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Balasubramanian VK, Veličković D, Rubio Wilhelmi MDM, Anderton CR, Stewart CN, DiFazio S, Blumwald E, Ahkami AH. Spatiotemporal metabolic responses to water deficit stress in distinct leaf cell-types of poplar. Front Plant Sci 2024; 15:1346853. [PMID: 38495374 PMCID: PMC10940329 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1346853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The impact of water-deficit (WD) stress on plant metabolism has been predominantly studied at the whole tissue level. However, plant tissues are made of several distinct cell types with unique and differentiated functions, which limits whole tissue 'omics'-based studies to determine only an averaged molecular signature arising from multiple cell types. Advancements in spatial omics technologies provide an opportunity to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to WD stress at distinct cell-type levels. Here, we studied the spatiotemporal metabolic responses of two poplar (Populus tremula× P. alba) leaf cell types -palisade and vascular cells- to WD stress using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). We identified unique WD stress-mediated metabolic shifts in each leaf cell type when exposed to early and prolonged WD stresses and recovery from stress. During water-limited conditions, flavonoids and phenolic metabolites were exclusively accumulated in leaf palisade cells. However, vascular cells mainly accumulated sugars and fatty acids during stress and recovery conditions, respectively, highlighting the functional divergence of leaf cell types in response to WD stress. By comparing our MALDI-MSI metabolic data with whole leaf tissue gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolic profile, we identified only a few metabolites including monosaccharides, hexose phosphates, and palmitic acid that showed a similar accumulation trend at both cell-type and whole leaf tissue levels. Overall, this work highlights the potential of the MSI approach to complement the whole tissue-based metabolomics techniques and provides a novel spatiotemporal understanding of plant metabolic responses to WD stress. This will help engineer specific metabolic pathways at a cellular level in strategic perennial trees like poplars to help withstand future aberrations in environmental conditions and to increase bioenergy sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, United States
| | - Dušan Veličković
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, United States
| | | | - Christopher R. Anderton
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, United States
| | - C. Neal Stewart
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Stephen DiFazio
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Eduardo Blumwald
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Amir H. Ahkami
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, United States
- Adjoint Faculty, School of Biological Science (SBS), Washington State University (WSU), Pullman, WA, United States
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Balasubramanian VK, Rivas-Ubach A, Winkler T, Mitchell H, Moran J, Ahkami AH. Modulation of Polar Auxin Transport Identifies the Molecular Determinants of Source-Sink Carbon Relationships and Sink Strength in Poplar. Tree Physiol 2023:7189614. [PMID: 37265358 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Source-to-sink carbon (C) allocation driven by the sink strength, i.e., the ability of a sink organ to import C, plays a central role in tissue growth and biomass productivity. However, molecular drivers of sink strength have not been thoroughly characterized in trees. Auxin, as a major plant phytohormone, regulates the mobilization of photoassimilates in source tissues and elevates the translocation of carbohydrates toward sink organs, including roots. In this study, we used an 'auxin-stimulated carbon sink' approach to understand the molecular processes involved in the long-distance source-sink C allocation in poplar. Poplar cuttings were foliar sprayed with polar auxin transport modulators, including auxin enhancers (AE) (i.e., IBA and IAA) and auxin inhibitor (AI) (i.e., NPA), followed by a comprehensive analysis of leaf, stem, and root tissues using biomass evaluation, phenotyping, C isotope labeling, metabolomics, and transcriptomics approaches. Auxin modulators altered root dry weight and branching pattern, and AE increased photosynthetically fixed C allocation from leaf to root tissues. The transcriptome analysis identified highly expressed genes in root tissue under AE condition including transcripts encoding polygalacturonase and β-amylase that could increase the sink size and activity. Metabolic analyses showed a shift in overall metabolism including an altered relative abundance levels of galactinol, and an opposite trend in citrate levels in root tissue under AE and AI conditions. In conclusion, we postulate a model suggesting that the source-sink C relationships in poplar could be fueled by mobile sugar alcohols, starch metabolism-derived sugars, and TCA-cycle intermediates as key molecular drivers of sink strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington USA
| | - Albert Rivas-Ubach
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington USA
- Current Address: Department of Ecology and Forest Genetics, Forest Sciences Institute (ICIFOR), National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Tanya Winkler
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington USA
| | - Hugh Mitchell
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington USA
| | - James Moran
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington USA
