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Chitosan enhances rice seedling growth via gene expression network between nucleus and chloroplast

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Abstract

Chitosan, a partially deacetylated form of the natural and biodegradable biopolymer chitin, has been used as plant growth promoter in agriculture. The aim of this work was to investigate the growth promoting responses induced by chitosan at the physiological and molecular level in rice (Oryza sativa L.) seedlings. The combination of the degree of deacetylation (DD), molecular weight and concentration of chitosan had differing effects on the rice seedling growth. For the best enhancement, oligomeric chitosan with an 80 % DD applied at 40 mg/L significantly enhanced the vegetative growth, in terms of the leaf and root fresh weights and dry weights of rice seedlings compared to the control. At the proteomics level, of the 352 rice leaf proteins that could be resolved using the Multi Experiment Viewer software, 105 showed a significantly different expression level in rice leaves treated with chitosan compared to the control. Co-expression network analysis revealed nine of these proteins had significant coexpression with other genes from the three main biochemical network systems of photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism and cell redox homeostasis. More than 90 % of the genes positively co-expressed with these nine chitosan-responsive proteins were localized in chloroplasts, suggesting that chitosan enhanced the plant growth of rice seedlings via multiple and complex networks between the nucleus and chloroplast.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand, Office of the Higher Education Commission (FW656B-55). CE in Environment and Plant Physiology is supported by Ratchadaphiseksompot endowment fund, Chulalongkorn University. The facilities were supported by the Thai Government Stimulus Package 2 (TKK2555), under PERFECTA and the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University (AIBI). Nontalee Chamnanmanoontham was supported by the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program. W.P. is supported by post doctoral scholarship, Chulalongkorn University.

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  1. Center of Excellence in Environment and Plant Physiology, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Nontalee Chamnanmanoontham, Wasinee Pongprayoon & Supachitra Chadchawan

  2. Biological Sciences Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Nontalee Chamnanmanoontham

  3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Rath Pichayangkura

  4. Genome Institute, National Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, 111 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Road, Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand

    Sittiruk Roytrakul

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  1. Nontalee Chamnanmanoontham
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Correspondence to Supachitra Chadchawan.

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Chamnanmanoontham, N., Pongprayoon, W., Pichayangkura, R. et al. Chitosan enhances rice seedling growth via gene expression network between nucleus and chloroplast. Plant Growth Regul 75, 101–114 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-014-9935-7

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