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Melatonin in Plant: From Molecular Basis to Functional Application

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Dr. Bong-Gyu Mun

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Department of Environmental and Biological Chemistry, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Science, Chungbuk National University, Chungbuk 28644, Republic of Korea
Interests: plant molecular biology; molecular plant physiology; nitric oxide; Arabidopsis; crop; phytohormones

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Melatonin is an indoleamine-based hormone that exists in animals, plants, and fungi and is known as a hormone that regulates the animal's sleep cycle. After the fact that plants synthesize melatonin was confirmed in 1995, research on the role of melatonin in plants has been actively conducted. it is believed to play a role in enhancing resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as promoting plant growth. Recently, melatonin-related studies have been actively conducted in plant kingdom, and it has been reported that the interaction between melatonin and NO (Nitric Oxide) plays an important role in plant development and stress response. Melatonin regulates intracellular NO levels by controlling NO synthase expression and activity and NO scavenging activity, and this NO-Melatonin crosstalk is believed to perform various physiological functions in plant growth and immune response through redox regulation. Among the various functions of melatonin, one that has recently attracted attention is the nitro oxide (NO)-melatonin (N-nitrosomelatonin) form formed after NO is bound to the indole moiety of melatonin, which is generated in plants. It has been reported to act as a signaling substance that regulates dox homeostasis and to act as an in vivo storage of NO. NO can easily pass through cell walls and plasma membranes, has a short half-life (<15 s), and exists in various concentrations in plants and animals. These results suggest that Melatonin would be a critical molecule in vivo and plays an important role in regulating the intracellular redox equilibrium state. This Special Issue focuses on extending current knowledge of Melatonin and its diverse interactions on plant cell signaling including nitric oxide and also their functional application to crop.

Dr. Bong-Gyu Mun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

melatonin
phytohormone
cellular signaling
redox molecule
homeostasis
crop application
circadian ryhthm

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16 pages, 4883 KiB

Open AccessArticle

SlTDC1 Overexpression Promoted Photosynthesis in Tomato under Chilling Stress by Improving CO₂ Assimilation and Alleviating Photoinhibition

by Xutao Liu, Yanan Wang, Yiqing Feng, Xiaowei Zhang, Huangai Bi and Xizhen Ai

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(13), 11042; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241311042 - 03 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1166

Abstract

Chilling causes a significant decline in photosynthesis in tomato plants. Tomato tryptophan decarboxylase gene 1 (SlTDC1) is the first rate-limiting gene for melatonin (MT) biosynthesis and is involved in the regulation of photosynthesis under various abiotic stresses. However, it is not clear whether SlTDC1 participates in the photosynthesis of tomato under chilling stress. Here, we obtained SlTDC1 overexpression transgenic tomato seedlings, which showed higher SlTDC1 mRNA abundance and MT content compared with the wild type (WT). The results showed that the overexpression of SlTDC1 obviously alleviated the chilling damage to seedlings in terms of the lower electrolyte leakage rate and hydrogen peroxide content, compared with the WT after 2 d of chilling stress. Moreover, the overexpression of SlTDC1 notably increased photosynthesis under chilling stress, which was related to the higher chlorophyll content, normal chloroplast structure, and higher mRNA abundance and protein level of Rubisco and RCA, as well as the higher carbon metabolic capacity, compared to the WT. In addition, we found that SlTDC1-overexpressing seedlings showed higher W_k (damage degree of OEC on the PSII donor side), φ_Eo (quantum yield for electron transport in the PSII reaction center), and PI_ABS (photosynthetic performance index) than WT seedlings after low-temperature stress, implying that the overexpression of SlTDC1 decreased the damage to the reaction center and donor-side and receptor-side electron transport of PSII and promoted PSI activity, as well as energy absorption and distribution, to relieve the photoinhibition induced by chilling stress. Our results support the notion that SlTDC1 plays a vital role in the regulation of photosynthesis under chilling stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melatonin in Plant: From Molecular Basis to Functional Application)

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11 pages, 2119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO)-Mediated Lead Detoxification in Soybean through the Regulation of ROS and Metal-Related Transcripts

by Nusrat Jahan Methela, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, Da-Sol Lee, Byung-Wook Yun and Bong-Gyu Mun

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 9901; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24129901 - 08 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1265

Abstract

Heavy metal toxicity, including lead (Pb) toxicity, is increasing in soils, and heavy metals are considered to be toxic in small amounts. Pb contamination is mainly caused by industrialization (e.g., smelting and mining), agricultural practices (e.g., sewage sludge and pests), and urban practices (e.g., lead paint). An excessive concentration of Pb can seriously damage and threaten crop growth. Furthermore, Pb adversely affects plant growth and development by affecting the photosystem, cell membrane integrity, and excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and superoxide (O₂⁻). Nitric oxide (NO) is produced via enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants to scavenge ROS and lipid peroxidation substrates to protect cells from oxidative damage. Thus, NO improves ion homeostasis and confers resistance to metal stress. In the present study, we investigated the effect of exogenously applied NO and S-nitrosoglutathione in soybean plants Our results demonstrated that exogenously applied NO aids in better growth under lead stress due to its ability in sensing, signaling, and stress tolerance in plants under heavy metal stress along with lead stress. In addition, our results showed that S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) has a positive effect on soybean seedling growth under lead-induced toxicity and that NO supplementation helps to reduce chlorophyll maturation and relative water content in leaves and roots following strong bursts under lead stress. GSNO supplementation (200 µM and 100 µM) reduced compaction and approximated the oxidative damage of MDA, proline, and H₂O₂. Moreover, under plant stress, GSNO application was found to relieve the oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. Additionally, modulation of NO and phytochelatins (PCS) after prolonged metal reversing GSNO application confirmed detoxification of ROS induced by the toxic metal lead in soybean. In summary, the detoxification of ROS caused by toxic metal concentrations in soybean is confirmed by using NO, PCS, and traditionally sustained concentrations of metal reversing GSNO application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Melatonin in Plant: From Molecular Basis to Functional Application)

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