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Functional Activity of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Tobacco and Arabidopsis Plants Exposed to Chilling Temperatures

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Abstract

Photosynthetic activities of a chilling-sensitive species, Nicotiana tabacum L. (cv. Samsun), and a chilling-resistant plant, Arabidopsis thaliana Heynh. (L) (ecotype Columbia), were examined in young seedlings exposed to low temperatures. Functional parameters were determined after 1- to 6-day exposure of tobacco and arabidopsis plants at 8 and 2°C, respectively. In tobacco leaves sampled by the end of the experiment, the chlorophyll content decreased by 30%, the ratio of variable to maximum Chl a fluorescence (Fv/Fm) decreased by 5%, and the rate of net (apparent) photosynthesis diminished almost twofold. The concentration of soluble sugars in tobacco leaves increased by 30% approaching 130 mg/g dry wt. In arabidopsis, unlike tobacco, the content and proportions of photosynthetic pigments, as well as the Fv/Fm ratio changed insignificantly upon cooling, whereas net photosynthetic rates decreased to a lesser extent (by a factor of 1.6). The content of sugars in arabidopsis leaves increased fourfold by the end of the low-temperature treatment and reached 90 mg/g dry wt. Thus, the photosynthetic apparatus in chill-sensitive and cold-resistant plants responded differently to chilling temperatures. The data provide evidence that the photosynthetic apparatus in arabidopsis is well preserved upon chilling and can function effectively at cold-hardening temperatures. The thylakoid processes and the reactions of photosynthetic carbon metabolism in leaves of heat-loving tobacco plants are more sensitive to chilling temperatures and undergo changes in a more or less coordinated manner, helping chloroplasts to avoid the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species.

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COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICAL STANDARDS

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 127276, Moscow, Russia

    V. N. Popov, O. V. Antipina, A. A. Selivanov, Z. F. Rakhmankulova & A. N. Deryabin

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  1. V. N. Popov
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  2. O. V. Antipina
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  3. A. A. Selivanov
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  4. Z. F. Rakhmankulova
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  5. A. N. Deryabin
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Correspondence to V. N. Popov.

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Translated by A. Bulychev

Abbreviations: Car—carotenoids; Chl—chlorophyll; ETC—electron transport chain; Fv/Fm—ratio of variable to maximum Chl a fluorescence in photosystem II; PFD—photon flux density; PSII—photosystem II; ROS—reactive oxygen species.

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Popov, V.N., Antipina, O.V., Selivanov, A.A. et al. Functional Activity of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Tobacco and Arabidopsis Plants Exposed to Chilling Temperatures. Russ J Plant Physiol 66, 102–109 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443719010138

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443719010138

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