl l(-1) of O3 for 5 h d(-1) for 77 consecutive days). Leaf visible injury appeared only under drought stress (alone or combined with O3 ) in all three species. Drought × O3 induced strong reductions in leaf dry weight in Q. pubescens and Q. cerris (-70 and -75%, respectively). Alterations in physiological (i.e. decrease in maximum carboxylation rate) and biochemical parameters (i.e. increase in proline content and build-up of malondialdehyde by-products) occurred in all the three species, although drought represented the major determinant. Q. ilex and Q. pubescens, which co-occur in dry environments, were more tolerant to drought and drought × O3 . Quercus ilex was the species in which oxidative stress occurred only when drought was applied with O3 . High plasticity at a biochemical level (i.e. proline content) and evergreen habitus are likely on the basis of the higher tolerance of Q. ilex

Living in a Mediterranean city in 2050: broadleaf or evergreen ‘citizens’?

The predicted effects of global change (GC) will be exacerbated in the more densely populated cities of the future, especially in the Mediterranean basin where some environmental cues, such as drought and tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution, already mine seriously plant survival. Physiological and biochemical responses of a Mediterranean, evergreen, isohydric plant species (Quercus ilex) were compared to those of a sympatric, deciduous, anisohydric species (Q. pubescens) under severe drought (20% of the effective daily evapotranspiration) and/or chronic O3 exposure (80 ppb for 5 h dayâ1 for 28 consecutive days) to test which one was more successful in those highly limiting conditions. Results show that (i) the lower reduction of total leaf biomass of Q. ilex as compared to Q. pubescens when subjected to drought and drought à O3 (on average â59 vs â70%, respectively); (ii) the steeper decline of photosynthesis found in Q. pubescens under drought (â87 vs â81%) and drought à O3 (â69 vs â59%, respectively); (iii) the increments of malondialdehyde (MDA) by-products found only in drought-stressed Q. pubescens; (iv) the impact of O3, found only in Q. pubescens leaves and MDA, can be considered the best probes of the superiority of Q. ilex to counteract the effect of mild-severe drought and O3 stress. Also, an antagonistic effect was found when drought and O3 were applied simultaneously, as usually happens during typical Mediterranean summers. Our dataset suggests that on future, the urban greening should be wisely pondered on the ability of trees to cope the most impacting factors of GC, and in particular their simultaneity