Seasonal proteome profiling of the liverwort Dumortiera hirsuta (Sw.) Nees, from Meghalaya, India, reveals a season-specific acclimation process

Introduction Among bryophytes, liverworts may serve as models for understanding plant evolution and adaptation to seasonal changes. Seasonal changes are associated with variations in temperature, precipitation, humidity, and nutrient availability, which can cause oxidative stress. To cope, liverworts have evolved distinct strategies, including proteomic changes.Methods A gel-based proteomic analysis of the liverwort Dumortiera hirsuta (Sw.) Nees, collected from Pynursla town (25.5788°N, 91.8933°E), East Khasi Hills district, near Shillong, Meghalaya, India, was performed during its four growing seasons: pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon, and fruiting season.Results Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry demonstrated that proteins from the categories of cell growth and development, photosynthesis, defence mechanisms, post-transcriptional modifications, protein turnover and chaperones, and uncharacterised proteins changed their accumulation across seasons. The most notable changes occurred during the post-monsoon and fruiting seasons. Defence- and protein degradation–related proteins accumulated predominantly during these seasons, whereas proteins involved in photosynthesis and protein biosynthesis decreased considerably. This pattern reflects challenging growth conditions during post-monsoon and fruiting, characterised by lower temperature, reduced precipitation, and nutrient availability. To cope with these conditions, Dumortiera hirsuta may reduce photosynthetic activity and protein synthesis while increasing the accumulation of antioxidative and stress-responsive proteins. Important putative stress-responsive proteins accumulated during post-monsoon and/or fruiting seasons include Bet_v_1, DDE Tnp4, germin-like, TCTP, and tyrosinase_Cu-bd domain–containing proteins, whose precise functions remain uncharacterised.Conclusions Seasonal changes significantly alter the Dumortiera hirsuta proteome, reducing photosynthesis and increasing defence proteins during stressful seasons, showing its acclimatory strategy for survival under changing environmental conditions.