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Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 35914

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Dr. Gábor Kocsy

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Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research ELKH, Department of Biological Resources, 2462 Martonvásár, Hungary
Interests: abiotic stress; antioxidants; cereals; reactive oxygen species; redox regulation
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Prof. Dr. Maria Müller

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Institute of Biology, Plant Sciences, University of Graz, Schubertstraße 51, 8010 Graz, Australia
Interests: abiotic and biotic stress; antioxidants; agricultural and model plants; reactive oxygen species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

Light is indispensable for plants as an energy source. However, if its intensity or spectrum is not optimal, plant growth and development will be disturbed. If the light intensity is too high or too light it acts as a stressor for the plants, and light stress occurs. Thus, high light intensity or even normal intensity under various biotic or abiotic stresses can induce oxidative stress because of the formation of reactive oxygen species in excess. On the other hand, a shorter period under high light intensity can lead to the acclimation of the plants to subsequent stress. During this process, the changes in the cellular redox environment will activate the protective mechanisms through the redox signaling pathways. Besides the changes in the intensity of the light, the modifications of its spectrum can be also stressful for plants and cause disorders in their physiological and biochemical processes. However, certain spatial and temporal alterations in the ratios of blue, red, and far-red components can be also beneficial and help the adaptation of the plants to the changing environmental conditions. This Special Issue will present and discuss the physiological, biochemical, and molecular biological processes during light stress and light-related acclimation in plants.

Dr. Gábor Kocsy
Prof. Dr. Maria Müller
Guest Editors

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Keywords

development
environmental stress
growth
light intensity and spectrum
redox regulation
stress acclimation

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2078 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Light Condition-Dependent Differences in the Accumulation and Subcellular Localization of Glutathione in Arabidopsis and Wheat

by Anna Gasperl, Eszter Balogh, Ákos Boldizsár, Nadine Kemeter, Richard Pirklbauer, Stefan Möstl, Balázs Kalapos, Gabriella Szalai, Maria Müller, Günther Zellnig and Gábor Kocsy

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(2), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22020607 - 9 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2245

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify whether the light condition-dependent changes in the redox state and subcellular distribution of glutathione were similar in the dicotyledonous model plant Arabidopsis (wild-type, ascorbate- and glutathione-deficient mutants) and the monocotyledonous crop species wheat (Chinese Spring variety). With increasing light intensity, the amount of its reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) form and the GSSG/GSH ratio increased in the leaf extracts of both species including all genotypes, while far-red light increased these parameters only in wheat except for GSH in the GSH-deficient Arabidopsis mutant. Based on the expression changes of the glutathione metabolism-related genes, light intensity influences the size and redox state of the glutathione pool at the transcriptional level in wheat but not in Arabidopsis. In line with the results in leaf extracts, a similar inducing effect of both light intensity and far-red light was found on the total glutathione content at the subcellular level in wheat. In contrast to the leaf extracts, the inducing influence of light intensity on glutathione level was only found in the cell compartments of the GSH-deficient Arabidopsis mutant, and far-red light increased it in both mutants. The observed general and genotype-specific, light-dependent changes in the accumulation and subcellular distribution of glutathione participate in adjusting the redox-dependent metabolism to the actual environmental conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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13 pages, 2998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Light-Enhanced Respiration in Cyanobacteria

by Ginga Shimakawa, Ayaka Kohara and Chikahiro Miyake

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(1), 342; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22010342 - 31 Dec 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4183

