Cellular signal transduction pathways under abiotic stressSenthil Natesan
Abiotic stresses, especially cold, salinity and drought, are the primary causes of crop loss worldwide. Plant adaptation to environmental stresses is dependent upon the activation of cascades of molecular networks involved in stress perception, signal transduction, and the expression of specific stress-related genes and metabolites. Plants have stress-specific adaptive responses as well as responses which protect the plants from more than one environmental stress. There are multiple stress perception and signaling pathways, some of which are specific, but others may cross-talk at various steps (Knight & knight ,2001).Many cold induced pathways are activated to protect plants from deleterious effects of cold stress, but till date, most studied pathway is ICE-CBF-COR signaling pathway (Miura and Furumoto,2013 ) . The Salt-Overly-Sensitive (SOS) pathway, identified through isolation and study of the sos1, sos2, and sos3 mutants, is essential for maintaining favorable ion ratios in the cytoplasm and for tolerance of salt stress (shi .et al ,2002). Both ABA-dependent and -independent signaling pathways appear to be involved in osmotic stress tolerance (Nakashima and shinozaki, 2013) .ROS play a dual role in the response of plants to abiotic stresses functioning as toxic by-products of stress metabolism, as well as important signal transduction molecules and the ROS signaling networks can control growth, development, and stress response ( Mahajan,s and Tuteja, 2005) .
Cellular signal transduction pathways under abiotic stressSenthil Natesan
Abiotic stresses, especially cold, salinity and drought, are the primary causes of crop loss worldwide. Plant adaptation to environmental stresses is dependent upon the activation of cascades of molecular networks involved in stress perception, signal transduction, and the expression of specific stress-related genes and metabolites. Plants have stress-specific adaptive responses as well as responses which protect the plants from more than one environmental stress. There are multiple stress perception and signaling pathways, some of which are specific, but others may cross-talk at various steps (Knight & knight ,2001).Many cold induced pathways are activated to protect plants from deleterious effects of cold stress, but till date, most studied pathway is ICE-CBF-COR signaling pathway (Miura and Furumoto,2013 ) . The Salt-Overly-Sensitive (SOS) pathway, identified through isolation and study of the sos1, sos2, and sos3 mutants, is essential for maintaining favorable ion ratios in the cytoplasm and for tolerance of salt stress (shi .et al ,2002). Both ABA-dependent and -independent signaling pathways appear to be involved in osmotic stress tolerance (Nakashima and shinozaki, 2013) .ROS play a dual role in the response of plants to abiotic stresses functioning as toxic by-products of stress metabolism, as well as important signal transduction molecules and the ROS signaling networks can control growth, development, and stress response ( Mahajan,s and Tuteja, 2005) .
Mechanisms of abiotic stress such as cold drought and salt stress which takes place in plants. Molecular control activities the plant undergoes during stress.
Being sessile, plants are constantly exposed to changes in temperature and other abiotic stress factors. The temperature stress experienced by plants can be classified into three types: those occurring at (a) temperature below freezing (b) low temperature above freezing and (c) high temperature. The plants must adapt to them in other ways. The biological substances that are deeply related to these stresses, such as heat shock proteins, glycine betaine as a compatible solute, membrane lipids etc.and also detoxifiers of active oxygen species, contribute to temperature stress tolerance in plants. Rapid advances in Molecular Genetic approaches have enabled genes to be cloned, both from prokaryotes and directly from plants themselves, that are thought to provide the key to the mechanism of temperature adaptation (Iba et al., 2002).
The accumulation of heat shock proteins under the control of heat stress transcription factors is assumed to play a central role in the heat stress response and in acquired thermotolerance in plants (Kotak et al., 2007). The pattern of protein synthesis during cold acclimation is very dissimilar to the heat shock proteins in many ways. Different low temperature stress proteins, such as Anti-freeze proteins or thermal hysteresis proteins (THPs) and cold shock domain proteins etc. are accumulated in plant cell and are frequently correlated with enhanced cold tolerance ( Guy, 1999).
