Leguminous plants have established mutualistic endosymbiotic interactions with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia to secure nitrogen sources in root nodules. Before nodule formation, the development of early symbiotic structures is essential for rhizobia docking, internalization, targeted delivery, and intracellular accommodation. We recently reported that overexpression of stress-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase (SIMK) in alfalfa affects root hair, nodule, and shoot formation, raising the question of how SIMK modulates these processes. In particular, detailed subcellular spatial distribution, activation, and developmental relocation of SIMK during early stages of alfalfa nodulation remain unclear. Here, we characterized SIMK distribution in Ensifer meliloti-infected root hairs using live-cell imaging and immunolocalization, employing alfalfa stable transgenic lines with genetically manipulated SIMK abundance and kinase activity. In the SIMKK-RNAi line, showing down-regulation of SIMKK and SIMK, we found considerably decreased accumulation of phosphorylated SIMK around infection pockets and infection threads. However, this was strongly increased in the GFP-SIMK line, constitutively overexpressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged SIMK. Thus, genetically manipulated SIMK modulates root hair capacity to form infection pockets and infection threads. Advanced light-sheet fluorescence microscopy on intact plants allowed non-invasive imaging of spatiotemporal interactions between root hairs and symbiotic E. meliloti, while immunofluorescence detection confirmed that SIMK was activated in these locations. Our results shed new light on SIMK spatiotemporal participation in early interactions between alfalfa and E. meliloti, and its internalization into root hairs, showing that local accumulation of active SIMK modulates early nodulation in alfalfa.

• Keywords
• Ensifer meliloti, Alfalfa, MAPKs, SIMK, immunolocalization, infection pocket, infection thread, light-sheet fluorescence microscopy, root hairs, subcellular localization,
• MeSH
• Medicago sativa genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Microscopy MeSH
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases * metabolism   MeSH
• Plants metabolism   MeSH
• Sinorhizobium meliloti * metabolism   MeSH
• Symbiosis physiology   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases * MeSH

Nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and legumes have developed complex mutualistic mechanism that allows to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. Signalling by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) seems to be involved in this symbiotic interaction. Previously, we reported that stress-induced MAPK (SIMK) shows predominantly nuclear localization in alfalfa root epidermal cells. Nevertheless, SIMK is activated and relocalized to the tips of growing root hairs during their development. SIMK kinase (SIMKK) is a well-known upstream activator of SIMK. Here, we characterized production parameters of transgenic alfalfa plants with genetically manipulated SIMK after infection with Sinorhizobium meliloti. SIMKK RNAi lines, causing strong downregulation of both SIMKK and SIMK, showed reduced root hair growth and lower capacity to form infection threads and nodules. In contrast, constitutive overexpression of GFP-tagged SIMK promoted root hair growth as well as infection thread and nodule clustering. Moreover, SIMKK and SIMK downregulation led to decrease, while overexpression of GFP-tagged SIMK led to increase of biomass in above-ground part of plants. These data suggest that genetic manipulations causing downregulation or overexpression of SIMK affect root hair, nodule and shoot formation patterns in alfalfa, and point to the new biotechnological potential of this MAPK.

• Keywords
• Medicago sativa, SIMK, SIMKK, infection thread, nodule, root hair,
• MeSH
• Biomass MeSH
• Medicago sativa * genetics   MeSH
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases MeSH
• Plant Proteins * genetics   MeSH
• Cluster Analysis MeSH
• Symbiosis genetics   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases MeSH
• Plant Proteins * MeSH

For several decades, researchers are working to develop improved major crops with better adaptability and tolerance to environmental stresses. Forage legumes have been widely spread in the world due to their great ecological and economic values. Abiotic and biotic stresses are main factors limiting legume production, however, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) shows relatively high level of tolerance to drought and salt stress. Efforts focused on alfalfa improvements have led to the release of cultivars with new traits of agronomic importance such as high yield, better stress tolerance or forage quality. Alfalfa has very high nutritional value due to its efficient symbiotic association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, while deep root system can help to prevent soil water loss in dry lands. The use of modern biotechnology tools is challenging in alfalfa since full genome, unlike to its close relative barrel medic (Medicago truncatula Gaertn.), was not released yet. Identification, isolation, and improvement of genes involved in abiotic or biotic stress response significantly contributed to the progress of our understanding how crop plants cope with these environmental challenges. In this review, we provide an overview of the progress that has been made in high-throughput sequencing, characterization of genes for abiotic or biotic stress tolerance, gene editing, as well as proteomic and metabolomics techniques bearing biotechnological potential for alfalfa improvement.

• Keywords
• Medicago sativa, alfalfa, genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, stress resistance genes,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

BACKGROUND: In the present work, we provide an account of structured illumination microscopy (SIM) imaging of fixed and immunolabeled plant probes. We take advantage of SIM, to superresolve intracellular structures at a considerable z-range and circumvent its low temporal resolution capacity during the study of living samples. Further, we validate the protocol for the imaging of fixed transgenic material expressing fluorescent protein-based markers of different subcellular structures. RESULTS: Focus is given on 3D imaging of bulky subcellular structures, such as mitotic and cytokinetic microtubule arrays as well as on the performance of SIM using multichannel imaging and the quantitative correlations that can be deduced. As a proof of concept, we provide a superresolution output on the organization of cortical microtubules in wild-type and mutant Arabidopsis cells, including aberrant preprophase microtubule bands and phragmoplasts in a cytoskeletal mutant devoid of the p60 subunit of the microtubule severing protein KATANIN and refined details of cytoskeletal aberrations in the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) mutant mpk4. We further demonstrate, in a qualitative and quantitative manner, colocalizations between MPK6 and unknown dually phosphorylated and activated MAPK species and we follow the localization of the microtubule associated protein 65-3 (MAP65-3) in telophase and cytokinetic microtubular arrays. CONCLUSIONS: 3D SIM is a powerful, versatile and adaptable microscopy method for elucidating spatial relationships between subcellular compartments. Improved methods of sample preparation aiming to the compensation of refractive index mismatches, allow the use of 3D SIM in the documentation of complex plant cell structures, such as microtubule arrays and the elucidation of their interactions with microtubule associated proteins.

