Skip to main content
Log in

Non-thermal Plasma Induced Expression of Heat Shock Factor A4A and Improved Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Growth and Resistance Against Salt Stress

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There is a huge interest in making and applying innovating functional devices based on basic sciences (like physics) to improve plant growth and resistance against various stress conditions. This research was carried out in order to investigate effects of cold plasma on expressions of heat shock factor A4A (HSFA4A), plant growth and post reactions to salt stress. Wheat seedlings were treated with plasma (0.84 W/cm2 surface power densities) at different exposure times. In both three and 6 h after plasma, inductions in expressions of HSFA4A were recorded in roots, compared to control. Six hours after treatments, plasma-induced the shoot expressions of HSFA4A in the treated seedlings, contrasted to 3 h. Plasma treatment caused not the only enhancement in shoot fresh and dry mass and total leaf area, but also alleviated adverse impacts of salinity. Destroying impacts of salinity on chlorophyll contents were mitigated by plasma. Peroxidase activity was decreased by 27% for salinity treatment alone over control, while it was increased by 15% for plasma and salinity-treated samples, compared to salinity control. The highest activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) were found in plasma treatment alone. PAL activity was found to be higher in plasma-pretreated seedlings counteracted to salt stress, relative to the salinity control. The plasma treatment may act as an effective elicitor to modify gene expression, thereby improving plant growth and resistance. Plasma technology should be considered as a new functional technology in plant sciences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Parihar P, Singh S, Singh R, Singh VP, Prasad SM (2015) Effect of salinity stress on plants and its tolerance strategies: a review. Environ Sci Poll Res 22:4056–4075

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Bußler S, Herppich WB, Neugart S, Schreiner M, Ehlbeck J, Rohn S, Schlüter O (2015) Impact of cold atmospheric pressure plasma on physiology and flavonol glycoside profile of peas Pisum sativum ‘Salamanca’. Food Res Int 76:132–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Iranbakhsh A, Ghoranneviss M, Ardebili ZO, Ardebili NO, Tackallou SH, Nikmaram H (2017) Non-thermal plasma modified growth and physiology in Triticum aestivum via generated signaling molecules and UV radiation. Biol Plant 61:702–708

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Safari N, Iranbakhsh A, Ardebili ZO (2017) Non-thermal plasma modified growth and differentiation process of Capsicum annuum PP805 Godiva in in vitro conditions. Plasma Sci Technol 19:055501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Jiang J, Lu Y, Li J, Li L, He X, Shao H, Dong Y (2014) Effect of seed treatment by cold plasma on the resistance of tomato to Ralstonia solanacearum bacterial wilt. PLoS ONE 9:e97753

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Wu Z, Chi L, Bian S, Xu K (2007) Effects of plasma treatment on maize seeding resistance. J Maize Sci 15:111–113

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ling L, Jiafeng J, Jiangang L, Minchong S, Xin H, Hanliang S, Yuanhua D (2014) Effects of cold plasma treatment on seed germination and seedling growth of soybean. Sci Rep 4:5859. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05859

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Stolárik T, Henselová M, Martinka M, Novák O, Zahoranová A, Černák M (2015) Effect of low-temperature plasma on the structure of seeds, growth and metabolism of endogenous phytohormones in pea Pisum sativum L. Plasma Chem Plasma Proc 35:659–676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jouili H, Bouazizi H, El Ferjani E (2011) Plant peroxidases: biomarkers of metallic stress. Acta Physiol Plant 33:2075

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Valifard M, Mohsenzadeh S, Niazi A, Moghadam A (2015) Phenylalanine ammonia lyase isolation and functional analysis of phenylpropanoid pathway under salinity stress in ‘Salvia’ species. Aust J Crop Sci 9:656

    Google Scholar 

  11. Guo M, Liu J-H, Ma X, Luo D-X, Gong Z-H, Lu M-H (2016) The plant heat stress transcription factors HSFs: structure, regulation, and function in response to abiotic stresses. Front Plant Sci 7:114. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00114

    Google Scholar 

  12. Pérez-Salamó I, Papdi C, Rigó G, Zsigmond L, Vilela B, Lumbreras V, Nagy I, Horváth B, Domoki M, Darula Z (2014) The heat shock factor A4A confers salt tolerance and is regulated by oxidative stress and the mitogen-activated protein kinases MPK3 and MPK6. Plant Physiol 165:319–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Scharf KD, Berberich T, Ebersberger I, Nover L (2012) The plant heat stress transcription factor Hsf family: structure, function and evolution. Biochim Biophys Acta-Gene Regul Mech 1819:104–119

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Banti V, Mafessoni F, Loreti E, Alpi A, Perata P (2010) The heat-inducible transcription factor HsfA2 enhances anoxia tolerance in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 152:1471–1483