The heat stress-induced dehydrin proteins (DHNs) expression and their relationship with the water relations of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) leaves were studied to investigate the adaptation to heat stress in plants (Wahid and Close, 2007). In order to get an in vitro evidence of Hsc70 functioning as a molecular chaperone during cold stress, a cold-inducible spinach cytosolic Hsc70 was subcloned into a protein expression vector and the recombinant protein was expressed in bacterial cells. Results suggest that the molecular chaperone Hsc70 may have a functional role in plants during low temperature stress (Zhang and Guy, 2006). To analyze the least and most strongly interacting stress with Hsps and Hsfs, a transcriptional profiling of Arabidopsis Hsps and Hsfs has been done (Swindell et al., 2007).
As plants receive complex of stress factors together, therefore in future research, emphasis should be placed on such cases where tolerance is attempted to different stress factors simultaneously by employing sophisticated techniques.
The different types of external stresses that influence the plant growth and development.
These stresses are grouped based on their characters
Biotic
Abiotic
Almost all the stresses, either directly or indirectly, lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that create oxidative stress in plants.
This damages the cellular constituents of plants which are associated with a reduction in plant yield.
Maisie Hughes, Director of Planning and Design, Casey Trees, & Emily Oaksford, Planning Associate, Casey Trees, discuss a citizen tree advocate program at the 2013 ACTrees Day.
Presented by Michael Dingkuhn at the CCAFS Workshop on Developing Climate-Smart Crops for a 2030 World, ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6-8 December 2011.
Mechanisms of abiotic stress such as cold drought and salt stress which takes place in plants. Molecular control activities the plant undergoes during stress.
Being sessile, plants are constantly exposed to changes in temperature and other abiotic stress factors. The temperature stress experienced by plants can be classified into three types: those occurring at (a) temperature below freezing (b) low temperature above freezing and (c) high temperature. The plants must adapt to them in other ways. The biological substances that are deeply related to these stresses, such as heat shock proteins, glycine betaine as a compatible solute, membrane lipids etc.and also detoxifiers of active oxygen species, contribute to temperature stress tolerance in plants. Rapid advances in Molecular Genetic approaches have enabled genes to be cloned, both from prokaryotes and directly from plants themselves, that are thought to provide the key to the mechanism of temperature adaptation (Iba et al., 2002).
The accumulation of heat shock proteins under the control of heat stress transcription factors is assumed to play a central role in the heat stress response and in acquired thermotolerance in plants (Kotak et al., 2007). The pattern of protein synthesis during cold acclimation is very dissimilar to the heat shock proteins in many ways. Different low temperature stress proteins, such as Anti-freeze proteins or thermal hysteresis proteins (THPs) and cold shock domain proteins etc. are accumulated in plant cell and are frequently correlated with enhanced cold tolerance ( Guy, 1999).
The heat stress-induced dehydrin proteins (DHNs) expression and their relationship with the water relations of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) leaves were studied to investigate the adaptation to heat stress in plants (Wahid and Close, 2007). In order to get an in vitro evidence of Hsc70 functioning as a molecular chaperone during cold stress, a cold-inducible spinach cytosolic Hsc70 was subcloned into a protein expression vector and the recombinant protein was expressed in bacterial cells. Results suggest that the molecular chaperone Hsc70 may have a functional role in plants during low temperature stress (Zhang and Guy, 2006). To analyze the least and most strongly interacting stress with Hsps and Hsfs, a transcriptional profiling of Arabidopsis Hsps and Hsfs has been done (Swindell et al., 2007).
As plants receive complex of stress factors together, therefore in future research, emphasis should be placed on such cases where tolerance is attempted to different stress factors simultaneously by employing sophisticated techniques.
The different types of external stresses that influence the plant growth and development.
