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Sasi S, Krishnan S, Kodackattumannil P, Shamisi AA, Aldarmaki M, Lekshmi G, Kottackal M, Amiri KMA. DNA-free high-quality RNA extraction from 39 difficult-to-extract plant species (representing seasonal tissues and tissue types) of 32 families, and its validation for downstream molecular applications. PLANT METHODS 2023; 19:84. [PMID: 37568159 PMCID: PMC10416385 DOI: 10.1186/s13007-023-01063-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND High-purity RNA serves as the basic requirement for downstream molecular analysis of plant species, especially the differential expression of genes to various biotic and abiotic stimuli. But, the extraction of high-quality RNA is usually difficult from plants rich in polysaccharides and polyphenols, and their presence usually interferes with the downstream applications. The aim of the study is to optimize the extraction of high-quality RNA from diverse plant species/tissues useful for downstream molecular applications. RESULTS Extraction of RNA using commercially available RNA extraction kits and routine hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) methods did not yield good quality DNA-free RNA from Prosopis cineraria, Conocarpus erectus, and Phoenix dactylifera. A reliable protocol for the extraction of high-quality RNA from mature leaves of these difficult-to-extract trees was optimized after screening nine different methods. The DNase I-, and proteinase K treatment-free modified method, consisting of extraction with CTAB method followed by TRIzol, yielded high-quality DNA-free RNA with an A260/A280 and A260/A230 ratios > 2.0. Extraction of RNA from Conocarpus, the most difficult one, was successful by avoiding the heat incubation of ground tissue in a buffer at 65 oC. Pre-warming of the buffer for 5-10 min was sufficient to extract good-quality RNA. RNA integrity number of the extracted RNA samples ranged between 7 and 9.1, and the gel electrophoresis displayed intact bands of 28S and 18S RNA. A cDNA library constructed from the RNA of P. cineraria was used for the downstream applications. Real-time qPCR analysis using the cDNA from P. cineraria RNA confirmed the quality. The extraction of good quality RNA from samples of the desert-growing P. cineraria (> 20-years-old) collected in alternate months of the year 2021 (January to December covering winter, spring, autumn, and the very dry and hot summer) proved the efficacy of the protocol. The protocol's broad applicability was further validated by extracting good-quality RNA from 36 difficult-to-extract plant species, including tissues such as roots, flowers, floral organs, fruits, and seeds. CONCLUSIONS The modified DNase I and Proteinase K treatment-free protocol enables to extract DNA-free, high-quality, intact RNA from a total of 39 difficult-to-extract plant species belonging to 32 angiosperm families is useful to extract good-quality RNA from dicots and monocots irrespective of tissue types and growing seasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shina Sasi
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Saranya Krishnan
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Preshobha Kodackattumannil
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Aysha Al Shamisi
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Maitha Aldarmaki
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Geetha Lekshmi
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Martin Kottackal
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Khaled M A Amiri
- Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
- Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
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Qin L, Wu X, Zhao H. Molecular and functional dissection of LIGULELESS1 (LG1) in plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1190004. [PMID: 37377813 PMCID: PMC10291273 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1190004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Plant architecture is a culmination of the features necessary for capturing light energy and adapting to the environment. An ideal architecture can promote an increase in planting density, light penetration to the lower canopy, airflow as well as heat distribution to achieve an increase in crop yield. A number of plant architecture-related genes have been identified by map cloning, quantitative trait locus (QTL) and genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis. LIGULELESS1 (LG1) belongs to the squamosa promoter-binding protein (SBP) family of transcription factors (TFs) that are key regulators for plant growth and development, especially leaf angle (LA) and flower development. The DRL1/2-LG1-RAVL pathway is involved in brassinosteroid (BR) signaling to regulate the LA in maize, which has facilitated the regulation of plant architecture. Therefore, exploring the gene regulatory functions of LG1, especially its relationship with LA genes, can help achieve the precise regulation of plant phenotypes adapted to varied environments, thereby increasing the yield. This review comprehensively summarizes the advances in LG1 research, including its effect on LA and flower development. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future research goals associate with LG1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Qin
