Boron (B) deficiency affects the development of Pisum sativum nodules and Arabidopsis thaliana root meristems. Both organs show an alteration of cell differentiation that result in the development of tumor-like structures. The fact that B in plants is not only able to interact with components of the cell wall but also with membrane-associated glycoconjugates, led us to analyze changes in high mannose type N-glycans (HMNG). The affinoblots with concanavalin A revealed alterations in the N-glycosylation pattern during early development of nodules and roots under B deprivation. Besides, there is increasing evidence of a B role in animal physiology that brought us to investigate the impact of B deficiency on Danio rerio (zebrafish) development. When B deficiency was induced prior to early cleavage stages, embryos developed as an abnormal undifferentiated mass of cells. Additionally, when B was removed at post-hatching, larvae undergo aberrant organogenesis. Resembling the phenomenon described in plants, alteration of the N-glycosylation pattern occurred in B-deficient zebrafish larvae prior to organogenesis. Overall, these results support a common function of B in plants and animals associated with glycosylation that might be important for cell signaling and cell fate determination during development.
Keywords: Arabidopsis; Boron; Legume-nodule; N-glycosylation; Organogenesis; Zebrafish.
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