These stresses are grouped based on their characters
Biotic
Abiotic
Almost all the stresses, either directly or indirectly, lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that create oxidative stress in plants.
This damages the cellular constituents of plants which are associated with a reduction in plant yield.
Maisie Hughes, Director of Planning and Design, Casey Trees, & Emily Oaksford, Planning Associate, Casey Trees, discuss a citizen tree advocate program at the 2013 ACTrees Day.
Presented by Michael Dingkuhn at the CCAFS Workshop on Developing Climate-Smart Crops for a 2030 World, ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6-8 December 2011.
Salinity tolerance and breeding strategies on soybeanBishnu Adhikari
Introduction
Physiological effects
Salt tolerant varieties of different crop
Important genes mapped in soybean
Salinity condition in Korea
Breeding strategy for salinity tolerance in soybean
Molecular Breeding in Plants is an introduction to the fundamental techniques...UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH
This slide describe the process of molecular breeding in plants which involves the application of molecular markers for Marker Assisted Selection and Marker Assisted Breeding.
I would like to share this presentation file.
Some basics information regarding to molecular plant breeding, hope this help the beginner who start working in this field.
Thanks for many original source of information (mainly from slideshare.net, IRRI, CIMMYT and any paper received from professor and some over the internet)
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This presentation was being presented by Etalesh Goutam (M.Sc. Horticulture; 2018-2020) in the master seminar at Department of Horticulture, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal) Uttarakhand- 246174
Antioxidant activity, photosynthetic rate, and Spectral mass in bean Plants (...IJEABJ
An increase in antioxidant activity is a common response in plants as a defense mechanism against biotic and abiotic stress factors, such response is also generated with the exogenous application of "defense activators", which have negative effects on plant metabolism. In this work, bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cv. Pinto Nacional were treated with jasmonic acid (0.5 mM), salicylic acid (2 mM), Trichoderma asperellum (105 spores/ml), and Bacillus pumilus (105 CFU / mL), in order to determine the level of structural and metabolic response of the plants. On the seventh day after the application of the treatments, it was measured the enzymatic activity of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In addition, leaf impressions were taken to measure the stomatal opening and conductance, photosynthetic rate, and the mass spectrum (mass/charge, m/z). The antioxidant activity increased in plants treated with jasmonic acid and T. asperellum, which in turn significantly increased the stomatal opening and conductance, and photosynthetic rate. The mass profile showed that the plants treated with T. asperellum have a greater quantity of masses/charge, of which some had statistically highly significant difference according to the means test Tukey (p <0.05). It is concluded that some defense activators such as jasmonic acid and T. asperellum increase the antioxidant activity, defense response that concurs with the high photosynthetic and metabolic rate in bean plants.
MICROBIAL STRESS RESPONSE REGULATORY ENZYME AND THEIR PHARMACEUTICAL APPLICATIONEDITOR IJCRCPS
Ability of adaptation according to variable environmental conditions is essential for bacterial surveillance; those don’t have ability to
face the challenge is eliminated. To counter the damaging effect of reactive oxygen species, cells have evolved anti-oxidant
defense systems, whose expression is usually induced by reactive oxygen species and/or oxidants. Bacteria survive in several
kind of environmental stress condition due to alteration in cell membrane and genetic material by fatal enzyme. Other inducers of
the general stress response might also cause transient genetic instability and so promote bacterial adaptation to stressful
environments. Regulatory mechanisms which help bacteria to maintain their balanced and rather constant cellular composition
mostly occur at the genetic level. Many studies clarified the efficacy of stress enzyme as a therapy in the treatment of many
diseases, in addition to their inclusion in cosmetic products to reduce free radical damage to skin.
Keywords: Bacterial response, Environmental stress and regulatory enzyme.
The International Journal of Engineering and Science (The IJES)theijes
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
This ppt have a detailed source about the Biosafety issues in Biotechnology and their implements over by the government. It have a topics about the issues in antibiotic resistance gene , GMO crops etc.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
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The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
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Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
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Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
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JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
GenAISummit 2024 May 28 Sri Ambati Keynote: AGI Belongs to The Community in O...
