Nat Plants , IF:15.793 , 2022 Dec , V8 (12) : P1440-1452 doi: 10.1038/s41477-022-01289-6
Brassinosteroid-induced gene repression requires specific and tight promoter binding of BIL1/BZR1 via DNA shape readout.
Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.; Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.; Tsukuba Plant-Innovation Research Center (T-PIRC), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.; Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.; Global Zero Emission Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.; Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.; Gene Discovery Research Group, RIKEN CSRS, Wako, Saitama, Japan.; Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.; Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. amtanok@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp.; Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. miyakawa.takuya.7j@kyoto-u.ac.jp.; Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan. miyakawa.takuya.7j@kyoto-u.ac.jp.
BRZ-INSENSITIVE-LONG 1 (BIL1)/BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (BZR1) and its homologues are plant-specific transcription factors that convert the signalling of the phytohormones brassinosteroids (BRs) to transcriptional responses, thus controlling various physiological processes in plants. Although BIL1/BZR1 upregulates some BR-responsive genes and downregulates others, the molecular mechanism underlying the dual roles of BIL1/BZR1 is still poorly understood. Here we show that BR-responsive transcriptional repression by BIL1/BZR1 requires the tight binding of BIL1/BZR1 alone to the 10 bp elements of DNA fragments containing the known 6 bp core-binding motifs at the centre. Furthermore, biochemical and structural evidence demonstrates that the selectivity for two nucleobases flanking the core motifs is realized by the DNA shape readout of BIL1/BZR1 without direct recognition of the nucleobases. These results elucidate the molecular and structural basis of transcriptional repression by BIL1/BZR1 and contribute to further understanding of the dual roles of BIL1/BZR1 in BR-responsive gene regulation.
PMID: 36522451
EMBO J , IF:11.598 , 2022 Dec : Pe111883 doi: 10.15252/embj.2022111883
Brassinosteroid signals cooperate with katanin-mediated microtubule severing to control stamen filament elongation.
State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.; Houji Laboratory of Shanxi Province, Academy of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taiyuan, China.; Institute of Feed Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Adaptation and Molecular Design, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Proper stamen filament elongation is essential for pollination and plant reproduction. Plant hormones are extensively involved in every stage of stamen development; however, the cellular mechanisms by which phytohormone signals couple with microtubule dynamics to control filament elongation remain unclear. Here, we screened a series of Arabidopsis thaliana mutants showing different microtubule defects and revealed that only those unable to sever microtubules, lue1 and ktn80.1234, displayed differential floral organ elongation with less elongated stamen filaments. Prompted by short stamen filaments and severe decrease in KTN1 and KTN80s expression in qui-2 lacking five BZR1-family transcription factors (BFTFs), we investigated the crosstalk between microtubule severing and brassinosteroid (BR) signaling. The BFTFs transcriptionally activate katanin-encoding genes, and the microtubule-severing frequency was severely reduced in qui-2. Taken together, our findings reveal how BRs can regulate cytoskeletal dynamics to coordinate the proper development of reproductive organs.
PMID: 36546550
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac364
An ERAD-related E2-E3 enzyme pair controls grain size and weight through the brassinosteroid signaling pathway in rice.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China.; State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, CAS Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.; Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.; Sanya Nanfan Research Institute of Hainan University, Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Laboratory, Sanya 572025, China.; College of Tropical Crops Hainan University, Hainan University, Haikou 570288, China.; The Innovative of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572025, China.
Grain size is an important agronomic trait, but our knowledge about grain size determination in crops is still limited. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) is a special ubiquitin proteasome system that is involved in degrading misfolded or incompletely folded proteins in the ER. Here, we report that SMALL GRAIN 3 (SMG3) and DECREASED GRAIN SIZE 1 (DGS1), an ERAD-related E2-E3 enzyme pair, regulate grain size and weight through the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway in rice (Oryza sativa). SMG3 encodes a homolog of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) UBIQUITIN CONJUGATING ENZYME 32 (UBC32), which is a conserved ERAD-associated E2 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme. SMG3 interacts with another grain size regulator, DGS1. Loss of function of SMG3 or DGS1 results in small grains, while overexpression of SMG3 or DGS1 leads to long grains. Further analyses showed that DGS1 is an active E3 ubiquitin ligase and co-locates with SMG3 in the ER. SMG3 and DGS1 are involved in BR signaling. DGS1 ubiquitinates the BR receptor BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1) and affects its accumulation. Genetic analysis suggests that SMG3, DGS1 and BRI1 act together to regulate grain size and weight. In summary, our findings identify an ERAD-related E2-E3 pair that regulates grain size and weight, which gives insight into the function of ERAD in grain size control and BR signaling.
PMID: 36519262
Plant Cell , IF:11.277 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1093/plcell/koac326
Crosstalk between ethylene, light, and brassinosteroid signaling in the control of apical hook formation.
Assistant Features Editor, The Plant Cell, American Society of Plant Biologists, USA.; Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK.
PMID: 36377974
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2023 Jan , V237 (2) : P497-514 doi: 10.1111/nph.18560
Molecular evidence for adaptive evolution of drought tolerance in wild cereals.
