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Tomer S, Khati P, Suyal DC, Perveen K, Khan F, Barasarathi J. Relative multi-beneficial effect of MOs on plant health of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L. var. PG-186). Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1452553. [PMID: 39257617 PMCID: PMC11385864 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1452553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The phosphate solubilizing properties of Lysinibacillus macroides ST-30, Pseudomonas pelleroniana N-26, and Bacillus cereus ST-6 were tested for the chickpea crop of the Tarai region of Uttarakhand. These microbially inoculated plants have shown significant (p > 0.05) improvement in the plant health and crop health parameters, viz., root length, shoot length, fresh weight, dry weight, nodule number, nodule fresh weight, nodule dry weight, chlorophyll content, and nitrate reductase. The highest shoot length (46.10 cm) and chlorophyll content (0.57 mg g-1 fresh weight) were observed in ST-30 at 75 DAS with 20 kg P2O5/ha. Similarly, for plant P content, an increase of 90.12% over control was recorded in the same treatment. Treatments consisting of Lysinibacillus macroides ST-30 along with 20 kg/ha P2O5 were found to be most suitable as phosphatic fertilizer. Conclusively, sustainable agriculture practices in the Tarai as well as the field region may be developed based on a strategy of exploring microbial inoculants from the pristine region of the Western Himalayas. The presence and abundance of bacterial inoculants were confirmed through qRT-PCT. We conclude that the effective plant growth-promoting bacterium Lysinibacillus macroides ST-30 broadens the spectrum of phosphate solubilizers available for field applications and might be used together with 20 Kg/ha P2O5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Tomer
- Department of Biotechnology, Keral Verma Subharti College of Science, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut, India
- Department of Microbiology, CBSH, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Priyanka Khati
- Department of Microbiology, CBSH, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India
- Agricultural Microbiology Laboratory, Crop Production Division, ICAR VPKAS, Almora, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Deep Chandra Suyal
- Department of Microbiology, CBSH, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India
- Department of Science and Humanities, Vidyadayini Institute of Science, Management & Technology, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Kahkashan Perveen
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faheema Khan
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jayanthi Barasarathi
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
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Yan T, Shu X, Ning C, Li Y, Wang Z, Wang T, Zhuang W. Functions and Regulatory Mechanisms of bHLH Transcription Factors during the Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Woody Plants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:2315. [PMID: 39204751 PMCID: PMC11360703 DOI: 10.3390/plants13162315] [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: 06/21/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Environmental stresses, including abiotic and biotic stresses, have complex and diverse effects on the growth and development of woody plants, which have become a matter of contention due to concerns about the outcomes of climate change on plant resources, genetic diversity, and world food safety. Plant basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) are involved in a variety of physiological processes and play an important role in biotic and abiotic stress responses of woody plants. In recent years, an increasing body of studies have been conducted on the bHLH TFs in woody plants, and the roles of bHLH TFs in response to various stresses are increasingly clear and precise. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a systematic and comprehensive review of the progress of the research of woody plants. In this review, the structural characteristics, research history and roles in the plant growth process of bHLH TFs are summarized, the gene families of bHLH TFs in woody plants are summarized, and the roles of bHLH TFs in biotic and abiotic stresses in woody plants are highlighted. Numerous studies mentioned in this review have shown that bHLH transcription factors play a crucial role in the response of woody plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. This review serves as a reference for further studies about enhancing the stress resistance and breeding of woody plants. Also, the future possible research directions of bHLH TFs in response to various stresses in woody plants will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tengyue Yan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China; (T.Y.)
| | - Xiaochun Shu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China; (T.Y.)
| | - Chuanli Ning
- Yantai Agricultural Technology Extension Center, Yantai 264001, China
| | - Yuhang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China; (T.Y.)
| | - Zhong Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China; (T.Y.)
| | - Tao Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China; (T.Y.)
| | - Weibing Zhuang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for the Research and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen), Nanjing 210014, China; (T.Y.)
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Pal G, Saxena S, Kumar K, Verma A, Kumar D, Shukla P, Pandey A, White J, Verma SK. Seed endophytic bacterium Lysinibacillus sp. (ZM1) from maize (Zea mays L.) shapes its root architecture through modulation of auxin biosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 212:108731. [PMID: 38761545 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Seed endophytic bacteria have been shown to promote the growth and development of numerous plants. However, the underlying mechanism still needs to be better understood. The present study aims to investigate the role of a seed endophytic bacterium Lysinibacillus sp. (ZM1) in promoting plant growth and shaping the root architecture of maize seedlings. The study explores how bacteria-mediated auxin biosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism affect plant growth promotion and shape the root architecture of maize seedlings. The results demonstrate that ZM1 inoculation significantly enhances root length, root biomass, and the number of seminal roots in maize seedlings. Additionally, the treated seedlings exhibit increased shoot biomass and higher levels of photosynthetic pigments. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) analysis revealed extensive colonization of ZM1 on root hairs, as well as in the cortical and stellar regions of the root. Furthermore, LC-MS analysis demonstrated elevated auxin content in the roots of the ZM1 treated maize seedlings compared to the uninoculated control. Inoculation with ZM1 significantly increased the levels of endogenous ammonium content, GS, and GOGAT enzyme activities in the roots of treated maize seedlings compared to the control, indicating enhanced nitrogen metabolism. Furthermore, inoculation of bacteria under nitrogen-deficient conditions enhanced plant growth, as evidenced by increased root shoot length, fresh and dry weights, average number of seminal roots, and content of photosynthetic pigments. Transcript analysis indicated upregulation of auxin biosynthetic genes, along with genes involved in nitrogen metabolism at different time points in roots of ZM1-treated maize seedlings. Collectively, our findings highlight the positive impact of Lysinibacillus sp. ZM1 inoculation on maize seeds by improving root architecture through modulation of auxin biosynthesis and affecting various nitrogen metabolism related parameters. These findings provide valuable insights into the potential utilization of seed endophytic bacteria as biofertilizers to enhance plant growth and yield in nutrient deficient soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Pal
- Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 276957612, USA.
| | - Samiksha Saxena
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Kanchan Kumar
- Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India
| | - Anand Verma
- Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India
| | - Deepak Kumar
- Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India
| | - Pooja Shukla
- Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India
| | - Ashutosh Pandey
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - James White
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Satish K Verma
- Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, 221005, India.
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Saroha M, Arya A, Singh G, Sharma P. Genome-wide expression analysis of novel heat-responsive microRNAs and their targets in contrasting wheat genotypes at reproductive stage under terminal heat stress. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1328114. [PMID: 38660446 PMCID: PMC11039868 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1328114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Heat stress at terminal stage of wheat is critical and leads to huge yield losses worldwide. microRNAs (miRNAs) play significant regulatory roles in gene expression associated with abiotic and biotic stress at the post-transcriptional level. Methods In the present study, we carried out a comparative analysis of miRNAs and their targets in flag leaves as well as developing seeds of heat tolerant (RAJ3765) and heat susceptible (HUW510) wheat genotypes under heat stress and normal conditions using small RNA and degradome sequencing. Results and discussion A total of 84 conserved miRNAs belonging to 35 miRNA families and 93 novel miRNAs were identified in the 8 libraries. Tae-miR9672a-3p, tae-miR9774, tae-miR9669-5p, and tae-miR5048-5p showed the highest expression under heat stress. Tae-miR9775, tae-miR9662b-3p, tae-miR1120a, tae-miR5084, tae-miR1122a, tae-miR5085, tae-miR1118, tae-miR1130a, tae-miR9678-3p, tae-miR7757-5p, tae-miR9668-5p, tae-miR5050, tae-miR9652-5p, and tae-miR9679-5p were expressed only in the tolerant genotype, indicating their role in heat tolerance. Comparison between heat-treated and control groups revealed that 146 known and 57 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed in the various tissues. Eight degradome libraries sequence identified 457 targets of the differentially expressed miRNAs. Functional analysis of the targets indicated their involvement in photosynthesis, spliceosome, biosynthesis of nucleotide sugars and protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, arginine and proline metabolism and endocytosis. Conclusion This study increases the number of identified and novel miRNAs along with their roles involved in heat stress response in contrasting genotypes at two developing stages of wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Saroha
- Department of Biotechnology, ICAR Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana, India
| | - Aditi Arya
- Department of Biotechnology, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana, India
| | - Gyanendra Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, ICAR Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Pradeep Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, ICAR Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, Haryana, India
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Das S, Sathee L. miRNA mediated regulation of nitrogen response and nitrogen use efficiency of plants: the case of wheat. PHYSIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF PLANTS : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 29:1371-1394. [PMID: 38076770 PMCID: PMC10709294 DOI: 10.1007/s12298-023-01336-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is needed for plant growth and development and is the major limiting nutrient due to its higher demand in agricultural production globally. The use of N fertilizers has increased considerably in recent years to achieve higher cereal yields. High N inputs coupled with declining N use efficiency (NUE) result in the degradation of the environment. Plants have developed multidimensional strategies in response to changes in N availability in soil. These strategies include N stress-induced responses such as changes in gene expression patterns. Several N stress-induced genes and other regulatory factors, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), have been identified in different plant species, opening a new avenue of research in plant biology. This review presents a general overview of miRNA-mediated regulation of N response and NUE. Further, the in-silico target predictions and the predicted miRNA-gene network for nutrient metabolism/homeostasis in wheat provide novel insights. The information on N-regulated miRNAs and the differentially expressed target transcripts are necessary resources for genetic improvement of NUE by genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrat Das
- Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012 India
| | - Lekshmy Sathee
- Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012 India
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Das S, Singh D, Meena HS, Jha SK, Kumari J, Chinnusamy V, Sathee L. Long term nitrogen deficiency alters expression of miRNAs and alters nitrogen metabolism and root architecture in Indian dwarf wheat (Triticum sphaerococcum Perc.) genotypes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5002. [PMID: 36973317 PMCID: PMC10043004 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31278-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The important roles of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) in adaptation to nitrogen (N) deficiency in different crop species especially cereals (rice, wheat, maize) have been under discussion since last decade with little focus on potential wild relatives and landraces. Indian dwarf wheat (Triticum sphaerococcum Percival) is an important landrace native to the Indian subcontinent. Several unique features, especially high protein content and resistance to drought and yellow rust, make it a very potent landrace for breeding. Our aim in this study is to identify the contrasting Indian dwarf wheat genotypes based on nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and nitrogen deficiency tolerance (NDT) traits and the associated miRNAs differentially expressed under N deficiency in selected genotypes. Eleven Indian dwarf wheat genotypes and a high NUE bread wheat genotype (for comparison) were evaluated for NUE under control and N deficit field conditions. Based on NUE, selected genotypes were further evaluated under hydroponics and miRNome was compared by miRNAseq under control and N deficit conditions. Among the identified, differentially expressed miRNAs in control and N starved seedlings, the target gene functions were associated with N metabolism, root development, secondary metabolism and cell-cycle associated pathways. The key findings on miRNA expression, changes in root architecture, root auxin abundance and changes in N metabolism reveal new information on the N deficiency response of Indian dwarf wheat and targets for genetic improvement of NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrat Das
- Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
| | - Dalveer Singh
- Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
| | - Hari S Meena
- Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Jyoti Kumari
- Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Lekshmy Sathee
- Division of Plant Physiology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, India.