IIPRD- A Sample Landscape Report on Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants
1. SAMPLE LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS ON
GENETIC ENGINEERING FOR ABIOTIC STRESS
TOLERANCE INPLANTS WITH SPECIAL FOCUS
ON PLANT STRESS PROTEINS
CONTENTS
1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2
2. Different Approaches to Abiotic Stress…………………………………………………………………………………..………….3
3. Plant Stress Proteins ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
3.1. HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
3.2. OSMOTIC STRESS PROTEINS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………6
3.3 ANAEROBIC PROTEINS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
3.4 COLD SHOCK PROTEINS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
4. Patent Landscape………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
5. Patenting Activities in the World…………………………………………………………………………………………………………9
5. 1. Patent Publishing Trend ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
5. 2. Top Assignees…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9
5. 3. Top Patent Filing Countries………………………………………………………………………………………………………10
5.4. Protein-Wise Distribution of Patents……………………………………………………………………………………….11
5. 5. Break Down of Patent Filings by IPC Code……………………………………………………………………………….11
5. 6. Table for Key Technology in Genetic Engineering……………………………………………………………………12
6.
Patenting activities in INDIA……………………………………………………………………………………….……..…….13
7.
Table for exemplary patent applications for Plant stress protein……………………….…………..………14
8.
Disclaimer ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..15
1
2. Introduction
All living organisms must adapt to changes in the environment. Adaptation to environmental stress is
essential for the survival of organisms since dramatic changes such as cold shock, heat shock, acid shock,
pressure and osmotic stress are lethal for most organisms. Plants respond and adapt to continuous
environmental fluctuations by appropriate physiological, developmental and biochemical changes to
cope with these stress conditions. The stress in plants is an induced physiological situation when there is
severe or constant change in the environment or when normal conditions are aggressive, altering the
physiological and adaptive pattern of plants. As an example of the changes that induce abiotic stress in
plants, we can mention the variations of temperature, moisture, aqueous saline, soil pH, radiation, and
pollutants, such as heavy metals and mechanical damage. All of these environment modifications
produce physiological reactions in their cells of genetic origin.
Abiotic stresses are serious threats to sustainable food production. Drought, extreme temperatures and
high salinity are major limiting factors for plant growth and crop productivity. Abiotic stress conditions
cause extensive losses to agricultural production worldwide, because they affect negatively plant
development and productivity. Up to 45% of the world’s agricultural lands are subject to continuous or
frequent drought and 19.5% of irrigated agricultural lands are considered saline. Also, crops and other
plants are routinely subjected to a combination of different abiotic stresses. In drought areas, for
example, many crops encounter a combination of drought and other stresses, such as heat or salinity.
Together, these environmental stresses reduce the average yields for major crop plants by 50% to 70%.
It is estimated that increased salinization of aerable land will have devastating global effects, resulting
in 30% land loss in the next 25 years and up to 50% by the year 2050 (Wang et al).
In their quest to feed the ever-increasing world population, agricultural scientists have to contend with
these adverse environmental factors. If crops can be redesigned to better cope with abiotic stress,
agricultural production can be increased dramatically. Advances in understanding crop abiotic stress
resistance mechanisms and the advent of molecular genetics technology allow us to address these
issues much more efficiently.
Plants have developed several strategies to overcome these environmental challenges either through
adoption mechanisms which allow them to survive adverse conditions or specific growth habits to avoid
stress conditions and also numbers of genes and their products respond to abiotic stress at
transcriptional and translational level. Plants can sense abiotic stress and elicit appropriate response
2
3. with altered metabolism growth and development (Cramer et al 2011 and Krasensky and Jonak 2012).