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Agronomic Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China
| | - Xintong Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
| | - Hang Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
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3
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Weng X, Song H, Sreedasyam A, Haque T, Zhang L, Chen C, Yoshinaga Y, Williams M, O'Malley RC, Grimwood J, Schmutz J, Juenger TE. Transcriptome and DNA methylome divergence of inflorescence development between two ecotypes in Panicum hallii. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023:kiad209. [PMID: 37018475 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The morphological diversity of the inflorescence determines flower and seed production, which is critical for plant adaptation. Hall's panicgrass (Panicum hallii, P. hallii) is a wild perennial grass that has been developed as a model to study perennial grass biology and adaptive evolution. Highly divergent inflorescences have evolved between the two major ecotypes in P. hallii, the upland ecotype (P. hallii var hallii, HAL2 genotype) with compact inflorescence and large seed and the lowland ecotype (P. hallii var filipes, FIL2 genotype) with an open inflorescence and small seed. Here we conducted a comparative analysis of the transcriptome and DNA methylome, an epigenetic mark that influences gene expression regulation, across different stages of inflorescence development using genomic references for each ecotype. Global transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and co-expression modules underlying the inflorescence divergence revealed the potential role of cytokinin signaling in heterochronic changes. Comparing DNA methylome profiles revealed a remarkable level of differential DNA methylation associated with the evolution of P. hallii inflorescence. We found that a large proportion of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were located in the flanking regulatory regions of genes. Intriguingly, we observed a substantial bias of CHH hypermethylation in the promoters of FIL2 genes. The integration of DEGs, DMRs, and Ka/Ks ratio results characterized the evolutionary features of DMRs-associated DEGs that contribute to the divergence of the P. hallii inflorescence. This study provides insights into the transcriptome and epigenetic landscape of inflorescence divergence in P. hallii and a genomic resource for perennial grass biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Weng
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Haili Song
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Taslima Haque
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Cindy Chen
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yuko Yoshinaga
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Ronan C O'Malley
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jane Grimwood
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Jeremy Schmutz
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA
| | - Thomas E Juenger
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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4
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Strable J, Unger-Wallace E, Aragón Raygoza A, Briggs S, Vollbrecht E. Interspecies transfer of RAMOSA1 orthologs and promoter cis sequences impacts maize inflorescence architecture. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 191:1084-1101. [PMID: 36508348 PMCID: PMC9922432 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Grass inflorescences support floral structures that each bear a single grain, where variation in branch architecture directly impacts yield. The maize (Zea mays) RAMOSA1 (ZmRA1) transcription factor acts as a key regulator of inflorescence development by imposing branch meristem determinacy. Here, we show RA1 transcripts accumulate in boundary domains adjacent to spikelet meristems in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, Sb) and green millet (Setaria viridis, Sv) inflorescences similar as in the developing maize tassel and ear. To evaluate the functional conservation of syntenic RA1 orthologs and promoter cis sequences in maize, sorghum, and setaria, we utilized interspecies gene transfer and assayed genetic complementation in a common inbred background by quantifying recovery of normal branching in highly ramified ra1-R mutants. A ZmRA1 transgene that includes endogenous upstream and downstream flanking sequences recovered normal tassel and ear branching in ra1-R. Interspecies expression of two transgene variants of the SbRA1 locus, modeled as the entire endogenous tandem duplication or just the nonframeshifted downstream copy, complemented ra1-R branching defects and induced unusual fasciation and branch patterns. The SvRA1 locus lacks conserved, upstream noncoding cis sequences found in maize and sorghum; interspecies expression of a SvRA1 transgene did not or only partially recovered normal inflorescence forms. Driving expression of the SvRA1 coding region by the ZmRA1 upstream region, however, recovered normal inflorescence morphology in ra1-R. These data leveraging interspecies gene transfer suggest that cis-encoded temporal regulation of RA1 expression is a key factor in modulating branch meristem determinacy that ultimately impacts grass inflorescence architecture.
