| Summary: | Small fructans improve plant tolerance for cold stress. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we have demonstrated that the small fructan tetrasaccharide nystose improves the cold stress tolerance of primary rice roots. Roots developed from seeds soaked in nystose showed lower browning rate, higher root activity, and faster growth compared to seeds soaked in water under chilling stress. Comparative proteomics analysis of nystose-treated and control roots identified a total of 497 differentially expressed proteins. GO classification and KEGG pathway analysis documented that some of the upregulated differentially expressed proteins were implicated in the regulation of serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity, abscisic acid-activated signaling, removal of superoxide radicals, and the response to oxidative stress and defense responses. Western blot analysis indicated that nystose promotes the growth of primary rice roots by increasing the level of RSOsPR10, and the cold stress-induced change in RSOsPR10levelis regulated by jasmonate, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid signaling pathways in rice roots. Furthermore, OsMKK4-dependentmitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascades may be involved in the nystose-induced cold tolerance of primary rice roots. Together, these results indicate that nystose acts as an immunostimulator of the response to cold stress by multiple signaling pathways.
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