College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.; Central Laboratory, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, China.; Collaborative Innovation Centre for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, 434025, China.; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Lin'an, Hangzhou, 311300, China.; School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731, China.; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE, UK.; Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 34988384, Haifa, Israel.; Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7004, Australia.; School of Biological Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.; School of Science, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.; Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia.
The considerable drought tolerance of wild cereal crop progenitors has diminished during domestication in the pursuit of higher productivity. Regaining this trait in cereal crops is essential for global food security but requires novel genetic insight. Here, we assessed the molecular evidence for natural variation of drought tolerance in wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum), wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides), and Brachypodium species collected from dry and moist habitats at Evolution Canyon, Israel (ECI). We report that prevailing moist vs dry conditions have differentially shaped the stomatal and photosynthetic traits of these wild cereals in their respective habitats. We present the genomic and transcriptomic evidence accounting for differences, including co-expression gene modules, correlated with physiological traits, and selective sweeps, driven by the xeric site conditions on the African Slope (AS) at ECI. Co-expression gene module 'circadian rhythm' was linked to significant drought-induced delay in flowering time in Brachypodium stacei genotypes. African Slope-specific differentially expressed genes are important in barley drought tolerance, verified by silencing Disease-Related Nonspecific Lipid Transfer 1 (DRN1), Nonphotochemical Quenching 4 (NPQ4), and Brassinosteroid-Responsive Ring-H1 (BRH1). Our results provide new genetic information for the breeding of resilient wheat and barley in a changing global climate with increasingly frequent drought events.
PMID: 36266957
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2023 Jan , V237 (2) : P684-697 doi: 10.1111/nph.18557
Engineered ATG8-binding motif-based selective autophagy to degrade proteins and organelles in planta.
College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.; WIMI Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Changzhou, 213000, China.; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Function and Regulation in Agricultural Organisms, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
Protein-targeting technologies represent essential approaches in biological research. Protein knockdown tools developed recently in mammalian cells by exploiting natural degradation mechanisms allow for precise determination of protein function and discovery of degrader-type drugs. However, no method to directly target endogenous proteins for degradation is currently available in plants. Here, we describe a novel method for targeted protein clearance by engineering an autophagy receptor with a binder to provide target specificity and an ATG8-binding motif (AIM) to link the targets to nascent autophagosomes, thus harnessing the autophagy machinery for degradation. We demonstrate its specificity and broad potentials by degrading various fluorescence-tagged proteins, including cytosolic mCherry, the nucleus-localized bZIP transcription factor TGA5, and the plasma membrane-anchored brassinosteroid receptor BRI1, as well as fluorescence-coated peroxisomes, using a tobacco-based transient expression system. Stable expression of AIM-based autophagy receptors in Arabidopsis further confirms the feasibility of this approach in selective autophagy of endogenous proteins. With its wide substrate scope and its specificity, our concept of engineered AIM-based selective autophagy could provide a convenient and robust research tool for manipulating endogenous proteins in plants and may open an avenue toward degradation of cytoplasmic components other than proteins in plant research.
PMID: 36263708
New Phytol , IF:10.151 , 2022 Nov , V236 (3) : P893-910 doi: 10.1111/nph.18404
Integration of multi-omics data reveals interplay between brassinosteroid and Target of Rapamycin Complex signaling in Arabidopsis.
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.; Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.; USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA.; Plant Sciences Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) and Target of Rapamycin Complex (TORC) are two major actors coordinating plant growth and stress responses. Brassinosteroids function through a signaling pathway to extensively regulate gene expression and TORC is known to regulate translation and autophagy. Recent studies have revealed connections between these two pathways, but a system-wide view of their interplay is still missing. We quantified the level of 23 975 transcripts, 11 183 proteins, and 27 887 phosphorylation sites in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and in mutants with altered levels of either BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 2 (BIN2) or REGULATORY ASSOCIATED PROTEIN OF TOR 1B (RAPTOR1B), two key players in BR and TORC signaling, respectively. We found that perturbation of BIN2 or RAPTOR1B levels affects a common set of gene-products involved in growth and stress responses. Furthermore, we used the multi-omic data to reconstruct an integrated signaling network. We screened 41 candidate genes identified from the reconstructed network and found that loss of function mutants of many of these proteins led to an altered BR response and/or modulated autophagy activity. Altogether, these results establish a predictive network that defines different layers of molecular interactions between BR- or TORC-regulated growth and autophagy.
PMID: 35892179
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac590
A brassinosteroid transcriptional regulatory network participates in regulating fiber elongation in cotton.