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Aggarwal PR, Pramitha L, Choudhary P, Singh RK, Shukla P, Prasad M, Muthamilarasan M. Multi-omics intervention in Setaria to dissect climate-resilient traits: Progress and prospects. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:892736. [PMID: 36119586 PMCID: PMC9470963 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.892736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Millets constitute a significant proportion of underutilized grasses and are well known for their climate resilience as well as excellent nutritional profiles. Among millets, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and its wild relative green foxtail (S. viridis) are collectively regarded as models for studying broad-spectrum traits, including abiotic stress tolerance, C4 photosynthesis, biofuel, and nutritional traits. Since the genome sequence release, the crop has seen an exponential increase in omics studies to dissect agronomic, nutritional, biofuel, and climate-resilience traits. These studies have provided first-hand information on the structure, organization, evolution, and expression of several genes; however, knowledge of the precise roles of such genes and their products remains elusive. Several open-access databases have also been instituted to enable advanced scientific research on these important crops. In this context, the current review enumerates the contemporary trend of research on understanding the climate resilience and other essential traits in Setaria, the knowledge gap, and how the information could be translated for the crop improvement of related millets, biofuel crops, and cereals. Also, the review provides a roadmap for studying other underutilized crop species using Setaria as a model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Rani Aggarwal
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Lydia Pramitha
- School of Agriculture and Biosciences, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Pooja Choudhary
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | | | - Pooja Shukla
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Manoj Prasad
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India
| | - Mehanathan Muthamilarasan
- Department of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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Dangol A, Shavit R, Yaakov B, Strickler SR, Jander G, Tzin V. Characterizing serotonin biosynthesis in Setaria viridis leaves and its effect on aphids. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 109:533-549. [PMID: 35020104 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-021-01239-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A combined transcriptomic and metabolic analysis of Setaria viridis leaves responding to aphid infestation was used to identify genes related to serotonin biosynthesis. Setaria viridis (green foxtail), a short life-cycle C4 plant in the Poaceae family, is the wild ancestor of Setaria italica (foxtail millet), a resilient crop that provides good yields in dry and marginal land. Although S. viridis has been studied extensively in the last decade, the molecular mechanisms of insect resistance in this species remain under-investigated. To address this issue, we performed a metabolic analysis of S. viridis and discovered that these plants accumulate the tryptophan-derived compounds tryptamine and serotonin. To elucidate the defensive functions of serotonin, Rhophalosiphum padi (bird cherry-oat aphids) were exposed to this compound, either by exogenous application to the plant medium or with artificial diet bioassays. In both cases, exposure to serotonin increased aphid mortality. To identify genes that are involved in serotonin biosynthesis, we conducted a transcriptome analysis and identified several predicted S. viridis tryptophan decarboxylase (TDC) and tryptamine 5-hydroxylase (T5H) genes. Two candidate genes were ectopically expressed in Nicotiana tabacum, where SvTDC1 (Sevir.6G066200) had tryptophan decarboxylase activity, and SvT5H1 (Sevir.8G219600) had tryptamine hydroxylase activity. Moreover, the function of the SvTDC1 gene was validated using virus-induced gene silencing in S. italica, which caused a reduction in serotonin levels. This study provides the first evidence of serotonin biosynthesis in Setaria leaves. The biosynthesis of serotonin may play an important role in defense responses and could prove to be useful for developing more pest-tolerant Setaria italica cultivars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuma Dangol
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000, Israel
| | - Reut Shavit
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000, Israel
| | - Beery Yaakov
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000, Israel
| | | | - Georg Jander
- Boyce Thompson Institute, 533 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Vered Tzin
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000, Israel.
