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Ren A, Wen T, Xu X, Wu J, Zhao G. Cotton HD-Zip I transcription factor GhHB4-like regulates the plant response to salt stress. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 278:134857. [PMID: 39168205 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.134857] [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: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Soil salinity is a major environmental constraint to plant production. The homeodomain-leucine zipper I (HD-Zip I) transcription factors play a crucial role in growth, development and defence responses of plants. However, the function and underlying mechanism of HD-Zip I in cotton remain unexplored. This study investigated the role of GhHB4-like, a cotton HD-Zip I gene, in plant tolerance to salt stress. Ectopic expression of GhHB4-like gene enhanced, while its silencing impaired the salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. Y1H and effector-reporter assays revealed that GhHB4-like activated the expression of GhNAC007, which is essential for salt resistance. Knock-down of GhNAC007 also impaired salt resistance of cotton plants. In addition, GhHB4-like-GhNAC007 might have positively regulated the expression of GhMYB96 and ABA signalling-related genes, thereby leading to enhanced salt resistance. Interestingly, deleting motifs 3 and 5 near the 3'-end of GhHB4-like significantly enhanced GhNAC007 activation, indicating that both motifs acted as transcriptional activation inhibitory domains. The results suggest that GhHB4-like-GhNAC007 regulated plant response to salt stress, potentially by modulating GhMYB96 and ABA signalling-related genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiping Ren
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Tianyang Wen
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Jiahe Wu
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China; State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Ge Zhao
- Zhengzhou Research Base, National Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
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2
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Borowsky AT, Bailey-Serres J. Rewiring gene circuitry for plant improvement. Nat Genet 2024:10.1038/s41588-024-01806-7. [PMID: 39075207 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01806-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Aspirations for high crop growth and yield, nutritional quality and bioproduction of materials are challenged by climate change and limited adoption of new technologies. Here, we review recent advances in approaches to profile and model gene regulatory activity over developmental and response time in specific cells, which have revealed the basis of variation in plant phenotypes: both redeployment of key regulators to new contexts and their repurposing to control different slates of genes. New synthetic biology tools allow tunable, spatiotemporal regulation of transgenes, while recent gene-editing technologies enable manipulation of the regulation of native genes. Ultimately, understanding how gene circuitry is wired to control form and function across varied plant species, combined with advanced technology to rewire that circuitry, will unlock solutions to our greatest challenges in agriculture, energy and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Borowsky
- Center for Plant Cell Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Julia Bailey-Serres
- Center for Plant Cell Biology, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA.
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3
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Gupta PK. Drought-tolerant transgenic wheat HB4®: a hope for the future. Trends Biotechnol 2024; 42:807-809. [PMID: 38158306 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Drought-tolerant transgenic [genetically modified (GM)] HB4® wheat carrying the drought-responsive sunflower gene Hahb4 was first developed in Argentina in 2019 and has already been approved for marketing and consumption as food/feed in at least ten countries. It has also been approved in Argentina and Brazil for commercial cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pushpendra K Gupta
- Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut, India 250004, India; Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), Ludhiana, India; Murdoch's Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
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4
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Sharma A, Dheer P, Rautela I, Thapliyal P, Thapliyal P, Bajpai AB, Sharma MD. A review on strategies for crop improvement against drought stress through molecular insights. 3 Biotech 2024; 14:173. [PMID: 38846012 PMCID: PMC11150236 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-024-04020-8] [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: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The demand for food goods is rising along with the world population growth, which is directly related to the yield of agricultural crops around the world. However, a number of environmental factors, including floods, salinity, moisture, and drought, have a detrimental effect on agricultural production around the world. Among all of these stresses, drought stress (DS) poses a constant threat to agricultural crops and is a significant impediment to global agricultural productivity. Its potency and severity are expected to increase in the future years. A variety of techniques have been used to generate drought-resistant plants in order to get around this restriction. Different crop plants exhibit specific traits that contribute to drought resistance (DR), such as early flowering, drought escape (DE), and leaf traits. We are highlighting numerous methods that can be used to overcome the effects of DS in this review. Agronomic methods, transgenic methods, the use of sufficient fertilizers, and molecular methods such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs)-associated nuclease 9 (Cas9), virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, microRNA (miRNA) technology, and OMICS-based approaches make up the majority of these techniques. CRISPR technology has rapidly become an increasingly popular choice among researchers exploring natural tolerance to abiotic stresses although, only a few plants have been produced so far using this technique. In order to address the difficulties imposed by DS, new plants utilizing the CRISPR technology must be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001 India
| | - Pallavi Dheer
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001 India
| | - Indra Rautela
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied and Life Sciences (SALS), Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001 India
| | - Preeti Thapliyal
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied and Life Sciences (SALS), Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001 India
| | - Priya Thapliyal
- Department of Biochemistry, H.N.B. Garhwal (A Central) University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand 246174 India
| | - Atal Bihari Bajpai
- Department of Botany, D.B.S. (PG) College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001 India
| | - Manish Dev Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Shri Guru Ram Rai University, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001 India
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5
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Ben Romdhane W, Al-Ashkar I, Ibrahim A, Sallam M, Al-Doss A, Hassairi A. Aeluropus littoralis stress-associated protein promotes water deficit resilience in engineered durum wheat. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30933. [PMID: 38765027 PMCID: PMC11097078 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Global climate change-related water deficit negatively affect the growth, development and yield performance of multiple cereal crops, including durum wheat. Therefore, the improvement of water-deficit stress tolerance in durum wheat varieties in arid and semiarid areas has become imperative for food security. Herein, we evaluated the water deficiency resilience potential of two marker-free transgenic durum wheat lines (AlSAP-lines: K9.3 and K21.3) under well-watered and water-deficit stress conditions at both physiological and agronomic levels. These two lines overexpressed the AlSAP gene, isolated from the halophyte grass Aeluropus littoralis, encoding a stress-associated zinc finger protein containing the A20/AN1 domains. Under well-watered conditions, the wild-type (WT) and both AlSAP-lines displayed comparable performance concerning all the evaluated parameters. Ectopic transgene expression exerted no adverse effects on growth and yield performance of the durum wheat plants. Under water-deficit conditions, no significant differences in the plant height, leaf number, spike length, and spikelet number were observed between AlSAP-lines and WT plants. However, compared to WT, the AlSAP-lines exhibited greater dry matter production, greater flag leaf area, improved net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency. Notably, the AlSAP-lines displayed 25 % higher grain yield (GY) than the WT plants under water-deficit conditions. The RT-qPCR-based selected stress-related gene (TdDREB1, TdLEA, TdAPX1, and TdBlt101-2) expression analyses indicated stress-related genes enhancement in AlSAP-durum wheat plants under both well-watered and water-deficit conditions, potentially related to the water-deficit resilience. Collectively, our findings support that the ectopic AlSAP expression in durum wheat lines enhances water-deficit resilience ability, thereby potentially compensate for the GY loss in arid and semi-arid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid Ben Romdhane
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibrahim Al-Ashkar
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Ibrahim
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Sallam
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Al-Doss
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Afif Hassairi
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Żyła N, Cieśla A, Szała L, Babula-Skowrońska D. Functional and regulatory diversity of homeobox-leucine zipper transcription factors BnaHB6 under dehydration and salt stress in Brassica napus L. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 114:59. [PMID: 38750303 PMCID: PMC11096223 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-024-01465-6] [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: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The plant-specific homeodomain-leucine zipper I subfamily is involved in the regulation of various biological processes, particularly growth, development and stress response. In the present study, we characterized four BnaHB6 homologues from Brassica napus. All BnaHB6 proteins have transcriptional activation activity. Structural and functional data indicate the complex role of BnaHB6 genes in regulating biological processes, with some functions conserved and others diverged. Transcriptional analyzes revealed that they are induced in a similar manner in different tissues but show different expression patterns in response to stress and circadian rhythm. Only the BnaA09HB6 and BnaC08HB6 genes are expressed under dehydration and salt stress, and in darkness. The partial transcriptional overlap of BnaHB6s with the evolutionarily related genes BnaHB5 and BnaHB16 was also observed. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing a single proBnaHB6::GUS partially confirmed the expression results. Bioinformatic analysis allowed the identification of TF-binding sites in the BnaHB6 promoters that may control their expression under stress and circadian rhythm. ChIP-qPCR analysis revealed that BnaA09HB6 and BnaC08HB6 bind directly to the promoters of the target genes BnaABF4 and BnaDREB2A. Comparison of their expression patterns in the WT plants and the bnac08hb6 mutant showed that BnaC08HB6 positively regulates the expression of the BnaABF4 and BnaDREB2A genes under dehydration and salt stress. We conclude that four BnaHB6 homologues have distinct functions in response to stress despite high sequence similarity, possibly indicating different binding preferences with BnaABF4 and BnaDREB2A. We hypothesize that BnaC08HB6 and BnaA09HB6 function in a complex regulatory network under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Żyła
- Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszyńska 34, 60-479, Poznań, Poland
| | - Agata Cieśla
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poznań, Poland
| | - Laurencja Szała
- Department of Oilseed Crops, Poznań Division, Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute-National Research Institute in Radzików, Strzeszyńska 36, 60‑479, Poznań, Poland
| | - Danuta Babula-Skowrońska
- Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszyńska 34, 60-479, Poznań, Poland.
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7
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Zhang Z, Xia Z, Zhou C, Wang G, Meng X, Yin P. Insights into Salinity Tolerance in Wheat. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:573. [PMID: 38790202 PMCID: PMC11121000 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Salt stress has a detrimental impact on food crop production, with its severity escalating due to both natural and man-made factors. As one of the most important food crops, wheat is susceptible to salt stress, resulting in abnormal plant growth and reduced yields; therefore, damage from salt stress should be of great concern. Additionally, the utilization of land in coastal areas warrants increased attention, given diminishing supplies of fresh water and arable land, and the escalating demand for wheat. A comprehensive understanding of the physiological and molecular changes in wheat under salt stress can offer insights into mitigating the adverse effects of salt stress on wheat. In this review, we summarized the genes and molecular mechanisms involved in ion transport, signal transduction, and enzyme and hormone regulation, in response to salt stress based on the physiological processes in wheat. Then, we surveyed the latest progress in improving the salt tolerance of wheat through breeding, exogenous applications, and microbial pathways. Breeding efficiency can be improved through a combination of gene editing and multiple omics techniques, which is the fundamental strategy for dealing with salt stress. Possible challenges and prospects in this process were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Pengcheng Yin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline of Cell Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling and Environmental Adaptation, Hebei Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China; (Z.Z.); (Z.X.); (C.Z.); (G.W.); (X.M.)
