There is a noted variation in metabolomic and metallomic content between the different organs of Cistus creticus, which might inform future research and nutritional or medicinal use of the plant. Cistus creticus L. (Cistaceae), known by the common name rock rose, is a garden flower and an emerging medicinal plant. C. creticus extracts have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects, and potent antimicrobial power. Extracts or essential oil from Cistus promote reduction in triglyceride levels, repress diabetes biomarkers and promote reduction of UV-B damage. All this collectively indicates possible beneficial effects for treatments of infections, diabetes, and skin aging. While several studies reported a number of metabolites in C. creticus, there is no comprehensive metabolome and elemental analyses of its different organs. We performed GC–MS, UHPLC–MS and ICP-MS analyses of flowers, leaves, and stems of C. creticus and report known, as well as new, metabolites in the three different organs, as well as essential elements. Leaves were richest in primary metabolites such as essential amino acids, sugars, and organic acids, with some exceptions. They were also richest in myricitrin, myricetin-3-O-glucoside, and myricetin-3-O-pentoside, which have potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities, as well as azelaic acid, quinic acid, kaempferol and its derivatives, and other secondary metabolites. Stems were richest in asterbatanoside. Other secondary metabolites, such as cistusin, chlorogenic acid, nicotinic acid, and punicalin, were most abundant in the flowers. We have identified metabolites with different beneficial activities in C. creticus and demonstrated that their levels greatly vary depending on the type of organ they are present in. These findings indicate that organ-specific enrichment of bioactive metabolites could inform targeted therapeutic development for diabetes, infections, and inflammatory disorders.
To thrive in extreme conditions, organisms have evolved a diverse arsenal of adaptations that confer resilience. These species, their traits, and the mechanisms underlying them comprise a valuable resource that can be mined for numerous conceptual insights and applied objectives. One of the most dramatic adaptations to water limitation is desiccation tolerance. Understanding the mechanisms underlying desiccation tolerance has important potential implications for medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and conservation. However, progress has been hindered by a lack of standardization across sub-disciplines, complicating the integration of data and slowing the translation of basic discoveries into practical applications. Here, we synthesize current knowledge on desiccation tolerance across evolutionary, ecological, physiological, and cellular scales to provide a roadmap for advancing desiccation tolerance research. We also address critical gaps and technical roadblocks, highlighting the need for standardized experimental practices, improved taxonomic sampling, and the development of new tools for studying biology in a dry state. We hope that this perspective can serve as a roadmap to accelerating research breakthroughs and unlocking the potential of desiccation tolerance to address global challenges related to climate change, food security, and health.
BackgroundWheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a major pathogenic threat, particularly in regions with favorable moist conditions during the growing season, resulting in significant commercial losses. This study investigates the variations in wheat plant responses to pathogen stress and the potential biocontrol effects of fungal endophytes against stripe rust. Due to the challenges associated with culturing the obligate biotrophic basidiomycete fungi on artificial media, there is a dire need for eco-friendly, economical, and safe biocontrol alternatives.MethodsWe explored the biocontrol potential of two indigenous fungal endophytes, Curvularia lunata (DT-4) and Aspergillus fumigatus (DT-8), against wheat stripe rust in two susceptible wheat varieties.ResultsOur results revealed that both fungal strains significantly improved wheat grain germination and secondary metabolites induction in two wheat varieties. The Morocco variety showed enhanced seed germination (63.6 % DT-4, 72.7% DT-8), plant growth (48.9% DT-4, 55.6% DT-8), and seedling fresh weight (126% DT-4, 110% DT-8), highlighting their potential as biocontrol agents. Treated wheat plants with DT-4 and DT-8 consortia after infection with strip rust (Puccinia striiformis) suspension (SR-S) exhibited enhanced resistance to stripe rust, evidenced by increased antioxidant enzyme activities SOD, CAT, and POD (54.5, 54.6, 112.7%), reduced lipid peroxidation (42.1%), and decreased disease severity (80%). Similarly, wheat grain of TD-1 variety treated with fungus culture filtrate showed maximum germination for seeds (38.5% DT-4, 53.8% DT-8), plant growth (54.5% DT-4, 31.8% DT-8), and seedling fresh weight (125% DT-4, DT-8). A significant increase is observed in the antioxidant enzyme activities SOD, CAT, and POD (59.2, 71.9, 104.6%), reduction in lipid peroxidation (32.8%), and decreased disease severity (80%).ConclusionThese findings suggest that Aspergillus fumigatus and Curvularia lunata induce the anti-pathogenic metabolites, defense-related protein, antioxidant enzymes, resistance genes, salicylic acid (SA), and jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis. Together, these responses enhance the overall defensive capacity of wheat against stripe rust, providing a sustainable and ecologically friendly alternative to synthetic fungicides for controlling wheat stripe rust.
