Photosynthetica 2011, 49(4):523-530 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-011-0065-4

Mechanism of xanthophyll-cycle-mediated photoprotection in Cerasus humilis seedlings under water stress and subsequent recovery

X. S. Song1,*, Z. W. Shang1, Z. P. Yin1, J. Ren2, M. C. Sun1, X. L. Ma1
1 Department of Genetics, College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
2 Department of Biology and Food Science, College of ChengDong, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China

Periodic drought fluctuation is a common phenomenon in Northwest China. We analyzed the response of Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis) seedlings, a dwarf shrub species with considerably strong adaptabilities, exposed to water stress (WS) by withholding water for 21 d, and subsequent recovery of 7 d. Leaf relative water content (LRWC), net photosynthetic rate (P N), maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), and effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) decreased with increasing water deficit. In contrast, the nonphotochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence (NPQ) significantly increased, as well as the amounts of violaxanthin (V) + antheraxanthin (A) + zeaxanthin (Z). In the whole levels, the photosynthetic pigment composition did not display significant changes in WS seedlings. However, the de-epoxidation state of xanthophyll cycle pigments [(Z+0.5A)/VAZ ] generally exhibited higher values in WS seedlings. The significant inhibition of de-epoxidation by dithiothreitol (DTT) and negligible changes of epoxidation of Z by glucosamine (Gla) were both observed; the slight but stably upregulated transcript level of violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) and downregulated zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) expression profile were found during WS period, indicating that they were regulated on post-transcript levels. VDE activity, via the accumulation of Z and A, which confers a greater capacity of photoprotection, appears to contribute to the survival of severely stressed plants.

Keywords: Cerasus humilis Bunge; energy dissipation; recovery; violaxanthin; violaxanthin de-epoxidase; water stress; xanthophyll cycle; zeaxanthin; zeaxanthin epoxidase

Received: March 2, 2011; Accepted: August 25, 2011; Published: December 1, 2011Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Song, X.S., Shang, Z.W., Yin, Z.P., Ren, J., Sun, M.C., & Ma, X.L. (2011). Mechanism of xanthophyll-cycle-mediated photoprotection in Cerasus humilis seedlings under water stress and subsequent recovery. Photosynthetica, 49(4), 523-530. doi: 10.1007/s11099-011-0065-4.
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)