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8
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Sato H, Mizoi J, Shinozaki K, Yamaguchi-Shinozaki K. Complex plant responses to drought and heat stress under climate change. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 117:1873-1892. [PMID: 38168757 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16612] [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: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Global climate change is predicted to result in increased yield losses of agricultural crops caused by environmental conditions. In particular, heat and drought stress are major factors that negatively affect plant development and reproduction, and previous studies have revealed how these stresses induce plant responses at physiological and molecular levels. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of current knowledge concerning how drought, heat, and combinations of these stress conditions affect the status of plants, including crops, by affecting factors such as stomatal conductance, photosynthetic activity, cellular oxidative conditions, metabolomic profiles, and molecular signaling mechanisms. We further discuss stress-responsive regulatory factors such as transcription factors and signaling factors, which play critical roles in adaptation to both drought and heat stress conditions and potentially function as 'hubs' in drought and/or heat stress responses. Additionally, we present recent findings based on forward genetic approaches that reveal natural variations in agricultural crops that play critical roles in agricultural traits under drought and/or heat conditions. Finally, we provide an overview of the application of decades of study results to actual agricultural fields as a strategy to increase drought and/or heat stress tolerance. This review summarizes our current understanding of plant responses to drought, heat, and combinations of these stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Sato
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Junya Mizoi
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Kazuo Shinozaki
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
- Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan
| | - Kazuko Yamaguchi-Shinozaki
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
- Research Institute for Agricultural and Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuraoka, Setagara-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
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9
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Wu Z, Li T, Zhang Y, Zhang D, Teng N. HD-Zip I protein LlHOX6 antagonizes homeobox protein LlHB16 to attenuate basal thermotolerance in lily. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 194:1870-1888. [PMID: 37930281 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) I transcription factors are crucial for plant responses to drought, salt, and cold stresses. However, how they are associated with thermotolerance remains mostly unknown. We previously demonstrated that lily (Lilium longiflorum) LlHB16 (HOMEOBOX PROTEIN 16) promotes thermotolerance, whereas the roles of other HD-Zip I members are still unclear. Here, we conducted a transcriptomic analysis and identified a heat-responsive HD-Zip I gene, LlHOX6 (HOMEOBOX 6). We showed that LlHOX6 represses the establishment of basal thermotolerance in lily. LlHOX6 expression was rapidly activated by high temperature, and its protein localized to the nucleus. Heterologous expression of LlHOX6 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and overexpression in lily reduced their basal thermotolerance. In contrast, silencing LlHOX6 in lily elevated basal thermotolerance. Cooverexpressing or cosilencing LlHOX6 and LlHB16 in vivo compromised their functions in modulating basal thermotolerance. LlHOX6 interacted with itself and with LlHB16, although heterologous interactions were stronger than homologous ones. Notably, LlHOX6 directly bounds DNA elements to repress the expression of the LlHB16 target genes LlHSFA2 (HEAT STRESS TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A2) and LlMBF1c (MULTIPROTEIN BRIDGING FACTOR 1C). Moreover, LlHB16 activated itself to form a positive feedback loop, while LlHOX6 repressed LlHB16 expression. The LlHOX6-LlHB16 heterooligomers exhibited stronger DNA binding to compete for LlHB16 homooligomers, thus weakening the transactivation ability of LlHB16 for LlHSFA2 and LlMBF1c and reducing its autoactivation. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that LlHOX6 interacts with LlHB16 to limit its transactivation, thereby impairing heat stress responses in lily.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Wu
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Lily Department in Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210043, China
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Ting Li
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Lily Department in Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210043, China
| | - Yinyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Lily Department in Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210043, China
| | - Dehua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Lily Department in Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210043, China
| | - Nianjun Teng
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Lily Department in Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing 210043, China
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10
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Yang J, Qiu L, Mei Q, Sun Y, Li N, Gong X, Ma F, Mao K. MdHB7-like positively modulates apple salt tolerance by promoting autophagic activity and Na + efflux. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 116:669-689. [PMID: 37471682 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Salt stress adversely affects the yield and quality of crops and limits their geographical distribution. Studying the functions and regulatory mechanisms of key genes in the salt stress response is important for breeding crops with enhanced stress resistance. Autophagy plays an important role in modulating the tolerance of plants to various types of abiotic stressors. However, the mechanisms underlying salt-induced autophagy are largely unknown. Cation/Ca2+ exchanger proteins enhance apple salt tolerance by inhibiting Na+ accumulation but the mechanism underlying the response to salt stress remains unclear. Here, we show that the autophagy-related gene MdATG18a modulated apple salt tolerance. Under salt stress, the autophagic activity, proline content, and antioxidant enzyme activities were higher and Na+ accumulation was lower in MdATG18a-overexpressing transgenic plants than in control plants. The use of an autophagy inhibitor during the salt treatment demonstrated that the regulatory function of MdATG18a depended on autophagy. The yeast-one-hybrid assay revealed that the homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factor MdHB7-like directly bound to the MdATG18a promoter. Transcriptional regulation and genetic analyses showed that MdHB7-like enhanced salt-induced autophagic activity by promoting MdATG18a expression. The analysis of Na+ efflux rate in transgenic yeast indicated that MdCCX1 expression significantly promoted Na+ efflux. Promoter binding, transcriptional regulation, and genetic analyses showed that MdHB7-like promoted Na+ efflux and apple salt tolerance by directly promoting MdCCX1 expression, which was independent of the autophagy pathway. Overall, our findings provide insight into the mechanism underlying MdHB7-like-mediated salt tolerance in apple through the MdHB7-like-MdATG18a and MdHB7-like-MdCCX1 modules. These results will aid future studies on the mechanisms underlying stress-induced autophagy and the regulation of stress tolerance in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lina Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Quanlin Mei
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yunxia Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Na Li
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaoqing Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fengwang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ke Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas/Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Apple, College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China
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11
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Dracatos PM, Lu J, Sánchez‐Martín J, Wulff BB. Resistance that stacks up: engineering rust and mildew disease control in the cereal crops wheat and barley. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2023; 21:1938-1951. [PMID: 37494504 PMCID: PMC10502761 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Staying ahead of the arms race against rust and mildew diseases in cereal crops is essential to maintain and preserve food security. The methodological challenges associated with conventional resistance breeding are major bottlenecks for deploying resistance (R) genes in high-yielding crop varieties. Advancements in our knowledge of plant genomes, structural mechanisms, innovations in bioinformatics, and improved plant transformation techniques have alleviated this bottleneck by permitting rapid gene isolation, functional studies, directed engineering of synthetic resistance and precise genome manipulation in elite crop cultivars. Most cloned cereal R genes encode canonical immune receptors which, on their own, are prone to being overcome through selection for resistance-evading pathogenic strains. However, the increasingly large repertoire of cloned R genes permits multi-gene stacking that, in principle, should provide longer-lasting resistance. This review discusses how these genomics-enabled developments are leading to new breeding and biotechnological opportunities to achieve durable rust and powdery mildew control in cereals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M. Dracatos
- La Trobe Institute for Sustainable Agriculture & Food (LISAF)Department of Animal, Plant and Soil SciencesLa Trobe UniversityVIC 3086Australia
| | - Jing Lu
- Plant Science Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)ThuwalSaudi Arabia
- Center for Desert AgricultureKAUSTThuwalSaudi Arabia
- College of Life SciencesSichuan UniversityChengduChina
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Javier Sánchez‐Martín
- Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Spanish‐Portuguese Agricultural Research Center (CIALE)University of SalamancaSalamancaSpain
| | - Brande B.H. Wulff
- Plant Science Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)ThuwalSaudi Arabia
- Center for Desert AgricultureKAUSTThuwalSaudi Arabia
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12
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Loureiro I, Escorial MC, Chueca MC. Natural hybridization between wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its wild relatives Aegilops geniculata Roth and Aegilops triuncialis L. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:2247-2254. [PMID: 36785882 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cultivated bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) spontaneously hybridizes with wild/weedy related Aegilops populations, but little is known about the actual rates at which this hybridization occurs under field conditions. It is very important to provide reliable empirical data on this phenomenon in order to assess the potential crop-wild introgression, especially in the context of conducting risk assessments for the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) wheat, as gene flow from wheat to Aegilops species could transfer into the wild species genes coding for traits such as resistance to herbicides, insects, diseases or environmental stresses. RESULTS The spontaneous hybridization rates between wheat and A. geniculata and A. triuncialis, which are very abundant in the Mediterranean area, have been estimated for the first time in the northern part of the Meseta Central, the great central plateau which includes the largest area of wheat cultivation in Spain. Hybridization rates averaged 0.12% and 0.008% for A. geniculata and A. triuncialis, respectively. Hybrids were found in 26% of A. geniculata and 5% of A. triuncialis populations, at rates that can be ≤3.6% for A. geniculata and 0.24% for A. triuncialis. CONCLUSION The detection of Aegilops spp.-wheat hybrids in Aegilops populations indicates that gene flow can occur, although wheat is considered a crop with a low-to-medium risk for transgene escape. These data on field hybridization rates are essential for GM wheat risk assessment purposes. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iñigo Loureiro
- Plant Protection Department, Weed Science Group, Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Concepción Escorial
- Plant Protection Department, Weed Science Group, Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Cristina Chueca
- Plant Protection Department, Weed Science Group, Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
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13
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Raineri J, Caraballo LN, Gómez M, Chan RL. The Transcription Factor HaHB11 Boosts Grain Set and Yield in Rice Plants, Allowing Them to Approach Their Ideal Phenotype. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13050826. [PMID: 37238696 DOI: 10.3390/biom13050826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The ideal rice phenotype is that of plants exhibiting fewer panicles with high biomass, large grain number, flag leaf area with small insertion angles, and an erected morphology improving light interception. The sunflower transcription factor HaHB11, homeodomain-leucine zipper I, confers increased seed yield and abiotic stress tolerance to Arabidopsis and maize. Here, we report the obtaining and characterization of rice plants expressing HaHB11 driven by its promoter or the 35S constitutive one. Transgenic p35S:HaHB11 plants closely resembled the ideal high-yield phenotype, whereas those carrying the pHaHB11:HaHB11 construct were hard to distinguish from the wild type. The former had an erected architecture, enhanced vegetative leaf biomass, rolled flag leaves with a larger surface, sharper insertion angles insensitive to brassinosteroids, and higher harvest index and seed biomass than the wild type. The combination of the distinct features exhibited by p35S:HaHB11 plants, including the increased number of set grains per panicle, supports the high-yield phenotype. We wondered where HaHB11 has to be expressed to achieve the high-yield phenotype and evaluated HaHB11 expression levels in all tissues. The results indicate that its expression is particularly necessary in the flag leaf and panicle to produce the ideal phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesica Raineri
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
| | - Luciano Nicolás Caraballo
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
| | - Maximiliano Gómez
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
| | - Raquel Lía Chan
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
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14
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Marone D, Mastrangelo AM, Borrelli GM. From Transgenesis to Genome Editing in Crop Improvement: Applications, Marketing, and Legal Issues. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24087122. [PMID: 37108285 PMCID: PMC10138802 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24087122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The biotechnological approaches of transgenesis and the more recent eco-friendly new breeding techniques (NBTs), in particular, genome editing, offer useful strategies for genetic improvement of crops, and therefore, recently, they have been receiving increasingly more attention. The number of traits improved through transgenesis and genome editing technologies is growing, ranging from resistance to herbicides and insects to traits capable of coping with human population growth and climate change, such as nutritional quality or resistance to climatic stress and diseases. Research on both technologies has reached an advanced stage of development and, for many biotech crops, phenotypic evaluations in the open field are already underway. In addition, many approvals regarding main crops have been granted. Over time, there has been an increase in the areas cultivated with crops that have been improved through both approaches, but their use in various countries has been limited by legislative restrictions according to the different regulations applied which affect their cultivation, marketing, and use in human and animal nutrition. In the absence of specific legislation, there is an on-going public debate with favorable and unfavorable positions. This review offers an updated and in-depth discussion on these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Marone