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7
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Zhu C, Box MS, Thiruppathi D, Hu H, Yu Y, Martin C, Doust AN, McSteen P, Kellogg EA. Pleiotropic and nonredundant effects of an auxin importer in Setaria and maize. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:715-734. [PMID: 35285930 DOI: 10.1101/2021.10.14.464408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Directional transport of auxin is critical for inflorescence and floral development in flowering plants, but the role of auxin influx carriers (AUX1 proteins) has been largely overlooked. Taking advantage of available AUX1 mutants in green millet (Setaria viridis) and maize (Zea mays), we uncover previously unreported aspects of plant development that are affected by auxin influx, including higher order branches in the inflorescence, stigma branch number, glume (floral bract) development, and plant fertility. However, disruption of auxin flux does not affect all parts of the plant, with little obvious effect on inflorescence meristem size, time to flowering, and anther morphology. In double mutant studies in maize, disruptions of ZmAUX1 also affect vegetative development. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged construct of the Setaria AUX1 protein Sparse Panicle1 (SPP1) under its native promoter showed that SPP1 localizes to the plasma membrane of outer tissue layers in both roots and inflorescences, and accumulates specifically in inflorescence branch meristems, consistent with the mutant phenotype and expected auxin maxima. RNA-seq analysis indicated that most gene expression modules are conserved between mutant and wild-type plants, with only a few hundred genes differentially expressed in spp1 inflorescences. Using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 technology, we disrupted SPP1 and the other four AUX1 homologs in S. viridis. SPP1 has a larger effect on inflorescence development than the others, although all contribute to plant height, tiller formation, and leaf and root development. The AUX1 importers are thus not fully redundant in S. viridis. Our detailed phenotypic characterization plus a stable GFP-tagged line offer tools for future dissection of the function of auxin influx proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanmei Zhu
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Mathew S Box
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | | | - Hao Hu
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma 74078, USA
| | - Yunqing Yu
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Callista Martin
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Andrew N Doust
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma 74078, USA
| | - Paula McSteen
- Division of Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
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8
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Zhu C, Box MS, Thiruppathi D, Hu H, Yu Y, Martin C, Doust AN, McSteen P, Kellogg EA. Pleiotropic and nonredundant effects of an auxin importer in Setaria and maize. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:715-734. [PMID: 35285930 PMCID: PMC9157071 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Directional transport of auxin is critical for inflorescence and floral development in flowering plants, but the role of auxin influx carriers (AUX1 proteins) has been largely overlooked. Taking advantage of available AUX1 mutants in green millet (Setaria viridis) and maize (Zea mays), we uncover previously unreported aspects of plant development that are affected by auxin influx, including higher order branches in the inflorescence, stigma branch number, glume (floral bract) development, and plant fertility. However, disruption of auxin flux does not affect all parts of the plant, with little obvious effect on inflorescence meristem size, time to flowering, and anther morphology. In double mutant studies in maize, disruptions of ZmAUX1 also affect vegetative development. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged construct of the Setaria AUX1 protein Sparse Panicle1 (SPP1) under its native promoter showed that SPP1 localizes to the plasma membrane of outer tissue layers in both roots and inflorescences, and accumulates specifically in inflorescence branch meristems, consistent with the mutant phenotype and expected auxin maxima. RNA-seq analysis indicated that most gene expression modules are conserved between mutant and wild-type plants, with only a few hundred genes differentially expressed in spp1 inflorescences. Using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 technology, we disrupted SPP1 and the other four AUX1 homologs in S. viridis. SPP1 has a larger effect on inflorescence development than the others, although all contribute to plant height, tiller formation, and leaf and root development. The AUX1 importers are thus not fully redundant in S. viridis. Our detailed phenotypic characterization plus a stable GFP-tagged line offer tools for future dissection of the function of auxin influx proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanmei Zhu
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Mathew S Box
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | | | - Hao Hu
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma 74078, USA
| | - Yunqing Yu
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Callista Martin
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Andrew N Doust
- Department of Plant Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma 74078, USA
| | - Paula McSteen
- Division of Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