Abstract

In eukaryotic algae, respiratory O₂ uptake is enhanced after illumination, which is called light-enhanced respiration (LER). It is likely stimulated by an increase in respiratory substrates produced during photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation and function in keeping the metabolic and redox homeostasis in the light in eukaryotic cells, based on the interactions among the cytosol, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. Here, we first characterize LER in photosynthetic prokaryote cyanobacteria, in which respiration and photosynthesis share their metabolisms and electron transport chains in one cell. From the physiological analysis, the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 performs LER, similar to eukaryotic algae, which shows a capacity comparable to the net photosynthetic O₂ evolution rate. Although the respiratory and photosynthetic electron transports share the interchain, LER was uncoupled from photosynthetic electron transport. Mutant analyses demonstrated that LER is motivated by the substrates directly provided by photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation, but not by glycogen. Further, the light-dependent activation of LER was observed even with exogenously added glucose, implying a regulatory mechanism for LER in addition to the substrate amounts. Finally, we discuss the physiological significance of the large capacity of LER in cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae compared to those in plants that normally show less LER. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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17 pages, 2706 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blue Light Mediates Chloroplast Avoidance and Enhances Photoprotection of Vanilla Orchid

by Swee-Suak Ko, Chung-Min Jhong, Yi-Jyun Lin, Ching-Yu Wei, Ju-Yin Lee and Ming-Che Shih

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(21), 8022; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21218022 - 28 Oct 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2834

Abstract

Vanilla orchid, which is well-known for its flavor and fragrance, is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. This shade-loving plant is very sensitive to high irradiance. In this study, we show that vanilla chloroplasts started to have avoidance movement when blue light (BL) was higher than 20 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ and significant avoidance movement was observed under BL irradiation at 100 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ (BL100). The light response curve indicated that when vanilla was exposed to 1000 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹, the electron transport rate (ETR) and photochemical quenching of fluorescence (qP) were significantly reduced to a negligible amount. We found that if a vanilla orchid was irradiated with BL100 for 12 days, it acquired BL-acclimation. Chloroplasts moved to the side of cells in order to reduce light-harvesting antenna size, and chloroplast photodamage was eliminated. Therefore, BL-acclimation enhanced vanilla orchid growth and tolerance to moderate (500 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹) and high light (1000 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹) stress conditions. It was found that under high irradiation, BL-acclimatized vanilla maintained higher ETR and qP capacity than the control without BL-acclimation. BL-acclimation induced antioxidant enzyme activities, reduced ROS accumulation, and accumulated more carbohydrates. Moreover, BL-acclimatized orchids upregulated photosystem-II-associated marker genes (D1 and PetC), Rubisco and PEPC transcripts and sustained expression levels thereof, and also maximized the photosynthesis rate. Consequently, BL-acclimatized orchids had higher biomass. In short, this study found that acclimating vanilla orchid with BL before transplantation to the field might eliminate photoinhibition and enhance vanilla growth and production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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23 pages, 25345 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decreased R:FR Ratio in Incident White Light Affects the Composition of Barley Leaf Lipidome and Freezing Tolerance in a Temperature-Dependent Manner

by Terézia Kovács, Mohamed Ahres, Tamás Pálmai, László Kovács, Matsuo Uemura, Cristina Crosatti and Gabor Galiba

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(20), 7557; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21207557 - 13 Oct 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2450

Abstract

In cereals, C-repeat binding factor genes have been defined as key components of the light quality-dependent regulation of frost tolerance by integrating phytochrome-mediated light and temperature signals. This study elucidates the differences in the lipid composition of barley leaves illuminated with white light or white light supplemented with far-red light at 5 or 15 °C. According to LC-MS analysis, far-red light supplementation increased the amount of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol species 36:6, 36:5, and 36:4 after 1 day at 5 °C, and 10 days at 15 °C resulted in a perturbed content of 38:6 species. Changes were observed in the levels of phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine under white light supplemented with far-red light illumination at 15 °C, whereas robust changes were observed in the amount of several phosphatidylserine species at 5 °C. At 15 °C, the amount of some phosphatidylglycerol species increased as a result of white light supplemented with far-red light illumination after 1 day. The ceramide (42:2)-3 content increased regardless of the temperature. The double-bond index of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine ceramide together with total double-bond index changed when the plant was grown at 15 °C as a function of white light supplemented with far-red light. white light supplemented with far-red light increased the monogalactosyldiacylglycerol/diacylglycerol ratio as well. The gene expression changes are well correlated with the alterations in the lipidome. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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16 pages, 5813 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physiologic and Metabolic Changes in Crepidiastrum denticulatum According to Different Energy Levels of UV-B Radiation

by Song-Yi Park, Mee-Youn Lee, Choong-Hwan Lee and Myung-Min Oh

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(19), 7134; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21197134 - 27 Sep 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2328