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops, 71122 Foggia, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Mastrangelo
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops, 71122 Foggia, Italy
| | - Grazia Maria Borrelli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Cereal and Industrial Crops, 71122 Foggia, Italy
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15
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Sustek-Sánchez F, Rognli OA, Rostoks N, Sõmera M, Jaškūnė K, Kovi MR, Statkevičiūtė G, Sarmiento C. Improving abiotic stress tolerance of forage grasses - prospects of using genome editing. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1127532. [PMID: 36824201 PMCID: PMC9941169 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1127532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Due to an increase in the consumption of food, feed, and fuel and to meet global food security needs for the rapidly growing human population, there is a necessity to obtain high-yielding crops that can adapt to future climate changes. Currently, the main feed source used for ruminant livestock production is forage grasses. In temperate climate zones, perennial grasses grown for feed are widely distributed and tend to suffer under unfavorable environmental conditions. Genome editing has been shown to be an effective tool for the development of abiotic stress-resistant plants. The highly versatile CRISPR-Cas system enables increasingly complex modifications in genomes while maintaining precision and low off-target frequency mutations. In this review, we provide an overview of forage grass species that have been subjected to genome editing. We offer a perspective view on the generation of plants resilient to abiotic stresses. Due to the broad factors contributing to these stresses the review focuses on drought, salt, heat, and cold stresses. The application of new genomic techniques (e.g., CRISPR-Cas) allows addressing several challenges caused by climate change and abiotic stresses for developing forage grass cultivars with improved adaptation to the future climatic conditions. Genome editing will contribute towards developing safe and sustainable food systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferenz Sustek-Sánchez
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Odd Arne Rognli
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Nils Rostoks
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
| | - Merike Sõmera
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Kristina Jaškūnė
- Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Lithuania
| | - Mallikarjuna Rao Kovi
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Gražina Statkevičiūtė
- Laboratory of Genetics and Physiology, Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Akademija, Lithuania
| | - Cecilia Sarmiento
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
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16
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Kaushal P, Ali N, Saini S, Pati PK, Pati AM. Physiological and molecular insight of microbial biostimulants for sustainable agriculture. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1041413. [PMID: 36794211 PMCID: PMC9923114 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1041413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Increased food production to cater the need of growing population is one of the major global challenges. Currently, agro-productivity is under threat due to shrinking arable land, increased anthropogenic activities and changes in the climate leading to frequent flash floods, prolonged droughts and sudden fluctuation of temperature. Further, warm climatic conditions increase disease and pest incidences, ultimately reducing crop yield. Hence, collaborated global efforts are required to adopt environmentally safe and sustainable agro practices to boost crop growth and productivity. Biostimulants appear as a promising means to improve growth of plants even under stressful conditions. Among various categories of biostimulants, microbial biostimulants are composed of microorganisms such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and/or microbes which stimulate nutrient uptake, produce secondary metabolites, siderophores, hormones and organic acids, participate in nitrogen fixation, imparts stress tolerance, enhance crop quality and yield when applied to the plants. Though numerous studies convincingly elucidate the positive effects of PGPR-based biostimulants on plants, yet information is meagre regarding the mechanism of action and the key signaling pathways (plant hormone modulations, expression of pathogenesis-related proteins, antioxidants, osmolytes etc.) triggered by these biostimulants in plants. Hence, the present review focuses on the molecular pathways activated by PGPR based biostimulants in plants facing abiotic and biotic challenges. The review also analyses the common mechanisms modulated by these biostimulants in plants to combat abiotic and biotic stresses. Further, the review highlights the traits that have been modified through transgenic approach leading to physiological responses akin to the application of PGPR in the target plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Kaushal
- Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, HP, India
| | - Nilofer Ali
- Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, HP, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Shivani Saini
- Department of Botany, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Chandigarh, India
| | - Pratap Kumar Pati
- Department of Biotechnology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Aparna Maitra Pati
- Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, HP, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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17
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Puppala N, Nayak SN, Sanz-Saez A, Chen C, Devi MJ, Nivedita N, Bao Y, He G, Traore SM, Wright DA, Pandey MK, Sharma V. Sustaining yield and nutritional quality of peanuts in harsh environments: Physiological and molecular basis of drought and heat stress tolerance. Front Genet 2023; 14:1121462. [PMID: 36968584 PMCID: PMC10030941 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1121462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change is significantly impacting agricultural production worldwide. Peanuts provide food and nutritional security to millions of people across the globe because of its high nutritive values. Drought and heat stress alone or in combination cause substantial yield losses to peanut production. The stress, in addition, adversely impact nutritional quality. Peanuts exposed to drought stress at reproductive stage are prone to aflatoxin contamination, which imposes a restriction on use of peanuts as health food and also adversely impact peanut trade. A comprehensive understanding of the impact of drought and heat stress at physiological and molecular levels may accelerate the development of stress tolerant productive peanut cultivars adapted to a given production system. Significant progress has been achieved towards the characterization of germplasm for drought and heat stress tolerance, unlocking the physiological and molecular basis of stress tolerance, identifying significant marker-trait associations as well major QTLs and candidate genes associated with drought tolerance, which after validation may be deployed to initiate marker-assisted breeding for abiotic stress adaptation in peanut. The proof of concept about the use of transgenic technology to add value to peanuts has been demonstrated. Advances in phenomics and artificial intelligence to accelerate the timely and cost-effective collection of phenotyping data in large germplasm/breeding populations have also been discussed. Greater focus is needed to accelerate research on heat stress tolerance in peanut. A suits of technological innovations are now available in the breeders toolbox to enhance productivity and nutritional quality of peanuts in harsh environments. A holistic breeding approach that considers drought and heat-tolerant traits to simultaneously address both stresses could be a successful strategy to produce climate-resilient peanut genotypes with improved nutritional quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Puppala
- Agricultural Science Center at Clovis, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, United States
- *Correspondence: Naveen Puppala,
| | - Spurthi N. Nayak
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India
| | - Alvaro Sanz-Saez
- Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Charles Chen
- Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Mura Jyostna Devi
- USDA-ARS Vegetable Crops Research, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Nivedita Nivedita
- Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Yin Bao
- Biosystems Engineering Department, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Guohao He
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, United States
| | - Sy M. Traore
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, United States
| | - David A. Wright
- Department of Biotechnology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Manish K. Pandey
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana, India
| | - Vinay Sharma
- International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Telangana, India
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18
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Nataraja KN, Dhanyalakshmi KH, Govind G, Oelmüller R. Activation of drought tolerant traits in crops: endophytes as elicitors. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2022; 17:2120300. [PMID: 36373371 PMCID: PMC9665085 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2120300] [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: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Drought challenges crop production worldwide. The issue is aggravated by frequent drought episodes and unpredictable rainfall patterns associated with global climate change. While the efforts to breed drought-resistant crop varieties are progressing, the need of the hour is immediate strategies to sustain the yields of existing ones. As per recent studies, stress adaptive traits can be activated using specific elicitors. Endophytes that inhabit host plants asymptomatically are natural elicitors/bio-stimulators capable of activating host gene expression, conferring several benefits to the hosts. This review discusses the scope of using trait-specific endophytes in activating drought adaptive traits in crop varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karaba N Nataraja
- Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Crop Physiology, University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore (UASB), GKVK Bengaluru, India
| | - KH Dhanyalakshmi
- Department of Plant Physiology, Regional Agricultural Research Station Pattambi, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India
| | - Geetha Govind
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, UASB, Hassan, India
| | - Ralf Oelmüller
- Department of Plant Physiology, Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular, Botany, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany
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19
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Miranda PV, Iglesias BF, Charriere MV, Burachik M. Drought tolerant wheat IND-ØØ412-7 is nutritionally equivalent to its Non-Transgenic Comparator. GM CROPS & FOOD 2022; 13:119-125. [PMID: 35656970 PMCID: PMC9176220 DOI: 10.1080/21645698.2022.2079179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Expression of the HAHB4 sunflower transcription factor confers drought tolerance to wheat event IND-ØØ412-7 (HB4® wheat). After confirming the compositional equivalence of event IND-ØØ412-7 with conventional wheat, its nutritional similarity to its non-genetically modified (GM) counterpart was analyzed by performing a 42-day broiler feeding study. Isoenergetic diets containing 40% flour from wheat event IND-ØØ412-7, its non-GM counterpart Cadenza, and a commercial variety were included in the study. Broilers' performance was analyzed by measuring feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion, and time to reach 2.8 kgs. The yield was evaluated by carcass weight, breast meat, and abdominal fat. No differences were found between wheat event IND-ØØ412-7 and the non-GM counterpart. A few significant differences were found with the commercial variety which were associated with the genetic background, different from the other two materials. These results support the nutritional equivalence of event IND-ØØ412-7 with conventional wheat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia V. Miranda
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR), Santa Fe, Argentina,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina,CONTACT Patricia V. Miranda Instituto de Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR), Ocampo bis 210, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Bernardo F. Iglesias
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) - Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María V. Charriere
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) - Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Moisés Burachik
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR), Santa Fe, Argentina
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20
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Trono D, Pecchioni N. Candidate Genes Associated with Abiotic Stress Response in Plants as Tools to Engineer Tolerance to Drought, Salinity and Extreme Temperatures in Wheat: An Overview. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:plants11233358. [PMID: 36501397 PMCID: PMC9737347 DOI: 10.3390/plants11233358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Wheat represents one of the most important staple food crops worldwide and its genetic improvement is fundamental to meeting the global demand of the growing population. However, the environmental stresses, worsened by climate change, and the increasing deterioration of arable land make it very difficult to fulfil this demand. In light of this, the tolerance of wheat to abiotic stresses has become a key objective of genetic improvement, as an effective strategy to ensure high yields without increasing the cultivated land. Genetic erosion related to modern agriculture, whereby elite, high-yielding wheat varieties are the product of high selection pressure, has reduced the overall genetic diversity, including the allelic diversity of genes that could be advantageous for adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. This makes traditional breeding a less effective or slower approach to generating new stress-tolerant wheat varieties. Either mining for the diversity of not-adapted large germplasm pools, or generating new diversity, are the mainstream approaches to be pursued. The advent of genetic engineering has opened the possibility to create new plant variability and its application has provided a strong complement to traditional breeding. Genetic engineering strategies such as transgenesis and genome editing have then provided the opportunity to improve environmental tolerance traits of agronomic importance in cultivated species. As for wheat, several laboratories worldwide have successfully produced transgenic wheat lines with enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses, and, more recently, significant improvements in the CRISPR/Cas9 tools available for targeted variations within the wheat genome have been achieved. In light of this, the present review aims to provide successful examples of genetic engineering applications for the improvement of wheat adaptation to drought, salinity and extreme temperatures, which represent the most frequent and most severe events causing the greatest losses in wheat production worldwide.
