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. 2021 Feb 23:12:635491.
doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.635491. eCollection 2021.

Heat Shock Tolerance in Deschampsia antarctica Desv. Cultivated in vitro Is Mediated by Enzymatic and Non-enzymatic Antioxidants

Rodrigo Cortés-Antiquera  1 , Marisol Pizarro  1   2 , Rodrigo A Contreras  1 , Hans Köhler  1 , Gustavo E Zúñiga  1   2
Affiliations

Heat Shock Tolerance in Deschampsia antarctica Desv. Cultivated in vitro Is Mediated by Enzymatic and Non-enzymatic Antioxidants

Rodrigo Cortés-Antiquera et al. Front Plant Sci. .

Abstract

Deschampsia antarctica Desv, is the most successful colonizing species of a cold continent. In recent years due to climate change, the frequency of heat waves has increased in Antarctica, registering anomalous high temperatures during the summer of 2020. However, the populations of D. antarctica are responding positively to these events, increasing in number and size throughout the Antarctic Peninsula. In this work, the physiological and biochemical responses of D. antarctica plants grown in vitro (15 ± 1°C) and plants subjected to two heat shock treatments (23 and 35°C) were evaluated. The results obtained show that D. antarctica grown in vitro is capable of tolerating heat shock treatments; without showing visible damage to its morphology, or changes in its oxidative state and photosynthetic performance. These tolerance responses are primarily mediated by the efficient role of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems that maintain redox balance at higher temperatures. It is postulated that these mechanisms also operate in plants under natural conditions when exposed to environmental stresses.

Keywords: Antarctica; climate change; oxidative stress–related enzymes; peroxidases; photosynthesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
In vitro grown D. antarctica plants used in the experiments. Each culture vessel is considered a biological sample.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Sublethal temperature 50 (LT50) in D. antarctica cultivated in vitro. The photosynthetic parameter Fv/Fm was expressed like foliar damage (%). Each point represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Heat shock effect in morphology and growth in D. antarctica control (15°C) and heat shock treatments (23°C and 35°C) cultivated in vitro. (A) Photographs of D. antarctica expose to heat shock treatments from day 1 at day 7 and (B) aerial growth. Each bar represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean). Significant differences between treatments are indicated by letters (P < 0.05).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Photosynthetic efficiency parameters in D. antarctica control (15°C) and heat shock treatments (23°C and 35°C) cultivated in vitro. (A) PSII maximun efficiency (Fv/Fm), (B) maximal quantum yield PSII (ΦPSII), and (C) electron transport rate (ETR). Each bar represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean). Significant differences between treatments are indicated by letters (P < 0.05).
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Photosynthetic pigments content in D. antarctica control (15°C) and heat shock treatments (23 and 35°C) cultivated in vitro. (A) chl-a/chl-b ratio and (B) carotenoids content. Each bar represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean). Significant differences between treatments are indicated by letters (P < 0.05).
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Oxidative stress parameters in D. antarctica control (15°C) and heat shock treatments (23°C and 35°C) cultivated in vitro. (A) Total ROS content and (B) membrane peroxidation (malondialdehyde content). Each bar represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean). Significant differences between treatments are indicated by letters (P < 0.05).
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Antioxidant enzyme activity in D. antarctica control (15°C) and heat shock treatments (23°C and 35°C) cultivated in vitro. (A) superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, (B) total peroxidases type III (POD) activity, (C) ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity, and (D) catalase (CAT) activity. Each bar represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean). Significant differences between treatments are indicated by letters (P < 0.05).
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Non-enzymatic antioxidant activity in D. antarctica control (15°C) and heat shock treatments (23 and 35°C) cultivated in vitro. (A) total phenol content and (B) the consumption DPPH radical. Each bar represent means of 3 biological replicates (N = 3; ± standard error of the mean). Significant differences between treatments are indicated by letters (P < 0.05).
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