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, 455000, Henan, China.; National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, Hubei, China.; Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, HenanChina.; Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, 415 Leon Johnson Hall, USA.; Western Agricultural Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changji, 831100, Xinjiang, China.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) participate in the regulation of plant growth and development through BRI1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR1 (BES1)/BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT1 (BZR1) family transcription factors. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fibers are highly elongated single cells, and BRs play a vital role in the regulation of fiber elongation. However, the mode of action on how BR is involved in the regulation of cotton fiber elongation remains unexplored. Here, we generated GhBES1.4 over expression lines and found that overexpression of GhBES1.4 promoted fiber elongation, whereas silencing of GhBES1.4 reduced fiber length. DNA affinity purification and sequencing (DAP-seq) identified 1531 target genes of GhBES1.4 (GBST), and 5 recognition motifs of GhBES1.4 were identified by enrichment analysis. Combined analysis of DAP-seq and RNA-seq data of GhBES1.4-OE/RNAi provided mechanistic insights into GhBES1.4-mediated regulation of cotton fiber development. Further, with the integrated approach of GWAS, RNA-seq, and DAP-seq, we identified seven genes related to fiber elongation that were directly regulated by GhBES1.4. Of them, we showed Cytochrome P450 84A1 (GhCYP84A1) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase 1 (GhHMG1) promote cotton fiber elongation. Overall, the present study established the role of GhBES1.4-mediated gene regulation and laid the foundation for further understanding the mechanism of BR participation in regulating fiber development.
PMID: 36542688
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac568
Kinase regulators evolved into two families by gain and loss of ability to bind plant steroid receptors.
College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi Province, P.R. China.
All biological functions evolve by fixing beneficial mutations and removing deleterious ones. Therefore, continuously fixing and removing the same essential function to separately diverge monophyletic gene families sounds improbable. Yet, here we report that BKI1 (BRI1 KINASE INHIBITOR1)/MAKRs (MEMBRANE-ASSOCIATED KINASE REGULATORS) regulating a diverse function evolved into BKI1 and MAKR families from a common ancestor by respectively enhancing and losing ability to bind brassinosteroid receptor BRI1 (BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1). The BKI1 family includes BKI1, MAKR1/BKI1-like 1 (BKL1) and BKL2 while the MAKR family contains MAKR2-6. Seedless plants contain only BKL2. In seed plants, MAKR1/BKL1 and MAKR3, duplicates of BKL2, gained and lost the ability to bind BRI1, respectively. In angiosperms, BKL2 lost the ability to bind BRI1 to generate MAKR2 while BKI1 and MAKR6 were duplicates of MAKR1/BKL1 and MAKR3, respectively. In dicots, MAKR4 and MAKR5 were duplicates of MAKR3 and MAKR2, respectively. Importantly, BKI1 localized in the plasma membrane but BKL2 localized to the nuclei while MAKR1/BKL1 localized throughout the whole cell. Importantly, BKI1 strongly and MAKR1/BKL1 weakly inhibited plant growth but BKL2 and the MAKR family did not inhibit plant growth. Functional study of the chimeras of their N- and C-termini showed that only the BKI1 family was partially reconstructable, supporting stepwise evolution by a seesaw mechanism between their C- and N-termini to alternately gain an ability to bind and inhibit BRI1, respectively. Nevertheless, the C-terminal BRI1-interacting motif best defines the divergence of BKI1/MAKRs. Therefore, BKI1 and MAKR families evolved by gradually gaining and losing the same function, respectively, extremizing divergent evolution and adding insights into gene (BKI1/MAKR) duplication and divergence.
PMID: 36494097
Plant Physiol , IF:8.34 , 2022 Nov , V190 (4) : P2350-2365 doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiac374
Identification of growth regulators using cross-species network analysis in plants.
Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.; Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council (CNR), Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy.; Department of Plant Physiology, Umea Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umea University, 90187 Umea, Sweden.; SweTree Technologies AB, Skogsmarksgrand 7, SE-907 36 Umea, Sweden.; Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432 As, Norway.; Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umea Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umea, Sweden.; Bioinformatics Institute Ghent, Ghent University, Technologiepark 71, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.
With the need to increase plant productivity, one of the challenges plant scientists are facing is to identify genes that play a role in beneficial plant traits. Moreover, even when such genes are found, it is generally not trivial to transfer this knowledge about gene function across species to identify functional orthologs. Here, we focused on the leaf to study plant growth. First, we built leaf growth transcriptional networks in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), maize (Zea mays), and aspen (Populus tremula). Next, known growth regulators, here defined as genes that when mutated or ectopically expressed alter plant growth, together with cross-species conserved networks, were used as guides to predict novel Arabidopsis growth regulators. Using an in-depth literature screening, 34 out of 100 top predicted growth regulators were confirmed to affect leaf phenotype when mutated or overexpressed and thus represent novel potential growth regulators. Globally, these growth regulators were involved in cell cycle, plant defense responses, gibberellin, auxin, and brassinosteroid signaling. Phenotypic characterization of loss-of-function lines confirmed two predicted growth regulators to be involved in leaf growth (NPF6.4 and LATE MERISTEM IDENTITY2). In conclusion, the presented network approach offers an integrative cross-species strategy to identify genes involved in plant growth and development.
PMID: 35984294
BMC Biol , IF:7.431 , 2022 Nov , V20 (1) : P254 doi: 10.1186/s12915-022-01455-4
ERF49 mediates brassinosteroid regulation of heat stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.; College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.; School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China.; College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China.; College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China.; College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, China. guanghuix@snnu.edu.cn.; Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China. zhusw@ibcas.ac.cn.
