Spectroscopic Investigation of Tomato Seed Germination Stimulated by Trichoderma spp.

Seed germination is a complex process that can be negatively affected by numerous stresses. Trichoderma spp. are known as effective biocontrol agents as well as plant growth and germination stimulators. However, understanding of the early interactions between seeds and Trichoderma spp. remains limited. In the present paper, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy were used to reveal the nature of tomato seed germination as stimulated by Trichoderma. A rapid response of tomato seeds to Trichoderma spp. was observed within 48 h on Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) substrate, preceding any physical contact. Raman analysis indicated that both Trichoderma species stimulated phenolic compound synthesis by triggering plant-specific responses in seed radicles. The impact of T. harzianum and T. brevicompactum on two tomato cultivars resulted in alterations to the middle lamella pectin, cellulose, and xyloglucan in the primary cell wall. The Raman spectra indicated increased xylan content in NA with T9 treatment as well as increased hemicelluloses in GZ with T4 treatment. Moreover, T4 treatment resulted in elevated conjugated aldehydes in lignin in GZ, whereas the trend was reversed in NA. Additionally, FTIR analysis revealed significant changes in total protein levels in Trichoderma spp.-treated tomato seed radicles, with simultaneous decreases in pectin and/or xyloglucan. Our results indicate that two complementary spectroscopic methods, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, can give valuable information on rapid changes in the plant cell wall structure of tomato radicles during germination stimulated by Trichoderma spp.

Influence of silicon on polymerization process during lignin synthesis. Implications for cell wall properties.

Silicon (Si) is considered a beneficial element for plants, mostly accumulating in cell walls, where its location and content are primed by the chemistry and structure of lignin. It is unrevealed how Si interacts with the process of lignin formation in the CWs. We studied, in an in vitro system, the interaction of SiO2 with the peroxidase-catalyzed polymerization of a lignin monomer into the lignin model compound, imitating conditions of the last step of lignin formation. FTIR and fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy showed that Si is bound to the final polymer, and the structure of the Si-DHP differs from pure DHP. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that Si does not bind to the monomers, so Si probably inhibits the formation of the larger lignin fragments, as evidenced by HPLC-DAD, by binding to dimmers formed during DHP synthesis. The structural changes of the polymer are related to the changed proportion of the fractions of various MW. The enzyme catalyzing DHP synthesis was not inhibited by Si. HRP activity was increased in presence of Si except for 6 mM Si. This may indicate that the complex formed with Si and short oligomers activates the enzyme, and prevents the formation of the large fragments.

Lignin and organic free radicals in maize (Zea mays L.) seeds in response to aflatoxin B1 contamination: an optical and EPR spectroscopic study.

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ) is the most dangerous of the mycotoxins that contaminate cereal seeds naturally. A stress lignin formation is linked with the accumulation of reactive oxygen species causing a change in the redox status and formation of stable organic radicals, constituting the first layer of defense. The relationship between AFB1 and changes in lignin organic free radicals in seeds is not known, nor is the part of the seed that is more targeted. Using optical and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we investigated AFB1 -induced changes in lignin and organic free radicals in seeds, and whether the inner and outer seed fractions differ in response to increasing AFB1 . RESULTS: Different changes in the content of lignin and free radicals with increasing AFB1 concentrations were observed in the two seed fractions. There was a significant positive linear correlation (R = 0.9923, P = 0.00005) between lignin content and AFB1 concentration in the outer fraction, and no correlation between the lignin content and the AFB1 concentration in the inner fraction. We found a positive correlation between the area of the green spectral emission component (C4) and the AFB1 concentration in the outer fraction. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, the results showed, for the first time, that maize seed fractions respond differently to aflatoxin with regard to their lignin and organic free radical content. Lignin content and (C4) area may be reliable indicators for the screening of lignin changes against AFB1 content in the seeds, and thus for seed protection capacity. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Studies on the interactions of bioactive quinone avarone and its methylamino derivatives with calf thymus DNA.

