Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Modulate Carbohydrate Metabolism in Connection with Host Plant Defense Mechanism.

Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) could potentially enhance photosynthesis and benefit plant growth by improving soil nutrient uptake and affecting plant hormone balance. Several recent studies have unveiled a correlation between alterations in photosynthesis and host plant resistance levels. Photosynthesis provides materials and energy for plant growth and immune defense and affects defense-related signaling pathways. Photosynthetic organelles, which could be strengthened by PGPR inoculation, are key centers for defense signal biosynthesis and transmission. Although endophytic PGPRs metabolize plant photosynthates, they can increase soluble sugar levels and alternate sugar type and distribution. Soluble sugars clearly support plant growth and can act as secondary messengers under stressed conditions. Overall, carbohydrate metabolism modifications induced by PGPR may also play a key role in improving plant resistance. We provide a concise overview of current knowledge regarding PGPR-induced modulation in carbohydrate metabolism under both pathogen-infected and pathogen-free conditions. We highlight PGPR application as a cost-saving strategy amidst unpredictable pathogen pressures.

Deciphering the role of plant plasma membrane lipids in response to invasion patterns: how could biology and biophysics help?

Plants have to constantly face pathogen attacks. To cope with diseases, they have to detect the invading pathogen as early as possible via the sensing of conserved motifs called invasion patterns. The first step of perception occurs at the plasma membrane. While many invasion patterns are perceived by specific proteinaceous immune receptors, several studies have highlighted the influence of the lipid composition and dynamics of the plasma membrane in the sensing of invasion patterns. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on how some microbial invasion patterns could interact with the lipids of the plasma membrane, leading to a plant immune response. Depending on the invasion pattern, different mechanisms are involved. This review outlines the potential of combining biological with biophysical approaches to decipher how plasma membrane lipids are involved in the perception of microbial invasion patterns.

Protoplast: A Valuable Toolbox to Investigate Plant Stress Perception and Response.

Plants are constantly facing abiotic and biotic stresses. To continue to thrive in their environment, they have developed many sophisticated mechanisms to perceive these stresses and provide an appropriate response. There are many ways to study these stress signals in plant, and among them, protoplasts appear to provide a unique experimental system. As plant cells devoid of cell wall, protoplasts allow observations at the individual cell level. They also offer a prime access to the plasma membrane and an original view on the inside of the cell. In this regard, protoplasts are particularly useful to address essential biological questions regarding stress response, such as protein signaling, ion fluxes, ROS production, and plasma membrane dynamics. Here, the tools associated with protoplasts to comprehend plant stress signaling are overviewed and their potential to decipher plant defense mechanisms is discussed.

Bacterial rhamnolipids and their 3-hydroxyalkanoate precursors activate Arabidopsis innate immunity through two independent mechanisms.

Plant innate immunity is activated upon perception of invasion pattern molecules by plant cell-surface immune receptors. Several bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Burkholderia produce rhamnolipids (RLs) from l-rhamnose and (R)-3-hydroxyalkanoate precursors (HAAs). RL and HAA secretion is required to modulate bacterial surface motility, biofilm development, and thus successful colonization of hosts. Here, we show that the lipidic secretome from the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, mainly comprising RLs and HAAs, stimulates Arabidopsis immunity. We demonstrate that HAAs are sensed by the bulb-type lectin receptor kinase LIPOOLIGOSACCHARIDE-SPECIFIC REDUCED ELICITATION/S-DOMAIN-1-29 (LORE/SD1-29), which also mediates medium-chain 3-hydroxy fatty acid (mc-3-OH-FA) perception, in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana HAA sensing induces canonical immune signaling and local resistance to plant pathogenic Pseudomonas infection. By contrast, RLs trigger an atypical immune response and resistance to Pseudomonas infection independent of LORE. Thus, the glycosyl moieties of RLs, although abolishing sensing by LORE, do not impair their ability to trigger plant defense. Moreover, our results show that the immune response triggered by RLs is affected by the sphingolipid composition of the plasma membrane. In conclusion, RLs and their precursors released by bacteria can both be perceived by plants but through distinct mechanisms.

