Low-Temperature Accumulation of Alcohol Dehydrogenase-1 mRNA and Protein Activity in Maize and Rice Seedlings

Abstract

Low-temperature stress was shown to cause a rapid increase in steady-state levels of alcohol dehydrogenase-1 message (Adhl) and protein activity (ADHI) in maize (Zea mays) (B37N, A188) and rice (Oryza sativa) (Taipei 309, Calmochi 101) seedlings. Maize roots and rice shoots and roots from 7-day seedlings shifted to low temperature (100C) contained as much as 15-fold more Adhl mRNA and 8-fold more ADHI protein activity than the corresponding tissues from untreated seedlings. Time-course studies showed that these tissues accumulated Adhl mRNA and ADHI activity severalfold within 4-to 8-hour, levels plateaued within 20 to 24 hours, and remained elevated at 4 days of cold treatment. Within 24 hours of returning cold-stressed seedlings to ambient temperature, Adh1 mRNA and ADH1 activity decreased to pretreatment levels. Histochemical staining of maize and rice tissue imprints showed that ADH activity was enhanced along the lengths of cold-stressed maize primary roots and rice roots, and along the stems and leaves of rice shoots. Our observations suggest that short-term cold stress induces Adhl gene expression in certain plant tissues, which, reminiscient of the anaerobic response, may reflect a fundamental shift in energy metabolism to ensure tissue survival during the stress period.Cold temperature, a common environmental stress in the temperate zone, affects numerous biochemical, physiological, and metabolic functions in plants (8,13,29 roplast genes (psaB, psbB, rbsL, atpE) and by nuclear genes coding for chloroplast proteins (RbcS, Cab). A more detailed analysis of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase transcript and protein levels demonstrated strong suppression at the level of transcription and/or transcript stability, and the apparent loss of coordinate synthesis of the large and small subunits, suggestive of an effect of cold on nuclear-organellar signaling (9). Numerous physiological studies have demonstrated that cold impairs photosynthetic activity of chillingsensitive plants (13,18,29). Our findings indicate that a corresponding molecular consequence of cold stress is a reduced expression of chloroplast-related genes.Cold stress also disrupts respiratory activities of chillingsensitive plants (12)(13)(14)16). It has been proposed that chillingsensitive plants compensate for impaired mitochondrial function by shifting their metabolism from aerobic to anaerobic respiration (see ref. 13). This strategy is an important component of the response to oxygen deprivation, another environmental stress that prevents mitochondrial activity. When certain plant tissues-most notably the primary roots of maize-become anoxic, they rapidly shift to ethanolic fermentation to maintain energy production. Early genetic studies established the importance of ethanolic fermentation for maize tissue survival during anoxia, i.e. during flooding (25). More recent studies have shown several members of the glycolytic pathway, including Adh1,3 to be transcriptionally activated during anaerobic stress (10,11,(21)(22)(23). At le...

The Pyruvate decarboxylase1 Gene of Arabidopsis Is Required during Anoxia But Not Other Environmental Stresses

“…The micro-array expression profiles from stressed plants often reveal increases in ADH and/or PDC expression (Desikan et al, 2001;Seki et al, 2002). Furthermore, specific analysis of the ADH gene from rice (Oryza sativa), maize, and Arabidopsis showed ADH to be induced by cold (Christie et al, 1991), wounding (Kato-Noguchi, 2001), dehydration (Dolferus et al, 1994), and the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA; Hwang and VanToai, 1991;de Bruxelles et al, 1996), in line with the observation from the micro-array experiments. Preliminary data on expression of the PDC genes from [w] The online version of this article contains Web-only data.…”

“…Increase of PDC expression has been reported by cold and mannitol treatments in Arabidopsis (Dolferus et al, 1997;Conley et al, 1999) and by cold treatments in rice and maize (Christie et al, 1991). Figure 6.…”

Alleviation of low temperature sweetening in potato by expressing Arabidopsis pyruvate decarboxylase gene and stress-inducible rd29A: A preliminary study

“…Experiments with isogenic maize lines differing in ADH activity, over an approximately 200-fold range, indicated that ADH activity does not limit the capacity for energy production by ethanolic fermentation unless there is a reduction in activity to less than 1 % of wild-type levels (Roberts et al 1989), which suggests that ADH is present in large excess and may not be a regulatory enzyme of the ethanolic pathway. ADH gene has been induced by cold in rice, maize and Arabidopsis (Christie et al 1991). The induction of expression of ADH gene by cold suggested a role for PDC.…”

Submergence Acclimation to Low-Temperature Stress in Rice Roots

“…Rice seedlings also suffer lowtemperature stress, which is a major constraint to its growth and development (Levitt, 1980). Low temperature strongly suppresses many proteins and genes of rice seedlings, but also induces several genes and proteins (Graham and Patterson, 1982;Hahn and Walbot, 1989;Christie et al, 1991;Minhas and Grover, 1999;Sung et al, 2003). These proteins have been considered to be involved in the adaptation to lowtemperature stress conditions (Guy, 1990;Thomashow, 1999;Sung et al, 2003).…”

“…Low temperature has been found to rapidly induce gene expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in rice seedlings (Christie et al, 1991;Minhas and Grover, 1999). ADH is an enzyme involved in ethanolic fermentation and is the most studied enzyme in relation to anaerobiosis (Kennedy et al, 1992;Ricard et al, 1994;Tadege et al, 1999).…”