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Cold acclimation improves photosynthesis by regulating the ascorbate–glutathione cycle in chloroplasts of Kandelia obovata

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Abstract

As the most northerly mangrove species in China, Kandelia obovata may undergo extreme cold event stress. Enhancing the cold tolerance of this species is crucial to its successful afforestation. This study aimed to determine the resistance of K. obovata seedlings to low temperature stress by cold acclimation and to explain the mechanisms for alleviating cold injury. To understand these mechanisms, seedlings that were acclimatized and not acclimatized were exposed to 5 °C/− 2 °C (day/night) for 48 h. Results showed that low temperature stress reduced leaf photosynthesis of non-acclimatized seedlings by inducing oxidative stress and structural damage to chloroplasts. These phenomena were shown by increasing levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), O2− and H2O2, as well as decreasing enzyme activities in the ascorbate–glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle. However, cold-acclimatized seedlings had improved photosynthetic rates and efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) under low temperature stress. Compared with non-acclimatized seedlings, leaves of cold-acclimatized seedlings under low temperature stress for 48 h exhibited higher anti-oxidative enzyme activities, lower levels of O2− and H2O2, less damage to chloroplast structure, and removed 33.7% of MDA at low temperature stress for 48 h. The data indicate that cold acclimation enhances photosynthetic capacity by effectively regulating activation in the PSII electron transport and the AsA–GSH cycle to scavenge excess ROS in chloroplasts, while the latter is more important.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Exploitation and Preservation of Coastal Bio-resource, Zhejiang Mariculture Research Institute, 325005, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Weicheng Liu, Chunfang Zheng, Jinong Chen, Jianbiao Qiu & Zhixing Huang

  2. College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, 325035, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Qi Wang

  3. Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, 361005, Xiamen, People’s Republic of China

    Yong Ye

Authors
  1. Weicheng Liu
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  2. Chunfang Zheng
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  3. Jinong Chen
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  4. Jianbiao Qiu
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  5. Zhixing Huang
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  6. Qi Wang
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  7. Yong Ye
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chunfang Zheng or Yong Ye.

Additional information

Project funding: This research was supported by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. LY18C030001 and LQ13C030002), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41776097), Special Funding for Research of National Oceanic Public Service Industry of China (Grant No. 201505028), National Science and Technology Basic Resources Survey Special of China (Grant No. 2017FY100700), Zhejiang Province Science and Technology Plan Project of China (Grant Nos. 2013C25096 and 2014F50003), Zhejiang Province Foundation of the Nonprofit Technology Research Projects of China (Grant No. 2015C33227) and Wenzhou Municipal Science and Technology Plan Project of China (Grant Nos. N20140046, N20170008 and S20160004).

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Corresponding editor: Hu Yanbo.

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Liu, W., Zheng, C., Chen, J. et al. Cold acclimation improves photosynthesis by regulating the ascorbate–glutathione cycle in chloroplasts of Kandelia obovata. J. For. Res. 30, 755–765 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-018-0791-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-018-0791-6

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