Abstract

Ultraviolet B (UV-B) light, as a physical elicitor, can promote the secondary metabolites biosynthesis in plants. We investigated effects of different energy levels of UV-B radiation on growth and bioactive compounds of Crepidiastrum denticulatum. Three-week-old seedlings were grown in a plant factory for 5 weeks. Plants were subjected to different levels of UV-B (0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.25 W m⁻²), 6 h a day for 6 days. All UV-B treatments had no negative effect on the shoot dry weight; however, relatively high energy treatments (1.0 and 1.25 W m⁻²) inhibited the shoot fresh weight. UV-B light of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 W m⁻² did not affect total chlorophyll and H₂O₂ contents; however, they increased total carotenoid content. On 4 days, 0.25 W m⁻² treatment increased antioxidant capacity, total hydroxycinnamic acids (HCAs) content, and several sesquiterpenes. Treatments with 1.0 and 1.25 W m⁻² increased total carotenoid, total HCAs, and H₂O₂ contents, and destroyed chlorophyll pigments, reducing maximum quantum yield of photosystem II and causing visible damage to leaves. Partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) showed that secondary metabolites were distinguishably changed according to energy levels of UV-B. The potential of 0.25 W m⁻² UV-B for the efficient production of bioactive compounds without growth inhibition in C. denticulatum was identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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17 pages, 5056 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blue Light Acclimation Reduces the Photoinhibition of Phalaenopsis aphrodite (Moth Orchid)

by Swee-Suak Ko, Chung-Min Jhong and Ming-Che Shih

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(17), 6167; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176167 - 26 Aug 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3320

Abstract

The moth orchid is an important ornamental crop. It is very sensitive to high light irradiation due to photoinhibition. In this study, young orchid tissue culture seedlings and 2.5” potted plants pretreated under blue light (BL, λ_max = 450 nm) at 100 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for 12 days (BL acclimation) were found to have an increased tolerance to high light irradiation. After BL acclimation, orchids had an increased anthocyanin accumulation, enhanced chloroplast avoidance, and increased chlorophyll fluorescence capacity whenever they were exposed to high light of 1000 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ for two weeks (HL). They had higher Fv/Fm, electron transport rate (ETR), chlorophyll content, catalase activity and sucrose content when compared to the control without BL acclimation. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that transcript levels of phototropins, D1, RbcS, PEPCK, Catalase and SUT2 were upregulated in the BL-acclimated orchids. Consequently, BL acclimation orchids had better growth when compared to the control under long-term high light stress. In summary, this study provides a solution, i.e., BL acclimation, to reduce moth orchid photoinhibition and enhance growth before transplantation of the young tissue culture seedlings and potted plants into greenhouses, where they usually suffer from a high light fluctuation problem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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13 pages, 2505 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Time-Course Transcriptome Study Reveals Mode of bZIP Transcription Factors on Light Exposure in Arabidopsis

by Yukio Kurihara, Yuko Makita, Haruka Shimohira and Minami Matsui

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(6), 1993; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21061993 - 14 Mar 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4313

Abstract

The etiolation process, which occurs after germination, is terminated once light is perceived and then de-etiolation commences. During the de-etiolation period, monochromatic lights (blue, red and far-red) induce differences in gene expression profiles and plant behavior through their respective photoreceptors. ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5), a bZIP-type transcription factor (TF), regulates gene expression in the de-etiolation process, and other bZIP TFs are also involved in this regulation. However, transcriptomic changes that occur in etiolated seedlings upon monochromatic light irradiation and the relationship with the bZIP TFs still remain to be elucidated. Here, we track changes in the transcriptome after exposure to white, blue, red and far-red light following darkness and reveal both shared and non-shared trends of transcriptomic change between the four kinds of light. Interestingly, after exposure to light, HY5 expression synchronized with those of the related bZIP TF genes, GBF2 and GBF3, rather than HY5 HOMOLOG (HYH). To speculate on the redundancy of target genes between the bZIP TFs, we inspected the genome-wide physical binding sites of homodimers of seven bZIP TFs, HY5, HYH, GBF1, GBF2, GBF3, GBF4 and EEL, using an in vitro binding assay. The results reveal large overlaps of target gene candidates, indicating a complicated regulatory literature among TFs. This work provides novel insight into understanding the regulation of gene expression of the plant response to monochromatic light irradiation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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23 pages, 3112 KiB