Biosurfactants in Plant Protection Against Diseases: Rhamnolipids and Lipopeptides Case Study.

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic surface-active molecules that are produced by a variety of microorganisms including fungi and bacteria. Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and Bacillus species are known to secrete rhamnolipids and lipopeptides that are used in a wide range of industrial applications. Recently, these compounds have been studied in a context of plant-microbe interactions. This mini-review describes the direct antimicrobial activities of these compounds against plant pathogens. We also provide the current knowledge on how rhamnolipids and lipopeptides stimulate the plant immune system leading to plant resistance to phytopathogens. Given their low toxicity, high biodegradability and ecological acceptance, we discuss the possible role of these biosurfactants as alternative strategies to reduce or even replace pesticide use in agriculture.

Sphingolipids: towards an integrated view of metabolism during the plant stress response.

Plants exist in an environment of changing abiotic and biotic stresses. They have developed a complex set of strategies to respond to these stresses and over recent years it has become clear that sphingolipids are a key player in these responses. Sphingolipids are not universally present in all three domains of life. Many bacteria and archaea do not produce sphingolipids but they are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and have been intensively studied in yeast and mammals. During the last decade there has been a steadily increasing interest in plant sphingolipids. Plant sphingolipids exhibit structural differences when compared with their mammalian counterparts and it is now clear that they perform some unique functions. Sphingolipids are recognised as critical components of the plant plasma membrane and endomembrane system. Besides being important structural elements of plant membranes, their particular structure contributes to the fluidity and biophysical order. Sphingolipids are also involved in multiple cellular and regulatory processes including vesicle trafficking, plant development and defence. This review will focus on our current knowledge as to the function of sphingolipids during plant stress responses, not only as structural components of biological membranes, but also as signalling mediators.

Different Arabidopsis thaliana photosynthetic and defense responses to hemibiotrophic pathogen induced by local or distal inoculation of Burkholderia phytofirmans.

Pathogen infection of plant results in modification of photosynthesis and defense mechanisms. Beneficial microorganisms are known to improve plant tolerance to stresses. Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN (Bp), a beneficial endophytic bacterium, promotes growth of a wide range of plants and induces plant resistance against abiotic and biotic stresses such as coldness and infection by a necrotrophic pathogen. However, mechanisms underlying its role in plant tolerance towards (hemi)biotrophic invaders is still lacking. We thus decipher photosynthetic and defense responses during the interaction between Arabidopsis, Bp and the hemibiotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst). Different Bp inoculations allowed analyzes at both systemic and local levels. Despite no direct antibacterial action, our results showed that only local presence of Bp alleviates Pst growth in planta during the early stage of infection. Molecular investigations showed that seed inoculation of Bp, leading to a restricted presence in the root system, transiently primed PR1 expression after challenge with Pst but continuously primed PDF1.2 expression. Bacterization with Bp reduced Y(ND) but had no impact on PSII activity or RuBisCO accumulation. Pst infection caused an increase of Y(NA) and a decrease in ΦPSI, ETRI and in PSII activity, showed by a decrease in Fv/Fm, Y(NPQ), ΦPSII, and ETRII values. Inoculation with both bacteria did not display any variation in photosynthetic activity compared to plants inoculated with only Pst. Our findings indicated that the role of Bp here is not multifaceted, and relies only on priming of defense mechanisms but not on improving photosynthetic activity.

Differential Interaction of Synthetic Glycolipids with Biomimetic Plasma Membrane Lipids Correlates with the Plant Biological Response.

