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Title: Salt Stress Induces Paramylon Accumulation and Fine-Tuning of the Macro-Organization of Thylakoid Membranes in Euglena gracilis Cells

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Plant Science
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [5]; ORCiD logo [6];  [7];  [8];  [9];  [2];  [2]
  1. Eotvos Lorand Research Network, Szeged (Hungary); Univ. of Szeged (Hungary)
  2. Eotvos Lorand Research Network, Szeged (Hungary)
  3. Univ. of Szeged (Hungary); Bay Zoltan Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research, Szeged (Hungary)
  4. Bay Zoltan Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research, Szeged (Hungary)
  5. Eotvos Lorand Research Network, Budapest (Hungary)
  6. Eotvos Lorand Research Network, Budapest (Hungary); European Spallation Source (ESS), Lund (Sweden); Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  7. Eotvos Lorand Research Network, Szeged (Hungary); University of Ostrava (Czechia)
  8. Szilak Laboratory Ltd., Szeged (Hungary)
  9. ELTE Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest (Hungary)

The effects of salt stress condition on the growth, morphology, photosynthetic performance, and paramylon content were examined in the mixotrophic, unicellular, flagellate Euglena gracilis. We found that salt stress negatively influenced cell growth, accompanied by a decrease in chlorophyll (Chl) content. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed the changes in the macro-organization of pigment-protein complexes due to salt treatment, while the small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) investigations suggested a reduction in the thylakoid stacking, an effect confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At the same time, the analysis of the thylakoid membrane complexes using native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed no significant change in the composition of supercomplexes of the photosynthetic apparatus. Salt stress did not substantially affect the photosynthetic activity, as reflected by the fact that Chl fluorescence yield, electron transport rate (ETR), and energy transfer between the photosystems did not change considerably in the salt-grown cells. We have observed notable increases in the carotenoid-to-Chl ratio and the accumulation of paramylon in the salt-treated cells. We propose that the accumulation of storage polysaccharides and changes in the pigment composition and thylakoid membrane organization help the adaptation of E. gracilis cells to salt stress and contribute to the maintenance of cellular processes under stress conditions.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); Czech Science Foundation; Hungarian Ministry for National Economy; National Research Development and Innovation Office of Hungary
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00058; 128679; FK124748; GA CR 19-13637X
OSTI ID:
1831604
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Plant Science, Vol. 12; ISSN 1664-462X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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