- Current Address: Departments of Integrative Biology and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Amir H Ahkami
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington USA
- Adjoint Faculty, School of Biological Science (SBS), Washington State University (WSU), Pullman, WA
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Mendu L, Jalathge G, Dhillon KK, Singh NP, Balasubramanian VK, Fewou R, Gitz DC, Chen J, Xin Z, Mendu V. Mutation in the Endo-β-1,4-glucanase (KORRIGAN) Is Responsible for Thick Leaf Phenotype in Sorghum. Plants (Basel) 2022; 11:3531. [PMID: 36559643 PMCID: PMC9780866 DOI: 10.3390/plants11243531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is an important crop for food, feed, and fuel production. Particularly, sorghum is targeted for cellulosic ethanol production. Extraction of cellulose from cell walls is a key process in cellulosic ethanol production, and understanding the components involved in cellulose synthesis is important for both fundamental and applied research. Despite the significance in the biofuel industry, the genes involved in sorghum cell wall biosynthesis, modification, and degradation have not been characterized. In this study, we have identified and characterized three allelic thick leaf mutants (thl1, thl2, and thl3). Bulked Segregant Analysis sequencing (BSAseq) showed that the causal mutation for the thl phenotype is in endo-1,4-β-glucanase gene (SbKOR1). Consistent with the causal gene function, the thl mutants showed decreased crystalline cellulose content in the stem tissues. The SbKOR1 function was characterized using Arabidopsis endo-1,4-β-glucanase gene mutant (rsw2-1). Complementation of Arabidopsis with SbKOR1 (native Arabidopsis promoter and overexpression by 35S promoter) restored the radial swelling phenotype of rsw2-1 mutant, proving that SbKOR1 functions as endo-1,4-β-glucanase. Overall, the present study has identified and characterized sorghum endo-1,4-β-glucanase gene function, laying the foundation for future research on cell wall biosynthesis and engineering of sorghum for biofuel production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavanya Mendu
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Gayani Jalathge
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | | | - Nagendra Pratap Singh
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | | | - Rebecca Fewou
- Faculty of Science, University of Angers, 49000 Angers, France
| | - Dennis C. Gitz
- U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Lubbock, TX 79415, USA
| | - Junping Chen
- U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Lubbock, TX 79415, USA
| | - Zhanguo Xin
- U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Lubbock, TX 79415, USA
| | - Venugopal Mendu
- Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
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Yaya Lancheros ML, Rai KM, Balasubramanian VK, Dampanaboina L, Mendu V, Terán W. De novo transcriptome analysis of white teak (Gmelina arborea Roxb) wood reveals critical genes involved in xylem development and secondary metabolism. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:494. [PMID: 34215181 PMCID: PMC8252223 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07777-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gmelina arborea Roxb is a fast-growing tree species of commercial importance for tropical countries due to multiple industrial uses of its wood. Wood is primarily composed of thick secondary cell walls of xylem cells which imparts the strength to the wood. Identification of the genes involved in the secondary cell wall biosynthesis as well as their cognate regulators is crucial to understand how the production of wood occurs and serves as a starting point for developing breeding strategies to produce varieties with improved wood quality, better paper pulping or new potential uses such as biofuel production. In order to gain knowledge on the molecular mechanisms and gene regulation related with wood development in white teak, a de novo sequencing and transcriptome assembly approach was used employing secondary cell wall synthesizing cells from young white teak trees. RESULTS For generation of transcriptome, RNA-seq reads were assembled into 110,992 transcripts and 49,364 genes were functionally annotated using plant databases; 5071 GO terms and 25,460 SSR markers were identified within xylem transcripts and 10,256 unigenes were assigned to KEGG database in 130 pathways. Among transcription factor families, C2H2, C3H, bLHLH and MYB were the most represented in xylem. Differential gene expression analysis using leaves as a reference was carried out and a total of 20,954 differentially expressed genes were identified including monolignol biosynthetic pathway genes. The differential expression of selected genes (4CL, COMT, CCoAOMT, CCR and NST1) was validated using qPCR. CONCLUSIONS We report the very first de novo transcriptome of xylem-related genes in this tropical timber species of commercial importance and constitutes a valuable extension of the publicly available transcriptomic resource aimed at fostering both basic and breeding studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Luz Yaya Lancheros
- Department of Biology, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 N° 43-82, Bogotá, 110231, Colombia
| | - Krishan Mohan Rai
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Lavanya Dampanaboina
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Venugopal Mendu
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Wilson Terán
- Department of Biology, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7 N° 43-82, Bogotá, 110231, Colombia.