BACKGROUND: Heat stress is a major abiotic stress affecting the growth and development of plants, including crop species. Plants have evolved various adaptive strategies to help them survive heat stress, including maintaining membrane stability, encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs) and ROS-scavenging enzymes, and inducing molecular chaperone signaling. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are phytohormones that regulate various aspects of plant development, which have been implicated also in plant responses to heat stress, and resistance to heat in Arabidopsis thaliana is enhanced by adding exogenous BR. Brassinazole resistant 1 (BZR1), a transcription factor and positive regulator of BR signal, controls plant growth and development by directly regulating downstream target genes. However, the molecular mechanism at the basis of BR-mediated heat stress response is poorly understood. Here, we report the identification of a new factor critical for BR-regulated heat stress tolerance. RESULTS: We identified ERF49 in a genetic screen for proteins required for BR-regulated gene expression. We found that ERF49 is the direct target gene of BZR1 and that overexpressing ERF49 enhanced sensitivity of transgenic plants to heat stress. The transcription levels of heat shock factor HSFA2, heat stress-inducible gene DREB2A, and three heat shock protein (HSP) were significantly reduced under heat stress in ERF49-overexpressed transgenic plants. Transcriptional activity analysis in protoplast revealed that BZR1 inhibits ERF49 expression by binding to the promoter of ERF49. Our genetic analysis showed that dominant gain-of-function brassinazole resistant 1-1D mutant (bzr1-1D) exhibited lower sensitivity to heat stress compared with wild-type. Expressing ERF49-SRDX (a dominant repressor reporter of ERF49) in bzr1-1D significantly decreased the sensitivity of ERF49-SRDX/bzr1-1D transgenic plants to heat stress compared to bzr1-1D. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide clear evidence that BR increases thermotolerance of plants by repressing the expression of ERF49 through BZR1, and this process is dependent on the expression of downstream heat stress-inducible genes. Taken together, our work reveals a novel molecular mechanism mediating plant response to high temperature stress.
PMID: 36357887
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1111/pce.14502
Red-light receptor phytochrome B inhibits BZR1-NAC028-CAD8B signaling to negatively regulate rice resistance to sheath blight.
Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.; Laboratory of Rice Disease Research, Institution of Plant Protection, Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang, China.; Rice Research Institute, College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China.; Department of Plant Protection, Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.; Department of Biological Science, College of Life Science, Yan'an University, Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.; Liaoning Province Shiyan High School, Shenyang, China.; College of Biology and Food Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, China.
Phytochrome (Phy)-regulated light signalling plays important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, its function in rice defence against sheath blight disease (ShB) remains unclear. Here, we found that PhyB mutation or shade treatment promoted rice resistance to ShB, while resistance was reduced by PhyB overexpression. Further analysis showed that PhyB interacts with phytochrome-interacting factor-like 15 (PIL15), brassinazole resistant 1 (BZR1), and vascular plant one-zinc-finger 2 (VOZ2). Plants overexpressing PIL15 were more susceptible to ShB in contrast to bzr1-D-overexpressing plants compared with the wild-type, suggesting that PhyB may inhibit BZR1 to negatively regulate rice resistance to ShB. Although BZR1 is known to regulate brassinosteroid (BR) signalling, the observation that BR signalling negatively regulated resistance to ShB indicated an independent role for BZR1 in controlling rice resistance. It was also found that the BZR1 ligand NAC028 positively regulated resistance to ShB. RNA sequencing showed that cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 8B (CAD8B), involved in lignin biosynthesis was upregulated in both bzr1-D- and NAC028-overexpressing plants compared with the wild-type. Yeast-one hybrid, ChIP, and transactivation assays demonstrated that BZR1 and NAC028 activate CAD8B directly. Taken together, the analyses demonstrated that PhyB-mediated light signalling inhibits the BZR1-NAC028-CAD8B pathway to regulate rice resistance to ShB.
PMID: 36457051
Plant Cell Environ , IF:7.228 , 2022 Dec , V45 (12) : P3551-3565 doi: 10.1111/pce.14441
HOP1 and HOP2 are involved in salt tolerance by facilitating the brassinosteroid-related nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning of the HSP90-BIN2 complex.
College of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China.
The co-chaperone heat shock protein (HSP)70-HSP90 organizing protein (HOP) is involved in plant thermotolerance. However, its function in plant salinity tolerance was not yet studied. We found that Arabidopsis HOP1 and HOP2 play critical roles in salt tolerance by affecting the nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning of HSP90 and brassinosteroid-insensitive 2 (BIN2). A hop1/2 double mutant was hypersensitive to salt-stress. Interestingly, this sensitivity was remedied by exogenous brassinolide application, while the application of brassinazole impeded growth of both wild-type (WT) and hop1/2 plants under normal and salt stress conditions. This suggested that the insufficient brassinosteroid (BR) content was responsible for the salt-sensitivity of hop1/2. After WT was transferred to salt stress conditions, HOP1/2, BIN2 and HSP90 accumulated in the nucleus, brassinazole-resistant 1 (BZR1) was phosphorylated and accumulated in the cytoplasm, and BR content significantly increased. This initial response resulted in dephosphorylation of BZR1 and BR response. This dynamic regulation of BR content was impeded in salt-stressed hop1/2. Thus, we propose that HOP1 and HOP2 are involved in salt tolerance by affecting BR signalling.
