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Cytochrome respiration pathway and sulphur metabolism sustain stress tolerance to low temperature in the Antarctic species Colobanthus quitensis
Author(s) -
ClementeMoreno María José,
Omranian Nooshin,
Sáez Patricia,
Figueroa Carlos María,
DelSaz Néstor,
Elso Mhartyn,
Poblete Leticia,
Orf Isabel,
CuadrosInostroza Alvaro,
Cavieres Lohengrin,
Bravo León,
Fernie Alisdair,
RibasCarbó Miquel,
Flexas Jaume,
Nikoloski Zoran,
Brotman Yariv,
Gago Jorge
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.16167
Subject(s) - respiration , antioxidant , photosynthesis , biology , metabolism , cellular respiration , cytochrome , botany , sulfur metabolism , biochemistry , ecology , enzyme
Summary Understanding the strategies employed by plant species that live in extreme environments offers the possibility to discover stress tolerance mechanisms. We studied the physiological, antioxidant and metabolic responses to three temperature conditions (4, 15, and 23°C) of Colobanthus quitensis ( CQ ), one of the only two native vascular species in Antarctica. We also employed Dianthus chinensis ( DC ), to assess the effects of the treatments in a non‐Antarctic species from the same family. Using fused LASSO modelling, we associated physiological and biochemical antioxidant responses with primary metabolism. This approach allowed us to highlight the metabolic pathways driving the response specific to CQ . Low temperature imposed dramatic reductions in photosynthesis (up to 88%) but not in respiration (sustaining rates of 3.0–4.2 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 ) in CQ , and no change in the physiological stress parameters was found. Its notable antioxidant capacity and mitochondrial cytochrome respiratory activity (20 and two times higher than DC , respectively), which ensure ATP production even at low temperature, was significantly associated with sulphur‐containing metabolites and polyamines. Our findings potentially open new biotechnological opportunities regarding the role of antioxidant compounds and respiratory mechanisms associated with sulphur metabolism in stress tolerance strategies to low temperature.