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Su X, Zheng J, Diao X, Yang Z, Yu D, Huang F. MtTCP18 Regulates Plant Structure in Medicago truncatula. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1012. [PMID: 38611541 PMCID: PMC11013128 DOI: 10.3390/plants13071012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Plant structure has a large influence on crop yield formation, with branching and plant height being the important factors that make it up. We identified a gene, MtTCP18, encoding a TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTOR (TCP) transcription factor highly conserved with Arabidopsis gene BRC1 (BRANCHED1) in Medicago truncatula. Sequence analysis revealed that MtTCP18 included a conserved basic helix-loop-helix (BHLH) motif and R domain. Expression analysis showed that MtTCP18 was expressed in all organs examined, with relatively higher expression in pods and axillary buds. Subcellular localization analysis showed that MtTCP18 was localized in the nucleus and exhibited transcriptional activation activity. These results supported its role as a transcription factor. Meanwhile, we identified a homozygous mutant line (NF14875) with a mutation caused by Tnt1 insertion into MtTCP18. Mutant analysis showed that the mutation of MtTCP18 altered plant structure, with increased plant height and branch number. Moreover, we found that the expression of auxin early response genes was modulated in the mutant. Therefore, MtTCP18 may be a promising candidate gene for breeders to optimize plant structure for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Fang Huang
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics Improvement of Soybean, Ministry of Agriculture, Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory (ZSBBL), National Innovation Platform for Soybean Breeding and Industry-Education Integration, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (X.D.); (Z.Y.); (D.Y.)
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Poulet A, Zhao M, Peng Y, Tham F, Jaudal M, Zhang L, van Wolfswinkel JC, Putterill J. Gene-edited Mtsoc1 triple mutant Medicago plants do not flower. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1357924. [PMID: 38469328 PMCID: PMC10926907 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1357924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Optimized flowering time is an important trait that ensures successful plant adaptation and crop productivity. SOC1-like genes encode MADS transcription factors, which are known to play important roles in flowering control in many plants. This includes the best-characterized eudicot model Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), where SOC1 promotes flowering and functions as a floral integrator gene integrating signals from different flowering-time regulatory pathways. Medicago truncatula (Medicago) is a temperate reference legume with strong genomic and genetic resources used to study flowering pathways in legumes. Interestingly, despite responding to similar floral-inductive cues of extended cold (vernalization) followed by warm long days (VLD), such as in winter annual Arabidopsis, Medicago lacks FLC and CO which are key regulators of flowering in Arabidopsis. Unlike Arabidopsis with one SOC1 gene, multiple gene duplication events have given rise to three MtSOC1 paralogs within the Medicago genus in legumes: one Fabaceae group A SOC1 gene, MtSOC1a, and two tandemly repeated Fabaceae group B SOC1 genes, MtSOC1b and MtSOC1c. Previously, we showed that MtSOC1a has unique functions in floral promotion in Medicago. The Mtsoc1a Tnt1 retroelement insertion single mutant showed moderately delayed flowering in long- and short-day photoperiods, with and without prior vernalization, compared to the wild-type. In contrast, Mtsoc1b Tnt1 single mutants did not have altered flowering time or flower development, indicating that it was redundant in an otherwise wild-type background. Here, we describe the generation of Mtsoc1a Mtsoc1b Mtsoc1c triple mutant lines using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. We studied two independent triple mutant lines that segregated plants that did not flower and were bushy under floral inductive VLD. Genotyping indicated that these non-flowering plants were homozygous for the predicted strong mutant alleles of the three MtSOC1 genes. Gene expression analyses using RNA-seq and RT-qPCR indicated that these plants remained vegetative. Overall, the non-flowering triple mutants were dramatically different from the single Mtsoc1a mutant and the Arabidopsis soc1 mutant; implicating multiple MtSOC1 genes in critical overlapping roles in the transition to flowering in Medicago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Poulet
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Min Zhao
- Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Yongyan Peng
- Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Mt Albert Research Centre, The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - FangFei Tham
- Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Mauren Jaudal
- Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Mt Albert Research Centre, The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lulu Zhang
- Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Josien C. van Wolfswinkel
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Joanna Putterill
- Flowering Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Liu X, Zhang H, Ma L, Wang Z, Wang K. Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profiling Analysis of the Trihelix Gene Family Under Abiotic Stresses in Medicago truncatula. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11111389. [PMID: 33238556 PMCID: PMC7709032 DOI: 10.3390/genes11111389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The trihelix transcription factor (GT) family is widely involved in regulating plant growth and development, and most importantly, responding to various abiotic stresses. Our study first reported the genome-wide identification and analysis of GT family genes in Medicago truncatula. Overall, 38 trihelix genes were identified in the M. truncatula genome and were classified into five subfamilies (GT-1, GT-2, SH4, GTγ and SIP1). We systematically analyzed the phylogenetic relationship, chromosomal distribution, tandem and segmental duplication events, gene structures and conserved motifs of MtGTs. Syntenic analysis revealed that trihelix family genes in M. truncatula had the most collinearity relationship with those in soybean followed by alfalfa, but very little collinearity with those in the maize and rice. Additionally, tissue-specific expression analysis of trihelix family genes suggested that they played various roles in the growth and development of specific tissues in M. truncatula. Moreover, the expression of some MtGT genes, such as MtGT19, MtGT20, MtGT22, and MtGT33, was dramatically induced by drought, salt, and ABA treatments, illustrating their vital roles in response to abiotic stresses. These findings are helpful for improving the comprehensive understanding of trihelix family; additionally, the study provides candidate genes for achieving the genetic improvement of stress resistance in legumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiqiang Liu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; (X.L.); (H.Z.); (Z.W.)
| | - Han Zhang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; (X.L.); (H.Z.); (Z.W.)
| | - Lin Ma
- Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China;
| | - Zan Wang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; (X.L.); (H.Z.); (Z.W.)
| | - Kun Wang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China; (X.L.); (H.Z.); (Z.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-010-6273-3338
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Varotto S, Tani E, Abraham E, Krugman T, Kapazoglou A, Melzer R, Radanović A, Miladinović D. Epigenetics: possible applications in climate-smart crop breeding. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:5223-5236. [PMID: 32279074 PMCID: PMC7475248 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
To better adapt transiently or lastingly to stimuli from the surrounding environment, the chromatin states in plant cells vary to allow the cells to fine-tune their transcriptional profiles. Modifications of chromatin states involve a wide range of post-transcriptional histone modifications, histone variants, DNA methylation, and activity of non-coding RNAs, which can epigenetically determine specific transcriptional outputs. Recent advances in the area of '-omics' of major crops have facilitated identification of epigenetic marks and their effect on plant response to environmental stresses. As most epigenetic mechanisms are known from studies in model plants, we summarize in this review recent epigenetic studies that may be important for improvement of crop adaptation and resilience to environmental changes, ultimately leading to the generation of stable climate-smart crops. This has paved the way for exploitation of epigenetic variation in crop breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Varotto
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals, and the Environment, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell’Università, Padova, Italy
| | - Eleni Tani
- Department of Crop Science, Laboratory of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Abraham
- Laboratory of Range Science, School of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Tamar Krugman
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Aliki Kapazoglou
- Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture (IOSV), Department of Vitis, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Demeter (HAO-Demeter), Lykovrysi, Greece
| | - Rainer Melzer
- School of Biology and Environmental Science and Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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