PMID: 36123951
J Integr Plant Biol , IF:7.061 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1111/jipb.13443
Brassinosteroid signaling regulates phosphate starvation-induced malate secretion in plants.
Microelement Research Center, College of Resources & Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.; Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
Inorganic phosphate (Pi) is often limited in soils due to precipitation with iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al). To scavenge heterogeneously distributed phosphorus (P) resources, plants have evolved a local Pi signaling pathway that induces malate secretion to solubilize the occluded Fe-P or Al-P oxides. In this study, we show that Pi limitation impaired brassinosteroid signaling and downregulated BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT 1 (BZR1) expression in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Exogenous 2,4-epibrassinolide treatment or constitutive activation of BZR1 (in the bzr1-D mutant) significantly reduced primary root growth inhibition under Pi-starvation conditions by downregulating ALUMINUM-ACTIVATED MALATE TRANSPORTER 1 (ALMT1) expression and malate secretion. Furthermore, AtBZR1 competitively suppressed the activator effect of SENSITIVITY TO PROTON RHIZOTOXICITY 1 (STOP1) on ALMT1 expression and malate secretion in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and Arabidopsis. The ratio of nuclear-localized STOP1 and BZR1 determined ALMT1 expression and malate secretion in Arabidopsis. In addition, BZR1-inhibited malate secretion is conserved in rice (Oryza sativa). Our findings provide insight into plant mechanisms for optimizing the secretion of malate, an important carbon resource, to adapt to Pi-deficiency stress. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 36579777
J Integr Plant Biol , IF:7.061 , 2022 Dec doi: 10.1111/jipb.13442
Brassinosteroids fine-tune secondary and primary sulfur metabolism through BZR1-mediated transcriptional regulation.
Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.; School of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 221116, China.; Key Laboratory of Biotechnology in Plant Protection of Ministry of Agriculture and Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, China.; College of Horticulture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
For adaptation to ever-changing environment, plants evolve elaborate metabolic systems coupled to regulatory network for optimal growth and defense. Regulation of plant secondary metabolic pathways such as glucosinolates (GSLs) by defense phytohormones in response to different stresses and nutrient deficiency has been intensively investigated, while how growth-promoting hormone balances plant secondary and primary metabolism has been largely unexplored. Here, we found that growth-promoting hormone brassinosteroid (BR) inhibits GSLs accumulation while enhances biosynthesis of primary sulfur metabolites including cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH) both in Arabidopsis and Brassica crops, fine-tuning secondary and primary sulfur metabolism to promote plant growth. Furthermore, we demonstrate that BZR1, the central component of BR signaling, exerts distinct transcriptional inhibition regulation on indolic and aliphatic GSL via direct MYB51 dependent repression of indolic GSL biosynthesis, while partial MYB29 dependent repression of aliphatic GSL biosynthesis. Additionally, BZR1 directly activates the transcription of APR1 and APR2 which encodes rate-limiting enzyme adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductases in primary sulfur metabolic pathway. In summary, our findings indicate that BR inhibits the biosynthesis of GSLs to prioritize of sulfur usage for primary metabolites under normal growth condition. These findings expand our understanding of BR promoting plant growth from metabolism perspective. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 36573424
J Exp Bot , IF:6.992 , 2023 Jan , V74 (1) : P283-295 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erac429
BRASSINOSTEROID-SIGNALING KINASE1-1, a positive regulator of brassinosteroid signalling, modulates plant architecture and grain size in rice.
Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.; College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018, China.; Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement/Jiangsu Provincial Center of Plant Gene Engineering, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.; College of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a crucial class of plant hormones that regulate plant growth and development, thus affecting many important agronomic traits in crops. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the BR signalling pathway in rice. In this study, we provide multiple lines of evidence to indicate that BR-SIGNALING KINASE1-1 (OsBSK1-1) likely represents a missing component in the BR signalling pathway in rice. We showed that knockout mutants of OsBSK1-1 are less sensitive to BR and exhibit a pleiotropic phenotype, including lower plant height, less tiller number and shortened grain length, whereas transgenic plants overexpressing a gain-of-function dominant mutant form of OsBSK1-1 (OsBSK1-1A295V) are hypersensitive to BR, and exhibit some enhanced BR-responsive phenotypes. We found that OsBSK1-1 physically interacts with the BR receptor BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 (OsBRI1), and GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE2 (OsGSK2), a downstream component crucial for BR signalling. Moreover, we showed that OsBSK1-1 can be phosphorylated by OsBRI1 and can inhibit OsGSK2-mediated phosphorylation of BRASSINOSTEROID RESISTANT1 (OsBZR1). We further demonstrated that OsBSK1-1 genetically acts downstream of OsBRI1, but upstream of OsGSK2. Together, our results suggest that OsBSK1-1 may serve as a scaffold protein directly bridging OsBRI1 and OsGSK2 to positively regulate BR signalling, thus affecting plant architecture and grain size in rice.
PMID: 36346128
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2022 Nov doi: 10.1111/tpj.16036
CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing applied to MdPGT1 in apple results in reduced foliar phloridzin without impacting plant growth.