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Song G, Lu Y, Wang Y, Nie C, Xu M, Wang L, Bai Y. Analysis of metabolic differences in maize in different growth stages under nitrogen stress based on UPLC-QTOF-MS. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1141232. [PMID: 37077647 PMCID: PMC10106645 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1141232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Maize has a high demand for nitrogen during the growth period. The study of metabolic changes in maize can provide a theoretical basis for rational nitrogen nutrition regulation. Methods In order to investigate the changes of different metabolites and their metabolic pathways in maize leaves under nitrogen stress, we used ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) for metabolomic analysis of maize leaves under different nitrogen treatments at three critical growth stages (V4, V12 and R1) in a pot experiment under natural conditions. Results and discussion The results showed that nitrogen stress significantly affected sugar metabolism and nitrogen metabolism, and affected carbon and nitrogen balance, and the effects of stress on maize leaves metabolism increased with the growth process. Metabolic pathways such as the TCA cycle and starch and sucrose metabolism were mainly affected at the seeding stage (V4). The stress response to nitrogen deficiency also showed significant upregulation of flavonoids such as luteolin and astragalin during the booting stage (V12) and anthesis-silking stage (R1). During R1 stage, the synthesis of tryptophan and phenylalanine and the degradation of lysine were significantly affected. Compared with nitrogen stress, the metabolic synthesis of key amino acids and jasmonic acid were intensified and the TCA cycle was promoted under nitrogen sufficiency conditions. This study initially revealed that the response mechanism of maize to nitrogen stress at the metabolic level.
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Lian H, Qin C, Zhao Q, Begum N, Zhang S. Exogenous calcium promotes growth of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis Willd.) seedlings under nitrogen limitation through the regulation of nitrogen metabolism. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2022; 190:90-100. [PMID: 36108356 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plants exhibit lower nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) under N-limitation conditions. Although the function of calcium (Ca) has been widely studied in plants, it remains to be explored whether regulation of nitrate uptake and reduction is needed. A hydroponics experiment on adzuki beans (Vigna angularis Willd.) was used as a test material to determine the interactions between Ca and three levels of nitrogen supply. The height of the plant, the leaf area per plant, the biomass of the plant, the morphology of the roots, the hydraulic conductivity of the roots, the level of gas exchange, and the level of N metabolism of the adzuki beans were evaluated. Furthermore, RT-qPCR was conducted to explore the expression of genes related to nitrate transporter responses to Ca under N-limitation stress conditions. The rate of accumulation of N in plant tissue increased with the application of Ca. However, plant biomass, photosynthetic parameters, and root activity peaked for Ca2+ supply under N-marginal conditions. Further investigation revealed that the activities of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase were relatively high. The transcription of the nitrate transporter (VaNRT1.1; VaNRT2.5) was up-regulated in the roots of the Ca-treated plants. Both N-marginal conditions and N deficiency inhibit N absorption and utilization. The favorable effects of Ca on seedling growth and N metabolism under N-marginal conditions were more significant than those under N-deficiency conditions. The supply of Ca2+ is optimal, as it increases NUE by enhancing photosynthesis, N-metabolizing enzyme activities, and NO3 uptake and transport under N-marginal conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huida Lian
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Changzhi, Changzhi, 046000, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Cheng Qin
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Changzhi, Changzhi, 046000, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Qingsong Zhao
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Changzhi, Changzhi, 046000, China
| | - Naheeda Begum
- National Center for Soybean Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetics and Breeding for Soybean, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Suiqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China.
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Lu Y, Zhang J, Han Z, Han Z, Li S, Zhang J, Ma H, Han Y. Screening of differentially expressed microRNAs and target genes in two potato varieties under nitrogen stress. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:478. [PMID: 36207676 PMCID: PMC9547441 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03866-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A reasonable supply of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is essential for obtaining high-quality, high-level, and stable potato yields, and an improvement in the N utilization efficiency can effectively reduce N fertilizer use. It is important to use accurate, straightforward, and efficient transgenic breeding techniques for the identification of genes that can improve nitrogen use efficiency, thus enabling us to achieve the ultimate goal of breeding N-efficient potato varieties. In recent years, some of the mechanisms of miRNAs have been elucidated via the analysis of the correlation between the expression levels of potato miRNA target genes and regulated genes under conditions of stress, but the role of miRNAs in the inhibition/expression of key genes regulating N metabolism under N stress is still unclear. Our study aimed to identify the role played by specific enzymes and miRNAs in the responses of plants to N stress. RESULTS The roots and leaves of the N-efficient potato variety, Yanshu4 ("Y"), and N-inefficient potato variety, Atlantic ("D"), were collected at the seedling and budding stages after they were exposed to different N fertilizer treatments. The miRNAs expressed differentially under the two types of N stress and their corresponding target genes were first predicted using miRNA and degradome analysis. Then, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to verify the expression of differential miRNAs that were closely related to N metabolism. Finally, the shearing relationship between stu-miR396-5p and its target gene StNiR was determined by analyzing luciferase activity levels. The results showed that NiR activity increased significantly with an increase in the applied N levels from the seedling stage to the budding stage, and NiR responded significantly to different N treatments. miRNA sequencing enabled us to predict 48 families with conserved miRNAs that were mainly involved in N metabolism, carbon metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis. The differences in the expression of the following miRNAs were identified via screening (high expression levels and P < 0.05): stu-miR396-5p, stu-miR408b-3p_R-1, stu-miR3627-3p, stu-miR482a-3p, stu-miR8036-3p, stu-miR482a-5p, stu-miR827-5p, stu-miR156a_L-1, stu-miR827-3p, stu-miR172b-5p, stu-miR6022-p3_7, stu-miR398a-5p, and stu-miR166c-5p_L-3. Degradome analysis showed that most miRNAs had many-to-many relationships with target genes. The main target genes involved in N metabolism were NiR, NiR1, NRT2.5, and NRT2.7. qRT-PCR analysis showed that there were significant differences in the expression levels of stu-miR396-5p, stu-miR8036-3p, and stu-miR482a-3p in the leaves and roots of the Yanshu4 and Atlantic varieties at the seedling and budding stages under conditions that involved no N and excessive N application; the expression of these miRNAs was induced in response to N stress. The correlation between the differential expression of stu-miR396-5p and its corresponding target gene NiR was further verified by determining the luciferase activity level and was found to be strongly negative. CONCLUSION The activity of NiR was significantly positively correlated with N application from the seedling to the budding stage. Differential miRNAs and target genes showed a many-to-many relationship with each other. The expression of stu-miR396-5p, stu-miR482a-3p, and stu-miR8036-3p in the roots and leaves of the Yanshu4 and Atlantic varieties at the seedling and budding stages was notably different under two types of N stress. Under two types of N stress, stu-miR396-5p was down-regulated in Yanshu4 in the seedling-stage and shoot-stage roots, and up-regulated in seedling-stage roots and shoot-stage leaves; stu-miR482a-3p was up-regulated in the seedling and shoot stages. The expression of stu-miR8036-3p was up-regulated in the leaves and roots at the seedling and budding stages, and down-regulated in roots under both types of N stress. The gene expressing the key enzyme involved in N metabolism, StNiR, and the stu-miR396-5p luciferase assay reporter gene had a strong regulatory relationship with each other. This study provides candidate miRNAs related to nitrogen metabolism and highlights that differential miRNAs play a key role in nitrogen stress in potato, providing insights for future research on miRNAs and their target genes in nitrogen metabolic pathways and breeding nitrogen-efficient potatoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Lu
- College of Horticulture Research, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingying Zhang
- College of Horticulture Research, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China
- College of Resources and Environment, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, P.R. China
| | - Zhijun Han
- College of Horticulture Research, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongcai Han
- Jilin Provincial Research Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Changchun City, 130052, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Li
- Teaching and Research Base Management Office, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiayue Zhang
- College of Horticulture Research, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoran Ma
- College of Horticulture Research, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuzhu Han
- College of Horticulture Research, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun City, 130118, People's Republic of China.
