How Sugar Attachment Affects Apple Plant Shape and Stress Resistance

Greg Howard
13th July, 2024

How Sugar Attachment Affects Apple Plant Shape and Stress Resistance

Image Source: Natural Science News, 2024

Key Findings

  • Researchers at Northwest A&F University, China, found that phlorizin is crucial for apple plant growth and health
  • Transgenic apple plants with reduced phlorizin showed stunted growth, larger and more numerous stomata, and lower drought tolerance
  • These transgenic plants also had less resistance to spider mites, highlighting phlorizin's role in pest defense
Phlorizin, a dihydrochalcone glycoside, is a significant compound in apple plants. It is known to accumulate abundantly in these plants, but its precise benefits over other glycosylation products of phloretin have been unclear. A recent study by researchers at Northwest A&F University, China, aimed to elucidate whether phlorizin provides more advantages to apple plants compared to other glycosylation products of phloretin[1]. To investigate this, the researchers created transgenic apple plants that produced different glycosylation products of phloretin. In these transgenic plants, the usual accumulation of phlorizin was partly replaced by either trilobatin (phloretin 4'-O-glucoside) or phloretin 3',5'-di-C-glycoside. The findings revealed that these transgenic plants, with reduced levels of phlorizin, exhibited a dwarf phenotype, larger stomatal size, higher stomatal density, and reduced tolerance to drought stress when compared to wild-type plants. The study further analyzed the transcriptome and phytohormone profiles of these plants. The results indicated that phlorizin might regulate stomatal development and behavior by controlling auxin and abscisic acid signaling pathways, as well as the expression of carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme involved in photosynthesis and respiration. This aligns with previous research showing that flavonoid accumulation can affect auxin transport and plant growth[2]. Another important aspect of the study was the resistance of these transgenic plants to the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae Koch). The transgenic plants with less phlorizin showed reduced resistance to these pests. This finding supports earlier studies indicating that phlorizin acts as an antifeedant, making apple leaves less palatable to herbivores like spider mites[3]. Interestingly, the study also found that apple plants could hydrolyze phlorizin to produce phloretin, a compound more toxic to spider mites, but could not hydrolyze trilobatin or phloretin 3',5'-di-C-glycoside. This suggests that the glycosylation of phloretin to produce phlorizin is a crucial adaptation in apple plants for resisting spider mite herbivory. The results of this study highlight the importance of phlorizin in apple plants, not only for its role in regulating stomatal development and drought tolerance but also for its role in pest resistance. The findings align with previous research that has shown the significance of phlorizin and other phenylpropanoid compounds in plant defense mechanisms[4]. In summary, the study from Northwest A&F University provides compelling evidence that phlorizin is the optimal glycosylation product of phloretin in apple plants, offering significant advantages in terms of growth, drought tolerance, and pest resistance. This research expands our understanding of the physiological roles of dihydrochalcones in plants and underscores the intricate balance of metabolic pathways that contribute to plant resilience.

GeneticsBiochemPlant Science

References

Main Study

1) Glycosylation mode of phloretin affects the morphology and stress resistance of apple plant.

Published 12th July, 2024

https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15031

Related Studies

2) Flavonoid accumulation in Arabidopsis repressed in lignin synthesis affects auxin transport and plant growth.

Journal: The Plant cell, Issue: Vol 19, Issue 1, Jan 2007

3) Overexpression of chalcone isomerase in apple reduces phloridzin accumulation and increases susceptibility to herbivory by two-spotted mites.

https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14729

4) Silencing a phloretin-specific glycosyltransferase perturbs both general phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and plant development.

https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.13559


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