Research and Innovation Centre, Edmund Mach Foundation, Via Edmund Mach 1, San Michele all'Adige, 38098, Italy.; C3A Center Agriculture Food Environment, University of Trento, Via Edmund Mach 1, San Michele all'Adige, 38098, Italy.; The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, 120 Mt Albert Road, Auckland, 1025, New Zealand.; Research Group Plant Defense Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Hans-Knoll-Strasse 8, Jena, 07745, Germany.; Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Institute of Experimental Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences and Palacky University, Slechtitelu 19, Olomouc, CZ-783 71, Czech Republic.
Phloridzin is the most abundant polyphenolic compound in apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.), which results from the action of a key phloretin-specific UDP-2'-O-glucosyltransferase (MdPGT1). Here, we simultaneously assessed the effects of targeting MdPGT1 by conventional transgenesis and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated genome editing. To this end, we conducted transcriptomic and metabolic analyses of MdPGT1 RNA interference knockdown and genome-edited lines. Knockdown lines exhibited characteristic impairment of plant growth and leaf morphology, whereas genome-edited lines exhibited normal growth despite reduced foliar phloridzin. RNA-sequencing analysis identified a common core of regulated genes, involved in phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways. However, we identified genes and processes differentially modulated in stunted and genome-edited lines, including key transcription factors and genes involved in phytohormone signalling. Therefore, we conducted a phytohormone profiling to obtain insight into their role in the phenotypes observed. We found that salicylic and jasmonic acid were increased in dwarf lines, whereas auxin and ABA showed no correlation with the growth phenotype. Furthermore, bioactive brassinosteroids were commonly up-regulated, whereas gibberellin GA(4) was distinctively altered, showing a sharp decrease in RNA interference knockdown lines. Expression analysis by reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction expression analysis further confirmed transcriptional regulation of key factors involved in brassinosteroid and gibberellin interaction. These findings suggest that a differential modulation of phytohormones may be involved in the contrasting effects on growth following phloridzin reduction. The present study also illustrates how CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing can be applied to dissect the contribution of genes involved in phloridzin biosynthesis in apple.
PMID: 36401738
Plant J , IF:6.417 , 2022 Nov , V112 (4) : P946-965 doi: 10.1111/tpj.15980
The Arabidopsis TETRATRICOPEPTIDE-REPEAT THIOREDOXIN-LIKE (TTL) family members are involved in root system formation via their interaction with cytoskeleton and cell wall remodeling.
Department of Experimental Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 5, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic.; Departamento de Biologia Molecular de Plantas, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), Av. Universidad, 2001, Cuernavaca, 62250, Morelos, Mexico.; Group of Reproductive Development and Apomixis, UGA Laboratorio Nacional de Genomica para la Biodiversidad, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36821, Mexico.
Lateral roots (LR) are essential components of the plant edaphic interface; contributing to water and nutrient uptake, biotic and abiotic interactions, stress survival, and plant anchorage. We have identified the TETRATRICOPEPTIDE-REPEAT THIOREDOXIN-LIKE 3 (TTL3) gene as being related to LR emergence and later development. Loss of function of TTL3 leads to a reduced number of emerged LR due to delayed development of lateral root primordia (LRP). This trait is further enhanced in the triple mutant ttl1ttl3ttl4. TTL3 interacts with microtubules and endomembranes, and is known to participate in the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway. Both ttl3 and ttl1ttl3ttl4 mutants are less sensitive to BR treatment in terms of LR formation and primary root growth. The ability of TTL3 to modulate biophysical properties of the cell wall was established under restrictive conditions of hyperosmotic stress and loss of root growth recovery, which was enhanced in ttl1ttl3ttl4. Timing and spatial distribution of TTL3 expression is consistent with its role in development of LRP before their emergence and subsequent growth of LR. TTL3 emerged as a component of the root system morphogenesis regulatory network.
PMID: 36270031
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf , IF:6.291 , 2022 Dec , V248 : P114298 doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114298
Exogenous 24-epibrassinolide boosts plant growth under alkaline stress from physiological and transcriptomic perspectives: The case of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.).
College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: maqian1994@nwafu.edu.cn.; College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: weg2990762254@163.com.; College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: 2018050099@nwafu.edu.cn.; College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: yuanyuhao@nwsuaf.edu.cn.; College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: xzlfengyu@nwafu.edu.cn.; College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: ljjzl2014@163.com.; Shaanxi Provincial Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Xi'an 710000, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: zhaolin_1204@163.com.; College of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China. Electronic address: fengbaili@nwafu.edu.cn.