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Numan M, Guo W, Choi S, Wang X, Du B, Jin W, Bhandari RK, Ligaba‐Osena A. Analysis of miRNAs responsive to long-term calcium deficiency in tef ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter). PLANT DIRECT 2022; 6:e400. [PMID: 35582629 PMCID: PMC9090557 DOI: 10.1002/pld3.400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in growth, development, stress resilience, and epigenetic modifications of plants. However, the effect of calcium (Ca2+) deficiency on miRNA expression in the orphan crop tef (Eragrostis tef) remains unknown. In this study, we analyzed expression of miRNAs in roots and shoots of tef in response to Ca2+ treatment. miRNA-seq followed by bioinformatic analysis allowed us to identify a large number of small RNAs (sRNAs) ranging from 17 to 35 nt in length. A total of 1380 miRNAs were identified in tef experiencing long-term Ca2+ deficiency while 1495 miRNAs were detected in control plants. Among the miRNAs identified in this study, 161 miRNAs were similar with those previously characterized in other plant species and 348 miRNAs were novel, while the remaining miRNAs were uncharacterized. Putative target genes and their functions were predicted for all the known and novel miRNAs that we identified. Based on gene ontology (GO) analysis, the predicted target genes are known to have various biological and molecular functions including calcium uptake and transport. Pairwise comparison of differentially expressed miRNAs revealed that some miRNAs were specifically enriched in roots or shoots of low Ca2+-treated plants. Further characterization of the miRNAs and their targets identified in this study may help in understanding Ca2+ deficiency responses in tef and related orphan crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Numan
- Present address:
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Wanli Guo
- Present address:
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth CarolinaUSA
- Present address:
Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and MedicineZhejiang Sci‐Tech UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Sang‐Chul Choi
- Present address:
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Xuegeng Wang
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenetics, Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth CarolinaUSA
- Institute of Modern Aquaculture Science and Engineering, College of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouP. R. China
| | - Boxuan Du
- Present address:
Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and MedicineZhejiang Sci‐Tech UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Weibo Jin
- Present address:
Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and MedicineZhejiang Sci‐Tech UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Ramji Kumar Bhandari
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenetics, Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Ayalew Ligaba‐Osena
- Present address:
Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Department of BiologyUniversity of North Carolina GreensboroGreensboroNorth CarolinaUSA
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11
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Kumar A, Kumar S, Venkatesh K, Singh NK, Mandal PK, Sinha SK. Physio-molecular traits of contrasting bread wheat genotypes associated with 15N influx exhibiting homeolog expression bias in nitrate transporter genes under different external nitrate concentrations. PLANTA 2022; 255:104. [PMID: 35416522 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-022-03890-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The high affinity nitrate transport system is a potential target for improving nitrogen use efficiency of bread wheat growing either under optimal or limiting nitrate concentration. Nitrate uptake is one of the most important traits to take into account to improve nitrogen use efficiency in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, we aimed to gain an insight into the regulation of NO3- -uptake and translocation systems in two contrasting wheat genotypes [K9107(K9) vs. Choti Lerma (CL)]. Different conditions, such as NO3--uptake rates, soil-types, N-free solid external media, and external NO3- levels at the seedling stage, were considered. We also studied the contribution of homeolog expression of five genes encoding two nitrate transporters in the root tissue, along with their overall transcript expression levels relative to specific external nitrate availability. We observed that K9107 had a higher 15N influx than Choti Lerma under both limiting as well as optimum external N conditions in vermiculite-perlite (i.e., N-free solid) medium, with the improved translocation efficiency in Choti Lerma. However, in different soil types, different levels of 15N-enrichment in both the genotypes were found. Our results also demonstrated that the partitioning of dry matter in root and shoot was different under these growing conditions. Moreover, K9107 showed significantly higher relative expression of TaNRT2.1 at the lowest and TaNPF6.1 and TaNPF6.2 at the highest external nitrate concentrations. We also observed genotype-specific and nitrate starvation-dependent homeolog expression bias in all five nitrate transporter genes. Our data suggest that K9107 had a higher NO3- influx capacity, involving different nitrate transporters, than Choti Lerma at the seedling stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amresh Kumar
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Sarvendra Kumar
- Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Karnam Venkatesh
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, 132001, India
| | - Nagendra Kumar Singh
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Pranab Kumar Mandal
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Subodh Kumar Sinha
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.
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12
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Singh P, Kumar K, Jha AK, Yadava P, Pal M, Rakshit S, Singh I. Global gene expression profiling under nitrogen stress identifies key genes involved in nitrogen stress adaptation in maize (Zea mays L.). Sci Rep 2022; 12:4211. [PMID: 35273237 PMCID: PMC8913646 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07709-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Maize is a heavy consumer of fertilizer nitrogen (N) which not only results in the high cost of cultivation but may also lead to environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need to develop N-use efficient genotypes, a prerequisite for which is a greater understanding of N-deficiency stress adaptation. In this study, comparative transcriptome analysis was performed using leaf and root tissues from contrasting inbred lines, viz., DMI 56 (tolerant to N stress) and DMI 81 (susceptible to N stress) to delineate the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) under low-N stress. The contrasting lines were grown hydroponically in modified Hoagland solution having either sufficient- or deficient-N, followed by high-throughput RNA-sequencing. A total of 8 sequencing libraries were prepared and 88–97% of the sequenced raw reads were mapped to the reference B73 maize genome. Genes with a p value ≤ 0.05 and fold change of ≥ 2.0 or ≤ − 2 were considered as DEGs in various combinations performed between susceptible and tolerant genotypes. DEGs were further classified into different functional categories and pathways according to their putative functions. Gene Ontology based annotation of these DEGs identified three different functional categories: biological processes, molecular function, and cellular component. The KEGG and Mapman based analysis revealed that most of the DEGs fall into various metabolic pathways, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, N-assimilation and metabolism, and starch metabolism. Some of the key genes involved in N uptake (high-affinity nitrate transporter 2.2 and 2.5), N assimilation and metabolism (glutamine synthetase, asparagine synthetase), redox homeostasis (SOD, POX), and transcription factors (MYB36, AP2-EREBP) were found to be highly expressed in the tolerant genotype compared to susceptible one. The candidate genes identified in the present study might be playing a pivotal role in low-N stress adaptation in maize and hence could be useful in augmenting further research on N metabolism and development of N-deficiency tolerant maize cultivars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prabha Singh
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.,Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.,Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, 284003, India
| | - Krishan Kumar
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Abhishek Kumar Jha
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Pranjal Yadava
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Madan Pal
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Sujay Rakshit
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Ishwar Singh
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.
