Biological activity of a cell extract from the halophilic bacterium Salinicola socius toward winter rapeseed under low positive temperatures
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: While winter rapeseed ( Brassica napus L.) is a promising and highly profitable multipurpose agricultural crop, its cultivation is limited by several factors, including cold stress. A viable strategy to enhance plant tolerance to stressors, such as low temperatures, is the use of natural biologically active substances exhibiting osmoprotective properties. In this context, of particular interest is ectoine – a low-molecular-weight nitrogen-containing compound that effectively protects prokaryotic cells from cold-induced death. The present study aimed to analyze the biological activity of a cell extract from the moderately halophilic bacterium Salinicola socius SMB35 Т toward winter rapeseed under low-temperature stress. Through proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the spectrum of the bacterial extract was found to be consistent with that of commercially available ectoine. The effects of extracts containing 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 µmol of ectoine were evaluated. Treatment of winter rapeseed seeds with extracts containing 0.5 and 1.0 µmol of ectoine increased fresh plant biomass under cold conditions. Furthermore, the spectra of rapeseed seedling extracts exhibited ectoine signals, demonstrating the capacity of the plants to absorb this compound from the medium. The accumulation of ectoine in winter rapeseed cells was accompanied by a tendency toward increased proline and decreased sucrose levels. This study provides the first evidence for the viability of ectoine as a plant cryoprotectant, though its precise mechanism of action remains unclear and requires further investigation.
DOI: 10.21285/achb.1047
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204455155