At the molecular level abiotic stress tolerance can be achieved through gene transfer in plants such as
by altering the accumulation of osmoprotectants, increase in production of chapreones, enhance
superoxide radical scavenging mechanism, exclusion or compartmentation of ions by efficient
transporter and symporter systems. At the cellular level, plants adopt a wide range of responses to cope
with abiotic stress. The mechanism associated with sensing stress, transduction of stress signals into the
cell is well-known, and it represents the initial reaction of plant cells to stress (Desikan et al., 2004).
Furthermore, plant acclimation to a particular abiotic stress condition requires a specific response that is
linked to the precise environmental conditions that the plant encounters. Thus, molecular, biochemical
and physiological processes set in motion by a specific stress condition might differ from those activated
by a slightly different composition of environmental parameters. Transcriptome profiling studies of
plants subjected to different abiotic stress conditions showed that each different stress condition tested
generates a somewhat unique response, and little overlap in transcript expression could be found
between the responses of plants to abiotic stress conditions such as heat, drought, cold, salt, high light
or mechanical stress. Each abiotic stress condition requires a unique acclimation response, anchored to
the specific needs of the plant, and that a combination of two or more different stresses might require a
response that is also unique.
Different Approaches to Abiotic Stress
Before the genomics era, classical or conventional breeding of plants with improved physiological
characteristics was the only way to improve crop productivity. In the last 20 years, mapping of
quantitative trait loci (QTL), genetic engineering, and their implementation in marker assistant
(molecular) breeding have become increasingly important. Such genomics-based approaches rely on
the identification of genes (gene discovery) that may be valuable candidates for crop improvement and
were empowered by the advent of state-of-the-art molecular tools, such as DNA sequencing and
expression profiling.
The improvement of crop abiotic stress tolerance by classical breeding is fraught with difficulties
because of the multigenic nature of this trait. Further complications arise from the large variability in
stress sensitivity at different periods during the life cycle of a given plant. Of the various general types of
plant response to salinity and drought stress, avoidance mechanisms mainly result from morphological
3
4. and physiological changes at the whole-plant level. These are less amenable to practical manipulations.
By contrast, tolerance mechanisms are caused by cellular and molecular biochemical modifications that
lend themselves to biotechnological manipulation.
Fig 1: Applied biotechnology: the interacting factors in molecular and conventional breeding for plant
tolerance to abiotic stress
All types of abiotic stress evoke cascades of physiological and molecular events and some of these can
result in similar responses; for example, drought, high salinity and freezing can all be manifested at the
cellular level as physiological dehydration. A full elucidation of abiotic stress tolerance mechanisms, and
an intelligent breeding strategy for stress tolerance, requires clear and fact-based answers to a number
of questions. Which genes and proteins are upregulated or downregulated by the different types of
abiotic stresses? What are the functions of these stress-responsive genes and proteins? And, which can
be used as genetic markers for the breeding and selection of stress-tolerant genotypes or otherwise
successfully engineered in transgenic plants?
The development of genetically engineered plants by the introduction and/or overexpression of selected
genes, such as the silencing of specific genes, seem to be a viable option to the breeding of resistant
plants. Genetic engineering would be a faster way to insert beneficial genes than through conventional
breeding too. Also, it would be the only option when genes of interest originate from cross barrier
4
5. species, distant relatives, or from non-plant sources. Indeed, there are several genes whose correlative
association with resistance has been tested in transgenic plants. Following these arguments, several
transgenic approaches have been used to improve stress tolerance in plants.
Fig 2: Functions of drought stress-inducible genes in stress tolerance and their response
Source: Journal of Plant Interactions, 2013 Vol. 8, No. 2, 97108
Gene products are classified into three groups. The first group includes proteins that probably function
in stress tolerance (functional proteins), the second group contains protein factors involved in further
regulation of signal transduction and gene expression that probably function in stress response
(regulatory proteins), and the third group encloses proteins involves in transcription, gene regulation
and expression most likely function in stress tolerance (transcriptional factors ).