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13
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Zhang N, Feng X, Zeng Q, Lin H, Wu Z, Gao X, Huang Y, Wu J, Qi Y. Integrated Analysis of miRNAs Associated With Sugarcane Responses to Low-Potassium Stress. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 12:750805. [PMID: 35058942 PMCID: PMC8763679 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.750805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sugarcane is among the most important global crops and a key bioenergy source. Sugarcane production is restricted by limited levels of available soil potassium (K+). The ability of plants to respond to stressors can be regulated by a range of microRNAs (miRNAs). However, there have been few studies regarding the roles of miRNAs in the regulation of sugarcane responses to K+-deficiency. To understand how these non-coding RNAs may influence sugarcane responses to low-K+ stress, we conducted expression profiling of miRNAs in sugarcane roots under low-K+ conditions via high-throughput sequencing. This approach led to the identification of 324 and 42 known and novel miRNAs, respectively, of which 36 were found to be differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) under low-K+ conditions. These results also suggested that miR156-x/z and miR171-x are involved in these responses as potential regulators of lateral root formation and the ethylene signaling pathway, respectively. A total of 705 putative targets of these DEMs were further identified through bioinformatics predictions and degradome analyses, and GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed these target mRNAs to be enriched for catalytic activity, binding functions, metabolic processes, plant hormone signal transduction, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. In summary, these data provide an overview of the roles of miRNAs in the regulation of sugarcane response to low-K+ conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Zhang
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaomin Feng
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiaoying Zeng
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huanzhang Lin
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- College of Agriculture and Biology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zilin Wu
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoning Gao
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yonghong Huang
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiayun Wu
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongwen Qi
- Guangdong Sugarcane Genetic Improvement Engineering Center, Institute of Nanfan & Seed Industry, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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14
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Chen M, Yin Y, Zhang L, Yang X, Fu T, Huo X, Wang Y. Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Integration of Early Response of Populus tomentosa to Reduced Nitrogen Availability. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:769748. [PMID: 34956269 PMCID: PMC8692568 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.769748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is one of the most crucial elements for plant growth and development. However, little is known about the metabolic regulation of trees under conditions of N deficiency. In this investigation, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to determine global changes in metabolites and regulatory pathways in Populus tomentosa. Thirty metabolites were found to be changed significantly under conditions of low-N stress. N deficiency resulted in increased levels of carbohydrates and decreases in amino acids and some alcohols, as well as some secondary metabolites. Furthermore, an RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis was performed to characterize the transcriptomic profiles, and 1,662 differentially expressed genes were identified in P. tomentosa. Intriguingly, four pathways related to carbohydrate metabolism were enriched. Genes involved in the gibberellic acid and indole-3-acetic acid pathways were found to be responsive to low-N stress, and the contents of hormones were then validated by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Coordinated metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis revealed a pattern of co-expression of five pairs of metabolites and unigenes. Overall, our investigation showed that metabolism directly related to N deficiency was depressed, while some components of energy metabolism were increased. These observations provided insights into the metabolic and molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions of N and carbon in poplar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Chen
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yiyi Yin
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Lichun Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoqian Yang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Tiantian Fu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaowei Huo
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanwei Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
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15
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miRNAomic Approach to Plant Nitrogen Starvation. Int J Genomics 2021; 2021:8560323. [PMID: 34796230 PMCID: PMC8595019 DOI: 10.1155/2021/8560323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is one of the indispensable nutrients required by plants for their growth, development, and survival. Being a limited nutrient, it is mostly supplied exogenously to the plants, to maintain quality and productivity. The increased use of N fertilizers is associated with high-cost inputs and negative environmental consequences, which necessitates the development of nitrogen-use-efficient plants for sustainable agriculture. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms underlying N metabolism in plants under low N is one of the prerequisites for the development of nitrogen-use-efficient plants. One of the important and recently discovered groups of regulatory molecules acting at the posttranscriptional and translational levels are microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are known to play critical roles in the regulation of gene expression in plants under different stress conditions including N stress. Several classes of miRNAs associated with N metabolism have been identified so far. These nitrogen-responsive miRNAs may provide a platform for a better understanding of the regulation of N metabolism and pave a way for the development of genotypes for better N utilization. The current review presents a brief outline of miRNAs and their regulatory role in N metabolism.
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16
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Sustainable intensification of maize and wheat cropping system through pulse intercropping. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18805. [PMID: 34552117 PMCID: PMC8458501 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98179-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The intercropping of legumes with cereals help to achieve sustainable intensification by their mutual complementarity at efficiently using radiation, nutrients, etc. Several studies indicated such beneficial effects on the other component crop however, little research has been conducted to quantify their effects on the subsequent crop in a cropping system. In this study, the effect of the legume intercropping on the entire cropping system, particularly the maize + legume-wheat system was studied. Four legumes intercropped to maize followed by wheat crop were studied for intensification measures such as wheat equivalent yield (WEY), land equivalent ratio (LER), sustainable value index (SVI), and economic returns. N saving effect of legumes on the subsequent wheat crop was quantified with two N levels. Maize + cowpea-wheat combination was the most productive and economic intercrop combination (LER = 1.71, SVI = 0.96) with an increase in net economic return (43.63%) with a B:C ratio of 1.94. An additional 25% N (37.5 kg ha-1) was saved in the wheat crop when the legume intercropping was undertaken with maize. The results suggest that intercropping is the key to diversification and reduces the risk of crop failures by enhancing land-use efficiency, soil fertility, and economic returns under weather vagaries. This will be beneficial to small and marginal farmers of many countries.
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17
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Zhang J, Zhang H, Li S, Li J, Yan L, Xia L. Increasing yield potential through manipulating of an ARE1 ortholog related to nitrogen use efficiency in wheat by CRISPR/Cas9. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 63:1649-1663. [PMID: 34270164 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple food crop consumed by more than 30% of world population. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer has been applied broadly in agriculture practice to improve wheat yield to meet the growing demands for food production. However, undue N fertilizer application and the low N use efficiency (NUE) of modern wheat varieties are aggravating environmental pollution and ecological deterioration. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, the rice (Oryza sativa) abnormal cytokinin response1 repressor1 (are1) mutant exhibits increased NUE, delayed senescence and consequently, increased grain yield. However, the function of ARE1 ortholog in wheat remains unknown. Here, we isolated and characterized three TaARE1 homoeologs from the elite Chinese winter wheat cultivar ZhengMai 7698. We then used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutagenesis to generate a series of transgene-free mutant lines either with partial or triple-null taare1 alleles. All transgene-free mutant lines showed enhanced tolerance to N starvation, and showed delayed senescence and increased grain yield in field conditions. In particular, the AABBdd and aabbDD mutant lines exhibited delayed senescence and significantly increased grain yield without growth defects compared to the wild-type control. Together, our results underscore the potential to manipulate ARE1 orthologs through gene editing for breeding of high-yield wheat as well as other cereal crops with improved NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahui Zhang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Huating Zhang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
- School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China
| | - Shaoya Li
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Jingying Li
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Lei Yan
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Lanqin Xia
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
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18
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Danakumara T, Kumari J, Singh AK, Sinha SK, Pradhan AK, Sharma S, Jha SK, Bansal R, Kumar S, Jha GK, Yadav MC, Prasad PV. Genetic Dissection of Seedling Root System Architectural Traits in a Diverse Panel of Hexaploid Wheat through Multi-Locus Genome-Wide Association Mapping for Improving Drought Tolerance. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7188. [PMID: 34281242 PMCID: PMC8268147 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultivars with efficient root systems play a major role in enhancing resource use efficiency, particularly water absorption, and thus in drought tolerance. In this study, a diverse wheat association panel of 136 wheat accessions including mini core subset was genotyped using Axiom 35k Breeders' Array to identify genomic regions associated with seedling stage root architecture and shoot traits using multi-locus genome-wide association studies (ML-GWAS). The association panel revealed a wide variation of 1.5- to 50-fold and were grouped into six clusters based on 15 traits. Six different ML-GWAS models revealed 456 significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) for various traits with phenotypic variance in the range of 0.12-38.60%. Of these, 87 QTNs were repeatedly detected by two or more models and were considered reliable genomic regions for the respective traits. Among these QTNs, eleven were associated with average diameter and nine each for second order lateral root number (SOLRN), root volume (RV) and root length density (RLD). A total of eleven genomic regions were pleiotropic and each controlled two or three traits. Some important candidate genes such as Formin homology 1, Ubiquitin-like domain superfamily and ATP-dependent 6-phosphofructokinase were identified from the associated genomic regions. The genomic regions/genes identified in this study could potentially be targeted for improving root traits and drought tolerance in wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thippeswamy Danakumara
- Division of Genetics, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)—Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India; (T.D.); (S.K.J.)
| | - Jyoti Kumari
- Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (R.B.)
| | - Amit Kumar Singh
- Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (A.K.S.); (A.K.P.); (S.K.); (M.C.Y.)
| | - Subodh Kumar Sinha
- ICAR-National Institute of Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi 110012, India;
| | - Anjan Kumar Pradhan
- Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (A.K.S.); (A.K.P.); (S.K.); (M.C.Y.)
| | - Shivani Sharma
- Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (R.B.)
| | - Shailendra Kumar Jha
- Division of Genetics, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)—Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India; (T.D.); (S.K.J.)
| | - Ruchi Bansal
- Division of Germplasm Evaluation, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (S.S.); (R.B.)
| | - Sundeep Kumar
- Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (A.K.S.); (A.K.P.); (S.K.); (M.C.Y.)
| | - Girish Kumar Jha
- Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India;
| | - Mahesh C. Yadav
- Division of Genomic Resources, ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi 110012, India; (A.K.S.); (A.K.P.); (S.K.); (M.C.Y.)