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Balasubramanian VK, Dampanaboina L, Cobos CJ, Yuan N, Xin Z, Mendu V. Induced secretion system mutation alters rhizosphere bacterial composition in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Planta 2021; 253:33. [PMID: 33459875 PMCID: PMC7813745 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-021-03569-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A novel inducible secretion system mutation in Sorghum named Red root has been identified. The mutant plant root exudes pigmented compounds that enriches Actinobacteria in its rhizosphere compared to BTx623. Favorable plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere positively influence plant growth and stress tolerance. Sorghum bicolor, a staple biomass and food crop, has been shown to selectively recruit Gram-positive bacteria (Actinobacteria) in its rhizosphere under drought conditions to enhance stress tolerance. However, the genetic/biochemical mechanism underlying the selective enrichment of specific microbial phyla in the sorghum rhizosphere is poorly known due to the lack of available mutants with altered root secretion systems. Using a subset of sorghum ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutant lines, we have isolated a novel Red root (RR) mutant with an increased accumulation and secretion of phenolic compounds in roots. Genetic analysis showed that RR is a single dominant mutation. We further investigated the effect of root-specific phenolic compounds on rhizosphere microbiome composition under well-watered and water-deficit conditions. The microbiome diversity analysis of the RR rhizosphere showed that Actinobacteria were enriched significantly under the well-watered condition but showed no significant change under the water-deficit condition. BTx623 rhizosphere showed a significant increase in Actinobacteria under the water-deficit condition. Overall, the rhizosphere of RR genotype retained a higher bacterial diversity and richness relative to the rhizosphere of BTx623, especially under water-deficit condition. Therefore, the RR mutant provides an excellent genetic resource for rhizosphere-microbiome interaction studies as well as to develop drought-tolerant lines. Identification of the RR gene and the molecular mechanism through which the mutant selectively enriches microbial populations in the rhizosphere will be useful in designing strategies for improving sorghum productivity and stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | | | - Christopher Joseph Cobos
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | - Ning Yuan
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | | | - Venugopal Mendu
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
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Thu SW, Rai KM, Sandhu D, Rajangam A, Balasubramanian VK, Palmer RG, Mendu V. Mutation in a PHD-finger protein MS4 causes male sterility in soybean. BMC Plant Biol 2019; 19:378. [PMID: 31455245 PMCID: PMC6712664 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-1979-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Male sterility has tremendous scientific and economic importance in hybrid seed production. Identification and characterization of a stable male sterility gene will be highly beneficial for making hybrid seed production economically feasible. In soybean, eleven male-sterile, female-fertile mutant lines (ms1, ms2, ms3, ms4, ms5, ms6, ms7, ms8, ms9, msMOS, and msp) have been identified and mapped onto various soybean chromosomes, however the causal genes responsible for male sterility are not isolated. The objective of this study was to identify and functionally characterize the gene responsible for the male sterility in the ms4 mutant. RESULTS The ms4 locus was fine mapped to a 216 kb region, which contains 23 protein-coding genes including Glyma.02G243200, an ortholog of Arabidopsis MALE MEIOCYTE DEATH 1 (MMD1), which is a Plant Homeodomain (PHD) protein involved in male fertility. Isolation and sequencing of Glyma.02G243200 from the ms4 mutant line showed a single base insertion in the 3rd exon causing a premature stop codon resulting in truncated protein production. Phylogenetic analysis showed presence of a homolog protein (MS4_homolog) encoded by the Glyma.14G212300 gene. Both proteins were clustered within legume-specific clade of the phylogenetic tree and were likely the result of segmental duplication during the paleoploidization events in soybean. The comparative expression analysis of Ms4 and Ms4_homologs across the soybean developmental and reproductive stages showed significantly higher expression of Ms4 in early flowering (flower bud differentiation) stage than its homolog. The functional complementation of Arabidopsis mmd1 mutant with the soybean Ms4 gene produced normal stamens, successful tetrad formation, fertile pollens and viable seeds, whereas the Ms4_homolog was not able to restore male fertility. CONCLUSIONS Overall, this is the first report, where map based cloning approach was employed to isolate and characterize a gene responsible for the male-sterile phenotype in soybean. Characterization of male sterility genes may facilitate the establishment of a stable male sterility system, highly desired for the viability of hybrid seed production in soybean. Additionally, translational genomics and genome editing technologies can be utilized to generate new male-sterile lines in other plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandi Win Thu
