TY - JOUR AB - The increasing interest in the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in aquatic environments has driven research into biological mechanisms capable of eliminating pharmaceutical compounds like paracetamol, considering different plant species as model systems. Thus, the use of hairy roots (HRs) has become an interesting tool. This study explores the ability of tobacco HRs to remove paracetamol, with an emphasis on elucidating the main metabolism steps and key enzymes involved in the green liver detoxification process, as well as the antioxidant response. The deepening of these aspects has been carried out through gene expression and biochemical analysis under circadian regulation. Our results reveal that HRs efficiently removed paracetamol (100 mg L-1) from the culture medium, achieving around 99% removal at ZT16 h (Zeitgeber Time 16). The early activation of antioxidant defense mechanisms, demonstrated by enhanced peroxidase (POD) activity and total antioxidant capacity (TAA) during the light phase, has been observed. Furthermore, glutathione S-transferase (GSTs) activity and glutathione (GSH) levels, potentially linked to paracetamol conjugation, were also assessed. Gene expression analyses confirmed GST gene upregulation in response to paracetamol treatment, with GSTF6-like and GSTF8-like maintaining circadian rhythms as in the control, and GSTZ1-like only displayed rhythmic expression upon treatment. Additionally, the modulation of core circadian clock genes (NtLHY1 and NtTOC1) suggests that the plant response to paracetamol is tightly regulated by the circadian system. Together, these findings shed light on the complex molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying paracetamol detoxification in tobacco HRs and underscore the significant role of circadian regulation in orchestrating these responses. AU - Alderete, L.G.S.* AU - Vezza, M.E.* AU - Ibáñez, S.G.* AU - Schröder, P. AU - Agostini, E.* AU - Talano, M.A.* C1 - 75556 C2 - 57904 CY - Mdpi Ag, Grosspeteranlage 5, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland SP - 2812 - 2812 TI - Unraveling paracetamol metabolism and its circadian regulation: Insights from tobacco hairy roots as a model system. JO - Plants VL - 14 IS - 17 PB - Mdpi PY - 2025 SN - 2223-7747 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Water and N availability are key factors limiting crop yield, particularly in marginal soils. This study evaluated the effects of water and N stress on barley grown in marginal soils using field trials and the AgroC model. Experiments from 2020 to 2022 in Lithuania with spring barley cv. KWS Fantex under two N fertilization treatments on sandy soil provided data for model parameterization. The AgroC model simulated barley growth to assess yield potential and yield gaps due to water and N stress. Potential grain yields (assuming no water or N stress) ranged from 4.8 to 6.02 t DW ha-1, with yield losses up to 54.4% assuming only N stress and 59.2% assuming only water stress, even with the N100 treatment (100 kg N ha-1 yr-1). A synthetic case study varying N fertilization from 0 to 200 kg N ha-1 yr-1 showed that increasing N still enhanced yield, but the optimal rate of 100-120 kg N ha-1 yr-1 depended on climatic conditions, leading to uncertainty in fertilization recommendations. This study underscores the importance of integrating advanced modeling techniques with sustainable agricultural practices to boost yield potential and resilience in marginal soils. Incorporating remote sensing data to capture soil and crop variability is recommended for improving simulation accuracy, contributing to sustainable agriculture strategies in the Baltic-Nordic region. AU - Žydelis, R.* AU - Chiarella, R.* AU - Weihermüller, L.* AU - Herbst, M.* AU - Loit-Harro, E.* AU - Szulc, W.* AU - Schröder, P. AU - Povilaitis, V.* AU - Mench, M.* AU - Rineau, F.* AU - Bakšienė, E.* AU - Volungevičius, J.* AU - Rutkowska, B.* AU - Povilaitis, A.* C1 - 73677 C2 - 57167 CY - Mdpi Ag, Grosspeteranlage 5, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland TI - Modeling study on optimizing water and nitrogen management for barley in marginal soils.  