| | - P.V. Vara Prasad
- Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA;
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19
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Sevanthi AM, Sinha SK, V S, Rani M, Saini MR, Kumari S, Kaushik M, Prakash C, K V, Singh GP, Mohapatra T, Mandal PK. Integration of Dual Stress Transcriptomes and Major QTLs from a Pair of Genotypes Contrasting for Drought and Chronic Nitrogen Starvation Identifies Key Stress Responsive Genes in Rice. RICE (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 14:49. [PMID: 34089405 PMCID: PMC8179884 DOI: 10.1186/s12284-021-00487-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
We report here the genome-wide changes resulting from low N (N-W+), low water (N+W-)) and dual stresses (N-W-) in root and shoot tissues of two rice genotypes, namely, IR 64 (IR64) and Nagina 22 (N22), and their association with the QTLs for nitrogen use efficiency. For all the root parameters, except for root length under N-W+, N22 performed better than IR64. Chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid content were higher in IR64 under N+W+ treatment and N-W+ and N+W- stresses; however, under dual stress, N22 had higher chlorophyll b content. While nitrite reductase, glutamate synthase (GS) and citrate synthase assays showed better specific activity in IR64, glutamate dehydrogenase showed better specific activity in N22 under dual stress (N-W-); the other N and C assimilating enzymes showed similar but low specific activities in both the genotypes. A total of 8926 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified compared to optimal (N+W+) condition from across all treatments. While 1174, 698 and 903 DEGs in IR64 roots and 1197, 187 and 781 in N22 roots were identified, nearly double the number of DEGs were found in the shoot tissues; 3357, 1006 and 4005 in IR64 and 4004, 990 and 2143 in N22, under N-W+, N+W- and N-W- treatments, respectively. IR64 and N22 showed differential expression in 15 and 11 N-transporter genes respectively, under one or more stress treatments, out of which four showed differential expression also in N+W- condition. The negative regulators of N- stress, e.g., NIGT1, OsACTPK1 and OsBT were downregulated in IR64 while in N22, OsBT was not downregulated. Overall, N22 performed better under dual stress conditions owing to its better root architecture, chlorophyll and porphyrin synthesis and oxidative stress management. We identified 12 QTLs for seed and straw N content using 253 recombinant inbred lines derived from IR64 and N22 and a 5K SNP array. The QTL hotspot region on chromosome 6 comprised of 61 genes, of which, five were DEGs encoding for UDP-glucuronosyltransferase, serine threonine kinase, anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosyltransferase, and nitrate induced proteins. The DEGs, QTLs and candidate genes reported in this study can serve as a major resource for both rice improvement and functional biology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subodh Kumar Sinha
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Sureshkumar V
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Manju Rani
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Manish Ranjan Saini
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Sapna Kumari
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Megha Kaushik
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Chandra Prakash
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
| | - Venkatesh K
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, 132001, India
| | - G P Singh
- ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, 132001, India
| | - Trilochan Mohapatra
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India
- Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi, 110001, India
| | - Pranab Kumar Mandal
- ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 110012, India.
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20
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Nitrogen Starvation-Responsive MicroRNAs Are Affected by Transgenerational Stress in Durum Wheat Seedlings. PLANTS 2021; 10:plants10050826. [PMID: 33919185 PMCID: PMC8143135 DOI: 10.3390/plants10050826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Stress events have transgenerational effects on plant growth and development. In Mediterranean regions, water-deficit and heat (WH) stress is a frequent issue that negatively affects crop yield and quality. Nitrogen (N) is an essential plant macronutrient and often a yield-limiting factor for crops. Here, the response of durum wheat seedlings to N starvation under the transgenerational effects of WH stress was investigated in two genotypes. Both genotypes showed a significant reduction in seedling height, leaf number, shoot and root weight (fresh and dry), primary root length, and chlorophyll content under N starvation stress. However, in the WH stress-tolerant genotype, the percentage reduction of most traits was lower in progeny from the stressed parents than progeny from the control parents. Small RNA sequencing identified 1534 microRNAs in different treatment groups. Differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) were characterized subject to N starvation, parental stress and genotype factors, with their target genes identified in silico. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed the biological functions, associated with DEM-target modules in stress adaptation processes, that could contribute to the phenotypic differences observed between the two genotypes. The study provides the first evidence of the transgenerational effects of WH stress on the N starvation response in durum wheat.
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21
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Móring A, Hooda S, Raghuram N, Adhya TK, Ahmad A, Bandyopadhyay SK, Barsby T, Beig G, Bentley AR, Bhatia A, Dragosits U, Drewer J, Foulkes J, Ghude SD, Gupta R, Jain N, Kumar D, Kumar RM, Ladha JK, Mandal PK, Neeraja CN, Pandey R, Pathak H, Pawar P, Pellny TK, Poole P, Price A, Rao DLN, Reay DS, Singh NK, Sinha SK, Srivastava RK, Shewry P, Smith J, Steadman CE, Subrahmanyam D, Surekha K, Venkatesh K, Varinderpal-Singh, Uwizeye A, Vieno M, Sutton MA. Nitrogen Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural and Environmental Science in India. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.505347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last six decades, the consumption of reactive nitrogen (Nr) in the form of fertilizer in India has been growing rapidly, whilst the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of cropping systems has been decreasing. These trends have led to increasing environmental losses of Nr, threatening the quality of air, soils, and fresh waters, and thereby endangering climate-stability, ecosystems, and human-health. Since it has been suggested that the fertilizer consumption of India may double by 2050, there is an urgent need for scientific research to support better nitrogen management in Indian agriculture. In order to share knowledge and to develop a joint vision, experts from the UK and India came together for a conference and workshop on “Challenges and Opportunities for Agricultural Nitrogen Science in India.” The meeting concluded with three core messages: (1) Soil stewardship is essential and legumes need to be planted in rotation with cereals to increase nitrogen fixation in areas of limited Nr availability. Synthetic symbioses and plastidic nitrogen fixation are possibly disruptive technologies, but their potential and implications must be considered. (2) Genetic diversity of crops and new technologies need to be shared and exploited to reduce N losses and support productive, sustainable agriculture livelihoods. (3) The use of leaf color sensing shows great potential to reduce nitrogen fertilizer use (by 10–15%). This, together with the usage of urease inhibitors in neem-coated urea, and better management of manure, urine, and crop residues, could result in a 20–25% improvement in NUE of India by 2030.
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22
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Islam S, Zhang J, Zhao Y, She M, Ma W. Genetic regulation of the traits contributing to wheat nitrogen use efficiency. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 303:110759. [PMID: 33487345 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
High nitrogen application aimed at increasing crop yield is offset by higher production costs and negative environmental consequences. For wheat, only one third of the applied nitrogen is utilized, which indicates there is scope for increasing Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). However, achieving greater NUE is challenged by the complexity of the trait, which comprises processes associated with nitrogen uptake, transport, reduction, assimilation, translocation and remobilization. Thus, knowledge of the genetic regulation of these processes is critical in increasing NUE. Although primary nitrogen uptake and metabolism-related genes have been well studied, the relative influence of each towards NUE is not fully understood. Recent attention has focused on engineering transcription factors and identification of miRNAs acting on expression of specific genes related to NUE. Knowledge obtained from model species needs to be translated into wheat using recently-released whole genome sequences, and by exploring genetic variations of NUE-related traits in wild relatives and ancient germplasm. Recent findings indicate the genetic basis of NUE is complex. Pyramiding various genes will be the most effective approach to achieve a satisfactory level of NUE in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahidul Islam
- State Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Jingjuan Zhang
- State Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Yun Zhao
- State Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Maoyun She
- State Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Wujun Ma
- State Agricultural Biotechnology Center, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 6150, Australia.
