Significance: Significant progress has been achieved in our understanding of plant adaptive responses to ensure growth and reproduction in soils with low phosphate (Pi) availability. However, the potential role of epigenetic mechanisms in the modulation of these responses remains largely unknown. In this article, we describe dynamic changes in global DNA methylation patterns that occur in Arabidopsis plants exposed to low Pi availability; these changes are associated with the onset of Pi starvation responses. We show that the expression of a subset of low Pi-responsive genes is modulated by methylation changes and that DNA methylation is required for the proper establishment of developmental and molecular responses to Pi starvation.

Drought is one of the major constraints for plant productivity worldwide. Different mechanisms of drought-tolerance have been reported for several plant species including maize. However, the differences in global gene expression between drought-tolerant and susceptible genotypes and their relationship to physiological adaptations to drought are largely unknown. The study of the differences in global gene expression between tolerant and susceptible genotypes could provide important information to design more efficient breeding programs to produce maize varieties better adapted to water limiting conditions. Changes in physiological responses and gene expression patterns were studied under drought stress and recovery in three Mexican maize landraces which included two drought tolerant (Cajete criollo and Michoacán 21) and one susceptible (85-2) genotypes. Photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, soil and leaf water potentials were monitored throughout the experiment and microarray analysis was carried out on transcripts obtained at 10 and 17 days following application of stress and after recovery irrigation. The two tolerant genotypes show more drastic changes in global gene expression which correlate with different physiological mechanisms of adaptation to drought. Differences in the kinetics and number of up- and down-regulated genes were observed between the tolerant and susceptible maize genotypes, as well as differences between the two tolerant genotypes. Interestingly, the most dramatic differences between the tolerant and susceptible genotypes were observed during recovery irrigation, suggesting that the tolerant genotypes activate mechanisms that allow more efficient recovery after a severe drought. A correlation between levels of photosynthesis and transcription under stress was observed and differences in the number, type and expression levels of transcription factor families were also identified under drought and recovery between the three maize landraces. Gene expression analysis suggests that the drought tolerant landraces have a greater capacity to rapidly modulate more genes under drought and recovery in comparison to the susceptible landrace. Modulation of a greater number of differentially expressed genes of different TF gene families is an important characteristic of the tolerant genotypes. Finally, important differences were also noted between the tolerant landraces that underlie different mechanisms of achieving tolerance.

Desiccation tolerance (DT) is a remarkable process that allows seeds in the dry state to remain viable for long periods of time that in some instances exceed 1,000 y. It has been postulated that seed DT evolved by rewiring the regulatory and signaling networks that controlled vegetative DT, which itself emerged as a crucial adaptive trait of early land plants. Understanding the networks that regulate seed desiccation tolerance in model plant systems would provide the tools to understand an evolutionary process that played a crucial role in the diversification of flowering plants. In this work, we used an integrated approach that included genomics, bioinformatics, metabolomics, and molecular genetics to identify and validate molecular networks that control the acquisition of DT in Arabidopsis seeds. Two DT-specific transcriptional subnetworks were identified related to storage of reserve compounds and cellular protection mechanisms that act downstream of the embryo development master regulators LEAFY COTYLEDON 1 and 2, FUSCA 3, and ABSCICIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3. Among the transcription factors identified as major nodes in the DT regulatory subnetworks, PLATZ1, PLATZ2, and AGL67 were confirmed by knockout mutants and overexpression in a desiccation-intolerant mutant background to play an important role in seed DT. Additionally, we found that constitutive expression of PLATZ1 in WT plants confers partial DT in vegetative tissues. Significance Seed desiccation tolerance (DT) is one of the most fascinating processes of higher plants, and has played a fundamental role in the evolution of land plants. DT allows plant seeds to remain viable in the dry state for years and even centuries. What the key transcription factors (TFs) are that activate the mechanisms that allow plant seeds to maintain cellular and DNA integrity for centuries remains largely unknown. In this paper, we report the identification of the TFs that act as major nodes of the transcriptional networks that regulate the acquisition of seed DT. We also report the functional validation of several of the major regulators of seed DT in plants.

Diatoms are the most abundant group of phytoplankton, and their success lies in their significant adaptation ability to stress conditions, such as nutrient limitation. Phosphorus (P) is a key nutrient involved in the transfer of energy and the synthesis of several cellular components. Molecular and biochemical mechanisms related to how diatoms cope with P deficiency are not clear, and research into this has been limited to a few species. Among the molecular responses that have been reported in diatoms cultured under P deficient conditions is the upregulation of genes encoding enzymes related to the transport, assimilation, remobilization and recycling of this nutrient. Regarding biochemical responses, due to the reduction of the requirements for carbon structures for the synthesis of proteins and phospholipids, more CO₂ is fixed than is consumed by the Calvin cycle. To deal with this excess, diatoms redirect the carbon flow toward the synthesis of storage compounds such as triacylglycerides and carbohydrates, which are excreted as extracellular polymeric substances. This review aimed to gather all current knowledge regarding the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of diatoms related to managing P deficiency in order to provide a wider insight into and understanding of their responses, as well as the metabolic pathways affected by the limitation of this nutrient.

The strategy of bulk DNA sampling has been a valuable method for studying large numbers of individuals through genetic markers. The application of this strategy for discrimination among germplasm sources was analyzed through information theory, considering the case of polymorphic alleles scored binarily for their presence or absence in DNA pools. We defined the informativeness of a set of marker loci in bulks as the mutual information between genotype and population identity, composed by two terms: diversity and noise. The first term is the entropy of bulk genotypes, whereas the noise term is measured through the conditional entropy of bulk genotypes given germplasm sources. Thus, optimizing marker information implies increasing diversity and reducing noise. Simple formulas were devised to estimate marker information per allele from a set of estimated allele frequencies across populations. As an example, they allowed optimization of bulk size for SSR genotyping in maize, from allele frequencies estimated in a sample of 56 maize populations. It was found that a sample of 30 plants from a random mating population is adequate for maize germplasm SSR characterization. We analyzed the use of divided bulks to overcome the allele dilution problem in DNA pools, and concluded that samples of 30 plants divided into three bulks of 10 plants are efficient to characterize maize germplasm sources through SSR with a good control of the dilution problem. We estimated the informativeness of 30 SSR loci from the estimated allele frequencies in maize populations, and found a wide variation of marker informativeness, which positively correlated with the number of alleles per locus.