JO - Plants VL - 14 IS - 5 PB - Mdpi PY - 2025 SN - 2223-7747 ER - TY - JOUR AB - (1) Background: Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) have become a global threat to vineyards worldwide. These diseases share three main common features. First, they are caused by multiple pathogenic micro-organisms. Second, these pathogens often maintain a long latent phase, which makes any research in pathology and symptomatology challenging. Third, a consensus is raising to pinpoint combined abiotic stresses as a key factor contributing to disease symptom expression. (2) Methods: We analyzed the impact of combined abiotic stresses in grapevine cuttings artificially infected by two fungi involved in Botryosphaeria dieback (one of the major GTDs), Neofusicoccum parvum and Diplodia seriata. Fungal-infected and control plants were subjected to single or combined abiotic stresses (heat stress, drought stress or both). Disease intensity was monitored thanks to the measurement of necrosis area size. (3) Results and conclusions: Overall, our results suggest that combined stresses might have a stronger impact on disease intensity upon infection by the less virulent pathogen Diplodia seriata. This conclusion is discussed through the impact on plant physiology using metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of leaves sampled for the different conditions. AU - Fernandez, O.* AU - Lemaître-Guillier, C.* AU - Songy, A.* AU - Robert-Siegwald, G.* AU - Lebrun, M.H.* AU - Schmitt-Kopplin, P. AU - Larignon, P.* AU - Adrian, M.* AU - Fontaine, F.* C1 - 67522 C2 - 54085 CY - St Alban-anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland TI - The combination of both heat and water stresses may worsen Botryosphaeria dieback symptoms in grapevine. JO - Plants VL - 12 IS - 4 PB - Mdpi PY - 2023 SN - 2223-7747 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Nitric oxide (NO) is a versatile signal molecule that mediates environmental and hormonal signals orchestrating plant development. NO may act via reversible S-nitrosation of proteins during which an NO moiety is added to a cysteine thiol to form an S-nitrosothiol. In plants, several proteins implicated in hormonal signaling have been reported to undergo S-nitrosation. Here, we report that the Arabidopsis ROP2 GTPase is a further potential target of NO-mediated regulation. The ROP2 GTPase was found to be required for the root shortening effect of NO. NO inhibits primary root growth by altering the abundance and distribution of the PIN1 auxin efflux carrier protein and lowering the accumulation of auxin in the root meristem. In rop2-1 insertion mutants, however, wild-type-like root size of the NO-treated roots were maintained in agreement with wild-type-like PIN1 abundance in the meristem. The ROP2 GTPase was shown to be S-nitrosated in vitro, suggesting that NO might directly regulate the GTPase. The potential mechanisms of NO-mediated ROP2 GTPase regulation and ROP2-mediated NO signaling in the primary root meristem are discussed. AU - Kenesi, E.* AU - Kolbert, Z.* AU - Kaszler, N.* AU - Klement,* AU - Ménesi, D.* AU - Molnár,* AU - Valkai, I.* AU - Feigl, G.* AU - Rigó, G.* AU - Cséplő,* AU - Lindermayr, C. AU - Fehér, A.* C1 - 67523 C2 - 54086 CY - St Alban-anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland TI - ROP2 GTPase participates in nitric oxide (NO)-induced root shortening in arabidopsis. JO - Plants VL - 12 IS - 4 PB - Mdpi PY - 2023 SN - 2223-7747 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Isoprene-emitting plants are better protected against thermal and oxidative stresses, which is a desirable trait in a climate-changing (drier and warmer) world. Here we compared the ecophysiological performances of transgenic isoprene-emitting and wild-type non-emitting tobacco plants during water stress and after re-watering in actual environmental conditions (400 ppm of CO2 and 28 °C of average daily temperature) and in a future climate scenario (600 ppm of CO2 and 32 °C of average daily temperature). Furthermore, we intended to complement the present knowledge on the mechanisms involved in isoprene-induced resistance to water deficit stress by examining the proteome of transgenic isoprene-emitting and wild-type non-emitting tobacco plants during water stress and after re-watering in actual climate. Isoprene emitters maintained higher photosynthesis and electron transport rates under moderate stress in future climate conditions. However, physiological resistance to water stress in the isoprene-emitting plants was not as marked as expected in actual climate conditions, perhaps because the stress developed rapidly. In actual climate, isoprene emission capacity affected the tobacco proteomic profile, in particular by upregulating proteins associated with stress protection. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that isoprene biosynthesis is related to metabolic changes at the gene and protein levels involved in the activation of general stress defensive mechanisms of plants. AU - Pollastri, S.* AU - Velikova, V.* AU - Castaldini, M.