ZMBP, General Genetics, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 32, Tübingen, Germany.
J Exp Bot. 2018 Feb 12;69(4):769-786. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erx246.
Leaf senescence is not a chaotic breakdown but a dynamic process following a precise timetable. It enables plants to economize with their resources and control their own viability and integrity. The onset as well as the progression of leaf senescence are co-ordinated by a complex genetic network that continuously integrates developmental and environmental signals such as biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, studying senescence requires an integrative and multi-scale analysis of the dynamic changes occurring in plant physiology and metabolism. In addition to providing an automated and standardized method to quantify leaf senescence at the macroscopic scale, we also propose an analytic framework to investigate senescence at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels throughout the plant life cycle. We have developed protocols and suggested methods for studying different key processes involved in senescence, including photosynthetic capacities, membrane degradation, redox status, and genetic regulation. All methods presented in this review were conducted on Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia-0 and results are compared with senescence-related mutants. This guideline includes experimental design, protocols, recommendations, and the automated tools for leaf senescence analyses that could also be applied to other species.
叶片衰老不是一种混乱的崩溃，而是遵循精确时间表的动态过程。它使植物能够节约资源，控制自身的生存能力和完整性。叶片衰老的开始和进程由一个复杂的遗传网络协调，该网络不断整合发育和环境信号，如生物和非生物胁迫。因此，研究衰老需要对植物生理学和代谢中发生的动态变化进行综合和多尺度分析。除了为宏观尺度上量化叶片衰老提供自动化和标准化的方法外，我们还提出了一个分析框架，用于研究整个植物生命周期中生理、生化和分子水平上的衰老。我们已经制定了研究衰老过程中涉及的不同关键过程的方案和建议方法，包括光合能力、膜降解、氧化还原状态和遗传调控。本综述中介绍的所有方法均在拟南芥哥伦比亚-0 上进行，并将结果与与衰老相关的突变体进行了比较。本指南包括实验设计、方案、建议以及叶片衰老分析的自动化工具，这些工具也可应用于其他物种。
