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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #395851

Research Project: Molecular Understanding of the Nexus between Plant Bioregulators, Stress Tolerance, and Nutrient Content in Plants

Location: Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory

Title: Dynamics of nitration phenomenon during dark-induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis reveals proteins modified by tryptophan nitration

Author
item ARASIMOWICZ-JELONEK, MAGDA - Adam Mickiewicz University
item JAGODZI, A - Adam Mickiewicz University
item PLÓCIENNIK, A - Adam Mickiewicz University
item SOBIESZCZUK-NOWICKA, EWA - Adam Mickiewicz University
item FLORYSZAK-WIECZOREK, J - Poznan University Of Life Sciences
item Mattoo, Autar
item POLCYN, W - Adam Mickiewicz University

Submitted to: Journal of Experimental Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2022
Publication Date: 9/19/2022
Citation: Arasimowicz-Jelonek, M., Jagodzi, A., Plóciennik, A., Sobieszczuk-Nowicka, E., Floryszak-Wieczorek, J., Mattoo, A.K., Polcyn, W. 2022. Dynamics of nitration phenomenon during dark-induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis reveals proteins modified by tryptophan nitration. Journal of Experimental Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac341.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac341

Interpretive Summary: Plants are susceptible to senescence and this causes loss of produce. The senescence itself is a highly regulated process and causes global metabolic programming as well as substantial crop losses. In this manuscript, using leaf senescence as a model, new insights on the role of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and changes triggered by it are reported. In particular, NO changes associated with protein levels and temporal adjustment during plant lifespan are demonstrated. These studies are important for developing strategies to adjust plant's metabolism in such a way that plants can temporally withstand senescence and maintain productivity of edible plants. These findings are of interest to plant scientists, consumers, and biologists.

Technical Abstract: New insights about the role of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana are presented. A gradual decrease in NO emission accompanied the dark-induced leaf senescence (DILS), and a transient wave of peroxynitrite (ONOO–) formation was detected by day 3 of DILS. The boosted ONOO– did not promote tryptophan (Trp) nitration, while the progress of senescence depleted the pool of 6-nitroTrp-containing proteins. Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry was used to identify 63 and 4 characteristic nitroTrp-containing proteins in control and individually darkened leaves, respectively. The potential in vivo targets of Trp nitration were mainly related to protein biosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. In contrast, nitration of tyrosine-containing proteins was intensified two-fold on day 3 of DILS. Also, nitrative modification of RNA and DNA increased significantly on days 3 and 7 of DILS, respectively. Taken together, ONOO– can be considered as a novel pro-senescence regulator that fine-tunes the redox environment for selective bio-target nitration. Thus, DILS-triggered nitrative changes at RNA and protein levels promote developmental shifts during plant lifespan, and temporal adjustment in plant metabolism during adverse factors.