Accumulation of theanderose in association with development of freezing tolerance in the moss Physcomitrella patens.
Mosses are known to have the ability to develop high degrees of resistance to desiccation and freezing stress at cellular levels. However, underlying cellular mechanisms leading to the development of stress resistance in mosses are not understood. We previously showed that freezing tolerance in protonema cells of the moss Physcomitrella patens was rapidly increased by exogenous application of the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) [Minami, A., Nagao, M., Arakawa, K., Fujikawa, S., Takezawa, D., 2003a. Abscisic acid-induced freezing tolerance in the moss Physcomitrella patens is accompanied by increased expression of stress-related genes. J. Plant Physiol. 160, 475-483]. Herein it is shown that protonema cells with acquired freezing tolerance specifically accumulate low-molecular-weight soluble sugars. Analysis of the most abundant trisaccharide revealed that the cells accumulated theanderose (G6-alpha-glucosyl sucrose) in close association with enhancement of freezing tolerance by ABA treatment. The accumulation of theanderose was inhibited by cycloheximide, an inhibitor of nuclear-encoded protein synthesis, coinciding with a remarkable decrease in freezing tolerance. Furthermore, theanderose accumulation was promoted by cold acclimation and treatment with hyperosmotic solutes, both of which had been shown to enhance cellular freezing tolerance. These results reveal a novel role for theanderose, whose biological function has been obscure, in high freezing tolerance in moss cells.
Nagao
Manabu
M
Cryobiosystem Research Center, Iwate University, Morioka 020-8550, Japan.
Oku
Kazuyuki
K
Minami
Anzu
A
Mizuno
Kaoru
K
Sakurai
Minoru
M
Arakawa
Keita
K
Fujikawa
Seizo
S
Takezawa
Daisuke
D
D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D019068:Bryopsida / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005615:Freezing; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008353:Mannitol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D014312:Trisaccharides; C511825:theanderose; D008353:Mannitol; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D003513:Cycloheximide