Cytokinins act synergistically with heat acclimation to enhance rice thermotolerance affecting hormonal dynamics, gene expression and volatile emission.

Heat stress is a frequent environmental constraint. Phytohormones can significantly affect plant thermotolerance. This study compares the effects of exogenous cytokinin meta-topolin-9-(tetrahydropyran-2-yl)purine (mT9THP) on rice (Oryza sativa) under control conditions, after acclimation by moderate temperature (A; 37 °C, 2h), heat stress (HS; 45 °C, 6h) and their combination (AHS).

Heat Stress Targeting Individual Organs Reveals the Central Role of Roots and Crowns in Rice Stress Responses.

Inter-organ communication and the heat stress (HS; 45°C, 6 h) responses of organs exposed and not directly exposed to HS were evaluated in rice () by comparing the impact of HS applied either to whole plants, or only to shoots or roots. Whole-plant HS reduced photosynthetic activity (F /F and QY ), but this effect was alleviated by prior acclimation (37°C, 2 h). Dynamics of , , , and expression revealed high protection of crowns and roots.

Light Quality and Intensity Modulate Cold Acclimation in Arabidopsis.

Plant survival in temperate zones requires efficient cold acclimation, which is strongly affected by light and temperature signal crosstalk, which converge in modulation of hormonal responses. Cold under low light conditions affected Arabidopsis responses predominantly in apices, possibly because energy supplies were too limited for requirements of these meristematic tissues, despite a relatively high steady-state quantum yield. Comparing cold responses at optimal light intensity and low light, we found activation of similar defence mechanisms-apart from - and - pathways, also transient stimulation of cytokinin type-A response regulators, accompanied by fast transient increase of -zeatin in roots.

Light Regulates the Cytokinin-Dependent Cold Stress Responses in .

To elucidate the effect of light intensity on the cold response (5°C; 7 days) in , we compared the following parameters under standard light (150 μmol m s), low light (20 μmol m s), and dark conditions: membrane damage, photosynthetic parameters, cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) activity, phytohormone levels, and transcription of selected stress- and hormone-related genes and proteome. The impact of cytokinins (CKs), hormones directly interacting with the light signaling pathway, on cold responses was evaluated using transformants overexpressing CK biosynthetic gene isopentenyl transferase () or CK degradation gene () under a dexamethasone-inducible promoter. In wild-type plants, cold treatment under light conditions caused down-regulation of CKs (in shoots) and auxin, while abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonates, and salicylic acid (SA) were up-regulated, especially under low light.

Heat Acclimation and Inhibition of Cytokinin Degradation Positively Affect Heat Stress Tolerance of .

In order to pinpoint phytohormone changes associated with enhanced heat stress tolerance, the complex phytohormone profiles [cytokinins, auxin, abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid and ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC)] were compared in after direct heat shock (45°C, 3 h) and in heat-stressed pre-acclimated plants (1 h at 37°C followed by 2 h at optimal temperature 20°C). Organ-specific responses were followed in shoot apices, leaves, and roots immediately after heat shock and after 24-h recovery at 20°C. The stress strength was evaluated membrane ion leakage and the activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases (NOX) and antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutases, guaiacol peroxidases (POD), catalases, ascorbate peroxidases (APX)].

Hormonal Responses to Infection in Cultivars Differing in Their Pathogen Resistance.

Hormonal dynamics after infection were compared in two cultivars-more resistant SY Alister and more sensitive Hornet, in order to elucidate responses associated with efficient defense. Both cultivars responded to infection by the early transient elevation of active cytokinins (predominantly -zeatin) and auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in leaves and roots, which was longer in Hornet. Moderate IAA levels in Hornet roots coincided with a high expression of biosynthetic gene (contrary to , , ).

Cytokinins: Their Impact on Molecular and Growth Responses to Drought Stress and Recovery in .

Our phenotyping and hormonal study has characterized the role of cytokinins (CK) in the drought and recovery responses of . CK down-regulation was achieved by overexpression of the gene for CK deactivating enzyme cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX): constitutive (35S:CKX) or at the stress onset using a dexamethasone-inducible promoter (DEX:CKX). The 35S:CKX plants exhibited slow ontogenesis and higher expression levels of stress-associated genes, e.

Hormonal dynamics during salt stress responses of salt-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana and salt-tolerant Thellungiella salsuginea.

Salt stress responses in salt-sensitive Arabidopsis thaliana (2-150mM NaCl) and the closely related salt-tolerant Thellungiella salsuginea (Eutrema halophila, 150-350mM NaCl) were compared to identify hormonal and transcriptomic changes associated with enhanced stress tolerance. Phytohormone levels, expression of selected genes, membrane stability, and Na and K concentrations were measured in shoot apices, leaves, and roots. Thellungiella exhibited higher salt stress tolerance associated with elevated basal levels of abscisic acid and jasmonic acid, and lower levels of active cytokinins (excluding cis-zeatin) in shoot apices.

The Transcriptomic Response of Arabidopsis thaliana to Zinc Oxide: A Comparison of the Impact of Nanoparticle, Bulk, and Ionic Zinc.

The impact of nanosize was evaluated by comparing of the transcriptomic response of Arabidopsis thaliana roots to ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO), bulk ZnO, and ionic Zn(2+). Microarray analyses revealed 416 up- and 961 down-regulated transcripts (expression difference >2-fold, p [FDR] < 0.01) after a seven-day treatment with nZnO (average particle size 20 nm, concentration 4 mg L(-1)).