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23
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Kong L, Zhang Y, Du W, Xia H, Fan S, Zhang B. Signaling Responses to N Starvation: Focusing on Wheat and Filling the Putative Gaps With Findings Obtained in Other Plants. A Review. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:656696. [PMID: 34135921 PMCID: PMC8200679 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.656696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Wheat is one of the most important food crops worldwide. In recent decades, fertilizers, especially nitrogen (N), have been increasingly utilized to maximize wheat productivity. However, a large proportion of N is not used by plants and is in fact lost into the environment and causes serious environmental pollution. Therefore, achieving a low N optimum via efficient physiological and biochemical processes in wheat grown under low-N conditions is highly important for agricultural sustainability. Although N stress-related N capture in wheat has become a heavily researched subject, how this plant adapts and responds to N starvation has not been fully elucidated. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the signaling mechanisms activated in wheat plants in response to N starvation. Furthermore, we filled the putative gaps on this subject with findings obtained in other plants, primarily rice, maize, and Arabidopsis. Phytohormones have been determined to play essential roles in sensing environmental N starvation and transducing this signal into an adjustment of N transporters and phenotypic adaptation. The critical roles played by protein kinases and critical kinases and phosphatases, such as MAPK and PP2C, as well as the multifaceted functions of transcription factors, such as NF-Y, MYB, DOF, and WRKY, in regulating the expression levels of their target genes (proteins) for low-N tolerance are also discussed. Optimization of root system architecture (RSA) via root branching and thinning, improvement of N acquisition and assimilation, and fine-tuned autophagy are pivotal strategies by which plants respond to N starvation. In light of these findings, we attempted to construct regulatory networks for RSA modification and N uptake, transport, assimilation, and remobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingan Kong
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Yunxiu Zhang
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Wanying Du
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Haiyong Xia
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Shoujin Fan
- College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Crop Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Bin Zhang,
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24
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Grabowska A, Smoczynska A, Bielewicz D, Pacak A, Jarmolowski A, Szweykowska-Kulinska Z. Barley microRNAs as metabolic sensors for soil nitrogen availability. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 299:110608. [PMID: 32900446 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is one of the most important crops in the world, ranking 4th in the worldwide production. Crop breeders are facing increasing environmental obstacles in the field, such as drought, salinity but also toxic over fertilization which not only impacts quality of the grain but also an yield. One of the most prevalent mechanisms of gene expression regulation in plants is microRNA-mediated silencing of target genes. We identified 13 barley microRNAs and 2 microRNAs* that are nitrogen excess responsive. Four microRNAs respond only in root, eight microRNAs only in shoot and one displays broad response in roots and shoots. We demonstrate that 2 microRNAs* are induced in barley shoot by nitrogen excess. For all microRNAs we identified putative target genes and confirmed microRNA-guided cleavage sites for ten out of thirteen mRNAs. None of the identified microRNAs or their target genes is known as nitrogen excess responsive. Analysis of expression pattern of thirteen target mRNAs and their cognate microRNAs showed expected correlations of their levels. The plant microRNAs analyzed are also known to respond to nitrogen deprivation and exhibit the opposite expression pattern when nitrogen excess/deficiency conditions are compared. Thus, they can be regarded as metabolic sensors of the regulation of nitrogen homeostasis in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Grabowska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Smoczynska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Dawid Bielewicz
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Andrzej Pacak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Artur Jarmolowski
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Zofia Szweykowska-Kulinska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
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25
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Yu X, Wang L, Ran L, Chen X, Sheng J, Yang Y, Wu Y, Chen G, Xiong F. New insights into the mechanism of storage protein biosynthesis in wheat caryopsis under different nitrogen levels. PROTOPLASMA 2020; 257:1289-1308. [PMID: 32405873 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-020-01489-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Effect of different nitrogen levels (0, 150, and 300 kg hm-2) at booting stage on storage protein biosynthesis and processing quality of wheat was investigated using microstructural and ultrastructural observation, RNA sequencing, and quality analysis in this study. The results showed that the storage protein genes encoding ω- and γ-gliadin and low molecular weight glutenin subunit were upregulated at N150, and the genes encoding α- or β-gliadin and avenin-like protein were upregulated at N300. Two nitrogen levels induced expression of some interesting regulating genes, such as USE1, STX1B_2_3, SEC23, SEC24, SEC61A, HSP A1_8, HSP20, and HSP90B/TRA1. These regulatory genes were enriched in the KEGG pathway protein export, SNARE interactions in vesicular transport, and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum. The amount, morphology, and accumulation pattern of protein body in four different endosperm regions in developing caryopsis show different response to N150 and N300, of which N300 had greater influence than N150. N150 and N300 both enhanced the contents of protein components, endosperm fullness, grain hardness, and parameters of processing quality, with the latter showing a greater degree of influence. Contrary to the accumulation pattern of protein body, N300 reduced the ratio of the amount of starch granules to the area ratio of protein body to starch granule. Results suggested that the difference of different nitrogen levels affecting storage protein biosynthesis might be through affecting the expression of the encoding and regulating gene of storage protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xurun Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Leilei Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Liping Ran
- Guangling College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Jieyue Sheng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yunfei Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Fei Xiong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
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26
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Sinha SK, Kumar A, Tyagi A, Venkatesh K, Paul D, Singh NK, Mandal PK. Root architecture traits variation and nitrate-influx responses in diverse wheat genotypes under different external nitrogen concentrations. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2020; 148:246-259. [PMID: 31982860 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In order to identify the genetic variations in root system architecture traits and their probable association with high- and low-affinity nitrate transport system, we performed several experiments on a genetically diverse set of wheat genotypes grown under two external nitrogen levels (optimum and limited nitrate conditions) at two growth points of the seedling stage. Further, we also examined the nitrate uptake and its transport under different combinations of nitrate availability in the external media using 15N-labelled N-source (15NO3-), and gene expression pattern of different high- and low-affinity nitrate transporters. We observed that nitrate starvation invariably increases the total root size in all genotypes. However, the variation of component traits of total root size under nitrate starvation is genotype-specific at both stages. Further, we also observed genotypic variation in both nitrate uptake and translocation depending on the growth stage, external nitrate concentration and growing conditions. The expression of the TaNRT2.1 gene was invariably up-regulated under low external nitrate concentration; however, it gets reduced after a longer period (21 days) of starvation than the early stage (14 days). Among the four NRT1.1 orthologs, TaNPF6.3 and TaNPF6.4 consistently showed higher expression than TaNPF6.1 and TaNPF6.2 at higher nitrate concentration at both the growth stages. TaNPF6.3 and TaNPF6.4 apparently showed a feature of typical low-affinity nitrate transporter gene at higher external nitrate concentration at 14 and 21 days growth stages, respectively. The present study reveals the complex root system of wheat that has genotype-specific N-foraging along with highly coordinated high- and low-affinity nitrate transport systems for nitrate uptake and transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subodh Kumar Sinha
- ICAR- National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 11012, India.
| | - Amresh Kumar
- ICAR- National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 11012, India
| | - Akanksha Tyagi
- ICAR- National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 11012, India
| | - Karnam Venkatesh
- ICAR- Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, 132001, India
| | - Debajyoti Paul
- Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, 208016, India
| | - Nagendra Kumar Singh
- ICAR- National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 11012, India
| | - Pranab Kumar Mandal
- ICAR- National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, 11012, India
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27
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Zuluaga DL, Sonnante G. The Use of Nitrogen and Its Regulation in Cereals: Structural Genes, Transcription Factors, and the Role of miRNAs. PLANTS 2019; 8:plants8080294. [PMID: 31434274 PMCID: PMC6724420 DOI: 10.3390/plants8080294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Cereals and, especially, rice, maize, and wheat, are essential commodities, on which human nutrition is based. Expanding population and food demand have required higher production which has been achieved by increasing fertilization, and especially nitrogen supply to cereal crops. In fact, nitrogen is a crucial nutrient for the plant, but excessive use poses serious environmental and health issues. Therefore, increasing nitrogen use efficiency in cereals is of pivotal importance for sustainable agriculture. The main steps in the use of nitrogen are uptake and transport, reduction and assimilation, and translocation and remobilization. Many studies have been carried out on the genes involved in these phases, and on transcription factors regulating these genes. Lately, increasing attention has been paid to miRNAs responding to abiotic stress, including nutrient deficiency. Many miRNAs have been found to regulate transcription factors acting on the expression of specific genes for nitrogen uptake or remobilization. Recent studies on gene regulatory networks have also demonstrated that miRNAs can interact with several nodes in the network, functioning as key regulators in nitrogen metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L Zuluaga
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy.
| | - Gabriella Sonnante
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy.
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28
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Physiological responses and small RNAs changes in maize under nitrogen deficiency and resupply. Genes Genomics 2019; 41:1183-1194. [PMID: 31313105 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-019-00848-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maize is an important crop in the world, nitrogen stress severely reduces maize yield. Although a large number of studies have identified the expression changes of microRNAs (miRNAs) under N stress in several species, the miRNAs expression patterns of N-deficient plants under N resupply remain unclear. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study was to identify miRNAs in response to nitrogen stress and understand relevant physiological changes in nitrogen-deficient maize after nitrogen resupply. METHODS Physiological parameters were measured to study relevant physiological changes under different nitrogen conditions. Small RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR analysis were performed to understand the response of miRNAs under different nitrogen conditions. RESULTS The content of chlorophyll, soluble protein and nitrate nitrogen decreased than CK by 0.52, 0.49 and 0.82 times after N deficiency treatment and increased than ND by 0.52, 1.36 and 0.65 times after N resupply, respectively. Conversely, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) increased by 0.67 and 1.64 times than CK after N deficiency, respectively, and decreased by 0.09 and 0.35 times than ND after N resupply. A total of 226 known miRNAs were identified by sRNA sequencing; 106 miRNAs were differentially expressed between the control and N-deficient groups, and 103 were differentially expressed between the N-deficient and N-resupply groups (P < 0.05). Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to further validate and analyze the expression of the identified miRNAs. A total of 1609 target genes were identified by target prediction, and some differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted to target transcription factors and functional proteins. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was used to determine the biological function of these targets and revealed that some miRNAs, such as miR169, miR1214, miR2199, miR398, miR408 and miR827 might be involved in nitrogen metabolism regulation. CONCLUSION Our study comprehensively provides important information on miRNA functions and molecular mechanisms in response to N stress. These findings may assist to improve nitrogen availability in plants.
