Physiological and transcriptome changes induced by exogenous putrescine in anthurium under chilling stress

Chilling stress is the major factor limiting plant productivity and quality in most regions of the world. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of putrescine (Put) and polyamine inhibitor D-arginine (D-arg) on the chilling tolerance of anthurium (Anthurium andraeanum).

Anthurium seedlings were pretreated with five different concentrations of Put solution or D-arg solution. Subsequently, the seedlings were subjected to chilling stress at 6 °C for 3 days, followed by a recovery at 25 °C for 1 day. Relative permeability of the plasma membrane, as well as physiological and morphologic parameters was assessed during the experiments. Additionally, transcriptome sequencing and patterns of differential gene expression related to chilling response were analyzed by qRT-PCR in 1.0 mM Put-treated and untreated anthurium seedlings. Results indicated that the supplementation of exogenous Put decreased the extent of membrane lipid peroxidation and the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), promoted the antioxidant activities and proline content and maintained the morphologic performances compared with the control group. This finding indicated that the application of exogenous Put could effectively decrease the injury and maintain the quality of anthurium under chilling conditions. In contrast, the treatment of D-arg exhibited the opposite effects, which confirmed the effects of Put.

This research provided a possible approach to enhance the chilling tolerance of anthurium and reduce the energy consumption used in anthurium production.