We recently showed that yellow lupine is highly sensitive to soil water deficits since this stressor disrupts nodule structure and functioning, and at the same time triggers flower separation through abscission zone (AZ) activation in the upper part of the plant. Both processes require specific transformations including cell wall remodeling. However, knowledge about the involvement of particular cell wall elements in nodulation and abscission in agronomically important, nitrogen-fixing crops, especially under stressful conditions, is still scarce. Here, we used immuno-fluorescence techniques to visualize dynamic changes in cell wall compounds taking place in the root nodules and flower AZ of Lupinus luteus following drought. The reaction of nodules and the flower AZ to drought includes the upregulation of extensins, galactans, arabinans, xylogalacturonan, and xyloglucans. Additionally, modifications in the localization of high- and low-methylated homogalacturonans and arabinogalactan proteins were detected in nodules. Collectively, we determined for the first time the drought-associated modification of cell wall components responsible for their remodeling in root nodules and the flower AZ of L. luteus. The involvement of these particular molecules and their possible interaction in response to stress is also deeply discussed herein.
Keywords: abscission zone; arabinan; cell wall; drought; extensins; galactans; root nodules; xyloglucans; yellow lupine; yielding.