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Reduced height (Rht) genes have revolutionised wheat cultivation, but they can compromise freezing tolerance, and only a few alleles are in use. Thus, evaluating the role of other Rht alleles in stress responses is crucial. Far-red supplementation of white light (W+FR) can induce pre-hardening in cereals at 15°C. However, the relevant effect of blue light enrichment (W+B) is poorly described. This study investigates the influence of W+FR or W+B exposure in young winter wheat leaves of a tall (wild-type, rht12) and a dwarf, gibberellin-deficient (near-isogenic line, Rht12) genotype in cv. Maris Huntsman background over 10 days at 15°C. The main objectives were to investigate the relationship between light quality, gibberellin homeostasis, and freezing tolerance. Key parameters such as frost injury, hormonal pools and the expression of relevant genes were examined. Results provided evidence about the involvement of Rht alleles in the basal freezing tolerance of wheat leaves from the side of gibberellin availability. It was revealed that W+FR and W+B treatments partially rescued the freezing-sensitive phenotype of Rht12 leaves, suggesting a potential compensatory mechanism. Analysis of gibberellic acid (GA) metabolism indicated differential responses to light treatments between the Rht12 and wild-type leaves, with implications for freezing tolerance. Moreover, alterations in hormone levels, including jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), were observed, highlighting the complex interplay between light signalling and hormonal regulation in wheat. Overall, these findings suggest that manipulating light responses may offer a strategy to enhance freezing tolerance in gibberellin-deficient dwarf wheat genotypes., (© 2025 The Author(s). Physiologia Plantarum published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Cold acclimation, the necessary prerequisite for promotion of freezing tolerance, is affected by both low temperature and enhanced far-red/red light (FR/R) ratio. The impact of FR supplementation to white light, created by artificial LED light sources, on the hormone levels, metabolism, and expression of the key hormone metabolism-related genes was determined in winter barley at moderate (15 °C) and low (5 °C) temperature. FR-enhanced freezing tolerance at 15 °C was associated with promotion of abscisic acid (ABA) levels, and accompanied by a moderate increase in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and cis -zeatin levels. The most prominent impact on the plants' freezing tolerance was found after FR pre-treatment at 15 °C (for 10 days) followed by cold treatment at FR supplementation (7 days). The response of ABA was diminished in comparison with white light treatment, probably due to the elevation of stress tolerance during FR pre-treatment. Jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) were transiently reduced. When the plants were exposed directly to a combination of cold (5 °C) and FR supplementation, ABA increase was higher than in white light, and was associated with enhanced elevation of JA and, in the longer term (after 7 days), with IAA and cis -zeatin increase, which indicates a stronger stress response and better acclimation. Cold hardening was more efficient when FR light was applied in the early developmental stage of the barley plants (three-leaf stage, 18 days), rather than in later stages (28-days). The dynamics of the phytohormone changes are well supported by the expression profiles of the key hormone metabolism-related genes. This series of treatments serves as evidence for the close relationship between plant hormones, light quality, and low temperature at the beginning of cold acclimation. Besides the timing of the FR treatments, plant age also represents a key factor during light spectrum-dependent cold acclimation.

Background: Over the life cycle of perennial trees, the dormant state enables the avoidance of abiotic stress conditions. The growth cycle can be partitioned into induction, maintenance and release and is controlled by complex interactions between many endogenous and environmental factors. While phytohormones have long been linked with dormancy, there is increasing evidence of regulation by DAM and CBF genes. To reveal whether the expression kinetics of CBFs and their target PtDAM1 is related to growth cessation and endodormancy induction in Populus, two hybrid poplar cultivars were studied which had known differential responses to dormancy inducing conditions., Results: Growth cessation, dormancy status and expression of six PtCBFs and PtDAM1 were analyzed. The 'Okanese' hybrid cultivar ceased growth rapidly, was able to reach endodormancy, and exhibited a significant increase of several PtCBF transcripts in the buds on the 10th day. The 'Walker' cultivar had delayed growth cessation, was unable to enter endodormancy, and showed much lower CBF expression in buds. Expression of PtDAM1 peaked on the 10th day only in the buds of 'Okanese'. In addition, PtDAM1 was not expressed in the leaves of either cultivar while leaf CBFs expression pattern was several fold higher in 'Walker', peaking at day 1. Leaf phytohormones in both cultivars followed similar profiles during growth cessation but differentiated based on cytokinins which were largely reduced, while the Ox-IAA and iP7G increased in 'Okanese' compared to 'Walker'. Surprisingly, ABA concentration was reduced in leaves of both cultivars. However, the metabolic deactivation product of ABA, phaseic acid, exhibited an early peak on the first day in 'Okanese'., Conclusions: Our results indicate that PtCBFs and PtDAM1 have differential kinetics and spatial localization which may be related to early growth cessation and endodormancy induction under the regime of low night temperature and short photoperiod in poplar. Unlike buds, PtCBFs and PtDAM1 expression levels in leaves were not associated with early growth cessation and dormancy induction under these conditions. Our study provides new evidence that the degradation of auxin and cytokinins in leaves may be an important regulatory point in a CBF-DAM induced endodormancy. Further investigation of other PtDAMs in bud tissue and a study of both growth-inhibiting and the degradation of growth-promoting phytohormones is warranted.

