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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

Strategies for Tracking Anastasis, A Cell Survival Phenomenon that Reverses Apoptosis
Published on: February 16, 2015
Autophagy functions as a cytoprotective mechanism by regulating programmed cell death during desiccation in
Yakupjan Haxim1, Ting Cao2, Xiaoshuang Li1
1National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Areas, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 800311, China; State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Geography and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830000, Urumqi, China; Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, 838008, China.
Abstract:
Desiccation is a state of extreme water loss that is lethal to many plant species. Some desert plants have evolved unique strategies to cope with desiccation stress in their natural environment. Here we present the remarkable stress management mechanism of Syntrichia caninervis, a desert moss species which exhibits an 'A' category of desiccation tolerance. Our research demonstrated that desiccation stress triggers autophagy in S. caninervis while inhibiting Programmed Cell Death (PCD). Silencing of two autophagy-related genes, ATG6 and ATG2, in S. caninervis promoted PCD. Desiccation treatment accelerated cell death in ATG6 and ATG2 gene-silenced S. caninervis. Notably, trehalose was not detected during desiccation, and exogenous application of trehalose cannot activate autophagy. These results suggested that S. caninervis is independent of trehalose accumulation to triggered autophagy. Our results showed that autophagy function as prosurvival mechanism to enhance desiccation tolerance of S. caninervis. Our findings enrich the knowledge of the role of autophagy in plant stress response and may provide new insight into understanding of plant desiccation tolerance.
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