Autar K Mattoo | United States Department of Agriculture (original) (raw)

Papers by Autar K Mattoo

Plant growth regulation, Jun 13, 2024

Plant and Cell Physiology, Dec 1, 1996

A 37-kDa protein purified from rice thylakoid membranes has been identified as a ferredoxin-NADP*... more A 37-kDa protein purified from rice thylakoid membranes has been identified as a ferredoxin-NADP* oxidoreductase based on its catalysis of the reduction of nitro blue tetrazolium via NADPH and its recognition by antibodies against ferredoxin-NADP* oxidoreductase. Amino acid sequences determined from tryptic fragments of the enzyme further confirm the identity of the protein and show the presence of unique sequences at the amino-terminus.

Hortscience, Aug 1, 2005

Cover crop management in growing horticultural produce has attracted attention for reducing soil ... more Cover crop management in growing horticultural produce has attracted attention for reducing soil erosion and limiting the input of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.), one of the cover crops, exhibits desirable attributes such as high N fi xing ability, biomass quality, adaptability to low temperatures, resistance to pests, and fi tness in vegetable production, particularly in rotation with tomatoes. The interactions between the cover crop mulch and the tomato plant in the fi eld plots result in delayed leaf senescence and increased disease tolerance. The mechanisms underlying these interactions are largely unknown. Limits in pursuing these studies year-round in the fi eld-growing season and complexity and variability of the fi eld environment-could be circumvented if the observed responses of tomato plants to hairy vetch mulch in the fi eld could be reproduced under greenhouse conditions. We have tested tomato plants for two years in the greenhouse using soil residues brought from fi eld plots where respective cover crops had been previously grown. Treatments were a) bare soil from a fallow, weed-free fi eld plot, b) soil from a fi eld plot that had been planted into a rye cover crop, and c) soil from a fi eld plot that had been planted into a hairy vetch cover crop. Pots with soil from the rye or vetch fi eld plots were further topped with rye or vetch residues, respectively, after transplanting the tomato plants. Additional N was applied to 50% of the plants in each treatment. In the greenhouse, cover crop residue-supplemented tomatoes exhibited high vigor, higher marketable yield and delayed senescence compared to those grown in bare soil. All treatments responded favorably to additional N from commercial fertilizers. Delayed leaf senescence correlated with the accumulation of rubisco large subunit and chitinase, two proteins central to photosynthesis and pathogenesis, respectively. This study shows that the responses of tomato plants to cover crops seen in the fi eld can be mimicked under greenhouse conditions.

Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, Apr 1, 2008

Our understanding of plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, which include drought, salinity, non-o... more Our understanding of plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, which include drought, salinity, non-optimal temperatures and poor soil nutrition, is limited, although significant strides have been made in identifying some of the gene players and signaling partners. Several protein kinases get activated in plants in response to osmotic stress and the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Among these is a superfamily of sucrose non-fermenting protein kinase genes (SnRK2). This review focuses on the developments related to the activity, substrates, interacting proteins and gene regulation of SnRK2 gene family members. Reversible phosphorylation as a crucial regulatory mechanism turns out to be a rule rather than an exception in plant responses to abiotic stress. Nine out of thirteen bZIP transcription factors (ABI5/ABF/AREB family) share the recognition motif, R-Q-X-S/T, suggesting that likely SnRK2 kinases have a major role in regulating gene expression during hyperosmotic stress.

Frontiers in Microbiology, Jun 11, 2021

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) process makes legume crops self-sufficient in nitrogen (N) in s... more Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) process makes legume crops self-sufficient in nitrogen (N) in sharp contrast to cereal crops that require an external input by N-fertilizers. Since the latter process in cereal crops results in a huge quantity of greenhouse gas emission, the legume production systems are considered efficient and important for sustainable agriculture and climate preservation. Despite benefits of SNF, and the fact that chemical N-fertilizers cause N-pollution of the ecosystems, the focus on improving SNF efficiency in legumes did not become a breeder's priority. The size and stability of heritable effects under different environment conditions weigh significantly on any trait useful in breeding strategies. Here we review the challenges and progress made toward decoding the heritable components of SNF, which is considerably more complex than other crop allelic traits since the process involves genetic elements of both the host and the symbiotic rhizobial species. SNF-efficient rhizobial species designed based on the genetics of the host and its symbiotic partner face the test of a unique microbiome for its success and productivity. The progress made thus far in commercial legume crops with relevance to the dynamics of host-rhizobia interaction, environmental impact on rhizobial performance challenges, and what collectively determines the SNF efficiency under field conditions are also reviewed here.