• Keywords
• Immunofluorescence, Microtubule associated proteins, Microtubules, Structured illumination microscopy,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The aim of the present study is to rationalize acrylamide pendant Phos-Tag™ in-gel discrimination of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated plant protein species with standard immunoblot analysis, and optimize sample preparation, efficient electrophoretic separation and transfer. We tested variants of the method including extraction buffers suitable for preservation of phosphorylated protein species in crude extracts from plants and we addressed the importance of the cation (Mn(2+) or Zn(2+)) used in the gel recipe for efficient transfer to PVDF membranes for further immunoblot analysis. We demonstrate the monitoring of Medicago sativa stress-induced mitogen activated protein kinase (SIMK) in stress-treated wild type plants and transgenic SIMKK RNAi line. We further show the hyperosmotically-induced phosphorylation of the previously uncharacterized HvMPK4 of barley. The method is validated using inducible phosphorylation of barley and wheat α-tubulin and of Arabidopsis MPK6. Acrylamide pendant Phos-Tag™offers a flexible tool for studying protein phosphorylation in crops and Arabidopsis circumventing radioactive labeling and the use of phosphorylation specific antibodies.

• Keywords
• Arabidopsis thaliana, Hordeum vulgare, Medicago sativa, SDS-PAGE Phos-TagTM, Triticum turgidum, mitogen activated protein kinase, protein phosphorylation,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

• Keywords
• mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoproteomics, proteomics, shot-gun proteomics, signaling, validation,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The role of YODA MITOGEN ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE KINASE KINASE 4 (MAPKKK4) upstream of MITOGEN ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE 6 (MPK6) was studied during post-embryonic root development of Arabidopsis thaliana. Loss- and gain-of-function mutants of YODA (yda1 and ΔNyda1) were characterized in terms of root patterning, endogenous auxin content and global proteomes. We surveyed morphological and cellular phenotypes of yda1 and ΔNyda1 mutants suggesting possible involvement of auxin. Endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels were up-regulated in both mutants. Proteomic analysis revealed up-regulation of auxin biosynthetic enzymes tryptophan synthase and nitrilases in these mutants. The expression, abundance and phosphorylation of MPK3, MPK6 and MICROTUBULE ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 65-1 (MAP65-1) were characterized by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analyses and interactions between MAP65-1, microtubules and MPK6 were resolved by quantitative co-localization studies and co-immunoprecipitations. yda1 and ΔNyda1 mutants showed disoriented cell divisions in primary and lateral roots, abortive cytokinesis, and differential subcellular localization of MPK6 and MAP65-1. They also showed deregulated expression of TANGLED1 (TAN1), PHRAGMOPLAST ORIENTING KINESIN 1 (POK1), and GAMMA TUBULIN COMPLEX PROTEIN 4 (GCP4). The findings that MPK6 localized to preprophase bands (PPBs) and phragmoplasts while the mpk6-4 mutant transformed with MPK6AEF (alanine (A)-glutamic acid (E)-phenylanine (F)) showed a root phenotype similar to that of yda1 demonstrated that MPK6 is an important player downstream of YODA. These data indicate that YODA and MPK6 are involved in post-embryonic root development through an auxin-dependent mechanism regulating cell division and mitotic microtubule (PPB and phragmoplast) organization.

• Keywords
• Arabidopsis, MAP65-1, MAPKKK, MPK6, YODA, cell division plane, microtubules, root,
• MeSH
• Arabidopsis cytology   drug effects   embryology   enzymology   MeSH
• Cell Division * drug effects   MeSH
• Cytokinesis drug effects   MeSH
• Plant Epidermis cytology   MeSH
• Phenotype MeSH
• Fluorescent Antibody Technique MeSH
• Phosphorylation drug effects   MeSH
• Interphase MeSH
• Plant Roots anatomy & histology   cytology   embryology   MeSH
• Indoleacetic Acids metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases metabolism   MeSH
• Meristem cytology   drug effects   MeSH
• Microtubules drug effects   metabolism   MeSH
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases metabolism   MeSH
• Mitosis drug effects   MeSH
• Mutation genetics   MeSH
• Arabidopsis Proteins metabolism   MeSH
• Proteomics MeSH
• Protein Transport drug effects   MeSH
• Up-Regulation * drug effects   MeSH
• Protein Binding drug effects   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• alpha-(2,4-dimethylphenylethyl-2-oxo)indole-3-acetic acid MeSH Browser
• Indoleacetic Acids MeSH
• MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases MeSH
• Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases MeSH
• MPK6 protein, Arabidopsis MeSH Browser
• Arabidopsis Proteins MeSH
• YODA protein, Arabidopsis MeSH Browser