Comparison of gene expression profiles and responses to zinc chloride among inter- and intraspecific hybrids with growth abnormalities in wheat and its relatives

Phenotypic characterization and gene mapping of hybrid necrosis in Triticum durum-Haynaldia villosa amphiploids

KEY MESSAGE

Phenotypical, physiological and genetic characterization was carried out on the hybrid necrosis gene from Haynaldia villosa, and the related gene Ne-V was mapped to chromosome arm 2VL. Introducing genetic variation from wild relatives into common wheat through wide crosses is a vital strategy for enriching genetic diversity and promoting wheat breeding. However, hybrid necrosis, a genetic autoimmunity syndrome, often occurs in the offspring of interspecific or intraspecific crosses, restricting both the selection of hybrid parents and the pyramiding of beneficial genes. To utilize the germplasms of Haynaldia villosa (2n = 2x = 14, VV), we conducted wide hybridization between durum wheat (2n = 4x = 28, AABB) and multiple H. villosa accessions to synthesize the amphiploids (2n = 6x = 42, AABBVV). This study revealed that 61.5% of amphiploids derived from the above crosses exhibited hybrid necrosis, with some amphiploids even dying before reaching maturity. However, the initiation time and severity of necrosis varied dramatically among the progenies, suggesting that there were multiple genetic loci or multiple alleles in the same genetic locus conferring to hybrid necrosis in H. villosa accessions. Genetic analysis was performed on the F2 and derived F2:3 populations, which were constructed between amphiploid STH59-1 with normal leaves and amphiploid STH59-2 with necrotic leaves. A semidominant hybrid necrosis-related gene, Ne-V, was mapped to an 11.8-cM genetic interval on the long arm of chromosome 2V, representing a novel genetic locus identified in Triticum-related species. In addition, the hybrid necrosis was correlated with enhanced H2O2 accumulation and cell death, and it was influenced by the temperature and light. Our findings provide a foundation for cloning the Ne-V gene and exploring its molecular mechanism.

Fine mapping of Ne1, the hybrid necrosis gene complementary to Ne2 in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Apart from confinement of Ne1 to a 4.45 Mb genomic segment, markers closely linked to Ne2 were identified and incomplete dominance of both genes in conditioning necrosis severity was shown. Hybrid necrosis in plants is characterized by premature death of leaves or plants in F₁ hybrids. Interaction of two complementary dominant genes Ne1 and Ne2 in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is known to cause hybrid necrosis. However, the mechanism underlying this necrosis is still elusive. To obtain markers closely-linked to these two genes, Ne1-carrying cultivar Zheng891 was crossed with Ne2-carrying cultivar Pan555. Using BC₁F₁ plants derived from crosses of the F₁ plants with the two parental lines, Ne1 and Ne2 were mapped to a 2.2 cM interval and a 2.3 cM interval with newly developed markers, respectively. Ne1 was further delimited to a 0.19 cM interval using 2015 Ne2-carrying F₂ plants. Xwgrc3146, Xwgrc3147 and Xwgrc3150, three of the four markers co-segregating with Ne1, were all Zheng891-dominant, suggesting that, compared with Pan555, Ne1 is located in a region with substantial sequence diversity. The Ne1 interval is syntenic to chromosomes 5H, 4, 9 and 2 of barley, Brachypodium distachyon, rice and sorghum, respectively, and corresponds to a 4.45 Mb Chinese Spring sequence. Variations in necrosis severity of the F₂ plants differing in Ne1 and Ne2 genotypes implied that these two genes are incompletely dominant in determining the timing and severity of necrosis.

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and phenolic compounds are related to hybrid lethality in the cross Nicotiana suaveolens×N. tabacum

Hybrid lethality observed in hybrid seedlings between Nicotiana suaveolens and N. tabacum is characterized by browning, initially of the hypocotyls and eventually of entire seedlings. We investigated the mechanism underlying this browning of tissues. A phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) gene codes an enzyme involved in a pathway producing phenolic compounds related to the browning of plant tissues. The expression of PAL rapidly increased with the induction of hybrid lethality. Phenolic compounds were observed to be accumulated in whole parts of hybrid seedlings. Treatment of hybrid seedlings with L-2-aminooxy-3-phenylpropionic acid (AOPP), an inhibitor for PAL, suppressed browning and decreased the phenolic content of hybrid seedlings. Although programmed cell death (PCD) was involved in hybrid lethality, AOPP treatment also suppressed cell death and enhanced the growth of hybrid seedlings. These results indicated that PAL is involved in hybrid lethality, and phenolic compounds could be the cause of hybrid lethality-associated tissue browning.

