《植物生理学报》 2010, 46(8): 759-766

植物复苏性状的分子机理研究进展

陈鈺¹, 向成斌¹, 叶昕^2,*

1 中国科学技术大学生命科学院, 合肥230027; 2 乐山师范学院化学与生命科学系, 四川乐山614000

通信作者：叶昕；E-mail: yexin@lstc.edu.cn；Tel: 0833-3376181

摘　要：

复苏性状是某些生物应对水分剧烈变化恶劣环境的一种特殊适应能力, 在植物界广泛分布于苔藓和蕨类低等植物, 一些高等植物也具有这种性状。复苏植物可以在损失体内95% 以上的水分后, 遇水而复苏, 以此度过环境恶劣的时段。复 苏性状的分子机制一直让人们着迷, 但对其认知还十分有限。近年来的研究表明, 一些小分子代谢物和特殊蛋白的大量积 累在复苏植物脱水过程中对生物膜和大分子结构起保护作用; 复苏性状中的信号转导与基因调控可能包括ABA在内的一 系列信号分子和途径。随着“ 组学 ” 技术的发展, 更宽广角度的研究将会极大的促进人们对复苏性状的认知。对于复苏性 状的深入研究, 可能为农作物和蔬菜的改良提供一个全新的方向, 具有很大的潜在应用价值。

关键词：复苏性状; 复苏植物; 耐脱水

收稿：2010-04-06   修定：2010-05-26

资助：国家转基因专项(2009ZX08009-094B)。

Recent Progress on the Molecular Mechanisms of Desiccation Tolerance of Resurrection Plants

CHEN Yu¹, XIANG Cheng-Bin¹, YE Xin^2,*

¹School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China; ²Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Leshan Teachers College, Leshan, Sichuan 614000, China

Corresponding author: YE Xin; E-mail: yexin@lstc.edu.cn; Tel: 0833-3376181

Abstract:

Resurrection is a specialized adaptation of organisms to drastic dehydration. In plant kingdom, this phenomenon is widespread among mosses and ferns. Some higher plants have also developed this remarkable trait. Resurrection plants are able to recover from a state of more than 95% body water loss upon watering. This amazing capability allows these plants to survive under extreme drought environment. Resurrection plants are very attractive to plant biologists. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Recent studies showed that some low-molecular-weight metabolites including sugars, amino acids, lipids and some proteins such as LEA accumulated to very high levels during dehydration and went back to normal during recovery. Those highly accumulated metabolites and proteins likely play important roles in protecting membranes and macromolecules. The dehydration signaling and gene regulation of resurrection plants are thought to be similar to other higher plants perhaps with special modifications. As the development of ‘omics’ technologies, it is possible to investigate the molecular mechanisms of resurrection at the whole genome level. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms may help us to better improve crops and vegetables.

Key words: resurrection; resurrection plants; desiccation tolerance