RESUMEN
The research focused on analyzing the UGT gene family in Cannabis sativa, which plays a crucial role in the plant's metabolism and glycosylation of secondary metabolites. The study identified 125 UGTs using conserved plant secondary product glycosyltransferase (PSPG) motif amino acid sequences. These UGT genes were categorized into 17 groups (A-Q) through phylogenetic analysis, showing their distribution across 10 chromosomes in C. sativa. The expansion of the CsUGT gene family was attributed to tandem and duplication events, as suggested by gene duplication analysis. Furthermore, the study found various cis-acting regulatory elements related to phytohormones and stress responses in CsUGT promoter regions. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that CsUGT is present in the cytoplasm, chloroplast, and nucleus. The study revealed that CsUGT plays a significant role in various biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions as highlighted by Gene Ontology analysis. Additionally, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that some CsUGTs are associated with the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. This research provides valuable insights into the genomic organization, evolutionary history, and potential regulatory mechanisms of UGT genes in C. sativa. It lays the foundation for further exploration of their specific biological roles and potential applications in the plant's metabolism and stress responses. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the UGT gene family and its relevance to the metabolic pathways in C. sativa. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-024-04025-3.
RESUMEN
Chloroplasts, the sites of photosynthesis in higher plants, have evolved several means to tolerate short episodes of drought stress through biosynthesis of diverse metabolites essential for plant function, but these become ineffective when the duration of the stress is prolonged. Cyanobacteria are the closest bacterial homologs of plastids with two photosystems to perform photosynthesis and to evolve oxygen as a byproduct. The presence of Flv genes encoding flavodiiron proteins has been shown to enhance stress tolerance in cyanobacteria. In an attempt to support the growth of plants exposed to drought, the Synechocystis genes Flv1 and Flv3 were expressed in barley with their products being targeted to the chloroplasts. The heterologous expression of both Flv1 and Flv3 accelerated days to heading, increased biomass, promoted the number of spikes and grains per plant, and improved the total grain weight per plant of transgenic lines exposed to drought. Improved growth correlated with enhanced availability of soluble sugars, a higher turnover of amino acids and the accumulation of lower levels of proline in the leaf. Flv1 and Flv3 maintained the energy status of the leaves in the stressed plants by converting sucrose to glucose and fructose, immediate precursors for energy production to support plant growth under drought. The results suggest that sugars and amino acids play a fundamental role in the maintenance of the energy status and metabolic activity to ensure growth and survival under stress conditions, that is, water limitation in this particular case. Engineering chloroplasts by Flv genes into the plant genome, therefore, has the potential to improve plant productivity wherever drought stress represents a significant production constraint.
RESUMEN
Exploiting synergism between plants and microbes offers a potential means of remediating soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). Salinity alters the physicochemical characteristics of soils and suppresses the growth of both plants and soil microbes, so the bioremediation of saline soils requires the use of plants and in microbes which can tolerate salinity. This review focuses on the management of PHC-contaminated saline soils, surveying what is currently known with respect to the potential of halophytes (plants adapted to saline environments) acting in concert with synergistic microbes to degrade PHCs. The priority is to identify optimal combinations of halophyte(s) and the bacteria present as endophytes and/or associated with the rhizosphere, and to determine what are the factors which most strongly affect their viability.