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Metabolite profiling of the moss Physcomitrella patens reveals evolutionary conservation of osmoprotective substances

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Abstract

The moss Physcomitrella patens is suitable for systems biology studies, as it can be grown axenically under standardised conditions in plain mineral medium and comprises only few cell types. We report on metabolite profiling of two major P. patens tissues, filamentous protonema and leafy gametophores, from different culture conditions. A total of 96 compounds were detected, 21 of them as yet unknown in public databases. Protonema and gametophores had distinct metabolic profiles, especially with regard to saccharides, sugar derivates, amino acids, lignin precursors and nitrogen-rich storage compounds. A hydroponic culture was established for P. patens, and was used to apply drought stress under physiological conditions. This treatment led to accumulation of osmoprotectants, such as altrose, maltitol, ascorbic acid and proline. Thus, these osmoprotectants are not unique to seed plants but have evolved at an early phase of the colonization of land by plants.

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Abbreviations

GC–MS:

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the DFG Research Training Group GRK1305 “Signal Systems in Plant Model Organisms”, and by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF (FRISYS 0313921). Support from the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse.1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Anika Erxleben, Marco Vervliet-Scheebaum & Ralf Reski

  2. Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 9, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Anika Erxleben

  3. ZBSA, Center for Biological Systems Analysis, University of Freiburg, Habsburgerstr. 49, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Arthur Gessler & Ralf Reski

  4. ZALF, Institute for Landscape Biogeochemistry, Leibniz-Center for Agricultural Landscape Research, Eberswalderstr. 84, 15374, Müncheberg, Germany

    Arthur Gessler

  5. FRISYS, Freiburg Initiative for Systems Biology, Schaenzlestr. 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Ralf Reski

  6. FRIAS, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Albertstr. 19, 79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Ralf Reski

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  1. Anika Erxleben
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  2. Arthur Gessler
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  3. Marco Vervliet-Scheebaum
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Correspondence to Ralf Reski.

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Communicated by P. Kumar.

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Erxleben, A., Gessler, A., Vervliet-Scheebaum, M. et al. Metabolite profiling of the moss Physcomitrella patens reveals evolutionary conservation of osmoprotective substances. Plant Cell Rep 31, 427–436 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-011-1177-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-011-1177-9

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