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Flexas J, Zhang Y, Gulías J, Xiong D, Carriquí M, Baraza E, Du T, Lei Z, Meng H, Dou H, Ribas-Carbo M, Xiang D, Xu W. Leaf physiological traits of plants from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and other arid sites in China: Identifying susceptible species and well-adapted extremophiles. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 272:153689. [PMID: 35398716 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Extreme environments, such as deserts and high-elevation ecosystems, are very important from biodiversity and ecological perspectives. However, plant physiology at those sites has been scarcely studied, likely due to logistic difficulties. In the present study, leaf physiological traits in native plants were analyzed from arid zones across an elevational transect in Western China, from Turpan Basin to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) at Delingha. The aim of this study was to use leaf physiological traits to help identifying potentially threatened species and true extremophiles. Physiological measurements in the field, and particularly in situ measurements of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence, have been determined to be useful to determine the current state of plants at a given environment. Using this approach plus a combination of leaf traits, several species performing particularly well at the QTP were identified, e.g. Hedysarum multijugum, as well as at Manas drylands, e.g. Peganum harmala and Setaria viridis. On the other hand, several species showed marked signs of severe stress, in particular a very low photosynthetic rate over its potential maximum, as well as other negative traits, like low water and/or nitrogen-use-efficiency, which should be considered in conservation plans. Interestingly, all C4 species studied except Setaria viridis were among the most stressed species. Despite their higher water use efficiency and drought-tolerance reputation, they presented a much larger photosynthesis depression than most C3 species. This is an intriguing and interesting observation that deserves further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaume Flexas
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department de Biologia, Universitat de Les Illes Balears (UIB) - Agro-Environmental and Water Economics Institute (INAGEA), Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain; King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80200, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Yali Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps / College of Agriculture/College of Life Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China.
| | - Javier Gulías
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department de Biologia, Universitat de Les Illes Balears (UIB) - Agro-Environmental and Water Economics Institute (INAGEA), Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Dongliang Xiong
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Marc Carriquí
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department de Biologia, Universitat de Les Illes Balears (UIB) - Agro-Environmental and Water Economics Institute (INAGEA), Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Elena Baraza
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department de Biologia, Universitat de Les Illes Balears (UIB) - Agro-Environmental and Water Economics Institute (INAGEA), Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Tingting Du
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Ecophysiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Zhangying Lei
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps / College of Agriculture/College of Life Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China
| | - Haofeng Meng
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps / College of Agriculture/College of Life Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China
| | - Haitao Dou
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps / College of Agriculture/College of Life Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China
| | - Miquel Ribas-Carbo
- Research Group on Plant Biology Under Mediterranean Conditions, Department de Biologia, Universitat de Les Illes Balears (UIB) - Agro-Environmental and Water Economics Institute (INAGEA), Carretera de Valldemossa Km 7.5, 07122, Palma, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Dao Xiang
- Wulanwusu Agro-Meteorological Experiment Station of Xinjiang / Wulanwusu National Comprehensive Meteorological Observation Special Test Field, Wulanwusu, 832199, Xinjiang, China
| | - Wenbin Xu
- Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-agriculture, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps / College of Agriculture/College of Life Science, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang, 832003, China
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10
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Yang J, Bertolini E, Braud M, Preciado J, Chepote A, Jiang H, Eveland AL. The SvFUL2 transcription factor is required for inflorescence determinacy and timely flowering in Setaria viridis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 187:1202-1220. [PMID: 33871654 PMCID: PMC8566296 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Inflorescence architecture in cereal crops directly impacts yield potential through regulation of seed number and harvesting ability. Extensive architectural diversity found in inflorescences of grass species is due to spatial and temporal activity and determinacy of meristems, which control the number and arrangement of branches and flowers, and underlie plasticity. Timing of the floral transition is also intimately associated with inflorescence development and architecture, yet little is known about the intersecting pathways and how they are rewired during development. Here, we show that a single mutation in a gene encoding an AP1/FUL-like MADS-box transcription factor significantly delays flowering time and disrupts multiple levels of meristem determinacy in panicles of the C4 model panicoid grass, Setaria viridis. Previous reports of AP1/FUL-like genes in cereals have revealed extensive functional redundancy, and in panicoid grasses, no associated inflorescence phenotypes have been described. In S. viridis, perturbation of SvFul2, both through chemical mutagenesis and gene editing, converted a normally determinate inflorescence habit to an indeterminate one, and also repressed determinacy in axillary branch and floral meristems. Our analysis of gene networks connected to disruption of SvFul2 identified regulatory hubs at the intersection of floral transition and inflorescence determinacy, providing insights into the optimization of cereal crop architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiani Yang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
| | - Edoardo Bertolini
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
| | - Max Braud
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
| | - Jesus Preciado
- National Science Foundation Research Experiences in Plant Science at the Danforth Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
| | - Adriana Chepote
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