Different plant hormones are involved in plant adaptation to water deficit. In comparison to angiosperms, little is known about the impact of drought on the pool of phytohormones in gymnosperms. Therefore, we studied the effect of polyethylene glycol-induced water deficit on the changes in content of different phytohormones in Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings, which are known for their different strategies of adaptation to water deficit. The following hormone classes were analysed: cytokinins, auxins, jasmonates, salicylic and benzoic acids, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (an ethylene precursor). No consistent reaction to water stress was observed for the content of well-known stress-related hormones - salicylic acid and jasmonates. In contrast, drought induced a dose-dependent accumulation of cytokinins in pine needles, with less profound changes in spruce needles. The most prominent changes were observed for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid content, which increased several-fold in spruce roots and pine needles under water deficit. Water-deficit-induced changes in the contents of cytokinins and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid were accompanied by the differential regulation of genes involved in the metabolism of these hormones. Possible links between changes in hormone pools and the adaptation of seedlings to water deficit are discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The process of grape berry ripening follows three phases with distinct metabolic processes and complex regulations via phytohormones. The physiological ripening disorder berry shrivel (BS) is characterized by reduced sugar accumulation, low anthocyanin contents, and high acidity in affected berries. The processes leading to BS induction are unknown, but recent transcriptional data on reduced expression of switch genes hint towards a disturbed ripening onset. Herein we investigated the phytohormone composition throughout grape berry ripening in healthy and BS berries in Vitis vinifera L. cultivar Blauer Zweigelt. Thereby we hypothesize that phytohormones are key players for BS induction and suppress the expression of switch genes at veraison. The presented metabolomics and RNAseq data describe two distinct phytohormone profiles in BS berries, differing between pre- and post-veraison with a clear ethylene precursor (aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, ACC) peak before veraison. Exogenous application of ACC led to BS symptoms, while ethephone application led to berry abscission. During post-veraison, we observed high ABA-glucose ester (ABA-GE) and low indole-3-acetate aspartate (IAA-Asp) and isopentenyladenine (iP) contents in BS berries and the transcriptional induction of several phytohormone pathways. The presented descriptive data provide valuable knowledge to further decipher the role of phytohormones in BS induction and BS symptom development.

The beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii causes major yield losses in sugar beet. Understanding the interaction between H. schachtii and its host plant is important for developing a sustainable management system. Nematode effectors play a crucial role in initializing and sustaining successful parasitism. In our study, we identified a gene (Hs-Tyr) encoding a tyrosinase functional domain (PF00264). We describe Hs-Tyr as a novel nematode effector. Hs-Tyr is localized in the nematode esophageal gland. Up-regulation of its expression coincided with the parasitic developmental stages of the nematode. Silencing Hs-Tyr by RNA interference made the treated nematodes less virulent. When RNAi-treated nematodes succeeded in infecting the plant, developing females and their associated syncytial nurse cells were significantly smaller than in control plants. Ectopically expressing the Hs-Tyr effector in Arabidopsis increased plant susceptibility to H. schachtii, but not to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. Interestingly, Hs-Tyr in the plant promoted plant growth and changed the root architecture. Additionally, the expression of Hs-Tyr in Arabidopsis caused changes in the homeostasis of several plant hormones especially auxin and the ethylene precursor aminocyclopropane-carboxylic acid.

Above- and belowground plant parts are simultaneously attacked by different pests and pathogens. The host mediates these interactions and physiologically reacts, e.g. with local and systemic alterations of endogenous hormone levels coupled with coordinated transcriptional changes. This in turn affects attractiveness and susceptibility of the plant to subsequent attackers. Here, the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana is used to study stress hormone-based systemic responses triggered by simultaneous root parasitism by the cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii and shoot herbivory by the thrips Frankliniella occidentalis and the spider mite Tetranychus urticae. First, HPLC/MS and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR are used to show that nematode parasitism strongly affects stress hormone levels and expression of hormone marker genes in shoots. Previous nematode infection is then demonstrated to affect the behavioural and life history performance of both arthropods. While thrips explicitly avoid nematode-infected plants, spider mites prefer them. In addition, the life history performance of T. urticae is significantly enhanced by nematode infection. Finally, systemic changes triggered by shoot-feeding F. occidentalis but not T. urticae are shown to make the roots more attractive for H. schachtii. This work emphasises the importance of above- and belowground signalling and contributes to a better understanding of plant systemic defence mechanisms against plant-parasitic nematodes., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.)