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | - Krishan Mohan Rai
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | | | - Alex Rajangam
- Wisconsin Institute of Sustainable Technology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481 USA
| | - Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | - Reid G. Palmer
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 USA
| | - Venugopal Mendu
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
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Yuan N, Balasubramanian VK, Chopra R, Mendu V. The Photoperiodic Flowering Time Regulator FKF1 Negatively Regulates Cellulose Biosynthesis. Plant Physiol 2019; 180:2240-2253. [PMID: 31221729 PMCID: PMC6670086 DOI: 10.1104/pp.19.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Cellulose synthesis is precisely regulated by internal and external cues, and emerging evidence suggests that light regulates cellulose biosynthesis through specific light receptors. Recently, the blue light receptor CRYPTOCHROME 1 (CRY1) was shown to positively regulate secondary cell wall biosynthesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Here, we characterize the role of FLAVIN-BINDING KELCH REPEAT, F-BOX 1 (FKF1), another blue light receptor and well-known photoperiodic flowering time regulator, in cellulose biosynthesis. A phenotype suppression screen using a cellulose deficient mutant cesa1aegeus,cesa3ixr1-2 (c1,c3), which carries nonlethal point mutations in CELLULOSE SYNTHASE A 1 (CESA1) and CESA3, resulted in identification of the phenotype-restoring large leaf (llf) mutant. Next-generation mapping using the whole genome resequencing method identified the llf locus as FKF1 FKF1 was confirmed as the causal gene through observation of the llf phenotype in an independent triple mutant c1,c3,fkf1-t carrying a FKF1 T-DNA insertion mutant. Moreover, overexpression of FKF1 in llf plants restored the c1,c3 phenotype. The fkf1 mutants showed significant increases in cellulose content and CESA gene expression compared with that in wild-type Columbia-0 plants, suggesting a negative role of FKF1 in cellulose biosynthesis. Using genetic, molecular, and phenocopy and biochemical evidence, we have firmly established the role of FKF1 in regulation of cellulose biosynthesis. In addition, CESA expression analysis showed that diurnal expression patterns of CESAs are FKF1 independent, whereas their circadian expression patterns are FKF1 dependent. Overall, our work establishes a role of FKF1 in the regulation of cell wall biosynthesis in Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Yuan
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409
| | - Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409
| | - Ratan Chopra
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409
| | - Venugopal Mendu
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409
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Yuan N, Rai KM, Balasubramanian VK, Upadhyay SK, Luo H, Mendu V. Genome-wide identification and characterization of LRR-RLKs reveal functional conservation of the SIF subfamily in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). BMC Plant Biol 2018; 18:185. [PMID: 30189845 PMCID: PMC6128003 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-018-1395-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As one of the largest subfamilies of the receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) in plants, Leucine Rich Repeats-RLKs (LRR-RLKs) are involved in many critical biological processes including growth, development and stress responses in addition to various physiological roles. Arabidopsis contains 234 LRR-RLKs, and four members of Stress Induced Factor (SIF) subfamily (AtSIF1-AtSIF4) which are involved in abiotic and biotic stress responses. Herein, we aimed at identification and functional characterization of SIF subfamily in cultivated tetraploid cotton Gossypium hirsutum. RESULTS Genome-wide analysis of cotton LRR-RLK gene family identified 543 members and phylogenetic analysis led to the identification of 6 cotton LRR-RLKs with high homology to Arabidopsis SIFs. Of the six SIF homologs, GhSIF1 is highly conserved exhibiting 46-47% of homology with AtSIF subfamily in amino acid sequence. The GhSIF1 was transiently silenced using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing system specifically targeting the 3' Untranslated Region. The transiently silenced cotton seedlings showed enhanced salt tolerance compared to the control plants. Further, the transiently silenced plants showed better growth, lower electrolyte leakage, and higher chlorophyll and biomass contents. CONCLUSIONS Overall, 543 LRR-RLK genes were identified using genome-wide analysis in cultivated tetraploid cotton G. hirsutum. The present investigation also demonstrated the conserved salt tolerance function of SIF family member in cotton. The GhSIF1 gene can be knocked out using genome editing technologies to improve salt tolerance in cotton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Yuan
