TuMV infection in Arabidopsis: Impact on rosette development and water management

MANACORDA, CARLOS A; SUTKA, MOIRA R; CÁCERES, PABLO DANIEL; ALEMANO, SERGIO; BAROLI, IRENE; AMODEO, GABRIELA; ASURMENDI, SEBASTIÁN

Congreso; XXXIII Argentinian Meeting of Plant Physiology (RAFV2021); 2021

Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología Vegetal

Characterization of the morphological and physiological outcomes of viral infections is important to objectively quantify the damage caused by them, as well as to envision control strategies that can subsequently be assessed. Due to the importance of water homeostasis and balance during stress, we focused on water management in Arabidopsis under viral infection, a topic that is still poorly understood. Taking into account the interconnectedness of plant tissues, and the spread of virus throughout the entire plant, we studied TuMV impact both at the rosette and root levels. A hydroponic-based system was optimized to gain access to intact root tissue. In this first part of our work we show the main results that were found at the rosette level. Classical morphological parameters were simultaneously assessed by means of PCA, showing a clear separation between treatments. As expected, TuMV arrested rosette growth and PCA demonstrated that not only rosette size but also its shape was affected by the virus. Also, the defense and stress-response hormones SA and ABA overaccumulated under infection. Analysis of physiological parameters showed a decrease of stomatal conductance and water consumption by 40 and 24%, respectively, whereas leaf osmolyte and relative water content increased significantly, suggesting that the viral infection caused a major hydraulic reorganization in the rosette. These results raised the question whether the virus could affect the anatomical and physiological traits of the roots as well. Our findings related to root water management are presented in a separate poster.