Natural and synthetic amphiphilic molecules including lipopeptides, lipopolysaccharides, and glycolipids are able to induce defense mechanisms in plants. In the present work, the perception of two synthetic C14 rhamnolipids, namely, Alk-RL and Ac-RL, differing only at the level of the lipid tail terminal group have been investigated using biological and biophysical approaches. We showed that Alk-RL induces a stronger early signaling response in tobacco cell suspensions than does Ac-RL. The interactions of both synthetic RLs with simplified biomimetic membranes were further analyzed using experimental and in silico approaches. Our results indicate that the interactions of Alk-RL and Ac-RL with lipids were different in terms of insertion and molecular responses and were dependent on the lipid composition of model membranes. A more favorable insertion of Alk-RL than Ac-RL into lipid membranes is observed. Alk-RL forms more stable molecular assemblies than Ac-RL with phospholipids and sterols. At the molecular level, the presence of sterols tends to increase the RLs' interaction with lipid bilayers, with a fluidizing effect on the alkyl chains. Taken together, our findings suggest that the perception of these synthetic RLs at the membrane level could be related to a lipid-driven process depending on the organization of the membrane and the orientation of the RLs within the membrane and is correlated with the induction of early signaling responses in tobacco cells.

Spatio-temporal Responses of Arabidopsis Leaves in Photosynthetic Performance and Metabolite Contents to Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN.

A valuable strategy to improve crop yield consists in the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs). However, the influence of PGPR colonization on plant physiology is largely unknown. PGPR Burkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN (Bp PsJN) colonized only Arabidopsis thaliana roots after seed or soil inoculation. Foliar bacteria were detected only after leaf infiltration. Since, different bacterial times of presence and/or locations in host plant could lead to different plant physiological responses, photosynthesis, and metabolite profiles in A. thaliana leaves were thus investigated following leaf, root, or seed inoculation with Bp PsJN. Only Bp PsJN leaf colonization transiently decreased cyclic electron transport and effective quantum yield of photosystem I (PSI), and prevented a decrease in net photosynthesis and stomatal opening compared to the corresponding control. Metabolomic analysis revealed that soluble sugars, amino acids or their derivatives accumulated differently in all Bp PsJN-inoculated plants. Octanoic acid accumulated only in case of inoculated plants. Modifications in vitamin, organic acid such as tricarboxylic acid intermediates, and hormone amounts were dependent on bacterial time of presence and location. Additionally, a larger array of amino acids and hormones (auxin, cytokinin, abscisic acid) were modified by seed inoculation with Bp PsJN. Our work thereby provides evidence that relative short-term inoculation with Bp PsJN altered physiological status of A. thaliana leaves, whereas long-term bacterization triggered modifications on a larger set of metabolites. Our data highlighted the changes displayed during this plant-microbe interaction to trigger physiological and metabolic responses that could explain the increase in plant growth or stress tolerance conferred by the presence of Bp PsJN.

Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN reduces impact of freezing temperatures on photosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Several plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are known to improve plant tolerance to multiple stresses, including low temperatures. However, mechanisms underlying this protection are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the endophytic PGPR, Burkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN (Bp PsJN), on Arabidopsis thaliana cold tolerance using photosynthesis parameters as physiological markers. Under standard conditions, our results indicated that Bp PsJN inoculation led to growth promotion of Arabidopsis plants without significant modification on photosynthesis parameters and chloroplast organization. However, bacterial colonization induced a cell wall strengthening in the mesophyll. Impact of inoculation modes (either on seeds or by soil irrigation) and their effects overnight at 0, -1, or -3°C, were investigated by following photosystem II (PSII) activity and gas exchanges. Following low temperatures stress, a decrease of photosynthesis parameters was observed. In addition, during three consecutive nights or days at -1°C, PSII activity was monitored. Pigment contents, RuBisCO protein abundance, expression of several genes including RbcS, RbcL, CBF1, CBF2, CBF3, ICE1, COR15a, and COR78 were evaluated at the end of exposure. To assess the impact of the bacteria on cell ultrastructure under low temperatures, microscopic observations were achieved. Results indicated that freezing treatment induced significant changes in PSII activity as early as the first cold day, whereas the same impact on PSII activity was observed only during the third cold night. The significant effects conferred by PsJN were differential accumulation of pigments, and reduced expression of RbcL and COR78. Microscopical observations showed an alteration/disorganization in A. thaliana leaf mesophyll cells independently of the freezing treatments. The presence of bacteria during the three successive nights or days did not significantly improved A. thaliana responses but prevented the plasmalemma disruption under freezing stress.