Appraisal of wheat genomics for gene discovery and breeding applications: a special emphasis on advances in Asia

We discussed the most recent efforts in wheat functional genomics to discover new genes and their deployment in breeding with special emphasis on advances in Asian countries. Wheat research community is making significant progress to bridge genotype-to-phenotype gap and then applying this knowledge in genetic improvement. The advances in genomics and phenomics have intrigued wheat researchers in Asia to make best use of this knowledge in gene and trait discovery. These advancements include, but not limited to, map-based gene cloning, translational genomics, gene mapping, association genetics, gene editing and genomic selection. We reviewed more than 57 homeologous genes discovered underpinning important traits and multiple strategies used for their discovery. Further, the complementary advancements in wheat phenomics and analytical approaches to understand the genetics of wheat adaptability, resilience to climate extremes and resistance to pest and diseases were discussed. The challenge to build a gold standard reference genome sequence of bread wheat is now achieved and several de novo reference sequences from the cultivars representing different gene pools will be available soon. New pan-genome sequencing resources of wheat will strengthen the foundation required for accelerated gene discovery and provide more opportunities to practice the knowledge-based breeding.

Heterologous expression of wheat WRKY transcription factor genes transcriptionally activated in hybrid necrosis strains alters abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

Hybrid necrosis and hybrid chlorosis are sometimes observed in interspecific hybrids between the tetraploid wheat cultivar Langdon and diploid wild wheat Aegilops tauschii. Many WRKY transcription factor genes are dramatically upregulated in necrosis and chlorosis wheat hybrids. Here, we isolated cDNA clones for four wheat WRKY transcription factor genes, TaWRKY49, TaWRKY92, TaWRKY112, and TaWRKY142, that were commonly upregulated in the hybrid necrosis and hybrid chlorosis and belonged to the same clade of the WRKY gene family. Expression patterns of the four TaWRKY genes in response to several stress conditions were similar in wheat seeding leaves. The four TaWRKY-GFP fusion proteins were targeted to the nucleus in onion epidermal cells. The TaWRKY gene expression levels were increased by high salt, dehydration, darkness, and blast fungus treatment in common wheat. Expression of either of the TaWRKY genes increased salinity and osmotic stress tolerance accompanied with overexpression of STZ/Zat10, and induced overexpression of the salicylic acid-signal pathway marker gene AtPR1 in transgenic Arabidopsis. TaWRKY142 expression also induced the jasmonic acid-pathway marker gene AtPDF1.2 and enhanced resistance against the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum higginsianum in transgenic Arabidopsis. These results suggest that the four TaWRKY genes act as integrated hubs of multiple stress signaling pathways in wheat and play important roles in autoimmune response-inducing hybrid necrosis and hybrid chlorosis.

Comparative expression analysis of heavy metal ATPase subfamily genes between Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip landraces

The heavy metal ATPase (HMA) subfamily is mainly involved in heavy metal (HM) tolerance and transport in plants, but an understanding of the definite roles and mechanisms of most HMA members are still limited. In the present study, we identified 14 candidate HMA genes named BrrHMA1-BrrHMA8 from the turnip genome and analyzed the phylogeny, gene structure, chromosome distribution, and conserved domains and motifs of HMAs in turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa). According to our phylogenetic tree, the BrrHMAs are divided into a Zn/Cd/Co/Pb subclass and Cu/Ag subclass. The BrrHMA members show similar structural characteristics within subclasses. To explore the roles of BrrHMAs in turnip, we compared the gene sequences and expression patterns of the BrrHMA genes between a Cd-tolerant landrace and a Cd-sensitive landrace. Most BrrHMA genes showed similar spatial expression patterns in both Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip landraces; some BrrHMA genes, however, were differentially expressed in specific tissue in Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip. Specifically, BrrHMA genes in the Zn/Cd/Co/Pb subclass shared the same coding sequence but were differentially expressed in Cd-tolerant and Cd-sensitive turnip landraces under Cd stress. Our findings suggest that the stable expression and up-regulated expression of BrrHMA Zn/Cd/Co/Pb subclass genes under Cd stress may contribute to the higher Cd tolerance of turnip landraces.

