@article{SreeKeresztesMuellerRoeberetal.2015, author = {Sree, K. Sowjanya and Keresztes, Aron and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Brandt, Ronny and Eberius, Matthias and Fischer, Wolfgang and Appenroth, Klaus-J.}, title = {Phytotoxicity of cobalt ions on the duckweed Lemna minor - Morphology, ion uptake, and starch accumulation}, series = {Chemosphere : chemistry, biology and toxicology as related to environmental problems}, volume = {131}, journal = {Chemosphere : chemistry, biology and toxicology as related to environmental problems}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0045-6535}, doi = {10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.03.008}, pages = {149 -- 156}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Cobalt (Co2+) inhibits vegetative growth of Lemna minor gradually from 1 mu M to 100 mu M. Fronds accumulated up to 21 mg Co2+ g(-1) dry weight at 10 mu M external Co2+ indicating hyperaccumulation. Interestingly, accumulation of Co2+ did not decrease the iron (Fe) content in fronds, highlighting L. minor as a suitable system for studying effects of Co2+ undisturbed by Fe deficiency symptoms unlike most other plants. Digital image analysis revealed the size distribution of fronds after Co2+ treatment and also a reduction in pigmentation of newly formed daughter fronds unlike the mother fronds during the 7-day treatment. Neither chlorophyll nor photosystem II fluorescence changed significantly during the initial 4 d, indicating effective photosynthesis. During the later phase of the 7-day treatment, however, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency decreased in the Co2+-treated daughter fronds, indicating that Co2+ inhibits the biosynthesis of chlorophyll rather than leading to the destruction of pre-existing pigment molecules. In addition, during the first 4 d of Co2+ treatment starch accumulated in the fronds and led to the transition of chloroplasts to chloro-amyloplasts and amylo-chloroplasts, while starch levels strongly decreased thereafter. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerRoeberBalazadeh2014, author = {M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Balazadeh, Salma}, title = {Auxin and its role in plant senescence}, series = {Journal of plant growth regulation}, volume = {33}, journal = {Journal of plant growth regulation}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0721-7595}, doi = {10.1007/s00344-013-9398-5}, pages = {21 -- 33}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Leaf senescence represents a key developmental process through which resources trapped in the photosynthetic organ are degraded in an organized manner and transported away to sustain the growth of other organs including newly forming leaves, roots, seeds, and fruits. The optimal timing of the initiation and progression of senescence are thus prerequisites for controlled plant growth, biomass accumulation, and evolutionary success through seed dispersal. Recent research has uncovered a multitude of regulatory factors including transcription factors, micro-RNAs, protein kinases, and others that constitute the molecular networks that regulate senescence in plants. The timing of senescence is affected by environmental conditions and abiotic or biotic stresses typically trigger a faster senescence. Various phytohormones, including for example ethylene, abscisic acid, and salicylic acid, promote senescence, whereas cytokinins delay it. Recently, several reports have indicated an involvement of auxin in the control of senescence, however, its mode of action and point of interference with senescence control mechanisms remain vaguely defined at present and contrasting observations regarding the effect of auxin on senescence have so far hindered the establishment of a coherent model. Here, we summarize recent studies on auxin-related genes that affect senescence in plants and highlight how these findings might be integrated into current molecular-regulatory models of senescence.}, language = {en} } @article{SakurabaBalazadehTanakaetal.2012, author = {Sakuraba, Yasuhito and Balazadeh, Salma and Tanaka, Ryouichi and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Tanaka, Ayumi}, title = {Overproduction of Chl b retards senescence through transcriptional reprogramming in arabidopsis}, series = {Plant \& cell physiology}, volume = {53}, journal = {Plant \& cell physiology}, number = {3}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0032-0781}, doi = {10.1093/pcp/pcs006}, pages = {505 -- 517}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Leaf senescence is a developmentally and environmentally regulated process which includes global changes in gene expression. Using Arabidopsis as a model, we modified Chl arrangement in photosystems by overexpressing the catalytic domain (the C domain) of chlorophyllide a oxygenase (CAO) fused with the linker domain (the B domain) of CAO and green fluorescent protein (GFP). In these plants (referred to as the BCG plants for the B and C domains of CAO and GFP), the Chl a/b ratio was drastically decreased and Chl b was incorporated into core antenna complexes. The BCG plants exhibited a significant delay of both developmental and dark-induced leaf senescence. The photosynthetic apparatus, CO2 fixation enzymes and the chloroplast structure were lost in wild-type plants during senescence, while BCG plants retained them longer than the wild type. Large-scale quantitative real-time PCR analyses of 1,880 transcription factor (TF) genes showed that 241 TFs are differentially expressed between BCG plants and wild-type plants at senescence, similar to 40\% of which are known senescence-associated genes (SAGs). Expression profiling also revealed the down-regulation of a large number of additional non-TF SAGs. In contrast, genes involved in photosynthesis were up-regulated, while those encoding Chl degradation enzymes were down-regulated in BCG plants. These results demonstrate that alteration of pigment composition in the photosynthetic apparatus retards senescence through transcriptional reprogramming.}, language = {en} } @article{ScarpeciZanorMuellerRoeberetal.2013, author = {Scarpeci, Telma E. and Zanor, Maria I. and M{\"u}ller-R{\"o}ber, Bernd and Valle, Estela M.}, title = {Overexpression of AtWRKY30 enhances abiotic stress tolerance during early growth stages in Arabidopsis thaliana}, series = {PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY}, volume = {83}, journal = {PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY}, number = {3}, publisher = {SPRINGER}, address = {DORDRECHT}, issn = {0167-4412}, doi = {10.1007/s11103-013-0090-8}, pages = {265 -- 277}, year = {2013}, abstract = {AtWRKY30 belongs to a higher plant transcription factor superfamily, which responds to pathogen attack. In previous studies, the AtWRKY30 gene was found to be highly and rapidly induced in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves after oxidative stress treatment. In this study, electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that AtWRKY30 binds with high specificity and affinity to the WRKY consensus sequence (W-box), and also to its own promoter. Analysis of the AtWRKY30 expression pattern by qPCR and using transgenic Arabidopsis lines carrying AtWRKY30 promoter-beta-glucuronidase fusions showed transcriptional activity in leaves subjected to biotic or abiotic stress. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively overexpressing AtWRKY30 (35S::W30 lines) were more tolerant than wild-type plants to oxidative and salinity stresses during seed germination. The results presented here show that AtWRKY30 is responsive to several stress conditions either from abiotic or biotic origin, suggesting that AtWRKY30 could have a role in the activation of defence responses at early stages of Arabidopsis growth by binding to W-boxes found in promoters of many stress/developmentally regulated genes.}, language = {en} }