Genotype Variation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Tolerance to Fe Toxicity Might Be Linked to Root Cell Wall Lignification.

Iron (Fe) is an essential element to plants, but can be harmful if accumulated to toxic concentrations. Fe toxicity can be a major nutritional disorder in rice (Oryza sativa) when cultivated under waterlogged conditions, as a result of excessive Fe solubilization of in the soil. However, little is known about the basis of Fe toxicity and tolerance at both physiological and molecular level. To identify mechanisms and potential candidate genes for Fe tolerance in rice, we comparatively analyzed the effects of excess Fe on two cultivars with distinct tolerance to Fe toxicity, EPAGRI 108 (tolerant) and BR-IRGA 409 (susceptible). After excess Fe treatment, BR-IRGA 409 plants showed reduced biomass and photosynthetic parameters, compared to EPAGRI 108. EPAGRI 108 plants accumulated lower amounts of Fe in both shoots and roots compared to BR-IRGA 409. We conducted transcriptomic analyses of roots from susceptible and tolerant plants under control and excess Fe conditions. We found 423 up-regulated and 92 down-regulated genes in the susceptible cultivar, and 42 up-regulated and 305 down-regulated genes in the tolerant one. We observed striking differences in root gene expression profiles following exposure to excess Fe: the two cultivars showed no genes regulated in the same way (up or down in both), and 264 genes were oppositely regulated in both cultivars. Plants from the susceptible cultivar showed down-regulation of known Fe uptake-related genes, indicating that plants are actively decreasing Fe acquisition. On the other hand, plants from the tolerant cultivar showed up-regulation of genes involved in root cell wall biosynthesis and lignification. We confirmed that the tolerant cultivar has increased lignification in the outer layers of the cortex and in the vascular bundle compared to the susceptible cultivar, suggesting that the capacity to avoid excessive Fe uptake could rely in root cell wall remodeling. Moreover, we showed that increased lignin concentrations in roots might be linked to Fe tolerance in other rice cultivars, suggesting that a similar mechanism might operate in multiple genotypes. Our results indicate that changes in root cell wall and Fe permeability might be related to Fe toxicity tolerance in rice natural variation.

Deep RNAseq indicates protective mechanisms of cold-tolerant indica rice plants during early vegetative stage.

KEY MESSAGE: Cold-tolerance in rice may be related to increased cellulose deposition in the cell wall, membrane fatty acids unsaturation and differential expression of several newly identified genes. Low temperature exposure during early vegetative stages limits rice plant's growth and development. Most genes previously related to cold tolerance in rice are from the japonica subspecies. To help clarify the mechanisms that regulate cold tolerance in young indica rice plants, comparative transcriptome analysis of 6 h cold-treated (10 °C) leaves from two genotypes, cold-tolerant (CT) and cold-sensitive (CS), was performed. Differentially expressed genes were identified: 831 and 357 sequences more expressed in the tolerant and in the sensitive genotype, respectively. The genes with higher expression in the CT genotype were used in systems biology analyses to identify protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and nodes (proteins) that are hubs and bottlenecks in the PPI. From the genes more expressed in the tolerant plants, 60% were reported as affected by cold in previous transcriptome experiments and 27% are located within QTLs related to cold tolerance during the vegetative stage. Novel cold-responsive genes were identified. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the high-quality of RNAseq libraries. Several genes related to cell wall assembly or reinforcement are cold-induced or constitutively highly expressed in the tolerant genotype. Cold-tolerant plants have increased cellulose deposition under cold. Genes related to lipid metabolism are more expressed in the tolerant genotype, which has higher membrane fatty acids unsaturation, with increasing levels of linoleic acid under cold. The CT genotype seems to have higher photosynthetic efficiency and antioxidant capacity, as well as more effective ethylene, Ca2+ and hormone signaling than the CS. These genes could be useful in future biotechnological approaches aiming to increase cold tolerance in rice.

Cannabidiol and endogenous opioid peptide-mediated mechanisms modulate antinociception induced by transcutaneous electrostimulation of the peripheral nervous system.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacological therapy for the treatment of pain. The present work investigated the effect of cannabidiol, naloxone and diazepam in combination with 10 Hz and 150 Hz TENS. Male Wistar rats were submitted to the tail-flick test (baseline), and each rodent received an acute administration (intraperitoneal) of naloxone (3.0mg/kg), diazepam (1.5mg/kg) or cannabidiol (0.75 mg/kg, 1.5mg/kg, 3.0mg/kg, 4.5mg/kg, 6.0mg/kg and 12.0mg/kg); 10 min after the acute administration, 10 Hz or 150 Hz TENS or a sham procedure was performed for 30 min. Subsequently, tail-flick measures were recorded over a 90-min period, at 5-min intervals. 10 Hz TENS increased the nociceptive threshold during the 90-min period. This antinociceptive effect was reversed by naloxone pre-treatment, was not altered by diazepam pre-treatment and was abolished by cannabidiol pre-treatment (1.5mg/kg). Moreover, 150 Hz TENS increased tail-flick latencies by 35 min post-treatment, which was partially inhibited by naloxone pre-treatment and totally inhibited by cannabidiol (1.5mg/kg). These data suggest the involvement of the endogenous opioid system and the cannabinoid-mediated neuromodulation of the antinociception induced by transcutaneous electrostimulation at 10 Hz and 150 Hz TENS.