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Singlet Oxygen in Plants: Generation, Detection, and Signaling Roles

by Valeriya A. Dmitrieva, Elena V. Tyutereva and Olga V. Voitsekhovskaja

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(9), 3237; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21093237 - 3 May 2020

Cited by 52 | Viewed by 5208

Abstract

Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) refers to the lowest excited electronic state of molecular oxygen. It easily oxidizes biological molecules and, therefore, is cytotoxic. In plant cells, ¹O₂ is formed mostly in the light in thylakoid membranes by reaction centers of photosystem II. In high concentrations, ¹O₂ destroys membranes, proteins and DNA, inhibits protein synthesis in chloroplasts leading to photoinhibition of photosynthesis, and can result in cell death. However, ¹O₂ also acts as a signal relaying information from chloroplasts to the nucleus, regulating expression of nuclear genes. In spite of its extremely short lifetime, ¹O₂ can diffuse from the chloroplasts into the cytoplasm and the apoplast. As shown by recent studies, ¹O₂-activated signaling pathways depend not only on the levels but also on the sites of ¹O₂ production in chloroplasts, and can activate two types of responses, either acclimation to high light or programmed cell death. ¹O₂ can be produced in high amounts also in root cells during drought stress. This review summarizes recent advances in research on mechanisms and sites of ¹O₂ generation in plants, on ¹O₂-activated pathways of retrograde- and cellular signaling, and on the methods to study ¹O₂ production in plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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25 pages, 787 KiB

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Mechanism of Allium Crops Bulb Enlargement in Response to Photoperiod: A Review

by Muhammad Jawaad Atif, Mohammad Abass Ahanger, Bakht Amin, Muhammad Imran Ghani, Muhammad Ali and Zhihui Cheng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(4), 1325; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21041325 - 16 Feb 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 8429

Abstract

The photoperiod marks a varied set of behaviors in plants, including bulbing. Bulbing is controlled by inner signals, which can be stimulated or subdued by the ecological environment. It had been broadly stated that phytohormones control the plant development, and they are considered to play a significant part in the bulb formation. The past decade has witnessed significant progress in understanding and advancement about the photoperiodic initiation of bulbing in plants. A noticeable query is to what degree the mechanisms discovered in bulb crops are also shared by other species and what other qualities are also dependent on photoperiod. The FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein has a role in flowering; however, the FT genes were afterward reported to play further functions in other biological developments (e.g., bulbing). This is predominantly applicable in photoperiodic regulation, where the FT genes seem to have experienced significant development at the practical level and play a novel part in the switch of bulb formation in Alliums. The neofunctionalization of FT homologs in the photoperiodic environments detects these proteins as a new class of primary signaling mechanisms that control the growth and organogenesis in these agronomic-related species. In the present review, we report the underlying mechanisms regulating the photoperiodic-mediated bulb enlargement in Allium species. Therefore, the present review aims to systematically review the published literature on the bulbing mechanism of Allium crops in response to photoperiod. We also provide evidence showing that the bulbing transitions are controlled by phytohormones signaling and FT-like paralogues that respond to independent environmental cues (photoperiod), and we also show that an autorelay mechanism involving FT modulates the expression of the bulbing-control gene. Although a large number of studies have been conducted, several limitations and research gaps have been identified that need to be addressed in future studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Light Stress and Light-Related Acclimation Processes)

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