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Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology Society
Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Antisense-mediated S-adenosyl-L-methionine decarboxylase silencing affects heat stress responses of tobacco plants

Ifigeneia Mellidou https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5320-132X A B D , Katerina Karamanoli A , Helen-Isis A. Constantinidou A and Kalliopi A. Roubelakis-Angelakis C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Agriculture, Aristotle University, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.

B Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources - HAO DEMETER, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece.

C Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes University campus, 70013 Heraklion, Greece.

D Corresponding author. Email: imellidou@agro.auth.gr

Functional Plant Biology 47(7) 651-658 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP19350
Submitted: 4 December 2019  Accepted: 20 February 2020   Published: 7 May 2020

Abstract

Understanding the molecular mode(s) of plant tolerance to heat stress (HS) is crucial since HS is a potential threat to sustainable agriculture and global crop production. Polyamines (PAs) seem to exert multifaceted effects in plant growth and development and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses, presumably via their homeostasis, chemical interactions and contribution to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) cellular ‘signatures’. Downregulation of the apoplastic POLYAMINE OXIDASE (PAO) gene improved thermotolerance in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) transgenics. However, in the present work we show that transgenic tobacco plants with antisense-mediated S-ADENOSYL-L-METHIONINE DECARBOXYLASE silencing (AS-NtSAMDC) exhibited enhanced sensitivity and delayed responses to HS which was accompanied by profound injury upon HS removal (recovery), as assessed by phenological, physiological and biochemical characteristics. In particular, the AS-NtSAMDC transgenics exhibited significantly reduced rate of photosynthesis, as well as enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. These transgenics suffered irreversible damage, which significantly reduced their growth potential upon return to normal conditions. These data reinforce the contribution of increased PA homeostasis to tolerance, and can move forward our understanding on the PA-mediated mechanism(s) conferring tolerance to HS that might be targeted via traditional or biotechnological breeding for developing HS tolerant plants.

Additional keywords: heat recovery, polyamines, SAMDC transgenics, thermotolerance.


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