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | - Krishan Mohan Rai
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | - Vimal Kumar Balasubramanian
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
| | | | - Hong Luo
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 USA
| | - Venugopal Mendu
- Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute (FBRI), Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA
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Rai KM, Balasubramanian VK, Welker CM, Pang M, Hii MM, Mendu V. Genome wide comprehensive analysis and web resource development on cell wall degrading enzymes from phyto-parasitic nematodes. BMC Plant Biol 2015; 15:187. [PMID: 26232118 PMCID: PMC4521475 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-015-0576-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The plant cell wall serves as a primary barrier against pathogen invasion. The success of a plant pathogen largely depends on its ability to overcome this barrier. During the infection process, plant parasitic nematodes secrete cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs) apart from piercing with their stylet, a sharp and hard mouthpart used for successful infection. CWDEs typically consist of cellulases, hemicellulases, and pectinases, which help the nematode to infect and establish the feeding structure or form a cyst. The study of nematode cell wall degrading enzymes not only enhance our understanding of the interaction between nematodes and their host, but also provides information on a novel source of enzymes for their potential use in biomass based biofuel/bioproduct industries. Although there is comprehensive information available on genome wide analysis of CWDEs for bacteria, fungi, termites and plants, but no comprehensive information available for plant pathogenic nematodes. Herein we have performed a genome wide analysis of CWDEs from the genome sequenced phyto pathogenic nematode species and developed a comprehensive publicly available database. RESULTS In the present study, we have performed a genome wide analysis for the presence of CWDEs from five plant parasitic nematode species with fully sequenced genomes covering three genera viz. Bursaphelenchus, Glorodera and Meloidogyne. Using the Hidden Markov Models (HMM) conserved domain profiles of the respective gene families, we have identified 530 genes encoding CWDEs that are distributed among 24 gene families of glycoside hydrolases (412) and polysaccharide lyases (118). Furthermore, expression profiles of these genes were analyzed across the life cycle of a potato cyst nematode. Most genes were found to have moderate to high expression from early to late infectious stages, while some clusters were invasion stage specific, indicating the role of these enzymes in the nematode's infection and establishment process. Additionally, we have also developed a Nematode's Plant Cell Wall Degrading Enzyme (NCWDE) database as a platform to provide a comprehensive outcome of the present study. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides collective information about different families of CWDEs from five different sequenced plant pathogenic nematode species. The outcomes of this study will help in developing better strategies to curtail the nematode infection, as well as help in identification of novel cell wall degrading enzymes for biofuel/bioproduct industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishan Mohan Rai
- Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 2802, 15th street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
| | | | - Cassie Marie Welker
- Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 2802, 15th street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
| | - Mingxiong Pang
- Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 2802, 15th street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
| | - Mei Mei Hii
- Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 2802, 15th street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
- Current address Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, KM20, Jalan Borneo Heights, Semengoh, Locked Bag No. 3032, Kuching, Sarawak, 93990, Malaysia.
| | - Venugopal Mendu
- Department of Plant & Soil Science, Texas Tech University, 2802, 15th street, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
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