Abiotic Stress Tolerance. Metabolic and Physiological Effects of Compatible Solutes and Calmodulin on E. coli and Tobacco
(2004)- Abstract
- In their natural habitats, bacteria and plants can be exposed to abiotic stresses such as drought, high salt concentrations and freezing, which are factors limiting their capacity for growth and proliferation. To withstand environmental stresses, they have evolved specific stress responses. These responses include physiological adaptations, alterations in gene expression and production of protective enzymes and metabolites. One common mechanism is the accumulation of compatible solutes. These solutes, also called osmoprotectants, help to regulate cell volume under conditions of water deficit and they can to protect proteins and membrane structures in the cell.
This thesis gives an overview of some mechanisms that lead to... (More) - In their natural habitats, bacteria and plants can be exposed to abiotic stresses such as drought, high salt concentrations and freezing, which are factors limiting their capacity for growth and proliferation. To withstand environmental stresses, they have evolved specific stress responses. These responses include physiological adaptations, alterations in gene expression and production of protective enzymes and metabolites. One common mechanism is the accumulation of compatible solutes. These solutes, also called osmoprotectants, help to regulate cell volume under conditions of water deficit and they can to protect proteins and membrane structures in the cell.
This thesis gives an overview of some mechanisms that lead to stress adaptation in bacteria and plants. The effects of high salt concentration in combination with glycine betaine, an effective osmoprotectant, on gene expression in Escherichia coli have been examined using microarray technology. Glycine betaine was found to increase the expression of many genes encoding enzymes in metabolism relative to the expression in salt-stressed cells without access to glycine betaine. In contrast, genes involved in cell processes, including adaptation and protection, among them many heat shock proteins, were downregulated. The enzymes responsible for glycine betaine production in E. coli have been studied by construction of a fusion enzyme and the resulting bifunctional enzyme was characterized in vivo and in vitro, and also expressed in plants.
Abiotic stress is the major factor limiting crop productivity, and the development of genetically modified plants with improved stress tolerance is an important challenge in plant gene technology. One approach has been to introduce genes for production of compatible solutes. Here, tobacco plants with a stress-induced expression of genes for production of two different osmoprotectants, glycine betaine and trehalose, were generated, and showed an increased tolerance to drought and oxidative stress. Another strategy is the engineering of stress signaling in plants. Calcium signaling is involved in abiotic stress signaling, and overexpression of calmodulin, a Ca2+-dependent regulatory protein, in tobacco, resulted in increased salt tolerance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/467384
- author
- Lindberg, Jenny LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Prof. Ström, Arne R., Dept. of Biotechnology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- organization
- publishing date
- 2004
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Abiotic stress, compatible solutes, osmotic stress, osmoprotectants, trehalose, calmodulin, E. coli, N. tabacum, genetic engineering, Biotechnology, Bioteknik, Biochemistry, Metabolism, Biokemi, metabolism, glycine betaine
- pages
- 124 pages
- publisher
- Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University
- defense location
- Room B, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology
- defense date
- 2004-10-18 10:30:00
- ISBN
- 91-628-6192-1
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Article: I. Global Transcript Profiling of Escherichia coli Grown Under NaCl Stress With and Without Glycine Betaine Supplementation.Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Peter Olsson and Leif Bülow.Manuscript. Article: II. Enhanced Stress Tolerance in Escherichia coli and Nicotiana tabacum Expressing a Betaine Aldehyde Dehydrogenase/Choline Dehydrogenase Fusion Protein.Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz and Leif Bülow.Biotechnology Progress (2002) 18, 1176-1182. Article: III. Stress-Induced Expression of Two Genes for Glycine Betaine and Trehalose Production Improves Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco.Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Kjell-Ove Holmström and Leif Bülow.Submitted. Article: IV. Expression of Bovine Calmodulin in Tobacco Plants Confers Faster Germination on Saline Media.Peter Olsson, Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Marianne Sommarin, Staffan Persson and Leif Bülow.Plant Science (2004) 166, 1595–1604.
- id
- b132caa7-9cc9-4df8-95d1-429fe698e57a (old id 467384)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 10:44:15
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 21:00:31
@phdthesis{b132caa7-9cc9-4df8-95d1-429fe698e57a,
abstract = {{In their natural habitats, bacteria and plants can be exposed to abiotic stresses such as drought, high salt concentrations and freezing, which are factors limiting their capacity for growth and proliferation. To withstand environmental stresses, they have evolved specific stress responses. These responses include physiological adaptations, alterations in gene expression and production of protective enzymes and metabolites. One common mechanism is the accumulation of compatible solutes. These solutes, also called osmoprotectants, help to regulate cell volume under conditions of water deficit and they can to protect proteins and membrane structures in the cell.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
This thesis gives an overview of some mechanisms that lead to stress adaptation in bacteria and plants. The effects of high salt concentration in combination with glycine betaine, an effective osmoprotectant, on gene expression in Escherichia coli have been examined using microarray technology. Glycine betaine was found to increase the expression of many genes encoding enzymes in metabolism relative to the expression in salt-stressed cells without access to glycine betaine. In contrast, genes involved in cell processes, including adaptation and protection, among them many heat shock proteins, were downregulated. The enzymes responsible for glycine betaine production in E. coli have been studied by construction of a fusion enzyme and the resulting bifunctional enzyme was characterized in vivo and in vitro, and also expressed in plants.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
Abiotic stress is the major factor limiting crop productivity, and the development of genetically modified plants with improved stress tolerance is an important challenge in plant gene technology. One approach has been to introduce genes for production of compatible solutes. Here, tobacco plants with a stress-induced expression of genes for production of two different osmoprotectants, glycine betaine and trehalose, were generated, and showed an increased tolerance to drought and oxidative stress. Another strategy is the engineering of stress signaling in plants. Calcium signaling is involved in abiotic stress signaling, and overexpression of calmodulin, a Ca2+-dependent regulatory protein, in tobacco, resulted in increased salt tolerance.}},
author = {{Lindberg, Jenny}},
isbn = {{91-628-6192-1}},
keywords = {{Abiotic stress; compatible solutes; osmotic stress; osmoprotectants; trehalose; calmodulin; E. coli; N. tabacum; genetic engineering; Biotechnology; Bioteknik; Biochemistry; Metabolism; Biokemi; metabolism; glycine betaine}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Jenny Lindberg Yilmaz, Pure and Applied Biochemistry, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Abiotic Stress Tolerance. Metabolic and Physiological Effects of Compatible Solutes and Calmodulin on E. coli and Tobacco}},
year = {{2004}},
}