The interactions of avarone, a quinone from the marine sponge Dysideaavara, and the methylamino derivatives of avarone (2), 3'-(methylamino)avarone (3) and 4'-(methylamino)avarone (4) with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) were studied. Agarose gel electrophoreticanalysis showed that binding of the quinones quenched fluorescence of ethidium bromide (EB). The extent of fluorescence quenching of intercalator EB by competitive displacement from EB-CT-DNA system and of groove binder Hoechst 33258 (H) from H-CT-DNA system with the quinones was analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy. The obtained results demonstrated that the quinones reduced binding of both the intercalator EB and the minor groove binder H, indicating possible degradation of DNA. The substituent on the quinone moiety determined the extent of DNA damaging effect of the quinone, which was the most extensive with 3'-(methylamino)avarone and the least extensive with its regioisomer 4'-(methylamino)avarone. The results were confirmed by the observed hyperchromic effects in UV-visible spectra measured after interactions of the derivatives with CT-DNA.

Interaction of the CdSe quantum dots with plant cell walls.

There is an increasing application of quantum dots (QDs) in plant science, as markers for the cells or their cell walls (CWs). In a plant cell the CW is a first target place for external agents. We studied interaction of CdSe QDs with CWs isolated from a conifer -Picea omorika (Panc) Purkyne branch. Binding of CdSe QDs was followed by using fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence and FT-IR spectroscopy. The aim of the study was to see whether the QDs induce structural changes in the CW, as well as to find out which kind of interactions between QDs and CWs occur and to which particular constituent polymers QDs preferably bind. The isolated CW is an appropriate object for study of the interactions with nanoparticles. The results show that in the CW, CdSe predominantly binds to cellulose, via OH groups and to lignin, via the conjugated CC/C-C chains. The differences in interaction of wet and dry CWs with QDs/chloroform were also studied. In the reaction of the dry CW sample with QDs/chloroform, hydrophobic interactions are dominant. When water was added after QDs/chloroform, hydrophilic interactions enable a partial reconstruction of the CC chains. The results have an implication on the use of the QDs in plant bio-imaging.

Quantification of compression wood severity in tracheids of Pinus radiata D. Don using confocal fluorescence imaging and spectral deconvolution.

Confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to examine the spectral characteristics of lignin autofluorescence in secondary cell walls of normal and compression wood from Pinus radiata. Using UV excitation, fluorescence spectra of normal and compression wood sections showed significant differences, especially in the outer secondary cell wall of tracheids, with a shift in maxima from violet to blue wavelengths between normal and compression wood. A comparison of normal wood, mild and severe compression wood, showed that the wavelength shift was intermediate in the mild compression wood compared to the severe compression wood, thus offering the possibility of quantifying the severity by measuring ratios of fluorescence at violet and blue wavelengths. Fluorescence induced by blue light, rather than UV, was less well differentiated amongst wood types. Spectral deconvolution indicated the presence of a minimum of five discrete lignin fluorophores in the cell walls of both normal and compression wood tracheids. Comparison with lignin model compounds suggest that the wavelength shift may correspond in part to increased levels of p-hydroxy type lignin in the compression wood samples. The combination of confocal fluorescence imaging and related spectral deconvolution therefore offers a novel technique for characterising cell wall lignin in situ.

Application of asymmetric model in analysis of fluorescence spectra of biologically important molecules.

Having a valid mathematical model for structureless emission band shapes is important when deconvoluting fluorescence spectra of complex molecules. We propose a new asymmetric model for emission spectra of five organic molecules containing aromatic ring: catechol, coniferyl alcohol, hydroquinone, phenylalanine and tryptophan. For each molecule, a series of emission spectra, varying in excitation wavelength, were fitted with the new model as well as with two other analytical expressions: log-normal, described previously in the literature, and sigmoid-exponential. Their deconvolution into two, three and four Gaussian components was also performed, in order to estimate the number of symmetric components needed to obtain a better fitting quality than that of the asymmetric models. Four subtypes of the new model, as well as the log-normal one, did not differ significantly in their fitting errors, while the sigmoid-exponential model showed a significantly worse fit. Spectra of two mixtures: hydroquinone-coniferyl alcohol and hydroquinone-tryptophan were deconvoluted into two asymmetric and four Gaussian components. Positions of asymmetric components of mixtures matched those of separate molecules, while Gaussian did not. Component analysis of a polymer molecule, lignin, was also performed. In this more complex case asymmetric and Gaussian components also grouped in alternating positions.

