Plant-specific TTL proteins function as positive regulators of BR responses likely by bringing together signaling components at the plasma membrane.

The expansion of olive orchards into regions with no tradition of olive production and humid climates, such as Uruguay, with more than 1200 mm of annual rainfall, calls into question the need for irrigation. In these regions, however, years with water deficit during summers are quite common. The vapor pressure deficit during summer is lower than in countries with a Mediterranean climate. The high variability in interannual water availability in the current context of climate change, with a growing tendency for extreme events to occur, emphasizes the need to evaluate the production response of olive trees to irrigation. To achieve this, three irrigation treatments were applied to Arbequina and Frantoio cultivars according to the value of the maximum crop evapotranspiration: a first treatment applying 100% ETc, corresponding to being fully irrigated; a second treatment applying 50% ETc; and a third treatment in which neither irrigation nor rain inputs occurred from the end of the pit hardening period until harvest. Results show the possibility of an increasing fruit weight and pulp/pit ratio through irrigation in the local environmental conditions. The oil content in response to irrigation was different within cultivars. Water restriction conditions did not affect the oil content of olives in Arbequina, while in Frantoio it increased it. Polyphenols in fruit increased under water stress for both cultivars. The technological applicability of the results obtained must be accompanied by an economic analysis. The results obtained highlight the need for better use of irrigation water during the growth and ripening phase of the olive fruit under a humid climate.

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) establishes symbiosis with rhizobacteria, developing the symbiotic nodule, where the biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) occurs. The redox control is key for guaranteeing the establishment and correct function of the BNF process. Plants have many antioxidative systems involved in ROS homeostasis and signaling, among them a network of thio- and glutaredoxins. Our group is particularly interested in studying the differential response of nodulated soybean plants to water-deficit stress. To shed light on this phenomenon, we set up an RNA-seq experiment (for total and polysome-associated mRNAs) with soybean roots comprising combined treatments including the hydric and the nodulation condition. Moreover, we performed the initial identification and description of the complete repertoire of thioredoxins (Trx) and glutaredoxins (Grx) in soybean. We found that water deficit altered the expression of a greater number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) than the condition of plant nodulation. Among them, we identified 12 thioredoxin (Trx) and 12 glutaredoxin (Grx) DEGs, which represented a significant fraction of the detected GmTrx and GmGrx in our RNA-seq data. Moreover, we identified an enriched network in which a GmTrx and a GmGrx interacted with each other and associated through several types of interactions with nitrogen metabolism enzymes.

Mutations in the Arabidopsis TETRATRICOPEPTIDE THIOREDOXIN-LIKE 1 (TTL1) gene cause reduced tolerance to osmotic stress evidenced by an arrest in root growth and root swelling, which makes it an interesting model to explore how root growth is controlled under stress conditions. We found that osmotic stress reduced the growth rate of the primary root by inhibiting the cell elongation in the elongation zone followed by a reduction in the number of cortical cells in the proximal meristem. We then studied the stiffness of epidermal cell walls in the root elongation zone of ttl1 mutants under osmotic stress using atomic force microscopy. In plants grown in control conditions, the mean apparent elastic modulus was 448% higher for live Col-0 cell walls than for ttl1 (88.1 ± 2.8 vs. 16.08 ± 6.9 kPa). Seven days of osmotic stress caused an increase in the stiffness in the cell wall of the cells from the elongation zone of 87% and 84% for Col-0 and ttl1, respectively. These findings suggest that TTL1 may play a role controlling cell expansion orientation during root growth, necessary for osmotic stress adaptation.