Modifications of Sphingolipid Content Affect Tolerance to Hemibiotrophic and Necrotrophic Pathogens by Modulating Plant Defense Responses in Arabidopsis.

Sphingolipids are emerging as second messengers in programmed cell death and plant defense mechanisms. However, their role in plant defense is far from being understood, especially against necrotrophic pathogens. Sphingolipidomics and plant defense responses during pathogenic infection were evaluated in the mutant of long-chain base phosphate (LCB-P) lyase, encoded by the dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate lyase1 (AtDPL1) gene and regulating long-chain base/LCB-P homeostasis. Atdpl1 mutants exhibit tolerance to the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea but susceptibility to the hemibiotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst). Here, a direct comparison of sphingolipid profiles in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) during infection with pathogens differing in lifestyles is described. In contrast to long-chain bases (dihydrosphingosine [d18:0] and 4,8-sphingadienine [d18:2]), hydroxyceramide and LCB-P (phytosphingosine-1-phosphate [t18:0-P] and 4-hydroxy-8-sphingenine-1-phosphate [t18:1-P]) levels are higher in Atdpl1-1 than in wild-type plants in response to B. cinerea. Following Pst infection, t18:0-P accumulates more strongly in Atdpl1-1 than in wild-type plants. Moreover, d18:0 and t18:0-P appear as key players in Pst- and B. cinerea-induced cell death and reactive oxygen species accumulation. Salicylic acid levels are similar in both types of plants, independent of the pathogen. In addition, salicylic acid-dependent gene expression is similar in both types of B. cinerea-infected plants but is repressed in Atdpl1-1 after treatment with Pst. Infection with both pathogens triggers higher jasmonic acid, jasmonoyl-isoleucine accumulation, and jasmonic acid-dependent gene expression in Atdpl1-1 mutants. Our results demonstrate that sphingolipids play an important role in plant defense, especially toward necrotrophic pathogens, and highlight a novel connection between the jasmonate signaling pathway, cell death, and sphingolipids.

Grapevine NAC1 transcription factor as a convergent node in developmental processes, abiotic stresses, and necrotrophic/biotrophic pathogen tolerance.

Transcription factors of the NAC family are known to be involved in various developmental processes and in response to environmental stresses. Whereas NAC genes have been widely studied in response to abiotic stresses, little is known about their role in response to biotic stresses, especially in crops. Here, the first characterization of a Vitis vinifera L. NAC member, named VvNAC1, and involved in organ development and defence towards pathogens is reported. Expression profile analysis of VvNAC1 showed that its expression is closely associated with later stages of leaf, flower, and berry development, suggesting a role in plant senescence. Moreover, VvNAC1 expression is stimulated in Botrytis cinerea- or microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-infected berries or leaves. Furthermore, cold, wounding, and defence-related hormones such as salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, ethylene, and abscisic acid are all able to induce VvNAC1 expression in grapevine leaves. VvNAC1-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibit enhanced tolerance to osmotic, salt, and cold stresses and to B. cinerea and Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis pathogens. These plants present a modified pattern of defence gene markers (AtPR-1, AtPDF1.2, and AtVSP1) after stress application, suggesting that VvNAC1 is an important regulatory component of the plant signalling defence cascade. Collectively, these results provide evidence that VvNAC1 could represent a node of convergence regulating grapevine development and stress responses, including defence against necrotrophic and biotrophic pathogens.

Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN primes Vitis vinifera L. and confers a better tolerance to low nonfreezing temperatures.

Several endophytic bacteria reportedly induce resistance to biotic stress and abiotic stress tolerance in several plant species. Burkholderia phytofirmans PsJN is a plant-growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) that is able to colonize grapevine tissues and induce resistance to gray mold. Further, PsJN induces physiological changes that increase grapevine tolerance to low nonfreezing temperatures. To better understand how bacteria induced the observed phenomena, stress-related gene expression and metabolite accumulation were monitored in 6-week-old Chardonnay grapevine plantlets after exposure to low nonfreezing temperatures. Under normal conditions (26°C), plantlet bacterization had no significant effect on the monitored parameters. By contrast, at 4°C, both stress-related gene transcripts and metabolite levels increased earlier and faster, and reached higher levels in PsJN-bacterized plantlets than in nonbacterized counterparts, in accordance with priming phenomena. The recorded changes may be correlated with the tolerance to cold stress conferred by the presence of PsJN. This is the first time that PGPR-induced priming has been shown to protect plants against low-temperature stress. Moreover, 1 week after cold exposure, levels of stress-related metabolites had declined more in PsJN-bacterized plants, suggesting that the endophyte is involved in the cold acclimation process via the scavenging system.

Sphingolipid long chain base phosphates can regulate apoptotic-like programmed cell death in plants.

Sphingolipids are ubiquitous components of eukaryotic cells and sphingolipid metabolites, such as the long chain base phosphate (LCB-P), sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P) and ceramide (Cer) are important regulators of apoptosis in animal cells. This study evaluated the role of LCB-Ps in regulating apoptotic-like programmed cell death (AL-PCD) in plant cells using commercially available S1P as a tool. Arabidopsis cell cultures were exposed to a diverse array of cell death-inducing treatments (including Cer) in the presence of S1P. Rates of AL-PCD and cell survival were recorded using vital stains and morphological markers of AL-PCD. Internal LCB-P levels were altered in suspension cultured cells using inhibitors of sphingosine kinase and changes in rates of death in response to heat stress were evaluated. S1P reduced AL-PCD and promoted cell survival in cells subjected to a range of stresses. Treatments with inhibitors of sphingosine kinase lowered the temperature which induced maximal AL-PCD in cell cultures. The data supports the existence of a sphingolipid rheostat involved in controlling cell fate in Arabidopsis cells and that sphingolipid regulation of cell death may be a shared feature of both animal apoptosis and plant AL-PCD.

Microspore embryogenesis and programmed cell death in barley: effects of copper on albinism in recalcitrant cultivars.

Albinism remains a major problem in cereal improvement programs that rely on doubled haploid (DH) technology, and the factors controlling the phenomenon are not well understood. Here we report on the positive influence of copper on the production of DH plants obtained through microspore embryogenesis (ME) in recalcitrant cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The presence of copper sulphate in the anther pre-treatment medium improved green DH plant regeneration from cultivars known to produce exclusively albino plants using classical procedures. In plastids, the effect of copper was characterized by a decrease in starch and a parallel increase in internal membranes. The addition of copper sulphate in the ME pre-treatment medium should enable breeders to exploit the genetic diversity of recalcitrant cultivars through DH technology. We examined programmed cell death (PCD) during microspore development to determine whether PCD may interfere with the induction of ME and/or the occurrence of albinism. By examining the fate of nuclei in various anther cell layers, we demonstrated that the kinetics of PCD in anthers differed between the barley cultivars Igri and Cork that show a low and a high rate of albinism, respectively. However, no direct correlation between PCD in the anther cell layers and the rate of albinism was observed and copper had no influence on the PCD kinetic in these cultivars. It was concluded that albinism following ME was not due to PCD in anthers, but rather to another unknown phenomenon that appears to specifically affect plastids during microspore/pollen development.