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21
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Hoffman NE. USDA's revised biotechnology regulation's contribution to increasing agricultural sustainability and responding to climate change. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1055529. [PMID: 36507369 PMCID: PMC9726801 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1055529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Biotechnology can provide a valuable tool to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals and U.S. initiatives to find climate solutions and improve agricultural sustainability. The literature contains hundreds of examples of crops that may serve this purpose, yet most remain un-launched due to high regulatory barriers. Recently the USDA revised its biotechnology regulations to make them more risk-proportionate, science-based, and streamlined. Here, we review some of the promising leads that may enable agriculture to contribute to UN sustainability goals. We further describe and discuss how the revised biotechnology regulation would hypothetically apply to these cases.
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22
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Wu Z, Li T, Zhang D, Teng N. Lily HD-Zip I Transcription Factor LlHB16 Promotes Thermotolerance by Activating LlHSFA2 and LlMBF1c. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 63:1729-1744. [PMID: 36130232 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcac131] [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: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
HD-Zip I transcription factors play important roles in plant development and response to abiotic stresses; however, their roles in thermotolerance are largely unknown. Through transcriptome analysis in lily (Lilium longiflorum), we isolated and identified a HD-Zip I gene differentially expressed at high temperatures, LlHB16, which belongs to the β2 subgroup and positively regulates thermotolerance. The expression of LlHB16 was rapidly and continuously activated by heat stress. LlHB16 protein localized to the nucleus and exhibited transactivation activity in both plant and yeast cells, and its C-terminus contributed to its transcriptional activity. Overexpressing LlHB16 in Arabidopsis and lily improved thermotolerance and activated the expression of heat-related genes in both plants, especially that of HSFA2 and MBF1c. In addition, LlHB16 overexpression in Arabidopsis also caused growth defects, delayed flowering and abscisic acid (ABA) insensitivity. Further analysis revealed that LlHB16 directly binds to the promoters of LlHSFA2 and LlMBF1c and activates their expressions. Similarly, the expression of AtHSFA2 and AtMBF1c was also elevated in LlHB16 transgenic Arabidopsis lines. Together, our findings demonstrate that LlHB16 participates in the establishment of thermotolerance involved in activating LlHSFA2 and LlMBF1c, and LlHB16 overexpression resulted in ABA insensitivity in transgenic plants, suggesting that LlHB16 links the basal heat-responsive pathway and ABA signal to collaboratively regulate thermotolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Wu
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
- Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu 210043, China
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
| | - Ting Li
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
- Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu 210043, China
| | - Dehua Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
- Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu 210043, China
| | - Nianjun Teng
- Key Laboratory of Landscaping Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
- Jiangsu Graduate Workstation of Nanjing Agricultural University and Nanjing Oriole Island Modern Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing, Jiangsu 210043, China
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23
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Esmaeili N, Shen G, Zhang H. Genetic manipulation for abiotic stress resistance traits in crops. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1011985. [PMID: 36212298 PMCID: PMC9533083 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1011985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Abiotic stresses are major limiting factors that pose severe threats to agricultural production. Conventional breeding has significantly improved crop productivity in the last century, but traditional breeding has reached its maximum capacity due to the multigenic nature of abiotic stresses. Alternatively, biotechnological approaches could provide new opportunities for producing crops that can adapt to the fast-changing environment and still produce high yields under severe environmental stress conditions. Many stress-related genes have been identified and manipulated to generate stress-tolerant plants in the past decades, which could lead to further increase in food production in most countries of the world. This review focuses on the recent progress in using transgenic technology and gene editing technology to improve abiotic stress tolerance in plants, and highlights the potential of using genetic engineering to secure food and fiber supply in a world with an increasing population yet decreasing land and water availability for food production and fast-changing climate that will be largely hostile to agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nardana Esmaeili
- Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Guoxin Shen
- Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sericultural Research Institute, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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Aphalo PJ, Sadras VO. Explaining pre-emptive acclimation by linking information to plant phenotype. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:5213-5234. [PMID: 34915559 PMCID: PMC9440433 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We review mechanisms for pre-emptive acclimation in plants and propose a conceptual model linking developmental and evolutionary ecology with the acquisition of information through sensing of cues and signals. The idea is that plants acquire much of the information in the environment not from individual cues and signals but instead from their joint multivariate properties such as correlations. If molecular signalling has evolved to extract such information, the joint multivariate properties of the environment must be encoded in the genome, epigenome, and phenome. We contend that multivariate complexity explains why extrapolating from experiments done in artificial contexts into natural or agricultural systems almost never works for characters under complex environmental regulation: biased relationships among the state variables in both time and space create a mismatch between the evolutionary history reflected in the genotype and the artificial growing conditions in which the phenotype is expressed. Our model can generate testable hypotheses bridging levels of organization. We describe the model and its theoretical bases, and discuss its implications. We illustrate the hypotheses that can be derived from the model in two cases of pre-emptive acclimation based on correlations in the environment: the shade avoidance response and acclimation to drought.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victor O Sadras
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, and School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Australia
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Zhong X, Hong W, Shu Y, Li J, Liu L, Chen X, Islam F, Zhou W, Tang G. CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene-editing of GmHdz4 transcription factor enhances drought tolerance in soybean ( Glycine max [L.] Merr.). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:988505. [PMID: 36061810 PMCID: PMC9437544 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.988505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The HD-Zip transcription factors play a crucial role in plant development, secondary metabolism, and abiotic stress responses, but little is known about HD-Zip I genes in soybean. Here, a homeodomain-leucine zipper gene designated GmHdz4 was isolated. Chimeric soybean plants, GmHdz4 overexpressing (GmHdz4-oe), and gene-editing via CRISPR/Cas9 (gmhdz4) in hairy roots, were generated to examine the GmHdz4 gene response to polyethylene glycol (PEG)-simulated drought stress. Bioinformatic analysis showed GmHdz4 belonged to clade δ, and was closely related to other drought tolerance-related HD-Zip I family genes such as AtHB12, Oshox12, and Gshdz4. The GmHdz4 was located in the plant nucleus and showed transcriptional activation activity by yeast hybrid assay. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that GmHdz4 expression varied in tissues and was induced by PEG-simulated drought stress. The gmhdz4 showed promoted growth of aboveground parts, and its root system architecture, including the total root length, the root superficial area, and the number of root tips were significantly higher than those of GmHdz4-oe even the non-transgenic line (NT) on root tips number. The better maintenance of turgor pressure by osmolyte accumulation, and the higher activity of antioxidant enzymes to scavenge reactive oxygen species, ultimately suppressed the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2-), and malondialdehyde (MDA), conferring higher drought tolerance in gmhdz4 compared with both GmHdz4-oe and NT. Together, our results provide new insights for future research on the mechanisms by which GmHdz4 gene-editing via CRISPR/Cas9 system could promote drought stress and provide a potential target for molecular breeding in soybean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanbo Zhong
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Hong
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yue Shu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Sanya, Hainan, China
| | - Jianfei Li
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Sanya, Hainan, China
| | - Lulu Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoyang Chen
- Seed Management Station of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Faisal Islam
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weijun Zhou
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guixiang Tang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Hainan Institute of Zhejiang University, Sanya, Hainan, China
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Zhou Y, Liu J, Guo J, Wang Y, Ji H, Chu X, Xiao K, Qi X, Hu L, Li H, Hu M, Tang W, Yan J, Yan H, Bai X, Ge L, Lyu M, Chen J, Xu Z, Chen M, Ma Y. GmTDN1 improves wheat yields by inducing dual tolerance to both drought and low-N stress. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2022; 20:1606-1621. [PMID: 35514029 PMCID: PMC9342622 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Genetically enhancing drought tolerance and nutrient use efficacy enables sustainable and stable wheat production in drought-prone areas exposed to water shortages and low soil fertility, due to global warming and declining natural resources. In this study, wheat plants, exhibiting improved drought tolerance and N-use efficacy, were developed by introducing GmTDN1, a gene encoding a DREB-like transcription factor, into two modern winter wheat varieties, cv Shi4185 and Jimai22. Overexpressing GmTDN1 in wheat resulted in significantly improved drought and low-N tolerance under drought and N-deficient conditions in the greenhouse. Field trials conducted at three different locations over a period of 2-3 consecutive years showed that both Shi4185 and Jimai22 GmTDN1 transgenic lines were agronomically superior to wild-type plants, and produced significantly higher yields under both drought and N-deficient conditions. No yield penalties were observed in these transgenic lines under normal well irrigation conditions. Overexpressing GmTDN1 enhanced photosynthetic and osmotic adjustment capacity, antioxidant metabolism, and root mass of wheat plants, compared to those of wild-type plants, by orchestrating the expression of a set of drought stress-related genes as well as the nitrate transporter, NRT2.5. Furthermore, transgenic wheat with overexpressed NRT2.5 can improve drought tolerance and nitrogen (N) absorption, suggesting that improving N absorption in GmTDN1 transgenic wheat may contribute to drought tolerance. These findings may lead to the development of new methodologies with the capacity to simultaneously improve drought tolerance and N-use efficacy in cereal crops to ensure sustainable agriculture and global food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Zhou
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Jun Liu
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Jinkao Guo
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry SciencesResearch Center of Wheat Engineering Technology of HebeiShijiazhuangChina
| | - Yanxia Wang
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry SciencesResearch Center of Wheat Engineering Technology of HebeiShijiazhuangChina
| | - Hutai Ji
- Institute of Wheat ResearchShanxi Academy of Agricultural SciencesLinfenChina
| | - Xiusheng Chu
- Crop Research InstituteShandong Academy of Agricultural SciencesJinanChina
| | - Kai Xiao
- College of AgronomyAgricultural University of Hebei ProvinceBaodingChina
| | - Xueli Qi
- Wheat Research InstituteHenan Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhouChina
| | - Lin Hu
- Wheat Research InstituteHenan Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhouChina
| | - Hui Li
- Hebei Laboratory of Crop Genetics and BreedingHebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry SciencesInstitute for Cereal and Oil CropsShijiazhuangChina
| | - Mengyun Hu
- Hebei Laboratory of Crop Genetics and BreedingHebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry SciencesInstitute for Cereal and Oil CropsShijiazhuangChina