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29
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Zeng J, Ye Z, He X, Zhang G. Identification of microRNAs and their targets responding to low-potassium stress in two barley genotypes differing in low-K tolerance. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 234-235:44-53. [PMID: 30665047 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2019.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have diverse and crucial roles in plant growth and development, including in the response to abiotic stresses. Although plant responses to K deficiency are well documented at the physiological and transcriptional levels, the miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional pathways are still not clearly elucidated. In this study, high-throughput sequencing and degradome analysis were performed using two barley genotypes differing in low-K tolerance (XZ149, tolerant and ZD9, sensitive), to determine the genotypic difference in miRNAs profiling. A total of 270 miRNAs were detected in the roots of XZ149 and ZD9 at 2 d and 10 d after low-K treatment, of which 195 were commonly found in both genotypes. Their targets were further investigated by bioinformatics prediction and degradome sequencing approach. The results showed that ata-miR1432-5p might act as a regulator participating in Ca2+ signaling pathways in response to low-K stress. The difference in the miR444/MADS-box model as well as pathways mediated by miR319/TCP4 and miR396/GRF could be attributed to high tolerance to low-K stress in XZ149. In addition, other conserved and novel miRNAs families associated with low-K tolerance were also detected. The current results provide molecular evidence for understanding the possible involvement of miRNAs in the regulation of low-K tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianbin Zeng
- Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China.
| | - Zhilan Ye
- Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Xiaoyan He
- College of Agronomy, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China.
| | - Guoping Zhang
- Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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30
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Gayatri, Rani M, Mahato AK, Sinha SK, Dalal M, Singh NK, Mandal PK. Homeologue Specific Gene Expression Analysis of Two Vital Carbon Metabolizing Enzymes—Citrate Synthase and NADP-Isocitrate Dehydrogenase—from Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Under Nitrogen Stress. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2018; 188:569-584. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-018-2912-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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31
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Chen G, Li X, Chen Q, Wang L, Qi K, Yin H, Qiao X, Wang P, Zhang S, Wu J, Huang Z. Dynamic transcriptome analysis of root nitrate starvation and re-supply provides insights into nitrogen metabolism in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri). PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 277:322-333. [PMID: 30466597 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Revised: 09/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) is a popular fruit worldwide, but the irrational utilization of nitrogen as a fertilizer not only greatly affects the fruit' quality, but also wastes resources and results in serious environmental pollution. To better understand the molecular mechanism in pear responsible for the regulation of nitrate transport and assimilation, RNA-seq was performed on samples collected in response to nitrate treatments. Here, 10,273 differentially expressed genes were obtained and annotated into 49 GO terms, 45 clusters having co-expression trends that involved 18 KEGG-defined significantly overrepresented pathways. The KEGG pathways revealed that 15 unigenes, including one NRT gene, two NR genes, one NiR gene, two GDH genes, six GS genes and three GOGAT genes, were related to nitrogen metabolism and significantly differentially expressed in response to nitrate starvation and a nitrate re-supply treatment. Furthermore, 449 transcription factors belonging to 35 different families were identified during the nitrate treatments. The expression patterns of 14 randomly selected differentially expressed genes were validated by qRT-PCR. This study provides valuable resources for investigating the genetics of the nitrogen metabolic pathways and improving nitrogen utilization efficiency in pear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Chen
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xiaolong Li
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Qian Chen
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Li Wang
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Kaijie Qi
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Hao Yin
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xin Qiao
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Shaoling Zhang
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Juyou Wu
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
| | - Zhi Huang
- Center of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
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Liu Z, Wang X, Chen X, Shi G, Bai Q, Xiao K. TaMIR1139: a wheat miRNA responsive to Pi-starvation, acts a critical mediator in modulating plant tolerance to Pi deprivation. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2018; 37:1293-1309. [PMID: 29947952 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-018-2313-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wheat miRNA member TaMIR1139 targets genes functional in various families and plays crucial roles in regulating plant Pi starvation tolerance. Through regulating target genes at posttranscriptional or translational level, plant miRNAs are involved in mediating diverse biological processes associated with growth, development, and responses to adverse stresses. In this study, we characterized the expression pattern and function of TaMIR1139, a miRNA member of wheat (T. aestivum) under Pi deprivation. TaMIR1139 precursor is also present in N. tabucum, suggesting the conserved nature of miR1139 across monocots and eudicots. TaMIR1139 targets seven genes within different families. The transcripts abundance of TaMIR1139 was induced upon Pi deprivation and the upregulated expression under Pi starvation was downregulated by the Pi recovery treatment, In contrast, the genes targeted by TaMIR1139 exhibited reduced transcripts upon Pi starvation and their downregulated expression was recovered by Pi-recovery condition, suggesting the regulation of them under TaMIR1139 through a cleavage mechanism. TaMIR1139 overexpression conferred the Pi-deprived plants improved phenotype, biomass, photosynthesis, and Pi acquisition. Transcriptome analysis identified numerous genes involving biological process, cellular components, and molecular function were differentially expressed in the TaMIR1139 overexpression lines, which suggests the TaMIR1139-mediated plant Pi starvation tolerance to be associated with the role of miRNA in extensively modulating the transcript profiling. A phosphate transporter (PT) gene NtPT showed significantly upregulated expression in TaMIR1139 overexpression lines; overexpression of it conferred plants improved Pi acquisition upon Pi starvation, suggesting its contribution to the TaMIR1139-mediated plant low-Pi stress resistance. Our investigation indicates that TaMIR1139 is critical in plant Pi starvation tolerance through transcriptionally regulating the target genes and modulating the Pi stress-defensiveness processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Liu
- College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoying Wang
- College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Chen
- College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Guiqing Shi
- College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianqian Bai
- College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China
| | - Kai Xiao
- College of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Crop Growth Regulation of Hebei Province, Baoding, 071001, People's Republic of China.
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Tiwari JK, Plett D, Garnett T, Chakrabarti SK, Singh RK. Integrated genomics, physiology and breeding approaches for improving nitrogen use efficiency in potato: translating knowledge from other crops. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2018; 45:587-605. [PMID: 32290962 DOI: 10.1071/fp17303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Potato plays a key role in global food and nutritional security. Potato is an N fertiliser-responsive crop, producing high tuber yields. However, excessive use of N can result in environmental damage and high production costs, hence improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of potato plants is one of the sustainable options to address these issues and increase yield. Advanced efforts have been undertaken to improve NUE in other plants like Arabidopsis, rice, wheat and maize through molecular and physiological approaches. Conversely, in potato, NUE studies have predominantly focussed on agronomy or soil management, except for a few researchers who have measured gene expression and proteins relevant to N uptake or metabolism. The focus of this review is to adapt knowledge gained from other plants to inform investigation of N metabolism and associated traits in potato with the aim of improving potato NUE using integrated genomics, physiology and breeding methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jagesh K Tiwari
- ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla - 171001, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Darren Plett
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5064, Australia
| | - Trevor Garnett
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5064, Australia
| | - Swarup K Chakrabarti
- ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla - 171001, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Rajesh K Singh
- ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla - 171001, Himachal Pradesh, India
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Transcriptome Analysis of Two Rice Varieties Contrasting for Nitrogen Use Efficiency under Chronic N Starvation Reveals Differences in Chloroplast and Starch Metabolism-Related Genes. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9040206. [PMID: 29641510 PMCID: PMC5924548 DOI: 10.3390/genes9040206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crop plants is limited and enhancing it in rice, a major cereal crop, would be beneficial for farmers and the environment alike. Here we report the genome-wide transcriptome analysis of two rice genotypes, IR 64 (IR64) and Nagina 22 (N22) under optimal (N+) and chronic starvation (N−) of nitrogen (N) from 15-day-old root and shoot tissues. The two genotypes were found to be contrasting in their response to N−; IR64 root architecture and root dry weight remained almost equivalent to that under N+ conditions, while N22 showed high foraging ability but a substantial reduction in biomass under N−. Similarly, the photosynthetic pigments showed a drastic reduction in N22 under low N, while IR64 was more resilient. Nitrate reductase showed significantly low specific activity under N− in both genotypes. Glutamate synthase (GOGAT) and citrate synthase CS activity were highly reduced in N22 but not in IR64. Transcriptome analysis of these genotypes revealed nearly double the number of genes to be differentially expressed (DEGs) in roots (1016) compared to shoots (571). The response of the two genotypes to N starvation was distinctly different reflecting their morphological/biochemical response with just two and eight common DEGs in the root and shoot tissues. There were a total of 385 nitrogen-responsive DEGs (106 in shoots and 279 in roots) between the two genotypes. Fifty-two of the 89 DEGs identified as specific to N22 root tissues were also found to be differentially expressed between the two genotypes under N−. Most of these DEGs belonged to starch and chloroplast metabolism, followed by membrane and signaling proteins. Physical mapping of DEGs revealed 95 DEGs in roots and 76 in shoots to be present in quantitative trait loci (QTL) known for NUE.