| | - Hui Jiang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
| | - Andrea L Eveland
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63132, USA
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11
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Kuijer HNJ, Shirley NJ, Khor SF, Shi J, Schwerdt J, Zhang D, Li G, Burton RA. Transcript Profiling of MIKCc MADS-Box Genes Reveals Conserved and Novel Roles in Barley Inflorescence Development. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:705286. [PMID: 34539699 PMCID: PMC8442994 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.705286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
MADS-box genes have a wide range of functions in plant reproductive development and grain production. The ABCDE model of floral organ development shows that MADS-box genes are central players in these events in dicotyledonous plants but the applicability of this model remains largely unknown in many grass crops. Here, we show that transcript analysis of all MIKCc MADS-box genes through barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) inflorescence development reveals co-expression groups that can be linked to developmental events. Thirty-four MIKCc MADS-box genes were identified in the barley genome and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scanning of 22,626 barley varieties revealed that the natural variation in the coding regions of these genes is low and the sequences have been extremely conserved during barley domestication. More detailed transcript analysis showed that MADS-box genes are generally expressed at key inflorescence developmental phases and across various floral organs in barley, as predicted by the ABCDE model. However, expression patterns of some MADS genes, for example HvMADS58 (AGAMOUS subfamily) and HvMADS34 (SEPALLATA subfamily), clearly deviate from predicted patterns. This places them outside the scope of the classical ABCDE model of floral development and demonstrates that the central tenet of antagonism between A- and C-class gene expression in the ABC model of other plants does not occur in barley. Co-expression across three correlation sets showed that specifically grouped members of the barley MIKCc MADS-box genes are likely to be involved in developmental events driving inflorescence meristem initiation, floral meristem identity and floral organ determination. Based on these observations, we propose a potential floral ABCDE working model in barley, where the classic model is generally upheld, but that also provides new insights into the role of MIKCc MADS-box genes in the developing barley inflorescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik N. J. Kuijer
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
| | - Neil J. Shirley
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
| | - Shi F. Khor
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
| | - Jin Shi
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Julian Schwerdt
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
| | - Dabing Zhang
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University-University of Adelaide Joint Centre for Agriculture and Health, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Li
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
- School of Life Sciences and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang, China
| | - Rachel A. Burton
- School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia
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12
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Maren N, Zhao F, Aryal R, Touchell D, Liu W, Ranney T, Ashrafi H. Reproductive developmental transcriptome analysis of Tripidium ravennae (Poaceae). BMC Genomics 2021; 22:483. [PMID: 34182921 PMCID: PMC8237498 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07641-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tripidium ravennae is a cold-hardy, diploid species in the sugarcane complex (Poaceae subtribe Saccharinae) with considerable potential as a genetic resource for developing improved bioenergy and ornamental grasses. An improved understanding of the genetic regulation of reproductive processes (e.g., floral induction, inflorescence development, and seed development) will enable future applications of precision breeding and gene editing of floral and seed development. In particular, the ability to silence reproductive processes would allow for developing seedless forms of valuable but potentially invasive plants. The objective of this research was to characterize the gene expression environment of reproductive development in T. ravennae. RESULTS During the early phases of inflorescence development, multiple key canonical floral integrators and pathways were identified. Annotations of type II subfamily of MADS-box transcription factors, in particular, were over-represented in the GO enrichment analyses and tests for differential expression (FDR p-value < 0.05). The differential expression of floral integrators observed in the early phases of inflorescence development diminished prior to inflorescence determinacy regulation. Differential expression analysis did not identify many unique genes at mid-inflorescence development stages, though typical biological processes involved in plant growth and development expressed abundantly. The increase in inflorescence determinacy regulatory elements and putative homeotic floral development unigenes at mid-inflorescence development coincided with the expression of multiple meiosis annotations and multicellular organism developmental processes. Analysis of seed development identified multiple unigenes involved in oxidative-reductive processes. CONCLUSION Reproduction in grasses is a dynamic system involving the sequential coordination of complex gene regulatory networks and developmental processes. This research identified differentially expressed transcripts associated with floral induction, inflorescence development, and seed development in T. ravennae. These results provide insights into the molecular regulation of reproductive development and provide a foundation for future investigations and analyses, including genome annotation, functional genomics characterization, gene family evolutionary studies, comparative genomics, and precision breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Maren
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7609, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7609, USA.