    • Open full article

    References

    1. Abadía, A., Abadía, J.: Iron and plants pigments. - In: Barton, L.L, Hemming, B.C. (ed.): Iron chelation in plants and soil microorganisms. Pp. 327-344. Academic, San Diego 1993. Go to original source...
    2. Abadía, A., Belkohodja, R., Morales, F., Abadía, J.: Effects of salinity on the photosynthetic pigment composition of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) growth under a triple-line-source sprinkler system in the field. - Plant Physiol. 154: 392-400, 1999. Go to original source...
    3. Adams, W.W., III, Demmig-Adams, B.: The xanthophyll cycle and sustained thermal dissipation activity in Vinca minor and Euonymus kiautschovicus in winter. - Plant Cell Environ. 18: 117-127, 1995. Go to original source...
    4. Adams, W.W., III, Demmig-Adams, B., Verhoeven, A.S., Barker, D.H.: Photoinhibition during winter stress: involvement of sustained xanthophyll cycle-dependent energy dissipation. - Plant Physiol. 22: 261-276, 1995.
    5. Barker, D.H., Adams, W.W., III, Demmig-Adams, B., Logan, B.A., Verhoeven, A.S., Smith, S.D.: Nocturnally retained zeaxanthin does not remain engaged in a state primed for energy dissipation during the summer in two Yucca species growing in the Mojave Desert. - Plant Cell Environ. 25: 95-103, 2002. Go to original source...
    6. Barker, D.H., Adams, W.W., III, Logan, B.A., Demmig-Adams, B.: Photochemistry and xanthophyll cycle-dependent energy dissipation in differently oriented cladodes of Opuntia stricta during the winter. - Plant Physiol. 25: 95-104, 1998.
    7. Bigras, F.J.: Photosynthetic response of white spruce families to drought stress. - New Forests 29: 135-148, 2005. Go to original source...
    8. Bond, B.J.: Age-related changes in photosynthesis of woody plants. - Trends Plant Sci. 8: 349-353, 2000. Go to original source...
    9. Chaves, M.M., Flexas, J., Pinheiro, C.: Photosynthesis under drought and salt stress: regulation mechanisms from whole plant to cell. - Ann. Bot. 103: 551-560, 2009. Go to original source...
    10. Demmig-Adams, B., Adams, W.W., III.: The role of xanthophyll cycle carotenoids in the protection of photosynthesis. - Trends Plant Sci. 1: 21-26, 1996. Go to original source...
    11. Demmig-Adams, B., Adams, W.W., III.: Photoprotection in an ecological context: the remarkable complexity of thermal energy dissipation. - New Phytol. 172: 11-21, 2006. Go to original source...
    12. Demmig-Adams, B., Gilmore, A.M., Adams, W.W.: Carotenoids. 3. In vivo functions of carotenoids in higher plants. - FASEB J. 10: 403-412, 1996.
    13. Demmig-Adams, B., Winter, K., Krüger, A., Czygan, F. C.: Zeaxanthin and the heat dissipation of excess light energy in Nerium oleander exposed to a combination of high light and water stress. - Plant Physiol. 84: 17-24, 1988. Go to original source...
    14. Fernández-Marín, B., Balaguer, L., Esteban, R., Becerril, J.M., García-Plazaola, J.L.: Dark induction of the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle in response to dehydration. - J. Plant Physiol. 166: 1734-1744, 2009. Go to original source...
    15. Flexas, J., Bota, J., Escalona, J.M., Sampol, B., Medrano, H.: Effects of drought on photosynthesis in grapevines under field conditions: an evaluation of stomatal and mesophyll limitations. - Funct. Plant Biol. 29: 461-471, 2002. Go to original source...
    16. Flexas, J., Medrano, H.: Drought-inhibition of photosynthesis in C3 plants: stomatal and non-stomatal limitations revisited. - Ann Bot. 89: 183-189, 2002. Go to original source...
    17. García-Plazaola, J.I., Artetxe, U., Becerril, J.M.: Diurnal changes in antioxidant and carotenoid composition in the Mediterranean sclerophyll tree Quercus ilex (L) during winter. - Plant Sci. 143: 125-133, 1999. Go to original source...
    18. Gilmore, A.M., Yamamoto, H.Y.: Linear models relating xanthophylls and lumen acidity to non-photochemical fluorescence quenching. Evidence that antheraxanthin explains zeaxanthin-independent quenching. - Photosynth Res. 35: 67-78, 1993. Go to original source...
    19. Genty, B., Briantais, J.M., Baker, N.R.: The relationship between the quantum yield of photosynthetic electron transport and quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence. - Biochim. Biophys. Acta 99: 87-92, 1989. Go to original source...
    20. Havaux, M., Strasser, R.J., Greppin, H.: A theoretical and experimental analysis of the qP and qN coefficients of chlorophyll fluorescence quenching and their relation to photochemical and nonphotochemical events. - Photosynth. Res. 27: 41-55, 1991. Go to original source...