| | - Wensi Tang
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Jiji Yan
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Huishu Yan
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Xinxuan Bai
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Linhao Ge
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Mingjie Lyu
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Jun Chen
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Zhaoshi Xu
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Ming Chen
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
| | - Youzhi Ma
- Institute of Crop Sciences (ICS)Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae CropsMinistry of AgricultureBeijingChina
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Mishra V, Mishra R, Shamra RS. Ribosome inactivating proteins - An unfathomed biomolecule for developing multi-stress tolerant transgenic plants. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 210:107-122. [PMID: 35525494 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.05.004] [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: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Transgenic crops would serve as a tool to overcome the forthcoming crisis in food security and environmental safety posed by degrading land and changing global climate. Commercial transgenic crops developed so far focus on single stress; however, sustaining crop yield to ensure food security requires transgenics tolerant to multiple environmental stresses. Here we argue and demonstrate the untapped potential of ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs), translation inhibitors, as potential transgenes in developing transgenics to combat multiple stresses in the environment. Plant RIPs target the fundamental processes of the cell with very high specificity to the infecting pests. While controlling pathogens, RIPs also cause ectopic expression of pathogenesis-related proteins and trigger systemic acquired resistance. On the other hand, during abiotic stress, RIPs show antioxidant activity and trigger both enzyme-dependent and enzyme-independent metabolic pathways, alleviating abiotic stress such as drought, salinity, temperature, etc. RIPs express in response to specific environmental signals; therefore, their expression obviates additional physiological load on the transgenic plants instead of the constitutive expression. Based on evidence from its biological significance, ecological roles, laboratory- and controlled-environment success of its transgenics, and ethical merits, we unravel the potential of RIPs in developing transgenic plants showing co-tolerance to multiple environmental stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Mishra
- Bioresources and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
| | - Ruchi Mishra
- Bioresources and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India; Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, Chanakyapuri, Delhi 110021, India.
| | - Radhey Shyam Shamra
- Bioresources and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India; Delhi School of Climate Change & Sustainability, Institute of Eminence, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
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Bapela T, Shimelis H, Tsilo TJ, Mathew I. Genetic Improvement of Wheat for Drought Tolerance: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:1331. [PMID: 35631756 PMCID: PMC9144332 DOI: 10.3390/plants11101331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Wheat production and productivity are challenged by recurrent droughts associated with climate change globally. Drought and heat stress resilient cultivars can alleviate yield loss in marginal production agro-ecologies. The ability of some crop genotypes to thrive and yield in drought conditions is attributable to the inherent genetic variation and environmental adaptation, presenting opportunities to develop drought-tolerant varieties. Understanding the underlying genetic, physiological, biochemical, and environmental mechanisms and their interactions is key critical opportunity for drought tolerance improvement. Therefore, the objective of this review is to document the progress, challenges, and opportunities in breeding for drought tolerance in wheat. The paper outlines the following key aspects: (1) challenges associated with breeding for adaptation to drought-prone environments, (2) opportunities such as genetic variation in wheat for drought tolerance, selection methods, the interplay between above-ground phenotypic traits and root attributes in drought adaptation and drought-responsive attributes and (3) approaches, technologies and innovations in drought tolerance breeding. In the end, the paper summarises genetic gains and perspectives in drought tolerance breeding in wheat. The review will serve as baseline information for wheat breeders and agronomists to guide the development and deployment of drought-adapted and high-performing new-generation wheat varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Bapela
- African Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa; (H.S.); (I.M.)
- Agricultural Research Council—Small Grain, Bethlehem 9700, South Africa;
| | - Hussein Shimelis
- African Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa; (H.S.); (I.M.)
| | - Toi John Tsilo
- Agricultural Research Council—Small Grain, Bethlehem 9700, South Africa;
| | - Isack Mathew
- African Centre for Crop Improvement, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa; (H.S.); (I.M.)
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Optogenetic and Chemical Induction Systems for Regulation of Transgene Expression in Plants: Use in Basic and Applied Research. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031737. [PMID: 35163658 PMCID: PMC8835832 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Continuous and ubiquitous expression of foreign genes sometimes results in harmful effects on the growth, development and metabolic activities of plants. Tissue-specific promoters help to overcome this disadvantage, but do not allow one to precisely control transgene expression over time. Thus, inducible transgene expression systems have obvious benefits. In plants, transcriptional regulation is usually driven by chemical agents under the control of chemically-inducible promoters. These systems are diverse, but usually contain two elements, the chimeric transcription factor and the reporter gene. The commonly used chemically-induced expression systems are tetracycline-, steroid-, insecticide-, copper-, and ethanol-regulated. Unlike chemical-inducible systems, optogenetic tools enable spatiotemporal, quantitative and reversible control over transgene expression with light, overcoming limitations of chemically-inducible systems. This review updates and summarizes optogenetic and chemical induction methods of transgene expression used in basic plant research and discusses their potential in field applications.
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Lohani N, Singh MB, Bhalla PL. Biological Parts for Engineering Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9819314. [PMID: 37850130 PMCID: PMC10521667 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9819314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
It is vital to ramp up crop production dramatically by 2050 due to the increasing global population and demand for food. However, with the climate change projections showing that droughts and heatwaves becoming common in much of the globe, there is a severe threat of a sharp decline in crop yields. Thus, developing crop varieties with inbuilt genetic tolerance to environmental stresses is urgently needed. Selective breeding based on genetic diversity is not keeping up with the growing demand for food and feed. However, the emergence of contemporary plant genetic engineering, genome-editing, and synthetic biology offer precise tools for developing crops that can sustain productivity under stress conditions. Here, we summarize the systems biology-level understanding of regulatory pathways involved in perception, signalling, and protective processes activated in response to unfavourable environmental conditions. The potential role of noncoding RNAs in the regulation of abiotic stress responses has also been highlighted. Further, examples of imparting abiotic stress tolerance by genetic engineering are discussed. Additionally, we provide perspectives on the rational design of abiotic stress tolerance through synthetic biology and list various bioparts that can be used to design synthetic gene circuits whose stress-protective functions can be switched on/off in response to environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeta Lohani
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Mohan B. Singh
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Prem L. Bhalla
- Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
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Stanschewski CS, Rey E, Fiene G, Craine EB, Wellman G, Melino VJ, S. R. Patiranage D, Johansen K, Schmöckel SM, Bertero D, Oakey H, Colque-Little C, Afzal I, Raubach S, Miller N, Streich J, Amby DB, Emrani N, Warmington M, Mousa MAA, Wu D, Jacobson D, Andreasen C, Jung C, Murphy K, Bazile D, Tester M. Quinoa Phenotyping Methodologies: An International Consensus. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:1759. [PMID: 34579292 PMCID: PMC8472428 DOI: 10.3390/plants10091759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Quinoa is a crop originating in the Andes but grown more widely and with the genetic potential for significant further expansion. Due to the phenotypic plasticity of quinoa, varieties need to be assessed across years and multiple locations. To improve comparability among field trials across the globe and to facilitate collaborations, components of the trials need to be kept consistent, including the type and methods of data collected. Here, an internationally open-access framework for phenotyping a wide range of quinoa features is proposed to facilitate the systematic agronomic, physiological and genetic characterization of quinoa for crop adaptation and improvement. Mature plant phenotyping is a central aspect of this paper, including detailed descriptions and the provision of phenotyping cards to facilitate consistency in data collection. High-throughput methods for multi-temporal phenotyping based on remote sensing technologies are described. Tools for higher-throughput post-harvest phenotyping of seeds are presented. A guideline for approaching quinoa field trials including the collection of environmental data and designing layouts with statistical robustness is suggested. To move towards developing resources for quinoa in line with major cereal crops, a database was created. The Quinoa Germinate Platform will serve as a central repository of data for quinoa researchers globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara S. Stanschewski
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
| | - Elodie Rey
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
| | - Gabriele Fiene
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
| | - Evan B. Craine
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; (E.B.C.); (K.M.)
| | - Gordon Wellman
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
| | - Vanessa J. Melino
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
| | - Dilan S. R. Patiranage
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
- Plant Breeding Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany; (N.E.); (C.J.)
| | - Kasper Johansen
- Water Desalination and Reuse Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Sandra M. Schmöckel
- Department Physiology of Yield Stability, Institute of Crop Science, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany;
| | - Daniel Bertero
- Department of Plant Production, School of Agriculture, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1417DSE, Argentina;
| | - Helena Oakey
- Robinson Research Institute, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia;
| | - Carla Colque-Little
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark; (C.C.-L.); (D.B.A.); (C.A.)
| | - Irfan Afzal
- Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan;
| | - Sebastian Raubach
- Department of Information and Computational Sciences, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee AB15 8QH, UK;
| | - Nathan Miller
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, 430 Lincoln Dr, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
| | - Jared Streich
- Biosciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA; (J.S.); (D.J.)
| | - Daniel Buchvaldt Amby
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark; (C.C.-L.); (D.B.A.); (C.A.)
| | - Nazgol Emrani
- Plant Breeding Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany; (N.E.); (C.J.)
| | - Mark Warmington
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Agriculture and Food, Kununurra, WA 6743, Australia;
| | - Magdi A. A. Mousa
- Department of Arid Land Agriculture, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Vegetables, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt
| | - David Wu
- Shanxi Jiaqi Agri-Tech Co., Ltd., Taiyuan 030006, China;
| | - Daniel Jacobson
- Biosciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA; (J.S.); (D.J.)
| | - Christian Andreasen
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2630 Taastrup, Denmark; (C.C.-L.); (D.B.A.); (C.A.)
| | - Christian Jung
- Plant Breeding Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany; (N.E.); (C.J.)
| | - Kevin Murphy
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; (E.B.C.); (K.M.)
| | - Didier Bazile
- CIRAD, UMR SENS, 34398 Montpellier, France;
- SENS, CIRAD, IRD, University Paul Valery Montpellier 3, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Mark Tester
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia; (C.S.S.); (E.R.); (G.F.); (G.W.); (V.J.M.); (D.S.R.P.)