Heterodera schachtii, a plant-parasitic cyst nematode, invades host roots and induces a specific syncytial feeding structure, from which it withdraws all required nutrients, causing severe yield losses. The system H. schachtii-Arabidopsis is an excellent research model for investigating plant defence mechanisms. Such responses are suppressed in well-established syncytia, whereas they are induced during early parasitism. However, the mechanisms by which the defence responses are modulated and the role of phytohormones are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of hormone-based defence responses at the onset of nematode infection. First, concentrations of main phytohormones were quantified and the expression of several hormone-related genes was analysed using quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR or GeneChip. Further, the effects of individual hormones were evaluated via nematode attraction and infection assays using plants with altered endogenous hormone concentrations. Our results suggest a pivotal and positive role for ethylene during nematode attraction, whereas jasmonic acid triggers early defence responses against H. schachtii. Salicylic acid seems to be a negative regulator during later syncytium and female development. We conclude that nematodes are able to impose specific changes in hormone pools, thus modulating hormone-based defence and signal transduction in strict dependence on their parasitism stage., (© 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.)

Hormonal changes accompanying the cold stress (4°C) response that are related to the level of frost tolerance (FT; measured as LT50) and the content of the most abundant dehydrin, WCS120, were compared in the leaves and crowns of the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cv. Samanta and the spring wheat cv. Sandra. The characteristic feature of the alarm phase (1 day) response was a rapid elevation of abscisic acid (ABA) and an increase of protective proteins (dehydrin WCS120). This response was faster and stronger in winter wheat, where it coincided with the downregulation of bioactive cytokinins and auxin as well as enhanced deactivation of gibberellins, indicating rapid suppression of growth. Next, the ethylene precursor aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid was quickly upregulated. After 3-7 days of cold exposure, plant adaptation to the low temperature was correlated with a decrease in ABA and elevation of growth-promoting hormones (cytokinins, auxin and gibberellins). The content of other stress hormones, i.e., salicylic acid and jasmonic acid, also began to increase. After prolonged cold exposure (21 days), a resistance phase occurred. The winter cultivar exhibited substantially enhanced FT, which was associated with a decline in bioactive cytokinins and auxin. The inability of the spring cultivar to further increase its FT was correlated with maintenance of a relatively higher cytokinin and auxin content, which was achieved during the acclimation period., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The control of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) germination by plant hormones was studied by comparing fruits and seeds. Treatment of sugar beet fruits and seeds with gibberellins, brassinosteroids, auxins, cytokinins, and jasmonates or corresponding hormone biosynthesis inhibitors did not appreciably affect radicle emergence of fruits or seeds. By contrast, treatment with ethylene or the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) promoted radicle emergence of fruits and seeds. Abscisic acid (ABA) acted as an antagonist of ethylene and inhibited radicle emergence of seeds, but not appreciably of fruits. High endogenous contents of ACC and of ABA were evident in seeds and pericarps of dry mature fruits, but declined early during imbibition. ABA-treatment of seeds and fruits induced seed ACC accumulation while ACC-treatment did not affect the seed ABA content. Transcripts of ACC oxidase (ACO, ethylene-forming enzyme) and ABA 8'-hydroxylase (CYP707A, ABA-degrading enzyme) accumulate in fruits and seeds upon imbibition. ABA and ACC and the pericarp did not affect the seed CYP707A transcript levels. By contrast, seed ACO transcript accumulation was promoted by ABA and by pericarp removal, but not by ACC. Quantification of the endogenous ABA and ACC contents, ABA and ACC leaching, and ethylene evolution, demonstrate that an embryo-mediated active ABA extrusion system is involved in keeping the endogenous seed ABA content low by 'active ABA leaching', while the pericarp restricts ACC leaching during imbibition. Sugar beet radicle emergence appears to be controlled by the pericarp, by ABA and ACC leaching, and by an ABA-ethylene antagonism that affects ACC biosynthesis and ACO gene expression.

A method for separation and purification of plant hormones auxin and abscisic acid based on mixed mode reversed-phase anion-exchange solid phase extraction and two-dimensional HPLC was developed. Two-dimensional HPLC in "heart cutting" mode was very efficient in the purification of these two hormones. Its purification power is high enough to allow reliable on-line quantification of both hormones even with non-selective detectors.