1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid and its analogs alleviate heat stress damage in the marine red alga Neopyropia yezoensis (Rhodophyta)

Heat stress disrupts algal growth, development, and physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, and eventually decreases seaweed productivity. Previous studies of crop plants have revealed that exogenous application of phytohormones prior or parallel to stress can alleviate the negative effects of abiotic stressors, including heat stress. However, there is limited information on phytohormone-induced tolerance to abiotic stressors in seaweed. In the present study, the application of the major plant hormones abscisic acid and salicylic acid failed to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on the marine red alga Neopyropia yezoensis, whereas 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), the direct precursor of the plant hormone ethylene, regulates thermotolerance. In addition, the ACC analogs 1-aminocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid and α-aminoisobutyric acid enhanced tolerance to heat stress. ACC increased the expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense systems to protect photosynthesis and respiration. These results suggest ACC acts as a phytohormone to mitigate the impact on heat stress independent of ethylene in N. yezoensis.