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Basso MF, Costa JA, Ribeiro TP, Arraes FBM, Lourenço-Tessutti IT, Macedo AF, Neves MRD, Nardeli SM, Arge LW, Perez CEA, Silva PLR, de Macedo LLP, Lisei-de-Sa ME, Santos Amorim RM, Pinto ERDC, Silva MCM, Morgante CV, Floh EIS, Alves-Ferreira M, Grossi-de-Sa MF. Overexpression of the CaHB12 transcription factor in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) improves drought tolerance. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2021; 165:80-93. [PMID: 34034163 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Coffea arabica HB12 gene (CaHB12), which encodes a transcription factor belonging to the HD-Zip I subfamily, is upregulated under drought, and its constitutive overexpression (35S:CaHB12OX) improves the Arabidopsis thaliana tolerance to drought and salinity stresses. Herein, we generated transgenic cotton events constitutively overexpressing the CaHB12 gene, characterized these events based on their increased tolerance to water deficit, and exploited the gene expression level from the CaHB12 network. The segregating events Ev8.29.1, Ev8.90.1, and Ev23.36.1 showed higher photosynthetic yield and higher water use efficiency under severe water deficit and permanent wilting point conditions compared to wild-type plants. Under well-irrigated conditions, these three promising transformed events showed an equivalent level of Abscisic acid (ABA) and decreased Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) accumulation, and a higher putrescine/(spermidine + spermine) ratio in leaf tissues was found in the progenies of at least two transgenic cotton events compared to non-transgenic plants. In addition, genes that are considered as modulated in the A. thaliana 35S:CaHB12OX line were also shown to be modulated in several transgenic cotton events maintained under field capacity conditions. The upregulation of GhPP2C and GhSnRK2 in transgenic cotton events maintained under permanent wilting point conditions suggested that CaHB12 might act enhancing the ABA-dependent pathway. All these data confirmed that CaHB12 overexpression improved the tolerance to water deficit, and the transcriptional modulation of genes related to the ABA signaling pathway or downstream genes might enhance the defense responses to drought. The observed decrease in IAA levels indicates that CaHB12 overexpression can prevent leaf abscission in plants under or after stress. Thus, our findings provide new insights on CaHB12 gene and identify several promising cotton events for conducting field trials on water deficit tolerance and agronomic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Fernando Basso
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology, INCT PlantStress Biotech, EMBRAPA, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil
| | - Julia Almeida Costa
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 71966-700, Brazil
| | - Thuanne Pires Ribeiro
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Federal University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Fabricio Barbosa Monteiro Arraes
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 90040-060, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Luis Willian Arge
- Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-901, Brazil
| | | | - Paolo Lucas Rodrigues Silva
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 71966-700, Brazil
| | | | - Maria Eugênia Lisei-de-Sa
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology, INCT PlantStress Biotech, EMBRAPA, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; EPAMIG, Uberaba, MG, 31170-495, Brazil
| | | | | | - Maria Cristina Mattar Silva
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology, INCT PlantStress Biotech, EMBRAPA, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil
| | - Carolina Vianna Morgante
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology, INCT PlantStress Biotech, EMBRAPA, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Embrapa Semi-Arid, Petrolina, PE, 56302-970, Brazil
| | | | - Marcio Alves-Ferreira
- National Institute of Science and Technology, INCT PlantStress Biotech, EMBRAPA, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-901, Brazil
| | - Maria Fatima Grossi-de-Sa
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology, INCT PlantStress Biotech, EMBRAPA, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil; Catholic University of Brasília, Brasília, DF, 71966-700, Brazil.
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Perotti MF, Arce AL, Chan RL. The underground life of homeodomain-leucine zipper transcription factors. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:4005-4021. [PMID: 33713412 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Roots are the anchorage organs of plants, responsible for water and nutrient uptake, exhibiting high plasticity. Root architecture is driven by the interactions of biomolecules, including transcription factors and hormones that are crucial players regulating root plasticity. Multiple transcription factor families are involved in root development; some, such as ARFs and LBDs, have been well characterized, whereas others remain less well investigated. In this review, we synthesize the current knowledge about the involvement of the large family of homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) transcription factors in root development. This family is divided into four subfamilies (I-IV), mainly according to structural features, such as additional motifs aside from HD-Zip, as well as their size, gene structure, and expression patterns. We explored and analyzed public databases and the scientific literature regarding HD-Zip transcription factors in Arabidopsis and other species. Most members of the four HD-Zip subfamilies are expressed in specific cell types and several individuals from each group have assigned functions in root development. Notably, a high proportion of the studied proteins are part of intricate regulation pathways involved in primary and lateral root growth and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Florencia Perotti
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, FBCB, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, 3000 Santa Fe,Argentina
| | - Agustín Lucas Arce
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, FBCB, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, 3000 Santa Fe,Argentina
| | - Raquel Lía Chan
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, FBCB, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, 3000 Santa Fe,Argentina
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Beznec A, Faccio P, Miralles DJ, Abeledo LG, Oneto CD, Garibotto MDB, Gonzalez G, Moreyra F, Elizondo M, Ruíz M, Lewi D, Blumwald E, Llorente B, Paleo AD, Bossio E. Stress-induced expression of IPT gene in transgenic wheat reduces grain yield penalty under drought. JOURNAL OF GENETIC ENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 19:67. [PMID: 33970377 PMCID: PMC8110665 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-021-00171-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background The heterologous expression of isopentenyl transferase (IPT) under the transcriptional control of the senescence-associated receptor-like kinase (SARK) promoter delayed cellular senescence and, through it, increased drought tolerance in plants. To evaluate the effect of pSARK::IPT expression in bread wheat, six independent transgenic events were obtained through the biolistic method and evaluated transgene expression, phenology, grain yield and physiological biomass components in plants grown under both drought and well-irrigating conditions. Experiments were performed at different levels: (i) pots and (ii) microplots inside a biosafety greenhouse, as well as under (iii) field conditions. Results Two transgenic events, called TR1 and TR4, outperformed the wild-type control under drought conditions. Transgenic plants showed higher yield under both greenhouse and field conditions, which was positively correlated to grain number (given by more spikes and grains per spike) than wild type. Interestingly, this yield advantage of the transgenic events was observed under both drought and well-watered conditions. Conclusions The results obtained allow us to conclude that the SARK promoter-regulated expression of the IPT gene in bread wheat not only reduced the yield penalty produced by water stress but also led to improved productivity under well-watered conditions. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43141-021-00171-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailin Beznec
- Instituto de Genética, "Edwald A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Paula Faccio
- Instituto de Genética, "Edwald A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel J Miralles
- Cátedra de Cerealicultura, Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,IFEVA, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Leonor G Abeledo
- Cátedra de Cerealicultura, Facultad de Agronomía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Decima Oneto
- Laboratorio de Agrobiotecnología, EEA Balcarce, INTA, Ruta 226, Km 73.5, B7620, Balcarce, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1425FQB, Godoy Cruz 2290, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María de Belén Garibotto
- Instituto de Genética, "Edwald A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), C1425FQB, Godoy Cruz 2290, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | | | - Matías Elizondo
- EEA San Juan, INTA, San Juan, Argentina.,Unidad Integrada INTA-UNSJ Dpto. Ing., San Juan, Argentina
| | - Mónica Ruíz
- EEA San Juan, INTA, San Juan, Argentina.,Unidad Integrada INTA-UNSJ Dpto. Ing., San Juan, Argentina
| | - Dalia Lewi
- Instituto de Genética, "Edwald A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Blumwald
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Berta Llorente
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Ezequiel Bossio
- Instituto de Genética, "Edwald A. Favret", Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Kleine T, Nägele T, Neuhaus HE, Schmitz-Linneweber C, Fernie AR, Geigenberger P, Grimm B, Kaufmann K, Klipp E, Meurer J, Möhlmann T, Mühlhaus T, Naranjo B, Nickelsen J, Richter A, Ruwe H, Schroda M, Schwenkert S, Trentmann O, Willmund F, Zoschke R, Leister D. Acclimation in plants - the Green Hub consortium. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 106:23-40. [PMID: 33368770 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Acclimation is the capacity to adapt to environmental changes within the lifetime of an individual. This ability allows plants to cope with the continuous variation in ambient conditions to which they are exposed as sessile organisms. Because environmental changes and extremes are becoming even more pronounced due to the current period of climate change, enhancing the efficacy of plant acclimation is a promising strategy for mitigating the consequences of global warming on crop yields. At the cellular level, the chloroplast plays a central role in many acclimation responses, acting both as a sensor of environmental change and as a target of cellular acclimation responses. In this Perspective article, we outline the activities of the Green Hub consortium funded by the German Science Foundation. The main aim of this research collaboration is to understand and strategically modify the cellular networks that mediate plant acclimation to adverse environments, employing Arabidopsis, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and Chlamydomonas as model organisms. These efforts will contribute to 'smart breeding' methods designed to create crop plants with improved acclimation properties. To this end, the model oilseed crop Camelina sativa is being used to test modulators of acclimation for their potential to enhance crop yield under adverse environmental conditions. Here we highlight the current state of research on the role of gene expression, metabolism and signalling in acclimation, with a focus on chloroplast-related processes. In addition, further approaches to uncovering acclimation mechanisms derived from systems and computational biology, as well as adaptive laboratory evolution with photosynthetic microbes, are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Kleine
- Plant Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Thomas Nägele
- Plant Evolutionary Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, 82152, Germany
| | - H Ekkehard Neuhaus
- Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | | | - Alisdair R Fernie
- Central Metabolism, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Peter Geigenberger
- Plant Metabolism, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, 82152, Germany
| | - Bernhard Grimm
- Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10115, Germany
| | - Kerstin Kaufmann
- Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10115, Germany
| | - Edda Klipp
- Theoretical Biophysics, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10115, Germany
| | - Jörg Meurer
- Plant Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Torsten Möhlmann
- Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Timo Mühlhaus
- Computational Systems Biology, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Belen Naranjo
- Plant Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
| | - Jörg Nickelsen
- Molecular Plant Science, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, 82152, Germany
| | - Andreas Richter
- Physiology of Plant Organelles, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10115, Germany
| | - Hannes Ruwe
- Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10115, Germany
| | - Michael Schroda
- Molecular Biotechnology & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Serena Schwenkert
- Plant Biochemistry and Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, 82152, Germany
| | - Oliver Trentmann
- Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Felix Willmund
- Molecular Genetics of Eukaryotes, Department of Biology, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany
| | - Reimo Zoschke
- Translational Regulation in Plants, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, 14476, Germany
| | - Dario Leister
- Plant Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
