TY - JOUR

T1 - Are cell wall traits a component of the succulent syndrome?

AU - Fradera-Soler, Marc

AU - Leverett, Alistair

AU - Mravec, Jozef

AU - Jørgensen, Bodil

AU - Borland, Anne M.

AU - Grace, Olwen M.

N1 - Funding Information: This research was partially funded by Newcastle University’s R. B. Cook Scholarship. JM is supported by a grant from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (project number IM-2021-23). This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801199. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Fradera-Soler, Leverett, Mravec, Jørgensen, Borland and Grace.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Succulence is an adaptation to low water availability characterised by the presence of water-storage tissues that alleviate water stress under low water availability. The succulent syndrome has evolved convergently in over 80 plant families and is associated with anatomical, physiological and biochemical traits. Despite the alleged importance of cell wall traits in drought responses, their significance in the succulent syndrome has long been overlooked. Here, by analyzing published pressure–volume curves, we show that elastic adjustment, whereby plants change cell wall elasticity, is uniquely beneficial to succulents for avoiding turgor loss. In addition, we used comprehensive microarray polymer profiling (CoMPP) to assess the biochemical composition of cell walls in leaves. Across phylogenetically diverse species, we uncover several differences in cell wall biochemistry between succulent and non-succulent leaves, pointing to the existence of a ‘succulent glycome’. We also highlight the glycomic diversity among succulent plants, with some glycomic features being restricted to certain succulent lineages. In conclusion, we suggest that cell wall biomechanics and biochemistry should be considered among the characteristic traits that make up the succulent syndrome.

AB - Succulence is an adaptation to low water availability characterised by the presence of water-storage tissues that alleviate water stress under low water availability. The succulent syndrome has evolved convergently in over 80 plant families and is associated with anatomical, physiological and biochemical traits. Despite the alleged importance of cell wall traits in drought responses, their significance in the succulent syndrome has long been overlooked. Here, by analyzing published pressure–volume curves, we show that elastic adjustment, whereby plants change cell wall elasticity, is uniquely beneficial to succulents for avoiding turgor loss. In addition, we used comprehensive microarray polymer profiling (CoMPP) to assess the biochemical composition of cell walls in leaves. Across phylogenetically diverse species, we uncover several differences in cell wall biochemistry between succulent and non-succulent leaves, pointing to the existence of a ‘succulent glycome’. We also highlight the glycomic diversity among succulent plants, with some glycomic features being restricted to certain succulent lineages. In conclusion, we suggest that cell wall biomechanics and biochemistry should be considered among the characteristic traits that make up the succulent syndrome.

KW - cell wall elasticity

KW - cell walls

KW - CoMPP

KW - glycomics

KW - plant diversity

KW - succulence

KW - turgor

U2 - 10.3389/fpls.2022.1043429

DO - 10.3389/fpls.2022.1043429

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36507451

AN - SCOPUS:85143754056

VL - 13

JO - Frontiers in Plant Science

JF - Frontiers in Plant Science

SN - 1664-462X

M1 - 1043429

ER -