Role of TRDMT1/DNMT2 in stress adaptation and its influence on transcriptome and proteome dynamics under osmotic stress in Physcomitrium patens

Abstract Early land plants such as the moss Physcomitrium patens lack several morphological traits that offer protection to tracheophytes from environmental stresses. These plants instead have evolved several physiological and biochemical mechanisms that facilitate them to adapt to terrestrial stresses such as drought. We have previously shown that loss‐of‐function mutants of tRNA (cytosine(38)‐C(5))‐methyltransferase TRDMT1/DNMT2 in P. patens are highly sensitive to oxidative and osmotic stress. To gain insight into the role of PpTRDMT1/PpDNMT2 in modulating genetic networks under osmotic stress, genome‐wide transcriptome and proteome studies were undertaken in wild‐type and ppdnmt2 plants. Transcriptome analysis revealed 375 genes to be differentially expressed in the ppdnmt2 under stress compared to the WT. Most of these genes are affiliated with carbohydrate metabolic pathways, photosynthesis, cell wall biogenesis, pathways related to isotropic and polarised cell growth and transcription factors among others. Histochemical staining showed elevated levels of reactive oxygen species in ppdnmt2 while transmission electron microscopy revealed no distinct defects in the ultrastructure of chloroplasts. Immunoprecipitation using PpDNMT2‐specific antibody coupled with mass spectrometry revealed core proteins of the glycolytic pathway, antioxidant enzymes, proteins of amino acid biosynthetic pathways and photosynthesis‐related proteins among others to co‐purify with PpTRDMT1/PpDNMT2 under osmotic stress. Yeast two‐hybrid assays, protein deletion and α‐galactosidase assays showed the cytosol glycolytic protein glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase to bind to the catalytic motifs in PpTRDMT1/PpDNMT2. Results presented in this study allow us to better understand genetic networks linking enzymes of energy metabolism, epigenetic processes and RNA pol II‐mediated transcription during osmotic stress tolerance in P. patens .