    21. Jahns, P., Latowski, D., Strzałka, K.: Mechanism and regulation of the violaxanthin cycle: The role of antenna proteins and membrane lipids. - Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1787: 3-14, 2009. Go to original source...
    22. Kaiser, W.M.: Effects of water deficit on photosynthetic capacity. - Plant Physiol. 71: 142-149, 1987. Go to original source...
    23. Larbi, A., Abadía, A., Morales, F., Abadía, J.: Fe resupply to Fe-deficient sugar beet plants leads to rapid changes in the violaxanthin cycle and other photosynthetic characteristics without significant de novo chlorophyll synthesis. - Photosynth. Res. 79: 59-69, 2004. Go to original source...
    24. Latowski, D., Banaś, A.K., Strzałka, K., Gabryś, H.: Amino sugars: new inhibitors of zeaxanthin epoxidase, a violaxanthin cycle enzyme. - J. Plant Physiol. 164: 231-237, 2007. Go to original source...
    25. Lawlor, D.W., Tezara, W.: Causes of decreased photosynthetic rate and metabolic capacity in water-deficient leaf cells: a critical evaluation of mechanisms and integration of processes. - Ann. Bot. 103: 561-579, 2009. Go to original source...
    26. Levizou, E., Petropoulou, E., Manetas, Y.: Carotenoid composition of peridermal twigs does not fully conform to a shade acclimation hypothesis. - Photosynthetica 42: 591-596, 2004. Go to original source...
    27. Logan, B.A., Grace, S.C., Adams, W.W., III, Demmig-Adams, B.: Seasonal differences in xanthophyll cycle characteristics and antioxidants in Mahonia repens growing in different light environments. - Oecologia 116: 9-17, 1998.
    28. Moles, A.T., Westoby, M.: What do seedlings die from and what are the implications for evolution of seed size? - Oikos 106: 193-199, 2004. Go to original source...
    29. Munné-Bosch, S., Alegre, L.: Changes in carotenoids, tocopherols and diterpenes during drought and recovery, and the biological significance of chlorophyll loss in Rosmarinus officinalis plants. - Planta 210: 925-931, 2000. Go to original source...
    30. North, H.M., Frey, A., Boutin, J.P., Sotta, B., Marion-Poll, A.: Analysis of xanthophyll cycle gene expression during the adaptation of Arabidopsis to excess light and drought stress: Changes in RNA steady-state levels do not contribute to short-term responses. - Plant Sci. 169: 115-124, 2005. Go to original source...
    31. Peguero-Pina, J.J., Morales, F., Flexas, J., Gil-Pelegrín, E., Moya, I.: Photochemistry, remotely sensed physiological reflectance index and de-epoxidation state of the xanthophyll cycle in Quercus coccifera under intense drought. - Oecologia 156: 1-11, 2008. Go to original source...
    32. Petsas, A., Grammatikopoulos, G.: Drought resistance and recovery of photosystem II activity in a Mediterranean semideciduous shrub at the seedling stage. - Photosynthetica 47: 284-292, 2009. Go to original source...
    33. Roháček, K., Barták, M.: Technique of the modulated chlorophyll fluorescence: basic concepts, useful parameters, and some applications. - Photosynthetica 37: 339-363, 1999.
    34. Saccardy, K., Pineau, B., Roche, O., Cornic, G.: Photochemical efficiency of Photosystem II and xanthophyll cycle components in Zea mays leaves exposed to water stress and high light. - Photosynth. Res. 56: 57-66, 1998. Go to original source...
    35. van Kooten, O., Snel, J.F.H.: The use of chlorophyll fluorescence nomenclature in plant stress physiology. - Photosynth. Res. 25: 147-150, 1990. Go to original source...
    36. Verhoeven, A.S., Adams, W.W., III, Demmig-Adams, B.: The xanthophyll cycle and acclimation of Pinus ponderosa and Malva neglecta to winter stress. - Oecologia 118: 277-287, 1999. Go to original source...
    37. Yamamoto, H.Y., Komite, L.: The effects of dithiothreitol on violaxanthin de-epoxidation and absorbance changes in the 500-nm region. - Biochim. Biophys. Acta 267: 538-543, 1972. Go to original source...
    38. Yin, Z.P., Shang, Z.W., Wei, C., Ren, J., Song, X.S.: Foliar sprays of photosynthetic bacteria improve the growth and anti-oxidative capability on Chinese Dwarf Cherry (Prunus humilis Bunge) seedlings. - J. Plant Nutr., 2011 (in press). Go to original source...
    39. Yu, J. Q., Matsui, Y.: Effects of root exudates of cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and allelochemicals on ion uptake by cucumber seedlings. - J. Chem. Ecol. 23: 817-827, 1997. Go to original source...

    Return to the content