Land alkalization is an abiotic stress that affects global sustainable agricultural development and the balance of natural ecosystems. In this study, two broomcorn millet cultivars, T289 (alkaline-tolerant) and S223 (alkaline-sensitive), were selected to investigate the response of broomcorn millet to alkaline stress and the role of brassinolide (BR) in alkaline tolerance. Phenotypes, physiologies, and transcriptomes of T289 and S223 plants under only alkaline stress (AS) and alkaline stress with BR (AB) were compared. The results showed that alkaline stress inhibited growth, promoted the accumulation of soluble sugars and malondialdehyde, enhanced electrolyte leakage, and destroyed the integrity of broomcorn millet stomata. In contrast, BR lessened the negative effects of alkaline stress on plants. Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that relative to control groups (CK, nutrient solution), in AS groups, 21,113 and 12,151 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in S223 and T289, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed various terms and pathways related to metabolism. Compared to S223, alkaline stress strongly activated the brassinosteroid biosynthesis pathway in T289. Conversely, ARF, TF, and TCH4, associated with cell growth and elongation, were inhibited by alkaline stress in S223. Moreover, alkaline stress induced the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, the abscisic acid signaling pathway that initiates stomatal closure, as well as the starch and sucrose metabolism. The EG and BGL genes, which are associated with cellulose degradation, were notably activated. BR enhanced alkaline tolerance, thereby alleviating the transcriptional responses of the two cultivars. Cultivar T289 is better in alkalized regions. Taken together, these results reveal how broomcorn millet responds to alkaline stress and BR mitigates alkaline stress, thus promoting agriculture in alkalized regions.
PMID: 36403299
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (24) doi: 10.3390/ijms232415889
EBF1 Negatively Regulates Brassinosteroid-Induced Apical Hook Development and Cell Elongation through Promoting BZR1 Degradation.
The Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environmental Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China.
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of plant steroid hormones that play important roles in a wide range of developmental and physiological processes in plants. Transcription factors BRASSINOZALE-RESISTANT1 (BZR1) and its homologs are key components of BR signaling and integrate a wide range of internal and environmental signals to coordinate plant growth and development. Although several E3 ligases have been reported to regulate the stability of BZR1, the molecular mechanism of BZR1 degradation remains unclear. Here, we reveal how a newly identified molecular mechanism underlying EBF1 directly regulates BZR1 protein stability via the 26S proteasome pathway, repressing BR function on regulating Arabidopsis apical hook development and hypocotyl elongation. BZR1 directly binds to the EBF1 gene promotor to reduce EBF1 expression. Furthermore, the genetic analysis shows that BZR1, EIN3 and PIF4 interdependently regulate plant apical hook development. Taken together, our data demonstrates that EBF1 is a negative regulator of the BR signaling pathway.
PMID: 36555537
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232315308
Enhancing the Expression of the OsF3H Gene in Oryza sativa Leads to the Regulation of Multiple Biosynthetic Pathways and Transcriptomic Changes That Influence Insect Resistance.
Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.; Coastal Agriculture Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.; Natural and Medical Science Research Center, University of Nizwa, Nizwa 611, Oman.; Department of Botany, Garden Campus, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200, Pakistan.; Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju 54874, Republic of Korea.
The white-backed planthopper (WBPH) is a major pest of rice crops and causes severe loss of yield. We previously developed the WBPH-resistant rice cultivar "OxF3H" by overexpressing the OsF3H gene. Although there was a higher accumulation of the flavonoids kaempferol (Kr) and quercetin (Qu) as well as salicylic acid (SA) in OxF3H transgenic (OsF3H or Trans) plants compared to the wild type (WT), it is still unclear how OsF3H overexpression affects these WBPH resistant-related changes in gene expression in OxF3H plants. In this study, we analyze RNA-seq data from OxF3H and WT at several points (0 h, 3 h, 12 h, and 24 h) after WBPH infection to explain how overall changes in gene expression happen in these two cultivars. RT-qPCR further validated a number of the genes. Results revealed that the highest number of DEGs (4735) between the two genotypes was detected after 24 h of infection. Interestingly, it was found that several of the DEGs between the WT and OsF3H under control conditions were also differentially expressed in OsF3H in response to WBPH infestation. These results indicate that significant differences in gene expression between the "OxF3H" and "WT" exist as the infection time increases. Many of these DEGs were related to oxidoreductase activity, response to stress, salicylic acid biosynthesis, metabolic process, defense response to pathogen, cellular response to toxic substance, and regulation of hormone levels. Moreover, genes involved in salicylic acid (SA) and ethylene (Et) biosynthesis were upregulated in OxF3H plants, while jasmonic acid (JA), brassinosteroid (Br), and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways were found downregulated in OxF3H plants during WBPH infestation. Interestingly, many DEGs related to pathogenesis, such as OsPR1, OsPR1b, OsNPR1, OsNPR3, and OsNPR5, were found to be significantly upregulated in OxF3H plants. Additionally, genes related to the MAPKs pathway and about 30 WRKY genes involved in different pathways were upregulated in OxF3H plants after WBPH infestation. This suggests that overexpression of the OxF3H gene leads to multiple transcriptomic changes and impacts plant hormones and pathogenic-related and secondary-metabolites-related genes, enhancing the plant's resistance to WBPH infestation.
PMID: 36499636
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Dec , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232315082
Revisiting AGAMOUS-LIKE15, a Key Somatic Embryogenesis Regulator, Using Next Generation Sequencing Analysis in Arabidopsis.
Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center (KTRDC), University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.; Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.; Biopathogenix, Nicholasville, KY 40356, USA.; Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute for Genomics of Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.
