Proteomic analysis of heat stress resistance of cucumber leaves when grafted onto Momordica rootstock

Abstract

Heat-tolerant cucumbers: The graft of life Photosynthesis-related genes and proteins are triggered into action when cucumber is grafted onto another member of the Cucurbitaceae family, helping it to tolerate heat. Shirong Guo of China’s Nanjing Agricultural University and colleagues analysed the genes and proteins of a cucumber plant grafted onto Momordica, a climbing plant from the same family, when it was exposed to high temperatures. Heat stress negatively affects photosynthesis in plants. The team found that cucumber grafted onto Momordica adapted better to heat stress than cucumber grafted onto cucumber. They found this was due to the expression of key enzymes and genes related to photosynthesis. The findings provide insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in enhancing heat stress tolerance in plants by grafting.