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Chen G, Wang L, Fabrice MR, Tian Y, Qi K, Chen Q, Cao P, Wang P, Zhang S, Wu J, Tao S. Physiological and Nutritional Responses of Pear Seedlings to Nitrate Concentrations. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1679. [PMID: 30515181 PMCID: PMC6255940 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is an important element for plant growth, and a suitable N supply is crucial to ensure optimal yields from fruit trees. Frequently, application of N fertilizers to fruit trees is often excessive, which not only leads to environmental pollution, but also reduces the output from fruit trees through N toxicity. To evaluate the effects of different concentrations of nitrate on plant growth, root-morphological traits, and other nutritional element's responses in pear, pear seedlings (Pyrus betulifolia Bunge) were treated with five levels of N. Both N-deficiency and an excess of N inhibited the growth and development of pear rootstocks. However, different visible symptoms were observed among treated leaves and roots. Leaf yellowing, the stimulation of root elongation, a decrease in nitrate reductase activity and chlorophyll content were observed under N-deficiency conditions. On the other hand, dark green leaves accompanied by coking, the suppression of root elongation, and a decrease in nitrate reductase activity and chlorophyll content were displayed under regimes of excess N. In addition, not only the N content, but also the content of other mineral nutrients was influenced by nitrate treatments. Taken together, these results suggested that a careful choice of N fertilizer supply is crucial to ensure normal growth and development in pear trees.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Juyou Wu
- *Correspondence: Juyou Wu, Shutian Tao,
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Bai Q, Wang X, Chen X, Shi G, Liu Z, Guo C, Xiao K. Wheat miRNA TaemiR408 Acts as an Essential Mediator in Plant Tolerance to Pi Deprivation and Salt Stress via Modulating Stress-Associated Physiological Processes. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:499. [PMID: 29720988 PMCID: PMC5916090 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNA) families act as critical regulators for plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic stresses. In this study, we characterized TaemiR408, a miRNA family member of wheat (Triticum aestivum), for the role in mediating plant responses to Pi starvation and salt stress. TaemiR408 targets six genes that encode proteins involving biochemical metabolism, microtubule organization, and signaling transduction. 5'- and 3'-RACE analyses confirmed the mRNA cleavage of target genes mediated by this wheat miRNA. TaemiR408 showed induced expression patterns upon Pi starvation and salt stress and whose upregulated expression was gradually repressed by the normal recovery treatments. The target genes of TaemiR408 exhibited reverse expression patterns to this miRNA, whose transcripts were downregulated under Pi starvation and salt stress and the reduced expression was recovered by the followed normal condition. These results suggest the regulation of the target genes under TaemiR408 through a cleavage mechanism. Tobacco lines with TaemiR408 overexpression exhibited enhanced stress tolerance, showing improved phenotype, biomass, and photosynthesis behavior compared with wild type under both Pi starvation and salt treatments, which closely associate increased P accumulation upon Pi deprivation and elevated osmolytes under salt stress, respectively. Phosphate transporter (PT) gene NtPT2 displays upregulated transcripts in the Pi-deprived TaemiR408 overexpressors; knockdown of this PT gene reduces Pi acquisition under low-Pi stress, confirming its role in improving plant Pi taken up. Likewise, NtPYL2 and NtSAPK3, genes encoding abscisic acid (ABA) receptor and SnRK2 protein, respectively, exhibited upregulated transcripts in salt-challenged TaemiR408 overexpressors; knockdown of them caused deteriorated growth and lowered osmolytes amounts of plants upon salt treatment. Thus, TaemiR408 is crucial for plant adaptations to Pi starvation and salt stress through regulating Pi acquisition under low-Pi stress and remodel ABA signaling pathway and osmoprotects biosynthesis under salt stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kai Xiao
- *Correspondence: Chengjin Guo, Kai Xiao,
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Zuluaga DL, De Paola D, Janni M, Curci PL, Sonnante G. Durum wheat miRNAs in response to nitrogen starvation at the grain filling stage. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183253. [PMID: 28813501 PMCID: PMC5558935 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Durum wheat highly depends on nitrogen for seed development and yield, and the obtainment of varieties with a better nitrogen use efficiency is crucial to reduce production costs and environmental pollution. In this study, sequencing of two small RNA libraries obtained from tissues of Ciccio and Svevo cultivars grown under nitrogen starvation conditions produced 84 novel, and 161 conserved miRNAs. Of these, 7 novel and 13 known miRNAs were newly identified in this work. Quantitative PCR analysis of selected miRNAs highlighted that the expression levels of some of them depends on the tissue and on the cultivar, Svevo being the most responsive to nitrogen starvation. A number of target genes were predicted to be involved in nitrogen metabolism. An inverse correlation for the qPCR expression data of miRNA/target pairs miR399b/PHO2, miR393c/AFB2, ttu-novel-61/CCAAT-TF was observed in specific tissues or cultivar. Especially, ttu-novel-61 was down-regulated and its target CCAAT-TF up-regulated in almost all tissues both in Svevo and in Ciccio. Moreover, CCAAT-TF was confirmed to be cleaved by ttu-novel-61 at the expected site. The discovery of miRNAs involved in the response to nitrogen stress represents an important step towards functional analyses, with the final aim to design strategies for improving nitrogen use efficiency in durum wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana L. Zuluaga
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Domenico De Paola
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Michela Janni
- Institute for Electronics and Magnetism, National Research Council (CNR), Parma, Italy
| | - Pasquale Luca Curci
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Gabriella Sonnante
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Bari, Italy
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Alptekin B, Langridge P, Budak H. Abiotic stress miRNomes in the Triticeae. Funct Integr Genomics 2017; 17:145-170. [PMID: 27665284 PMCID: PMC5383695 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-016-0525-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The continued growth in world population necessitates increases in both the quantity and quality of agricultural production. Triticeae members, particularly wheat and barley, make an important contribution to world food reserves by providing rich sources of carbohydrate and protein. These crops are grown over diverse production environments that are characterized by a range of environmental or abiotic stresses. Abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, salinity, or nutrient deficiencies and toxicities cause large yield losses resulting in economic and environmental damage. The negative effects of abiotic stresses have increased at an alarming rate in recent years and are predicted to further deteriorate due to climate change, land degradation, and declining water supply. New technologies have provided an important tool with great potential for improving crop tolerance to the abiotic stresses: microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are small regulators of gene expression that act on many different molecular and biochemical processes such as development, environmental adaptation, and stress tolerance. miRNAs can act at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, although post-transcriptional regulation is the most common in plants where miRNAs can inhibit the translation of their mRNA targets via complementary binding and cleavage. To date, expression of several miRNA families such as miR156, miR159, and miR398 has been detected as responsive to environmental conditions to regulate stress-associated molecular mechanisms individually and/or together with their various miRNA partners. Manipulation of these miRNAs and their targets may pave the way to improve crop performance under several abiotic stresses. Here, we summarize the current status of our knowledge on abiotic stress-associated miRNAs in members of the Triticeae tribe, specifically in wheat and barley, and the miRNA-based regulatory mechanisms triggered by stress conditions. Exploration of further miRNA families together with their functions under stress will improve our knowledge and provide opportunities to enhance plant performance to help us meet global food demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burcu Alptekin
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Peter Langridge
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Hikmet Budak
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
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Dos Santos SG, da Silva Ribeiro F, da Fonseca CS, Pereira W, Santos LA, Reis VM. Development and nitrate reductase activity of sugarcane inoculated with five diazotrophic strains. Arch Microbiol 2017; 199:863-873. [PMID: 28321482 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-017-1357-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Diazotrophs are able to stimulate plant growth. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of inoculation of five diazotrophic strains on growth promotion and nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.7.1.1) activity in sugarcane. An experiment was carried out from three stages of cultivation: sprouting, tubes, and in hydroponics. On the first two stages, seven treatments were adopted: uninoculated control; mixed inoculation with five strains; and individual inoculation with Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd), Herbaspirillum rubrisubalbicans (Hr), Herbaspirillum seropedicae (Hs), Nitrospirillum amazonense (Na), and Paraburkholderia tropica (Pt). The four treatments showing the best performance were transferred to the hydroponic system for analysis of NR activity. Hs, Pt, and the mixture of all strains led to the highest seedling biomass in tubes, followed by Hr. In hydroponics, the mixture and the strain Hr had the highest growth-promoting effect. NR activity was influenced by inoculation only under low N supply conditions, with positive effect of Hr, Pt, and the mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Gomes Dos Santos
- Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Km 07, BR 465, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Brazil
| | - Flaviane da Silva Ribeiro
- Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Km 07, BR 465, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Brazil
| | | | - Willian Pereira
- Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Km 07, BR 465, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Brazil
| | - Leandro Azevedo Santos
- Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Km 07, BR 465, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, 23890-000, Brazil
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