The redox-dependent modulation of redox-sensitive proteins and transcription factors serves as a central mechanism to regulate plant defense responses against necrotrophic fungal pathogens. This process is interconnected with hormone signaling pathways involving salicylic acid (SA) or jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET), resulting in a coordinated holistic defense response to combat pathogen infection. In response to Alternaria infection, additional reactive oxygen species (ROS) production triggers an appropriate response to the invasive hyphae, acting as a primary defense mechanism in Brassicaceae. This ROS signaling pathway, involving receptors, kinases, transcriptional activators, and downstream genes such as ATR7 and ERF102/MACD1, among others, is critical for the well-coordinated plant response to Alternaria disease. These pathways can lead to either tolerance or programmed cell death (PCD), depending on the balance of signaling events. Despite the significant contribution of redox-mediated pathways, Alternaria blight continues to infect crops in the Brassicaceae family, leading to yield losses in Brassica species, especially oilseed crops, exerting a substantial economic impact. Given the importance of this pathogen, the current review provides an in-depth understanding of the oxidative stress and associated signaling networks triggered by Alternaria blight. Special emphasis is given to the interaction of Alternaria with oilseed Brassica crops, highlighting key molecular pathways involved in disease progression and plant response. Understanding these complex interactions provides valuable clues into the plant’s adaptations to stress. Thus, opening avenues for identifying novel solutions in producing resilience against the Alternaria pathogen, ensuring sustainable productivity in Brassica crops. Despite the significant contribution of redox mediated defense pathway, Alternaria blight continue to infect crops in the Brassicaceae family that leads to yield losses in Brassica species especially oilseed crops exerting substantial economic impact. Given the importance of this pathogen, the current review provides an in-depth understanding of the oxidative stress and associated signaling networks triggered by Alternaria blight. Special emphasis is given to the interaction of Alternaria with oilseed Brassica crops, highlighting key molecular pathways involved in disease progression and plant response. Understanding these complex interactions provides valuable clues into the plant adaptations to stress. Thus, opening avenues for identifying novel solutions in producing resilience against Alternaria pathogen, ensuring sustainable productivity in Brassica crops.
This study addresses the role of cytosine methylation in the fine tuning of flowering time under conditions of water deficit in Arabidopsis thaliana. For this purpose, the drm1 drm2 cmt3 triple methylation mutant in the Col-0 background was used. The plants were grown under long day conditions with water deficit induced by cessation of watering starting at 12 days after seeding. Col-0 showed 1 day delay in flowering as a result of the treatment. ddc on the other hand, showed 2 days of delay regardless of the experimental conditions. We found that the two b-box domain proteins BBX16/COL7 and BBX17/COL8 became overexpressed in the ddc background and in Col-0 under water deficit at 24 days after seeding. Additionally, the NF-YA2 transcription factor became correspondingly down-regulated. Our results suggest a model, where BBX16/COL7 and BBX17/COL8 interact with CONSTANS to delay the induction of FT under long day conditions. NF-YA2, which is also recognized as a promoter of FT expression, with its down-regulation causes additional delay of FT induced flowering. In the Col-0 background, the weak FRIGIDA allele fails to induce sufficient expression of FLC for additional suppression of FT. The plants overcome easily the BBX/NF-YA inhibition resulting in a relatively small delay in flowering. The expression patterns of the three genes suggest involvement of cytosine methylation in their regulation, however no differential methylation could be found in cis that can explain these effects. The results therefore, suggest a trans acting mechanism. Considering that the activities of BBX16/COL7 and BBX17/COL8 in different physiological conditions are not elucidated, this paper provides a background for future experiments targeting the role of these genes in the fine tuning of flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