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Yoshida T, Sakuma Y, Todaka D, Maruyama K, Qin F, Mizoi J, Kidokoro S, Fujita Y, Shinozaki K, Yamaguchi-Shinozaki K (2008) Functional analysis of an Arabidopsis heat-shock transcription factor HsfA3 in the transcriptional cascade downstream of the DREB2A stress-regulatory system. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 368:515–521

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Shim D, Hwang JU, Lee J, Lee S, Choi Y, An G, Martinoia E, Lee Y (2009) Orthologs of the class A4 heat shock transcription factor HsfA4A confer cadmium tolerance in wheat and rice. Plant Cell 21:4031–4043

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Arnon DI (1949) Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiol 24:1

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Abeles FB, Biles CL (1991) Characterization of peroxidases in lignifying peach fruit endocarp. Plant Physiol 95:269–273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Beaudoin-Eagan LD, Thorpe TA (1985) Tyrosine and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activities during shoot initiation in tobacco callus cultures. Plant Physiol 78:438–441

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Panngom K, Lee SH, Park DH, Sim GB, Kim YH, Uhm HS, Park G, Choi EH (2014) Non-thermal plasma treatment diminishes fungal viability and up-regulates resistance genes in a plant host. PLoS ONE 9:e99300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Asai S, Ohta K, Yoshioka H (2008) MAPK signaling regulates nitric oxide and NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidative bursts in Nicotiana benthamiana. Plant Cell 20:1390–1406

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Clarke A, Desikan R, Hurst RD, Hancock JT, Neill SJ (2000) NO way back: nitric oxide and programmed cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cultures. Plant J 24:667–677

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Durner J, Wendehenne D, Klessig DF (1998) Defense gene induction in tobacco by nitric oxide, cyclic GMP, and cyclic ADP-ribose. Proc Natl Acad Sci 95:10328–10333

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Smékalová V, Doskočilová A, Komis G, Šamaj J (2014) Crosstalk between secondary messengers, hormones and MAPK modules during abiotic stress signalling in plants. Biotechnol Adv 32:2–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Šerá B, Gajdová I, Šerý M, Špatenka P (2013) New physicochemical treatment method of Poppy seeds for agriculture and food industries. Plasma Sci Technol 15:935

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Zhou R, Zhou R, Zhang X, Zhuang J, Yang S, Bazaka K, Ostrikov KK (2016) Effects of atmospheric-pressure N2, He, air, and O2 microplasmas on mung bean seed germination and seedling growth. Sci Rep 6:32603

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Sera B, Sery M, Gavril B, Gajdova I (2017) Seed germination and early growth responses to seed pre-treatment by non-thermal plasma in hemp cultivars (Cannabis sativa L.). Plasma Chem Plasma Proc 37:207–221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Wang X-Q, Zhou R-W, de Groot G, Bazaka K, Murphy AB, Ostrikov KK (2017) Spectral characteristics of cotton seeds treated by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma. Sci Rep 7:5601. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04963-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Mittler R, Kim Y, Song L, Coutu J, Coutu A, Ciftci-Yilmaz S, Lee H, Stevenson B, Zhu JK (2006) Gain and loss of function mutations in Zat10 enhance the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress. FEBS Lett 580:6537–6542

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Kotak S, Larkindale J, Lee U, von Koskull-Döring P, Vierling E, Scharf KD (2007) Complexity of the heat stress response in plants. Curr Opin Plant Biol 10:310–316

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Miller G, Mittler R (2006) Could heat shock transcription factors function as hydrogen peroxide sensors in plants? Annal Bot 98:279–288

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. von Koskull-Döring P, Scharf K-D, Nover L (2007) The diversity of plant heat stress transcription factors. Trends Plant Sci 12:452–457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Rossi L, Borghi M, Francini A, Lin X, Xie DY (2016) Sebastiani L. Salt stress induces differential regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway in Olea europaea cultivars Frantoio (salt-tolerant) and Leccino (salt-sensitive). J Plant Physiol 1(204):8–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Dehghan S, Sadeghi M, Pöppel A, Fischer R, Lakes-Harlan R, Kavousi HR, Vilcinskas A, Rahnamaeian M (2014) Differential inductions of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase during wounding, salicylic acid treatment, and salinity stress in safflower, Carthamus tinctorius. Biosci Rep 34:e00114

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank Dr. Mostafa Ebadi, and M.Sc. Hamed Nikmaram, M.Sc. Maryam Amini for their benevolent and professional collaborations in the research procedure. Corresponding author specially would like to acknowledge of Plasma Physics Research Center, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alireza Iranbakhsh.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Iranbakhsh, A., Ardebili, N.O., Ardebili, Z.O. et al. Non-thermal Plasma Induced Expression of Heat Shock Factor A4A and Improved Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Growth and Resistance Against Salt Stress. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 38, 29–44 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-017-9861-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-017-9861-3

Keywords

Navigation