Plant Physiology, Jun 1, 1987

White light (400-700 nanometers) supports the activity of photosys- tem I (PSI) and photosystem I... more White light (400-700 nanometers) supports the activity of photosys- tem I (PSI) and photosystem II while far red light (-700 nanometers) supports PSI almost exclusively. In intact fronds ofSpirodela oligorrhiza, tumover of the 32 kilodaltons herbicide binding protein is stimulated under both these light conditions, although not in the dark or at wave- lengths >730 nanometers. As is the case in white light, the far red light induced degradation of the protein is inhibited by DCMU. The means by which far red lght operates is unclear. Hypotheses considered include: PSI activated proteolysis, PSI-induced formation of semiquinone anions, and PSI-generated free radicals.

Plant Physiology, Nov 1, 1977

Apple (Malus sp.) slices graduaDly lost the ability to synthesize ethylene when incubated with a ... more Apple (Malus sp.) slices graduaDly lost the ability to synthesize ethylene when incubated with a mixture of enzymes that digest ceDl wails. The released protoplasts did not produce ethylene. The release of protoplasts was faster from climacteric fruit slices than from preclimacteric tissue. In protoplast suspension culture, as new cell wal was deposited (as judged by the intensity of fluorescence of regenerating protoplasts stained with Calcofluor White and the incorporation of labeled myo-inositol into their ethanol-insoluble residue), ethylene synthesis was graduaDly regained. Restored ethylene synthesis reached a maximum after 80 hours in protoplasts from preclimacteric fruit and in 120 hours in those from climacteric tissue. Addition of methionine (1 mM) to the culture medium was essential for appreciable synthesis of ethylene; and this synthesis was inhibited by the aminoethoxy analogue of rhizobitoxine and by propyl gallate, inhibitors of ethylene synthesis in higher plants. We suggest that the ethylene-synthesizing enzyme system is highly structured in the apple cell and is localized in a cell wall-cell membrane complex.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Sep 1, 1989

A component of the photosystem H reaction center, the 32-kDa protein, is rapidly turned over in t... more A component of the photosystem H reaction center, the 32-kDa protein, is rapidly turned over in the light. The mechani of its light-dependent metabolism is largely unknown. We quantified the rate of 32-kDa protein degradation over a broad spectral range (UV, visible, and far red). The quantum yield for degradation was highest in the UVB (280-320 am) region. Spectral evidence demonstrates two distincty different photosensitizers for 32-kDa protein degradation. The data implicate the bulk photosynthetic pigments (primarily chlorophyll) in the visible and far red ens, and plastoqui- none (in one or more of its redox states) in the UV region. A signiicant portion of 32-kDa protein degradation in sunlight is attributed to UVB irradiance. irradiation inhibits PSII electron flow (20-23). We thus decided to determine whether UV-absorbing factors are involved in 32-kDa protein turnover. This report demonstrates that 32-kDa protein is rapidly degraded under UV radiation. Several lines of evidence indicate that distinctly different photosensitizers activate the degradation process in various spectral regions. The data implicate bulk photosynthetic pigments in the visible and far red regions and quinones in the UV region.

Frontiers in Chemistry, Jun 5, 2014

Plant Physiology, Mar 1, 1996

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit carboxypeptidase active on N-carbobenzoxy Z-i-phenylalanin... more Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) fruit carboxypeptidase active on N-carbobenzoxy Z-i-phenylalanine-i-alanine was found to constitute a family of isoforms whose abundance changed differentially during ripening. A specific polyclonal antibody against the fruit carboxypeptidase was raised in rabbits and used to purify and identify the protein. The data from immunoaffinity chromatography, immunoinhibition studies, immunoprecipitation of the in vivoand in vitro-labeled proteins, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of native isoforms strongly suggest that the fruit carboxypeptidases are monomers or oligomers of 68-and/or 43-kD subunits.

Plant Physiology, Dec 1, 2002

The light dependence of D1 phosphorylation is unique to higher plants, being constitutive in cyan... more The light dependence of D1 phosphorylation is unique to higher plants, being constitutive in cyanobacteria and algae. In a photoautotrophic higher plant, Spirodela oligorrhiza, grown in greenhouse conditions under natural diurnal cycles of solar irradiation, the ratio of phosphorylated versus total D1 protein (D1-P index: [D1-P]/[D1] ϩ [D1-P]) of photosystem II is shown to undergo reproducible diurnal oscillation. These oscillations were clearly out of phase with the period of maximum in light intensity. The timing of the D1-P index maximum was not affected by changes in temperature, the amount of D1 kinase activity present in the thylakoid membranes, the rate of D1 protein synthesis, or photoinhibition. However, when the dark period in a normal diurnal cycle was cut short artificially by transferring plants to continuous light conditions, the D1-P index timing shifted and reached a maximum within 4 to 5 h of light illumination. The resultant diurnal oscillation persisted for at least two cycles in continuous light, suggesting that the rhythm is endogenous (circadian) and is entrained by an external signal.