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Chan RL, Trucco F, Otegui ME. Why are second-generation transgenic crops not yet available in the market? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:6876-6880. [PMID: 32901258 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies predict that global food demand of major grain crops will not be accompanied by the required increase in yield (Hall and Richards, 2013). Additionally, current figures estimate that the impact of climate change on agriculture will yield losses of 8-43%, mainly due to abiotic stresses. A second generation of transgenic crops (SGTC) was projected to mitigate these constraints worldwide. However, SGTC remain unavailable as market products. Here, we present our viewpoints about current limitations and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Chan
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral - CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - F Trucco
- INDEAR/BIOCERES, Rosario, Argentina
| | - M E Otegui
- CONICET-INTA-FAUBA, Estación Experimental Pergamino, Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Torti P, Raineri J, Mencia R, Campi M, Gonzalez DH, Welchen E. The sunflower TLDc-containing protein HaOXR2 confers tolerance to oxidative stress and waterlogging when expressed in maize plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2020; 300:110626. [PMID: 33180706 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genome encodes six proteins containing a TLDc domain, typical of the eukaryotic OXidation Resistance (OXR) protein family. Expression of sunflower HaOXR2 in Arabidopsis generated plants with increased rosette diameter, higher number of leaves and increased seed production. Maize inbred lines expressing HaOXR2 also showed increased total leaf area per plant. In addition, heterologous expression of HaOXR2 induced an increase in the oxidative stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and maize. Maize transgenic plants expressing HaOXR2 experienced less oxidative damage and exhibited increased photosynthetic performance and efficiency than non-transgenic segregant plants after treatment of leaves with the reactive oxygen species generating compound Paraquat. Expression of HaOXR2 in maize also improved tolerance to waterlogging. The number of expanded leaves, aerial biomass, and stem height and cross-section area were less affected by waterlogging in HaOXR2 expressing plants, which also displayed less aerial tissue damage under these conditions. Transgenic plants also showed an increased production of roots, a typical adaptive stress response. The results show the existence of functional conservation of OXR proteins in dicot and monocot plants and indicate that HaOXR2 could be useful to improve plant performance under conditions that increase oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Torti
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Jesica Raineri
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Regina Mencia
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Mabel Campi
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Daniel H Gonzalez
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Elina Welchen
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Cátedra de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
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Chiozza MV, Burachik M, Miranda PV. Compositional analysis of soybean event IND-ØØ41Ø-5. GM CROPS & FOOD 2020; 11:154-163. [PMID: 32351157 PMCID: PMC7518735 DOI: 10.1080/21645698.2020.1742040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Soybean (Glycine max L.) is the world's largest source of protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil. Water restriction is the main limiting factor to achieve maximum soybean yields. Therefore, development of varieties that maintain yield under environmental stresses is a major objective of soybean breeding programs. The HaHB4 (Helianthus annuus homeobox 4) gene from sunflower encodes for a transcription factor involved in the plant´s tolerance to environmental stress. The introduction of HaHB4 in soybean led to the development of event IND-ØØ41Ø-5 (HB4® soybean), which displayed higher yield in environments having low productivity potential, compared with the parental control variety. Compositional analyses of soybean event IND-ØØ41Ø-5 were conducted both in Argentina and the United Sates. A total of 44 components were analyzed in grain and 9 components in forage. Based on the results of these studies it was concluded that soybean event IND-ØØ41Ø-5 was compositionally equivalent to its non-transgenic parental control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana V. Chiozza
- Instituto De Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR), Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Moisés Burachik
- Instituto De Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR), Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Patricia V. Miranda
- Instituto De Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR), Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET)
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39
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The Role of Stress-Responsive Transcription Factors in Modulating Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants. AGRONOMY-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/agronomy10060788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Abiotic stresses, such as drought, high temperature, and salinity, affect plant growth and productivity. Furthermore, global climate change may increase the frequency and severity of abiotic stresses, suggesting that development of varieties with improved stress tolerance is critical for future sustainable crop production. Improving stress tolerance requires a detailed understanding of the hormone signaling and transcriptional pathways involved in stress responses. Abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA) are key stress-response hormones in plants, and some stress-responsive transcription factors such as ABFs and MYCs function as direct components of ABA and JA signaling, playing a pivotal role in plant tolerance to abiotic stress. In addition, extensive studies have identified other stress-responsive transcription factors belonging to the NAC, AP2/ERF, MYB, and WRKY families that mediate plant response and tolerance to abiotic stress. These suggest that transcriptional regulation of stress-responsive genes is an essential step to determine the mechanisms underlying plant stress responses and tolerance to abiotic stress, and that these transcription factors may be important targets for development of crops with enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. In this review, we briefly describe the mechanisms underlying plant abiotic stress responses, focusing on ABA and JA metabolism and signaling pathways. We then summarize the diverse array of transcription factors involved in plant responses to abiotic stress, while noting their potential applications for improvement of stress tolerance.
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40
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Ribichich KF, Chiozza M, Ávalos-Britez S, Cabello JV, Arce AL, Watson G, Arias C, Portapila M, Trucco F, Otegui ME, Chan RL. Successful field performance in warm and dry environments of soybean expressing the sunflower transcription factor HB4. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:3142-3156. [PMID: 32140724 PMCID: PMC7260725 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Soybean yield is limited primarily by abiotic constraints. No transgenic soybean with improved abiotic stress tolerance is commercially available. We transformed soybean plants with genetic constructs able to express the sunflower transcription factor HaHB4, which confers drought tolerance to Arabidopsis and wheat. One line (b10H) carrying the sunflower promoter was chosen among three independent lines because it exhibited the best performance in seed yield, and was evaluated in the greenhouse and in 27 field trials in different environments in Argentina. In greenhouse experiments, transgenic plants showed increased seed yield under stress conditions together with greater epicotyl diameter, larger xylem area, and increased water use efficiency compared with controls. They also exhibited enhanced seed yield in warm and dry field conditions. This response was accompanied by an increase in seed number that was not compensated by a decrease in individual seed weight. Transcriptome analysis of plants from a field trial with maximum difference in seed yield between genotypes indicated the induction of genes encoding redox and heat shock proteins in b10H. Collectively, our results indicate that soybeans transformed with HaHB4 are expected to have a reduced seed yield penalty when cultivated in warm and dry conditions, which constitute the best target environments for this technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina F Ribichich
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral – CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | | | - Selva Ávalos-Britez
- Estación Experimental Pergamino, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Julieta V Cabello
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral – CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Augustin L Arce
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral – CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | | | - Claudia Arias
- CIFASIS, Universidad Nacional de Rosario – CONICET, Rosario, Argentina
| | | | | | - Maria E Otegui
- CONICET-INTA-FAUBA, Estación Experimental Pergamino, Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Raquel L Chan
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral – CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
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41
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Hensel G. Genetic transformation of Triticeae cereals – Summary of almost three-decade's development. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 40:107484. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2019.107484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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42
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Paul MJ, Watson A, Griffiths CA. Linking fundamental science to crop improvement through understanding source and sink traits and their integration for yield enhancement. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:2270-2280. [PMID: 31665486 PMCID: PMC7134924 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Understanding processes in sources and sinks that contribute to crop yields has taken years of painstaking research. For crop yield improvement, processes need to be understood as standalone mechanisms in addition to how these mechanisms perform at the crop level; currently there is often a chasm between the two. Fundamental mechanisms need to be considered in the context of crop ideotypes and the agricultural environment which is often more water limited than carbon limited. Different approaches for improvement should be considered, namely is there genetic variation? Or if not, could genetic modification, genome editing, or alternative approaches be utilized? Currently, there are few examples where genetic modification has improved intrinsic yield in the field for commercial application in a major crop. Genome editing, particularly of negative yield regulators as a first step, is providing new opportunities. Here we highlight key mechanisms in source and sink, arguing that for large yield increases integration of key processes is likely to produce the biggest successes within the framework of crop ideotypes with optimized phenology. We highlight a plethora of recent papers that show breakthroughs in fundamental science and the promise of the trehalose 6-phosphate signalling pathway, which regulates carbohydrate allocation which is key for many crop traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Paul
- Plant Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Amy Watson
- Plant Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Cara A Griffiths
- Plant Science, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK
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43
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Zhou Y, Chen M, Guo J, Wang Y, Min D, Jiang Q, Ji H, Huang C, Wei W, Xu H, Chen X, Li L, Xu Z, Cheng X, Wang C, Wang C, Ma Y. Overexpression of soybean DREB1 enhances drought stress tolerance of transgenic wheat in the field. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:1842-1857. [PMID: 31875914 PMCID: PMC7242075 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Drought-response-element binding (DREB)-like transcription factors can significantly enhance plant tolerance to water stress. However, most research on DREB-like proteins to date has been conducted in growth chambers or greenhouses, so there is very little evidence available to support their practical use in the field. In this study, we overexpressed GmDREB1 from soybean in two popular wheat varieties and conducted drought-tolerance experiments across a range of years, sites, and drought-stress regimes. We found that the transgenic plants consistently exhibited significant improvements in yield performance and a variety of physiological traits compared with wild-type plants when grown under limited water conditions in the field, for example showing grain yield increases between 4.79-18.43%. Specifically, we found that the transgenic plants had reduced membrane damage and enhanced osmotic adjustment and photosynthetic efficiency compared to the non-transgenic controls. Three enzymes from the biosynthetic pathway of the phytohormone melatonin were up-regulated in the transgenic plants, and external application of melatonin was found to improve drought tolerance. Together, our results demonstrate the utility of transgenic overexpression of GmDREB1 to improve the drought tolerance of wheat in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Zhou
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Ming Chen
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Jinkao Guo
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Research Center of Wheat Engineering Technology of Hebei, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Yanxia Wang
- Shijiazhuang Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Research Center of Wheat Engineering Technology of Hebei, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Donghong Min
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Qiyan Jiang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Hutai Ji
- Institute of Wheat Research, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanxi, China
| | - Chengyan Huang
- Crop Research Institute, Shangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shandong, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Huijun Xu
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Liancheng Li
