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Liang Y, Yang X, Wang C, Wang Y. miRNAs: Primary modulators of plant drought tolerance. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 301:154313. [PMID: 38991233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2024.154313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Drought is a principal environmental factor that affects the growth and development of plants. Accordingly, plants have evolved adaptive mechanisms to cope with adverse environmental conditions. One of the mechanisms is gene regulation mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are regarded as primary modulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and have been shown to participate in drought stress response, including ABA response, auxin signaling, antioxidant defense, and osmotic regulation through downregulating the corresponding targets. miRNA-based genetic reconstructions have the potential to improve the tolerance of plants to drought. However, there are few precise classification and discussion of miRNAs in specific response behaviors to drought stress and their applications. This review summarized and discussed the specific response behaviors of miRNAs under drought stress and the role of miRNAs as regulators in the response of plants to drought and highlighted that the modification of miRNAs might effectively improve the tolerance of plants to drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaoqian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Chun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yanwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, National Engineering Research Center of Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding in Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants, Ministry of Education, The Tree and Ornamental Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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Wei H, Wang X, Wang K, Tang X, Zhang N, Si H. Transcription factors as molecular switches regulating plant responses to drought stress. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2024; 176:e14366. [PMID: 38812034 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Plants often experience abiotic stress, which severely affects their growth. With the advent of global warming, drought stress has become a pivotal factor affecting crop yield and quality. Increasing numbers of studies have focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to drought stress. As molecular switches, transcription factors (TFs) are key participants in drought-resistance regulatory networks in crops. TFs regulate the transcription of downstream genes and are regulated by various upstream regulatory factors. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of action of TFs in regulating drought stress can help enhance the adaptive capacity of crops under drought conditions. In this review, we summarize the structural characteristics of several common TFs, their multiple drought-response pathways, and recently employed research strategies. We describe the application of new technologies such as analysis of stress granule dynamics and function, multi-omics data, gene editing, and molecular crosstalk between TFs in drought resistance. This review aims to familiarize readers with the regulatory network of TFs in drought resistance and to provide a reference for examining the molecular mechanisms of drought resistance in plants and improving agronomic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaitong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Agronomy, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xun Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Huaijun Si
- State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, People's Republic of China
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Jiao P, Jiang Z, Miao M, Wei X, Wang C, Liu S, Guan S, Ma Y. Zmhdz9, an HD-Zip transcription factor, promotes drought stress resistance in maize by modulating ABA and lignin accumulation. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 258:128849. [PMID: 38113999 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128849] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Maize is the largest crop in the world in terms of both planting area and total yield, and it plays a crucial role in ensuring global food and feed security. However, in recent years, with climate deterioration, environmental changes, and the scarcity of freshwater resources, drought has become a serious limiting factor for maize yield and quality. Drought stress-induced signals undergo a series of transmission processes to regulate the expression of specific genes, thereby affecting the drought tolerance of plants at the tissue, cellular, physiological and biochemical levels. Therefore, in this study we investigated the HD-Zip transcription factor gene Zmhdz9, and yeast activation experiments demonstrated that Zmhdz9 exhibited transcriptional activation activity. Under drought stress, high abscisic acid (ABA) and lignin levels significantly improved drought resistance in maize. Yeast two-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BIFC) and pull-down experiments showed that Zmhdz9 interacted with ZmWRKY120 and ZmTCP9, respectively. Overexpression of Zmhdz9 and gene editing of ZmWRKY120 or ZmTCP9 improved maize drought resistance, indicating their importance in the drought stress response. Furthermore, Zmhdz9 promoted the direct transcription of ZmWRKY120 in the W-box, activating elements of the ZmNCED1 promoter, which encodes a key enzyme in ABA biosynthesis. Additionally, Zmhdz9 promoted direct transcription of ZmTCP9 in the GGTCA motif, activating elements of the ZmKNOX8 promoter, which encodes a key enzyme in lignin synthesis. This study showed that the regulation of ABA and lignin by Zmhdz9 is essential for drought stress resistance in maize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Jiao
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Zhenzhong Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Ming Miao
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Xiaotong Wei
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Chunlai Wang
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Siyan Liu
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Shuyan Guan
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
| | - Yiyong Ma
- College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
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Xiao Y, Zhu M, Gao S. Genetic and Genomic Research on Sweet Potato for Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13101833. [PMID: 36292718 PMCID: PMC9602178 DOI: 10.3390/genes13101833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yao Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Sweet Potato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization and Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Mingku Zhu
- Institute of Integrative Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
| | - Shaopei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Sweet Potato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization and Joint Laboratory for International Cooperation in Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-010-6273-2559
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