Agriculture, 2018

Feeding nutrition-dense food to future world populations presents agriculture with enormous chall... more Feeding nutrition-dense food to future world populations presents agriculture with enormous challenges as estimates indicate that crop production must as much as double. Crop production cannot be increased to meet this challenge simply by increasing land acreage or using past agricultural intensification methods. Food production doubled in the past through substantial use of synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation, all at significant environmental cost. Future production of nutrition-dense food will require next-generation crop production systems with decreased reliance on synthetic fertilizer and pesticide. Here, we present three case studies detailing the development of cover crops and plant-beneficial microbes for sustainable, next-generation small grain, tomato, and oilseed rape production systems. Cover crops imparted weed and pathogen control and decreased soil erosion and loss of soil nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon, while plant-beneficial microbes provided disease control and phosphorus fertility. However, yield in these next-generation crop production systems at best approximated that associated with current production systems. We argue here that to substantially increase agricultural productivity, new crop germplasm needs to be developed with enhanced nutritional content and enhanced tolerance to abiotic and biotic stress. This will require using all available technologies, including intensified genetic engineering tools, in the next-generation cropping systems.

Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C, Jun 1, 1989

an * D e p a rtm e n t o f Plant G en etics, W eizm ann Institute of Science, R eh o v o t, 76100... more an * D e p a rtm e n t o f Plant G en etics, W eizm ann Institute of Science, R eh o v o t, 76100. Israel ** D e p a rtm e n t o f B iology, U niversity o f W aterlo o , W aterlo o . O n ta rio , N 2 L 3 G 1 , C a n ad a *** P lant M olecular B iology L ab o ra to ry , U nited States D e p artm en t of A g ric u ltu re, A g ricu ltu ral R esearch Service, B A R C -W est. B eltsville, M D 20705, U .S .A . Z. N atu rfo rsch . 44c, 450-452 (1989); received January 27. 1989 D edicated to P rofessor A c h im Trebst on the occasion o f his 60th birthday D , P ro te in , P ro te in T u rn o v e r, R eactio n C e n te r. Spirodela oligorrhiza, U V L ight A c h aracteristic 23.5 k D a d eg rad a tio n interm ediate o f the 32 kD a p hotosystem II reaction ce n te r p ro te in is p ro d u c ed upon illum ination in U V , visible and far red light. W e suggest a sim ilar d e g rad a tio n pathw ay is em ployed in these th ree spectral regions, even though the light can e n te r the system th ro u g h differen t p h o to rec ep to rs.

Journal of Genetics, Aug 1, 2000

To unravel gene expression patterns during rice inflorescence development, particularly at early ... more To unravel gene expression patterns during rice inflorescence development, particularly at early stages of panicle and floral organ specification, we have characterized random cloned cDNAs from developmental-stage-specific libraries. cDNA libraries were constructed from rice panicles at the stage of branching and flower primordia specification or from panicles undergoing floral organogenesis. Partial sequence analysis and expression patterns of some of these random cDNA clones from these two rice panicle libraries are presented. Sequence comparisons with known DNA sequences in databases reveal that approximately sixtyeight per cent of these expressed rice genes show varying degrees of similarity to genes in other species with assigned functions. In contrast, thirtytwo per cent represent uncharacterized genes. cDNAs reported here code for potential rice homologues of housekeeping molecules, regulators of gene expression, and signal transduction molecules. They comprise both single-copy and multicopy genes, and genes expressed differentially, both spatially and temporally, during rice plant development. New rice cDNAs requiring specific mention are those with similarity to COP1, a regulator of photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis; sequence-speci®c DNA binding plant proteins like AP2-domain-containing factors; genes that specify positional information in shoot meristems like leucine-rich-repeat-containing receptor kinases; regulators of chromatin structure like Polycomb domain protein; and also proteins induced by abiotic stresses. [Kushalappa K. M., Mattoo A. K. and Vijayraghavan U. 2000 A spectrum of genes expressed during early stages of rice panicle and flower development. J. Genet. 79, 25±32]

IMA fungus, Apr 25, 2022

Heavy metal (HM) contamination of the environment is a major problem worldwide. The rate of globa... more Heavy metal (HM) contamination of the environment is a major problem worldwide. The rate of global deposition of HMs in soil has dramatically increased over the past two centuries and there of facilitated their rapid accumulation also in living systems. Although the effects of HMs on plants, animals and humans have been extensively studied, yet little is known about their effects on the (patho)biology of the microorganisms belonging to a unique group of filamentous eukaryotic pathogens, i.e., fungi and oomycetes. Much of the literature concerning mainly model species has revealed that HM stress affects their hyphal growth, morphology, and sporulation. Toxicity at cellular level leads to disturbance of redox homeostasis manifested by the formation of nitro-oxidative intermediates and to the induction of antioxidant machinery. Despite such adverse effects, published data is indicative of the fact that fungal and oomycete pathogens have a relatively high tolerance to HMs in comparison to other groups of microbes such as bacteria. Likely, these pathogens may harbor a network of detoxification mechanisms that ensure their survival in a highly HMpolluted (micro)habitat. Such a network may include extracellular HMs immobilization, biosorption to cell wall, and/ or their intracellular sequestration to proteins or other ligands. HMs may also induce a hormesis-like phenomenon allowing the pathogens to maintain or even increase fitness against chemical challenges. Different scenarios linking HMs stress and modification of the microorganisms pathogenicity are disscused in this review.