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaoshi Xu
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Xianguo Cheng
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Chunxiao Wang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
| | - Chengshe Wang
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China
| | - Youzhi Ma
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)/National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, China
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44
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González FG, Rigalli N, Miranda PV, Romagnoli M, Ribichich KF, Trucco F, Portapila M, Otegui ME, Chan RL. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Study the Performance of Second-generation Genetically Modified Crops in Field Trials: A Case Study With Soybean and Wheat Carrying the Sunflower HaHB4 Transcription Factor. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:178. [PMID: 32210989 PMCID: PMC7069416 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Research, production, and use of genetically modified (GM) crops have split the world between supporters and opponents. Up to now, this technology has been limited to the control of weeds and pests, whereas the second generation of GM crops is expected to assist farmers in abiotic stress tolerance or improved nutritional features. Aiming to analyze this subject holistically, in this presentation we address an advanced technology for drought-tolerant GM crops, upscaling from molecular details obtained in the laboratory to an extensive network of field trials as well as the impact of the introduction of this innovation into the market. Sunflower has divergent transcription factors, which could be key actors in the drought response orchestrating several signal transduction pathways, generating an improved performance to deal with water deficit. One of such factors, HaHB4, belongs to the homeodomain-leucine zipper family and was first introduced in Arabidopsis. Transformed plants had improved tolerance to water deficits, through the inhibition of ethylene sensitivity and not by stomata closure. Wheat and soybean plants expressing the HaHB4 gene were obtained and cropped across a wide range of growing conditions exhibiting enhanced adaptation to drought-prone environments, the most important constraint affecting crop yield worldwide. The performance of wheat and soybean, however, differed slightly across mentioned environments; whereas the improved behavior of GM wheat respect to controls was less dependent on the temperature regime (cool or warm), differences between GM and wild-type soybeans were remarkably larger in warmer compared to cooler conditions. In both species, these GM crops are good candidates to become market products in the near future. In anticipation of consumers' and other stakeholders' interest, spectral analyses of field crops have been conducted to differentiate these GM crops from wild type and commercial cultivars. In this paper, the potential impact of the release of such market products is discussed, considering the perspectives of different stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolás Rigalli
- CIFASIS, Universidad Nacional de Rosario—CONICET, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Patricia Vivian Miranda
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR)/BIOCERES, Rosario, Argentina
- CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martín Romagnoli
- CIFASIS, Universidad Nacional de Rosario—CONICET, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Karina Fabiana Ribichich
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral—CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - Federico Trucco
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología Rosario (INDEAR)/BIOCERES, Rosario, Argentina
| | | | - María Elena Otegui
- CONICET-INTA-FAUBA, Estación Experimental Pergamino, Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pergamino, Argentina
| | - Raquel Lía Chan
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral—CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Santa Fe, Argentina
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Martignago D, Rico-Medina A, Blasco-Escámez D, Fontanet-Manzaneque JB, Caño-Delgado AI. Drought Resistance by Engineering Plant Tissue-Specific Responses. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 10:1676. [PMID: 32038670 PMCID: PMC6987726 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Drought is the primary cause of agricultural loss globally, and represents a major threat to food security. Currently, plant biotechnology stands as one of the most promising fields when it comes to developing crops that are able to produce high yields in water-limited conditions. From studies of Arabidopsis thaliana whole plants, the main response mechanisms to drought stress have been uncovered, and multiple drought resistance genes have already been engineered into crops. So far, most plants with enhanced drought resistance have displayed reduced crop yield, meaning that there is still a need to search for novel approaches that can uncouple drought resistance from plant growth. Our laboratory has recently shown that the receptors of brassinosteroid (BR) hormones use tissue-specific pathways to mediate different developmental responses during root growth. In Arabidopsis, we found that increasing BR receptors in the vascular plant tissues confers resistance to drought without penalizing growth, opening up an exceptional opportunity to investigate the mechanisms that confer drought resistance with cellular specificity in plants. In this review, we provide an overview of the most promising phenotypical drought traits that could be improved biotechnologically to obtain drought-tolerant cereals. In addition, we discuss how current genome editing technologies could help to identify and manipulate novel genes that might grant resistance to drought stress. In the upcoming years, we expect that sustainable solutions for enhancing crop production in water-limited environments will be identified through joint efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ana I. Caño-Delgado
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Barcelona, Spain
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46
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Nelissen H, Gonzalez N. Understanding plant organ growth: a multidisciplinary field. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2020; 71:7-10. [PMID: 31725876 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hilde Nelissen
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark, Gent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark, Gent, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Gonzalez
- INRA, UMR1332 Biologie du fruit et Pathologie, INRA Bordeaux Aquitaine, CS20032, F-33882, Villenave d'Ornon cedex, France
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47
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Wei M, Liu A, Zhang Y, Zhou Y, Li D, Dossa K, Zhou R, Zhang X, You J. Genome-wide characterization and expression analysis of the HD-Zip gene family in response to drought and salinity stresses in sesame. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:748. [PMID: 31619177 PMCID: PMC6796446 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6091-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip) gene family is one of the plant-specific transcription factor families, involved in plant development, growth, and in the response to diverse stresses. However, comprehensive analysis of the HD-Zip genes, especially those involved in response to drought and salinity stresses is lacking in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), an important oil crop in tropical and subtropical areas. Results In this study, 45 HD-Zip genes were identified in sesame, and denominated as SiHDZ01-SiHDZ45. Members of SiHDZ family were classified into four groups (HD-Zip I-IV) based on the phylogenetic relationship of Arabidopsis HD-Zip proteins, which was further supported by the analysis of their conserved motifs and gene structures. Expression analyses of SiHDZ genes based on transcriptome data showed that the expression patterns of these genes were varied in different tissues. Additionally, we showed that at least 75% of the SiHDZ genes were differentially expressed in responses to drought and salinity treatments, and highlighted the important role of HD-Zip I and II genes in stress responses in sesame. Conclusions This study provides important information for functional characterization of stress-responsive HD-Zip genes and may contribute to the better understanding of the molecular basis of stress tolerance in sesame.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Aili Liu
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Yujuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China.,Special Economic Crop Research Center of Shandon Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Cotton Research Center, Jinan, 250100, China
| | - Yong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Donghua Li
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Komivi Dossa
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Rong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Xiurong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China.
| | - Jun You
- Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China.
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48
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Raineri J, Campi M, Chan RL, Otegui ME. Maize expressing the sunflower transcription factor HaHB11 has improved productivity in controlled and field conditions. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 287:110185. [PMID: 31481205 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2019.110185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
HaHB11 is a sunflower transcription factor from the homeodomain-leucine zipper I family. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing HaHB11 had larger rosettes and improved seed yield. In this work maize plants from hybrid HiII were transformed with 35S:HaHB11, ZmUBI:HaHB11 and ProHaHB11:HaHB11 and then backcrossed to B73 to obtain a more homozygous inbred phenotype. Transgene expression levels were stable at least during three generations. Greenhouse-grown HaHB11 transgenic lines had larger leaf area and delayed senescence than controls, together with increased total biomass (up to 25%) and seed yield (up to 28%). Field trials conducted with T2 and T4 generations indicated that enhanced leaf area (up to 18%), stem diameter (up to 28%) and total biomass (up to 40%) as well as delayed leaf senescence were maintained among transgenic individuals when upscaling from pots in the greenhouse to communal plants in the field. The T4 field-grown transgenic generation had increased light interception and radiation use efficiency as well as seed yield (43-47% for events driven by the 35S promoter). Results suggest that HaHB11 is a promising tool for crop improvement because differential traits observed in the Arabidopsis model plant were preserved in a crop like maize independently of growth conditions and backcross level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesica Raineri
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral- CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Mabel Campi
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral- CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - Raquel L Chan
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral- CONICET, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe, Argentina.
| | - María E Otegui
- CONICET- INTA-FAUBA, Estación Experimental Pergamino, Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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49
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Khan S, Anwar S, Yu S, Sun M, Yang Z, Gao ZQ. Development of Drought-Tolerant Transgenic Wheat: Achievements and Limitations. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E3350. [PMID: 31288392 PMCID: PMC6651533 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20133350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Crop yield improvement is necessary to keep pace with increasing demand for food. Due to climatic variability, the incidence of drought stress at crop growth stages is becoming a major hindering factor to yield improvement. New techniques are required to increase drought tolerance along with improved yield. Genetic modification for increasing drought tolerance is highly desirable, and genetic engineering for drought tolerance requires the expression of certain stress-related genes. Genes have been identified which confer drought tolerance and improve plant growth and survival in transgenic wheat. However, less research has been conducted for the development of transgenic wheat as compared to rice, maize, and other staple food. Furthermore, enhanced tolerance to drought without any yield penalty is a major task of genetic engineering. In this review, we have focused on the progress in the development of transgenic wheat cultivars for improving drought tolerance and discussed the physiological mechanisms and testing of their tolerance in response to inserted genes under control or field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahbaz Khan
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
| | - Sumera Anwar
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, China
| | - Shaobo Yu
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
| | - Min Sun
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
| | - Zhenping Yang
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Gao
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.
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50
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Araus JL, Serret MD, Lopes MS. Transgenic solutions to increase yield and stability in wheat: shining hope or flash in the pan? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:1419-1424. [PMID: 30856274 PMCID: PMC6411371 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- José L Araus
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, and AGROTECNIO Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Maria D Serret
- Integrative Crop Ecophysiology Group, Plant Physiology Section, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, and AGROTECNIO Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Marta S Lopes
- Sustainable Field Crops Program, Institute for Food and Agricultural Research and Technology (IRTA), Lleida, Spain
- The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Ankara, Turkey
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