Bioresources and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
Bioresources and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India; Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, Chanakyapuri, Delhi 110021, India.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2022 Jun 15;210:107-122. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.004. Epub 2022 May 4.
Transgenic crops would serve as a tool to overcome the forthcoming crisis in food security and environmental safety posed by degrading land and changing global climate. Commercial transgenic crops developed so far focus on single stress; however, sustaining crop yield to ensure food security requires transgenics tolerant to multiple environmental stresses. Here we argue and demonstrate the untapped potential of ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs), translation inhibitors, as potential transgenes in developing transgenics to combat multiple stresses in the environment. Plant RIPs target the fundamental processes of the cell with very high specificity to the infecting pests. While controlling pathogens, RIPs also cause ectopic expression of pathogenesis-related proteins and trigger systemic acquired resistance. On the other hand, during abiotic stress, RIPs show antioxidant activity and trigger both enzyme-dependent and enzyme-independent metabolic pathways, alleviating abiotic stress such as drought, salinity, temperature, etc. RIPs express in response to specific environmental signals; therefore, their expression obviates additional physiological load on the transgenic plants instead of the constitutive expression. Based on evidence from its biological significance, ecological roles, laboratory- and controlled-environment success of its transgenics, and ethical merits, we unravel the potential of RIPs in developing transgenic plants showing co-tolerance to multiple environmental stresses.
转基因作物将成为克服土地退化和全球气候变化带来的即将到来的粮食安全和环境安全危机的工具。迄今为止开发的商业转基因作物专注于单一胁迫；然而，为了确保粮食安全而维持作物产量需要能够耐受多种环境胁迫的转基因作物。在这里，我们论证并展示了核糖体失活蛋白（RIPs）作为一种潜在的转基因，在开发耐受多种环境胁迫的转基因作物方面具有未被开发的潜力。植物 RIPs 以非常高的特异性靶向细胞的基本过程，针对感染的害虫。在控制病原体的同时，RIPs 还会引起与发病相关的蛋白质的异位表达，并引发系统获得性抗性。另一方面，在非生物胁迫下，RIPs 表现出抗氧化活性，并触发依赖酶和非依赖酶的代谢途径，缓解干旱、盐度、温度等非生物胁迫。RIPs 响应特定的环境信号表达；因此，它们的表达减轻了转基因植物的额外生理负担，而不是组成型表达。基于其生物学意义、生态角色、实验室和受控环境中转基因的成功以及伦理价值的证据，我们揭示了 RIPs 在开发表现出对多种环境胁迫的共耐受性的转基因植物方面的潜力。
