Work

The leaf transcriptome response to ozone mainly involves genes regulated during development in hybrid poplar

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) harms vegetation by reducing tree biomass and crop yield. Accurate risk assessment based on O 3 uptake depends on quantifying the plant's capacity to cope with O 3 -generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the cellular level. Young leaves were shown to have better ability than mature leaves to deal with O 3 exposure but the mechanisms behind remain unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the crosstalk between O 3 response and leaf development. Time-course response to O 3 concentrations (0, 80 and 100 ppb) was studied at transcriptome and cellular level in a growing leaf (GL) and an expanded leaf (EL) of young poplar trees. The emergence of hypersensitive response-like lesions and the loss of chlorophyll content induced by O 3 was less pronounced in GL than EL showing a higher tolerance of GL to O 3 . The leaf transcriptome response to O 3 involved many genes (15784) mainly involved in leaf development resulting in a stress-induced acceleration of leaf aging and senescence. In addition to detoxification mechanisms, O 3 tolerance at early stages of leaf development might result from an insensitivity to senescence induction though further validation is needed. Understanding this process could offer new perspectives for O 3 tolerance improvement or assessment.

Source: Plant Stress

DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2026.101425