Evaluation of Dittrichia viscosa Aquaporin Nip1.1 Gene as Marker for Arsenic-Tolerant Plant Selection

Abstract

Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter is gaining attention for its high genetic plasticity and ability to adapt to adverse environmental conditions, including heavy metal and metalloid pollution. Uptake and translocation of cadmium, copper, iron, nickel, lead, and zinc to the shoots have been characterized, but its performance with arsenic is less known and sometimes contradictory. Tolerance to As is not related to a reduced uptake, but the null mutation of the aquaporin Nip1.1 gene in Arabidopsis makes the plant completely resistant to the metalloid. This aquaporin, localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, is responsible for arsenite and antimony (Sb) membrane permeation, but the uptake of arsenite occurs also in the null mutant, suggesting a more sophisticated action mechanism than direct uptake. In this study, the DvNip1 gene homologue is cloned and its expression profile in roots and shoots is characterized in different arsenic stress conditions. The use of clonal lines allowed to evidence that DvNip1.1 expression level is influenced by arsenic stress. The proportion of gene expression in roots and shoots can be used to generate an index that appears to be a promising putative selection marker to predict arsenic-resistant lines of Dittrichia viscosa plants.

Chromosome-level reference genome of stinkwort, Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter: A resource for studies on invasion, range expansion, and evolutionary adaptation under global change

“…The rapid population spread of D. graveolens in new areas is aided by its annual lifecycle, self-compatibility, high fecundity, wind dispersal, and high germination rate ( Rameau et al 2008 ; Brownsey et al 2013a ; Lustenhouwer et al 2018 ). The species thrives in human-disturbed habitat such as roadsides and industrial sites which is facilitated by tolerance to environmental stressors such as high salinity ( Grašič et al 2016 ; Šajna et al 2017 ), heavy metals ( Shallari et al 1998 ), and possibly to arsenic as found in D. viscosa ( De Paolis et al 2022 ). It has a high secondary metabolite diversity and toxicology with 262 compounds discovered to date ( Ponticelli et al 2022 ).…”

CiXTH29 and CiLEA4 Role in Water Stress Tolerance in Cichorium intybus Varieties

“…Total RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis were performed as reported by De Paolis et al [ 47 ]. Total RNA was isolated from basal rosette leaves of 6 week-old chicory plants (Selvatica, Zuccherina di Trieste, Brindisina, Esportazione, Rossa Italiana, Galatina) subjected, or not, to drought stress for a further 10 days.…”

Current Status of Biotechnological Approaches to Enhance the Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals in India—A Review

“…Similarly, D. viscosa (L.) Greuter was found to possess a DvNip1 gene homolog. The expression of DvNip1.1 in D. viscosa clonal lines cultivated under different stressful conditions was also observed, and the proportion of DvNip1.1 translation levels found in both shoots and roots is suggested as a plausible selective marker for recognizing highly resistant D. viscosa plants [101]. Previously Anglana et al [102] investigated D. viscosa's ability to absorb, translocate, and proliferate in different levels of Cd 2+ , As 3+, and As 5+ .…”