Deconvolution of fluorescence spectra: contribution to the structural analysis of complex molecules.

Fluorescence spectroscopy is a sensitive analytical tool in the studies of both simple and complex molecular structures. In complex molecules, however, determining the number and position of components may give a specific insight into the structure, complementary to the other analytical techniques. We applied log-normal model to analyze fluorescence of simple monofluorophore molecule. In order to analyze spectra where both fluorophores and Raman emission bands were present, we developed a method obtained by combination of the symmetric, Gaussian, for Raman and asymmetric, log-normal model, for fluorescence, applicable to the molecules of different complexity. Technically, for each sample we varied excitation wavelength with 5 nm step and recorded the corresponding emission spectra. They were subsequently used for component analysis. Position of each component was plotted against the excitation wavelength. Applying this approach we could identify minimal number of components having stable positions, while their approximate probability density (APD) in a spectral series was correlated with the probable number of fluorophores in the molecule. The method was tested on molecules containing different number of fluorophores: monomers involved in the synthesis of plant polymer lignin-coniferyl alcohol (one fluorophore), ferulic acid (two fluorophores) and on lignin model compound produced from these monomers (many fluorophores). All investigated species belong to benzene-substituted class of compounds, and it is reasonable to assume that they have similar fluorescence band contour. We also report the results of environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) studies showing multilayered dehydrogenative polymer (DHP) structure, in order to show complexity of the polymer. Our results present complementarity of these two approaches in the structural studies of the lignin model compound.

Component analysis of the fluorescence spectra of a lignin model compound.

In order to test whether lignin fluorescence originates from discrete fluorophores, fluorescence emission spectra of the lignin model dehydrogenative polymer (DHP) were analyzed by the band deconvolution method and time-resolved analysis of both the excitation and emission spectra. Two series of 22 fluorescence emission spectra of DHP in chloroform/methanol (3:1, v/v) solution, and as a solid suspension in water, were deconvoluted into three fluorescence and one Raman Gaussian components. Emission spectra were obtained by stepwise variation of the excitation wavelength from 360 to 465 nm. Deconvolution was performed by nonlinear fitting of all three Gaussian parameters: area, width and position. Position of all components in a series was treated as a random variable and its approximate probability distribution (APD) calculated from a series of histograms with increasing number of abscissa intervals. A five peak multimodal APD profile was obtained for both series of DHP emission spectra. The mean fluorescence lifetime varied with wavelength both in the emission and the excitation decay-associated spectra (DAS), where four kinetic components were resolved. The shapes of the excitation spectra of the four components were quite different and gradually shifted bathochromically. The multicomponent nature of the DHP emission spectra along with the changes in the mean fluorescence lifetime and the form of the excitation DAS of the four components give evidence of the heterogeneous origin of fluorescent species emitting in the visible.

Study of the lignin model compound supramolecular structure by combination of near-field scanning optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy.

In this paper, we present a nanoscale study of the supramolecular structure of the dehydrogenate polymer (ZL-DHP) lignin model compound. The combination of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM or SNOM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been utilized to explore physicochemical properties of the lignin model compound on a scale ranging from individual macromolecules to globular supramolecular assemblies. By utilizing NSOM in transmission mode, the optical inhomogeneity in the lignin supramolecular structure has been observed for the first time. In particular, the transmission-mode NSOM images reveal a combination of hollow and layered supramolecular globular structure in the lignin model compound. Through the paired use of TappingMode and pulsed-mode AFM, we have also confirmed the existence of regions with different rheological properties on the single lignin model compound supramolecular assembly.