Effect of abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis mutants lacking mitochondrial invertases

LECHNER LEANDRA; SALERNO GRACIELA; MARTIN MARIA VICTORIA; BATTAGLIA MARINA; MARTINEZ-NOÈL

Austin, Texas

Congreso; ASPB 2016; 2016

ASPB

Sucrose or its hydrolysis products are not usually accumulated in the mitochondrial matrix, although respiration is an important fate for hexoses in plant cell. The occurrence of alkaline/neutral invertases (A/N-Inv) in these organelles was recently demonstrated and their roles are still not elucidated. We functionally characterized a novel A/N-Inv isoform from Arabidopsis, and demonstrated its mitochondrial fate by transient expression of a chimerical construction. Analysis of knockout single and double mutants in three mitochondrial A/N-Inv genes demonstrated a new role for these proteins, showing differential growth phenotypes (particularly, in root and caulinar axes length), alterations in development and in abiotic stress (salt treatment, low temperature and osmotic stress) responses. Taken together, our results indicate that mitochondrial A/N-Inv isoforms play distinct roles and differentially contribute to plant growth and development, and to tolerate environmental adverse conditions. We hypothesize that sucrose, or its hydrolysis products might be involved in signaling transduction pathway(s) that regulate those functions. Supported by PICT 1288, UNMdP (EXA645), CONICET and Fundación para Investigaciones Biológicas Aplicadas (FIBA).