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Comparative physiological and metabolomic responses of four Brachypodium distachyon varieties contrasting in drought stress resistance

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Abstract

Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) is not only a monocot grass species, but also a promising model organism of crop research. In this study, the drought resistance of four Brachypodium varieties was identified including drought stress-tolerant Bd1-1 and Bd21, drought stress-susceptible Bd3-1 and Bd18-1. Physiological assay showed that drought-tolerant varieties (Bd1-1 and Bd21) were more effective in maintenance of leaf water content, activation of catalase and peroxidase activities and accumulation of reduced glutathione, resulting in alleviated cell damage and lower reactive oxygen species level than drought-susceptible varieties (Bd3-1 and Bd18-1) in response to drought stress. In addition, 54 primary metabolites were differentially regulated among Brachypodium varieties and after drought stress treatment, indicating the complexity of Brachypodium response to drought stress. We also identified several commonly regulated metabolites especially some compatible solutes including proline and soluble sugars, which exhibited higher concentrations in the drought-tolerant varieties. Taken together, this study suggested that natural variation of Brachypodium varieties in response to drought stress might be connected with higher leaf water, enhanced accumulation of osmolyte and more effective antioxidant system, as well as the modulation of metabolic profiles under drought stress conditions.

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Abbreviations

CAT:

Catalase

EL:

Electrolyte leakage

GO:

Gene ontology

GSH:

Glutathione (reduced form)

GSSG:

Glutathione (oxidized form)

H2O2 :

Hydrogen peroxide

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

O2·− :

Superoxide radical

POD:

Peroxidase

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TCA:

Tricarboxylic acid

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the startup funding of Hainan University (kyqd1531) and “the Hundred Talents Program” (No.54Y154761O01076 and 29Y329631O0263).

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Haitao Shi

  2. Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Haitao Shi, Tiantian Ye & Zhulong Chan

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China

    Tiantian Ye

  4. Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    Bo Song & Xiaoquan Qi

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  1. Haitao Shi
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  2. Tiantian Ye
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  4. Xiaoquan Qi
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  5. Zhulong Chan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhulong Chan.

Additional information

Communicated by M. Stobiecki.

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Shi, H., Ye, T., Song, B. et al. Comparative physiological and metabolomic responses of four Brachypodium distachyon varieties contrasting in drought stress resistance. Acta Physiol Plant 37, 122 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-1873-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-1873-0

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