* AU - Fineschi, S.* AU - Ghirardo, A. AU - Renaut, J.* AU - Schnitzler, J.-P. AU - Sergeant, K.* AU - Winkler, J.B. AU - Zorzan, S.* AU - Loreto, F.* C1 - 67260 C2 - 54200 CY - St Alban-anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland TI - Isoprene-emitting tobacco plants are less affected by moderate water deficit under future climate change scenario and show adjustments of stress-related proteins in actual climate. JO - Plants VL - 12 IS - 2 PB - Mdpi PY - 2023 SN - 2223-7747 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Monodehydroasorbate reductase (MDHAR) (EC1.6.5.4), a key enzyme in ascorbate-glutathione recycling, plays important roles in cell growth, plant development and physiological response to environmental stress via control of ascorbic acid (AsA)-mediated reduction/oxidation (redox) regulation. Until now, information regarding MDHAR function and regulatory mechanism in Gossypium have been limited. Herein, a genome-wide identification and comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of 36 MDHAR family genes in four Gossypium species, Gossypium arboreum, G. raimondii, G. hirsutum, and G. barbadense, were performed, indicating their close evolutionary relationship. Expression analysis of GhMDHARs in different cotton tissues and under abiotic stress and phytohormone treatment revealed diverse expression features. Fiber-specific expression analysis showed that GhMDHAR1A/D, 3A/D and 4A/D were preferentially expressed in fiber fast elongating stages to reach peak values in 15-DPA fibers, with corresponding coincident observances of MDHAR enzyme activity, AsA content and ascorbic acid/dehydroascorbic acid (AsA/DHA) ratio. Meanwhile, there was a close positive correlation between the increase of AsA content and AsA/DHA ratio catalyzed by MDHAR and fiber elongation development in different fiber-length cotton cultivars, suggesting the potential important function of MDHAR for fiber growth. Following H2O2 stimulation, GhMDHAR demonstrated immediate responses at the levels of mRNA, enzyme, the product of AsA and corresponding AsA/DHA value, and antioxidative activity. These results for the first time provide a comprehensive systemic analysis of the MDHAR gene family in plants and the four cotton species and demonstrate the contribution of MDHAR to fiber elongation development by controlling AsA-recycling-mediated cellular redox homeostasis. AU - Zhou, F.* AU - Zheng, B.* AU - Wang, F.* AU - Cao, A.* AU - Xie, S.* AU - Chen, X.* AU - Schick, J. AU - Jin, X.* AU - Li, H.* C1 - 61137 C2 - 50060 CY - St Alban-anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland TI - Genome-wide analysis of MDHAR gene family in four cotton species provides insights into fiber development via regulating AsA redox homeostasis. JO - Plants VL - 10 IS - 2 PB - Mdpi PY - 2021 SN - 2223-7747 ER - TY - JOUR AB - S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is a key enzyme involved in many important biological processes, such as ethylene and polyamine biosynthesis, transmethylation, and transsulfuration. Here, the SAM synthetase (SAMS) gene family was studied in ten different plants (Arabidopsis, tomato, eggplant, sunflower, Medicago truncatula, soybean, rice, barley, Triticum urartu and sorghum) with respect to its physical structure, physicochemical characteristics, and post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications. Additionally, the expression patterns of SAMS genes in tomato were analyzed based on a real-time quantitative PCR assay and an analysis of a public expression dataset. SAMS genes of monocots were more conserved according to the results of a phylogenetic analysis and the prediction of phosphorylation and glycosylation patterns. SAMS genes showed differential expression in response to abiotic stresses and exogenous hormone treatments. Solyc01g101060 was especially expressed in fruit and root tissues, while Solyc09g008280 was expressed in leaves. Additionally, our results revealed that exogenous BR and ABA treatments strongly reduced the expression of tomato SAMS genes. Our research provides new insights and clues about the role of SAMS genes. In particular, these results can inform future functional analyses aimed at revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of SAMS genes in plants. AU - Heidari, P.* AU - Mazloomi, F.* AU - Nussbaumer, T. AU - Barcaccia, G.* C1 - 59113 C2 - 48700 CY - St Alban-anlage 66, Ch-4052 Basel, Switzerland TI - Insights into the SAM synthetase gene family and its roles in tomato seedlings under abiotic stresses and hormone treatments. JO - Plants VL - 9 IS - 5 PB - Mdpi PY - 2020 SN - 2223-7747 ER -