| | - Fangzhou Zhao
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7609, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7609, USA
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Rishi Aryal
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7609, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7609, USA
| | - Darren Touchell
- Mountain Crop Improvement Lab, Department of Horticultural Science, Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, North Carolina State University, 455 Research Drive, Mills River, NC, 28759-3423, USA
| | - Wusheng Liu
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7609, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7609, USA
| | - Thomas Ranney
- Mountain Crop Improvement Lab, Department of Horticultural Science, Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, North Carolina State University, 455 Research Drive, Mills River, NC, 28759-3423, USA
| | - Hamid Ashrafi
- Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7609, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7609, USA.
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Zhu C, Liu L, Crowell O, Zhao H, Brutnell TP, Jackson D, Kellogg EA. The CLV3 Homolog in Setaria viridis Selectively Controls Inflorescence Meristem Size. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:636749. [PMID: 33659018 PMCID: PMC7917188 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.636749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The CLAVATA pathway controls meristem size during inflorescence development in both eudicots and grasses, and is initiated by peptide ligands encoded by CLV3/ESR-related (CLE) genes. While CLV3 controls all shoot meristems in Arabidopsis, evidence from cereal grasses indicates that different meristem types are regulated by different CLE peptides. The rice peptide FON2 primarily controls the size of the floral meristem, whereas the orthologous peptides CLE7 and CLE14 in maize have their most dramatic effects on inflorescence and branch meristems, hinting at diversification among CLE responses in the grasses. Setaria viridis is more closely related to maize than to rice, so can be used to test whether the maize CLE network can be generalized to all members of subfamily Panicoideae. We used CRISPR-Cas9 in S. viridis to knock out the SvFON2 gene, the closest homolog to CLV3 and FON2. Svfon2 mutants developed larger inflorescence meristems, as in maize, but had normal floral meristems, unlike Osfon2, suggesting a panicoid-specific CLE network. Vegetative traits such as plant height, tiller number and leaf number were not significantly different between mutant and wild type plants, but time to heading was shorter in the mutants. In situ hybridization showed strong expression of Svfon2 in the inflorescence and branch meristems, consistent with the mutant phenotype. Using bioinformatic analysis, we predicted the co-expression network of SvFON2 and its signaling components, which included genes known to control inflorescence architecture in maize as well as genes of unknown function. The similarity between SvFON2 function in Setaria and maize suggests that its developmental specialization in inflorescence meristem control may be shared among panicoid grasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanmei Zhu
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Lei Liu
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
| | - Olivia Crowell
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Hui Zhao
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology and Hainan Key Laboratory for Biosafety Monitoring and Molecular Breeding in Off-Season Reproduction Regions, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
| | - Thomas P. Brutnell
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, United States
- Joint Laboratory for Photosynthesis Enhancement and C4 Rice Development, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - David Jackson
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
| | - Elizabeth A. Kellogg
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, United States
- *Correspondence: Elizabeth A. Kellogg
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