PLOS ONE, Oct 16, 2013

Antimicrobial cationic peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous small proteins used by living cells to defe... more Antimicrobial cationic peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous small proteins used by living cells to defend against a wide spectrum of pathogens. Their amphipathic property helps their interaction with negatively charged cellular membrane of the pathogen causing cell lysis and death. AMPs also modulate signaling pathway(s) and cellular processes in animal models; however, little is known of cellular processes other than the pathogen-lysis phenomenon modulated by AMPs in plants. An engineered heterologous AMP, msrA3, expressed in potato was previously shown to cause resistance of the transgenic plants against selected fungal and bacterial pathogens. These lines together with the wild type were studied for growth habits, and for inducible defense responses during challenge with biotic (necrotroph Fusarium solani) and abiotic stressors (dark-induced senescence, wounding and temperature stress). msrA3expression not only conferred protection against F. solani but also delayed development of floral buds and prolonged vegetative phase. Analysis of select gene transcript profiles showed that the transgenic potato plants were suppressed in the hypersensitive (HR) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) responses to both biotic and abiotic stressors. Also, the transgenic leaves accumulated lesser amounts of the defense hormone jasmonic acid upon wounding with only a slight change in salicylic acid as compared to the wild type. Thus, normal host defense responses to the pathogen and abiotic stressors were mitigated by msrA3 expression suggesting MSRA3 regulates a common step(s) of these response pathways. The stemming of the pathogen growth and mitigating stress response pathways likely contributes to resource reallocation for higher tuber yield.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Mar 1, 1984

In Spirodela oligorrhiza, mature chloroplasts copiously synthesize and degrade a 32-kilodalton me... more In Spirodela oligorrhiza, mature chloroplasts copiously synthesize and degrade a 32-kilodalton membrane protein. The rates of synthesis and degradation are controlled by light intensity, the protein being unstable in the light and stable in the dark. Light-driven synthesis, but not degrada- tion, is dependent on ATP. Degradation is blocked by herbi- cides inhibiting photosystem II electron transport, such as diu- ron and atrazine. Thus, both anabolism and catabolism of the 32-kilodalton protein are photoregulated, with degradation coupled to electron transport rather than phosphorylation.

Plant Physiology, Aug 20, 2018

Senescence is a ubiquitous characteristic in the biological world. From an ontogenetic perspectiv... more Senescence is a ubiquitous characteristic in the biological world. From an ontogenetic perspective, senescence is now established as a developmental and genetic program acquired during evolution . Like in other organisms, senescence in plants is genetically programmed (Nam, 1997; van Doorn and Woltering, 2004;. In plants, senescence is a prelude to cell (organ) death, and during this process metabolites and macromolecules released are salvaged for utilization by the plant for growth. Generally, senescence occurs prior to programmed cell death (PCD), since symptomatic leaf yellowing can be reversed based on the timing of senescence while PCD is a terminal, irreversible program. It has been suggested that the term "PCD" in plants should be restricted to the specific stage of intrinsic senescence program when it has reached a "point of no return" and leaf yellowing is no longer reversible (Mattoo and Handa, 2003). Programmed cell death in plants was described as a sequential process that included apoptosis-like necrosis and autophagy (van Doorn et al., 2011). Autophagy under normal growth conditions favors turnover of cellular components for maintaining homeostasis,

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Agriculture is an important link to many issues that challenge society today, including adaptatio... more Agriculture is an important link to many issues that challenge society today, including adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, food security, and communicable and non-communicable diseases in animals and humans. Transformation of agriculture and food systems has become a priority for a range of federal agencies and global organizations. It is imperative that food and agricultural researchers effectively harness the global convergence of priorities to overcome research “silos” through deep and sustained systemic change. Herein, we identify intersections in federal and global initiatives encompassing climate adaptation and mitigation; human health and nutrition; animal health and welfare; food safety and security; and equity and inclusion. Many agencies and organizations share these priorities, but efforts to address them remain uncoordinated and opportunities for collaboration untapped. Based on the interconnectedness of the identified priority areas, we present a research f...