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Gutschker S, Ruescher D, Rabbi IY, Rosado-Souza L, Pommerrenig B, Pauly M, Robertz S, van Doorn AM, Schlereth A, Neuhaus HE, Fernie AR, Reinert S, Sonnewald U, Zierer W. Carbon usage in yellow-fleshed Manihot esculenta storage roots shifts from starch biosynthesis to cell wall and raffinose biosynthesis via the myo-inositol pathway. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 119:2045-2062. [PMID: 38961707 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Cassava is a crucial staple crop for smallholder farmers in tropical Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Although high yield remains the top priority for farmers, the significance of nutritional values has increased in cassava breeding programs. A notable negative correlation between provitamin A and starch accumulation poses a significant challenge for breeding efforts. The negative correlation between starch and carotenoid levels in conventional and genetically modified cassava plants implies the absence of a direct genomic connection between the two traits. The competition among various carbon pathways seems to account for this relationship. In this study, we conducted a thorough analysis of 49 African cassava genotypes with varying levels of starch and provitamin A. Our goal was to identify factors contributing to differential starch accumulation. Considering carotenoid levels as a confounding factor in starch production, we found that yellow- and white-fleshed storage roots did not differ significantly in most measured components of starch or de novo fatty acid biosynthesis. However, genes and metabolites associated with myo-inositol synthesis and cell wall polymer production were substantially enriched in high provitamin A genotypes. These results indicate that yellow-fleshed cultivars, in comparison to their white-fleshed counterparts, direct more carbon toward the synthesis of raffinose and cell wall components. This finding is underlined by a significant rise in cell wall components measured within the 20 most contrasting genotypes for carotenoid levels. Our findings enhance the comprehension of the biosynthesis of starch and carotenoids in the storage roots of cassava.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sindy Gutschker
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Division of Biochemistry, Erlangen, Germany
| | - David Ruescher
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Division of Biochemistry, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ismail Y Rabbi
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | | | | | - Markus Pauly
- Heinrich-Heine-University, Institute of Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefan Robertz
- Heinrich-Heine-University, Institute of Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Anna M van Doorn
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Armin Schlereth
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stephan Reinert
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Division of Biochemistry, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Uwe Sonnewald
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Division of Biochemistry, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Zierer
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Division of Biochemistry, Erlangen, Germany
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Chenna S, Ivanov M, Nielsen TK, Chalenko K, Olsen E, Jørgensen K, Sandelin A, Marquardt S. A data-driven genome annotation approach for cassava. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38831668 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Genome annotation files play a critical role in dictating the quality of downstream analyses by providing essential predictions for gene positions and structures. These files are pivotal in decoding the complex information encoded within DNA sequences. Here, we generated experimental data resolving RNA 5'- and 3'-ends as well as full-length RNAs for cassava TME12 sticklings in ambient temperature and cold. We used these data to generate genome annotation files using the TranscriptomeReconstructoR (TR) tool. A careful comparison to high-quality genome annotations suggests that our new TR genome annotations identified additional genes, resolved the transcript boundaries more accurately and identified additional RNA isoforms. We enhanced existing cassava genome annotation files with the information from TR that maintained the different transcript models as RNA isoforms. The resultant merged annotation was subsequently utilized for comprehensive analysis. To examine the effects of genome annotation files on gene expression studies, we compared the detection of differentially expressed genes during cold using the same RNA-seq data but alternative genome annotation files. We found that our merged genome annotation that included cold-specific TR gene models identified about twice as many cold-induced genes. These data indicate that environmentally induced genes may be missing in off-the-shelf genome annotation files. In conclusion, TR offers the opportunity to enhance crop genome annotations with implications for the discovery of differentially expressed candidate genes during plant-environment interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha Chenna
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Maxim Ivanov
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Tue Kjærgaard Nielsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Karina Chalenko
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Evy Olsen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Kirsten Jørgensen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
| | - Albin Sandelin
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, Copenhagen N, DK2200, Denmark
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, Copenhagen N, DK2200, Denmark
| | - Sebastian Marquardt
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, Frederiskberg C, 1871, Denmark
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Solé-Gil A, López A, Ombrosi D, Urbez C, Brumós J, Agustí J. Identification of MeC3HDZ1/MeCNA as a potential regulator of cassava storage root development. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 339:111938. [PMID: 38072332 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111938] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The storage root (SR) of cassava is the main staple food in sub-Saharan Africa, where it feeds over 500 million people. However, little is known about the genetic and molecular regulation underlying its development. Unraveling such regulation would pave the way for biotechnology approaches aimed at enhancing cassava productivity. Anatomical studies indicate that SR development relies on the massive accumulation of xylem parenchyma, a cell-type derived from the vascular cambium. The C3HDZ family of transcription factors regulate cambial cells proliferation and xylem differentiation in Arabidopsis and other species. We thus aimed at identifying C3HDZ proteins in cassava and determining whether any of them shows preferential activity in the SR cambium and/or xylem. Using phylogeny and synteny studies, we identified eight C3HDZ proteins in cassava, namely MeCH3DZ1-8. We observed that MeC3HDZ1 is the MeC3HDZ gene displaying the highest expression in SR and that, within that organ, the gene also shows high expression in cambium and xylem. In-silico analyses revealed the existence of a number of potential C3HDZ targets displaying significant preferential expression in the SR. Subsequent Y1H analyses proved that MeC3HDZ1 can bind canonical C3HDZ binding sites, present in the promoters of these targets. Transactivation assays demonstrated that MeC3HDZ1 can regulate the expression of genes downstream of promoters harboring such binding sites, thereby demonstrating that MeC3HDZ1 has C3HDZ transcription factor activity. We conclude that MeC3HDZ1 may be a key factor for the regulation of storage root development in cassava, holding thus great promise for future biotechnology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Solé-Gil
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 València, Spain
| | - Anselmo López
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 València, Spain
| | - Damiano Ombrosi
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 València, Spain
| | - Cristina Urbez
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 València, Spain
| | - Javier Brumós
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 València, Spain.
| | - Javier Agustí
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera S/N, 46022 València, Spain.
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