Plant Stress Proteins
HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS
Temperatures above the normal optimum cause heat stress at different levels in all living organisms.
Heat stress, often associated with salinity and drought stress, disturbs cellular homeostasis, and causes
denaturation and dysfunction in many proteins, leading to severe retardation in growth, development
and even death. Worldwide, extensive agricultural losses are attributed to heat, often in combination
5
6. with drought or other stresses. The synthesis and accumulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) are
assumed to play a central role in the heat stress response and in tolerance to high temperatures in all
plants, and other organisms.
The heat stress response is a highly conserved reaction caused by exposure of an organism tissue or cells
to sudden high temperature stress, and it is characterized by rapid induction and transient expression of
HSPs. These proteins primarily function as molecular chaperones to control the proper folding and
conformation of both structural (i.e., cell membrane) and functional (i.e., enzyme) proteins, ensuring the
correct function of many cellular proteins under conditions of elevated temperature. The primary
protein structure for HSPs is well conserved in organisms ranging from bacteria and other prokaryotes to
eukaryotes such as higher animals and plants. This conservation ensures a close involvement in the
protection of the organism against heat shock and the maintenance of homeostasis.The induction
agents of HSPs are high temperature stress, also by water stress, salt stress, low temperature stress and
in some cases, by abscisic acid.
OSMOTIC STRESS PROTEINS
Osmotic Stress Proteins (OSP) includes water stress proteins and salt stress proteins. The agents which
induce osmotic stress proteins are low water availability and salt stress. The characteristic features of
OSP are varied molecular weights and cellular locations, are mostly the enzymes involved in diverse
functions such as production of different osmolytes, protein degradation, signal transduction, gene
regulation and transport.
ANAEROBIC PROTEINS
The anaerobic stress such as flooding or submergence induces anaerobic proteins (ANPs). These were
discovered initially in maize and later shown to be universally present. Most of the ANPs have been
shown to be the enzymes of the fermentative or the glycolytic pathway, most genes encoding ANPs
contain anaerobic response elements in their promoters.
6
7. COLD SHOCK PROTEINS
Only one-third of the total land area on Earth is free of ice and 42% of land experiences temperatures
below −20 °C. In such areas, plants require specialized mechanisms to survive exposure to low
temperature. Cold stress can be classified as chilling (0–15 °C) and freezing (<0 °C) stresses. Generally,
plants originating from temperate regions, such as spinach and Arabidopsis, exhibit a variable degree of
chilling tolerance and can increase their freezing tolerance during exposure to chilling and non-freezing
temperatures. This process is known as cold acclimation. On the other hand, plants of tropical and
subtropical origins are sensitive to chilling stress and lack the cold acclimation mechanism. The
molecular basis of cold acclimation and acquired freezing tolerance in plants, mainly Arabidopsis and
winter cereals, has been extensively studied. To adapt to cold stress during cold acclimation, gene
expression is reprogrammed and the metabolism is also modified. Cold response is a very complex trait
involving many different metabolic pathways, gene regulations and cell compartments.
Low temperature affects several aspects of plant adaptation, e.g., freezing tolerance, plant growth,
abiotic resistance and senescence. Among phytohormones, ABA, auxin, gibberellic acid (GA), salicylic
acid (SA) and ethylene are related to the cold responses positively or negatively. Cold shock proteins are
conserved proteins of varied sizes and functions, most cold regulated genes contain specific nucleotide
sequence that stimulate transcription in response to low temperature.
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8. Patent Landscape
SCOPE AND COVERAGE
A. A background study was performed to understand the area of genetic engineering for abiotic
stress tolerance in plants and the different plant stress proteins in various online resources and
research journals. Based on the understanding, the following keywords were identified:
Abiotic, stress, tolerance, plant, crop, protein, heat, shock, cold, osmotic, anaerobic, genetic or
combination and other such relevant words.
B. A review of the International Patent Classification (IPC) was carried out to identify the patent
classification code related to genetic engineering for abiotic stress tolerance in plants and plant
stress proteins.