Genome-wide polymorphisms from RNA sequencing assembly of leaf transcripts facilitate phylogenetic analysis and molecular marker development in wild einkorn wheat

A survey of genome-wide polymorphisms between closely related species is required to understand the molecular basis of the evolutionary differentiation of their genomes. Two wild diploid wheat species, namely Triticum monococcum ssp. aegilopoides and T. urartu, are closely related and harbour the A^m and A genomes, respectively. The A-genome donor of tetraploid and common wheat is T. urartu, and T. monococcum ssp. monococcum is the cultivated form derived from the wild einkorn wheat subspecies aegilopoides. Although subspecies aegilopoides has been a useful genetic resource in wheat breeding, genome-wide molecular markers for this subspecies have not been sufficiently developed. Here, we describe the detection of genome-wide polymorphisms such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (indels) from RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data of leaf transcripts in 15 accessions of the two diploid wheat species. The SNPs and indels, detected using the A genome of common wheat as the reference genome, covered the entire chromosomes of these species. The polymorphism information facilitated a comparison of the genetic diversity of einkorn wheat with that of two related diploid Aegilops species, namely, Ae. tauschii and Ae. umbellulata. Cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers converted from the SNP data were efficiently developed to confirm the addition of aegilopoides subspecies chromosomes to tetraploid wheat in nascent allohexaploid lines with AABBA^mA^m genomes. In addition, the CAPS markers permitted linkage map construction in mapping populations of aegilopoides subspecies accessions. Therefore, these RNA-seq data provide information for further breeding of closely related species with no reference genome sequence data.

Hybrid incompatibilities in interspecific crosses between tetraploid wheat and its wild diploid relative Aegilops umbellulata

Hybrid abnormalities, severe growth abortion and grass-clump dwarfism, were found in the tetraploid wheat/Aegilops umbellulata hybrids, and the gene expression changes were conserved in the hybrids with those in other wheat synthetic hexaploids. Aegilops umbellulata Zhuk., a diploid goatgrass species with a UU genome, has been utilized as a genetic resource for wheat breeding. Here, we examine the reproductive barriers between tetraploid wheat cultivar Langdon (Ldn) and various Ae. umbellulata accessions by conducting interspecific crossings. Through systematic cross experiments, three types of hybrid incompatibilities were found: seed production failure in crosses, hybrid growth abnormalities and sterility in the ABU hybrids. Hybrid incompatibilities were widely distributed over the entire range of the natural species, and in about 50% of the cross combinations between tetraploid Ldn and Ae. umbellulata accessions, ABU F₁ hybrids showed one of two abnormal growth phenotypes: severe growth abortion (SGA) or grass-clump dwarfism. Expression of the shoot meristem maintenance-related and cell cycle-related genes was markedly repressed in crown tissues of hybrids showing SGA, suggesting dysfunction of mitotic cell division in the shoot apices. The grass-clump dwarf phenotype may be explained by down-regulation of wheat APETALA1-like MADS box genes, which act as flowering promoters, and altered expression in crown tissues of the miR156/SPLs module, which controls tiller number and branching. These gene expression changes in growth abnormalities were well conserved between the Ldn/Ae. umbellulata plants and interspecific hybrids from crosses of Ldn and wheat D-genome progenitor Ae. tauschii.

Global gene expression profiling related to temperature-sensitive growth abnormalities in interspecific crosses between tetraploid wheat and Aegilops tauschii

Triploid wheat hybrids between tetraploid wheat and Aegilops tauschii sometimes show abnormal growth phenotypes, and the growth abnormalities inhibit generation of wheat synthetic hexaploids. In type II necrosis, one of the growth abnormalities, necrotic cell death accompanied by marked growth repression occurs only under low temperature conditions. At normal temperature, the type II necrosis lines show grass-clump dwarfism with no necrotic symptoms, excess tillers, severe dwarfism and delayed flowering. Here, we report comparative expression analyses to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the temperature-dependent phenotypic plasticity in the triploid wheat hybrids. We compared gene and small RNA expression profiles in crown tissues to characterize the temperature-dependent phenotypic plasticity. No up-regulation of defense-related genes was observed under the normal temperature, and down-regulation of wheat APETALA1-like MADS-box genes, considered to act as flowering promoters, was found in the grass-clump dwarf lines. Some microRNAs, including miR156, were up-regulated, whereas the levels of transcripts of the miR156 target genes SPLs, known to inhibit tiller and branch number, were reduced in crown tissues of the grass-clump dwarf lines at the normal temperature. Unusual expression of the miR156/SPLs module could explain the grass-clump dwarf phenotype. Dramatic alteration of gene expression profiles, including miRNA levels, in crown tissues is associated with the temperature-dependent phenotypic plasticity in type II necrosis/grass-clump dwarf wheat hybrids.