The identified relevant IPC Codes were: A01H1/00, C12N15/82, A01H5/00, C12N5/10, C12N15/00,
C07K14/415, C07K14/245, C07K16/16, C12N5/04, C07H21/00, C07K14/00, C12N5/04, C12N15/63,
C12N15/29, C12Q1/68, C12N 15/09
C. The various patent and patent applications were extracted from paid database such as QUESTAL
ORBIT and various free databases like Freepatentsonline, SUMOBRAIN, GOOGLE PATENTS and
Patent Lens using the combination of the above identified keywords and IPC Code.
D. An approximately 2500 patent and patent applications in the area of genetic engineering for
abiotic stress tolerance in plants in specific to plant stress proteins were extracted for the period
2003 to 2012 and were analyzed to present the patent landscape under two heads viz., Patenting
Activities in the World and Patenting Activities in India
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9. Patenting Activities in the World
1. Patent Publishing Trend
Fig 3: Patent Publication Trend
The analysis of the figure 3 shows that there is an increasing trend in the patent publication from 2003
to 2009 and decreases thereafter. This can be attributed to the impact of the global recession on
funding the biotech industries.
2. Top Assignees
Fig 4: Top Assignees in the field of Genetic Engineering of Plant Stress Proteins
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10. The above figure brings out the major players in agricultural genetic engineering. There is
conglomeration of biotech companies in United States namely Monsanto, Pioneer Hi-Bred International
and Mendel Biotech. BASF Plant Science and Bayer Crop Science are based in Germany while Syngenta
Ag is based in Switzerland, CropDesign in Belgium and Evogene in Israel.
3. Top Patent Filing Countries
Fig 5: Top Patent Filing Countries in Genetic Engineering of Plant Stress Proteins
The analysis of figure 5 shows that USA tops with more filing of patents followed by Germany, Belgium
and Israel. This is clear from the figure 3 where the top assignees have their basis in USA, Germany,
Belgium and Israel.
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11. 4. Protein-Wise Distribution of Patents
Fig 6: Protein-wise Distribution of Patents
The above figure elucidates the distribution of patents in plant stress proteins. There are more number
of patents in the area of heat shock proteins, followed by anaerobic stress, cold shock and osmotic
stress proteins. The main abiotic stress that affects the plant is drought which has made researchers to
focus more on heat shock proteins.
5. Break Down of Patent Filings by IPC Code
Fig 7: Break down of Patent Filings by IPC Code
11
12. The above figure shows the most relevant IPC codes in the area of genetic engineering for abiotic stress
tolerance in plants in specific to plant stress proteins. More number of patents has been filed in
C12N15/82 followed by A01H5/00 and C07K14/415.
Table 1: Key Technology in Genetic Engineering
IPC Code
Definition
A01H1/00
A01H5/00
C12N15/82
Processes for modifying genotypes
Flowering plants, i.e. angiosperms
Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors,
e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
for plant cells
C12N5/10
Cells modified by introduction of foreign genetic material, e.g. virus-transformed cells
C07K14/415 Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins;
Derivatives thereof from plants
C12N5/04
Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors,
e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
Plant cells or tissues
C12N15/29 Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors,
e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor Genes
encoding plant proteins, e.g. thaumatin
C12Q1/68
Measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or micro-organisms (measuring or
testing apparatus with condition measuring or sensing means, e.g. colony counters,C12M
1/34); Compositions therefor; Processes of preparing such compositions involving nucleic
acids
Patenting activities in India
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13. Crop production encounters various biotic and abiotic stresses particularly in the arid and semiarid
regions. The micro and macro crop environments pave way for the natural formation of different agroclimatic zones and the quantum of deleterious and adverse stress factors become realistic in limiting
yield realization in crops. In this context, plant physiological approaches in crop production assume
importance to unravel the abiotic stress mechanisms and to identify explicit tolerance traits for
countering the detrimental stress onslaught during ontogeny.
India, being an agrarian country, the analysis of the patent in the field of abiotic stress assumes
importance due to following factors. The total food grain production in 2011-12 was 257.44 MT while in
2010-11 it was 244.78 MT; projected demand by 2030 is 280 MT. Farm growth has dived to a dismal
from 2.9% to 2.5% due to climate change - erratic rainfall and lower yield per unit. Agriculture and its
allied activities accounted for about 13.9 percent of the GDP in the period 2011-12. Major crops such as
wheat, pulses and oil seeds showed decline in output farm area with deficit rainfall increased by 40%
from 28% during last 3 years and delayed irrigation projects have made matters worse.
There are a number of patents filed during the period 2003-12 in relation to proteins for abiotic
tolerance of crops in India. The data extracted from Indian Patent database and ORBIT shows that
around 182 patents were filed in this period for Heat Shock Protein in abiotic tolerance. Out of which 4
were filed by Indian researchers and rest were filed as PCT national phase applications. Similarly, for
anaerobic proteins, total of 51 patents were filed as national phase applications. For Cold Shock protein,
merely 15 applications were filed where only one has been filed by an Indian applicant and rest for
National phase. Lastly for Osmotic stress protein category, total of 180 patents were filed where 13
were filed by Indian applicants.
Table 2: Few Exemplary patent applications filed for Plant Stress Proteins
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14. Application Number
1700/DEL/2011
2437/DEL/2009
2460/MUM/2008
0767/CHE/2007
US 20110258742
US 20070124839
US 7786353
US 20120030836
US 7732667
Title
Original Patent Assignee
POLYNUCLEOTIDES
ENCODING INTERDISCIPLINARY CENTRE FOR
HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION
PLANT GENOMICS & DEPARTMENT
FACTOR AND USES THEREOF
OF PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF DELHI SOUTH
CAMPUS
METALLOTHIONIEN
PAREEK ASHWANI
POLYNUCLEOTIDE FROM RICE
CONFERRING
ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE IN
PLANTS
IDENTIFICATION OF GENES
RELIANCE LIFE SCIENCES PRIVATE
RELATED TO ABIOTIC STRESS
TOLERANCE IN JATROPHA CURCAS
EMERGENCE OF THIONIN GENE
AVESTHA GENGRAINE
FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO HIGH
TECHNOLOGIES PVT
SALINITY STRESS POSSESSING
SIGNIFICANT AND PHARMA
UTILITIES
Stress Tolerant Transgenic Crop
Monsanto Technology Llc
Plants
Active substances for increasing the Bayer Cropscience Gmbh
stress defense in plants to abiotic
stress, and methods of finding them
Methods for enhancing drought
Monsanto Technology Llc
tolerance in plants and
compositions thereof
Plants Having Enhanced Abiotic
BASF PLANT SCIENCE GmBH
Stress Tolerance and/or Enhanced
Yield-Related Traits and a Method
for Making the Same
Nucleic acid molecules from rice
Syngenta Participations Ag
controlling abiotic stress tolerance
EP1925672
Abiotic stress responsive
polynucleotides and polypeptides
Syngeta Participations AG
WO2012145269
Yield and stress tolerance in
transgenic plants
Mendel Biotechnology, Inc.
US20040128712
Methods for modifying plant
biomass and abiotic stress
Cai-Zhong Jiang
Note: We can share a complete list of the patent documents on request
DISCLAIMER
14
15. The information provided in this sample report is exemplary and based on database and information
sources that are believed to be reliable by IIPRD. A complete list of patent documents retrieved is not
disclosed herein. IIPRD disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such
information. The above sample report is prepared based on the search conducted on the keywords and
other information extracted from the invention disclosure and subjectivity of the researcher and analyst.
Neither IIPRD nor its affiliates nor any of its proprietors, employees (together, "personnel") are
intending to provide legal advice in this matter.
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