AGAMOUS-like 15 (AGL15) is a member of the MADS-domain transcription factor (TF) family. MADS proteins are named for a conserved domain that was originally from an acronym derived from genes expressed in a variety of eukaryotes (MCM1-AGAMOUS-DEFICIENS-SERUM RESPONSE FACTOR). In plants, this family has expanded greatly, with more than one-hundred members generally found in dicots, and the proteins encoded by these genes have often been associated with developmental identity. AGL15 transcript and protein accumulate primarily in embryos and has been found to promote an important process called plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis (SE). To understand how this TF performs this function, we have previously used microarray technologies to assess direct and indirect responsive targets of this TF. We have now revisited this question using next generation sequencing (NGS) to both characterize in vivo binding sites for AGL15 as well as response to the accumulation of AGL15. We compared these data to the prior microarray results to evaluate the different platforms. The new NGS data brought to light an interaction with brassinosteroid (BR) hormone signaling that was "missed" in prior Gene Ontology analysis from the microarray studies.
PMID: 36499403
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (23) doi: 10.3390/ijms232314577
Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants: Brassinosteroids Navigate Competently.
National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India.; Centre for Transgenic Plant Development, Department of Biotechnology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India.
Brassinosteroid hormones (BRs) multitask to smoothly regulate a broad spectrum of vital physiological processes in plants, such as cell division, cell expansion, differentiation, seed germination, xylem differentiation, reproductive development and light responses (photomorphogenesis and skotomorphogenesis). Their importance is inferred when visible abnormalities arise in plant phenotypes due to suboptimal or supraoptimal hormone levels. This group of steroidal hormones are major growth regulators, having pleiotropic effects and conferring abiotic stress resistance to plants. Numerous abiotic stresses are the cause of significant loss in agricultural yield globally. However, plants are well equipped with efficient stress combat machinery. Scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a unique mechanism to combat the deleterious effects of abiotic stresses. In light of numerous reports in the past two decades, the complex BR signaling under different stress conditions (drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and heavy metals/metalloids) that drastically hinders the normal metabolism of plants is gradually being untangled and revealed. Thus, crop improvement has substantial potential by tailoring either the brassinosteroid signaling, biosynthesis pathway or perception. This review aims to explore and dissect the actual mission of BRs in signaling cascades and summarize their positive role with respect to abiotic stress tolerance.
PMID: 36498906
Int J Mol Sci , IF:5.923 , 2022 Nov , V23 (22) doi: 10.3390/ijms232214288
Hormone Regulation of CCCH Zinc Finger Proteins in Plants.
College of Resources and Environment, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.; College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.; Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.; Institute of Efficient Agricultural Carbon Neutrality in Middle-Lower Yellow River Regions, Qingdao 266109, China.
CCCH zinc finger proteins contain one to six tandem CCCH motifs composed of three cysteine and one histidine residues and have been widely found in eukaryotes. Plant CCCH proteins control a wide range of developmental and adaptive processes through DNA-protein, RNA-protein and/or protein-protein interactions. The complex networks underlying these processes regulated by plant CCCH proteins are often involved in phytohormones as signal molecules. In this review, we described the evolution of CCCH proteins from green algae to vascular plants and summarized the functions of plant CCCH proteins that are influenced by six major hormones, including abscisic acid, gibberellic acid, brassinosteroid, jasmonate, ethylene and auxin. We further compared the regulatory mechanisms of plant and animal CCCH proteins via hormone signaling. Among them, Arabidopsis AtC3H14, 15 and human hTTP, three typical CCCH proteins, are able to integrate multiple hormones to participate in various biological processes.
PMID: 36430765
PLoS Genet , IF:5.917 , 2022 Dec , V18 (12) : Pe1010541 doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010541
A role for brassinosteroid signalling in decision-making processes in the Arabidopsis seedling.
Botany, School of Life Sciences, Technische Universitat Munchen, Freising, Germany.; Systematic Botany and Mycology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.; Mathematics and Computer Science, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Polen.; Plant Molecular Biology (Botany), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Martinsried, Germany.
Plants often adapt to adverse conditions via differential growth, whereby limited resources are discriminately allocated to optimize the growth of one organ at the expense of another. Little is known about the decision-making processes that underly differential growth. In this study, we developed a screen to identify decision making mutants by deploying two tools that have been used in decision theory: a well-defined yet limited budget, as well as conflict-of-interest scenarios. A forward genetic screen that combined light and water withdrawal was carried out. This identified BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 2 (BIN2) alleles as decision mutants with "confused" phenotypes. An assessment of organ and cell length suggested that hypocotyl elongation occurred predominantly via cellular elongation. In contrast, root growth appeared to be regulated by a combination of cell division and cell elongation or exit from the meristem. Gain- or loss- of function bin2 mutants were most severely impaired in their ability to adjust cell geometry in the hypocotyl or cell elongation as a function of distance from the quiescent centre in the root tips. This study describes a novel paradigm for root growth under limiting conditions, which depends not only on hypocotyl-versus-root trade-offs in the allocation of limited resources, but also on an ability to deploy different strategies for root growth in response to multiple stress conditions.
PMID: 36508461
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1077920 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1077920
Comprehensive transcriptome analysis reveals heat-responsive genes in flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis) using RNA sequencing.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Adaptation and Molecular Design, International Crop Research Center for Stress Resistance, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China.; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, UWA School of Agriculture & Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Flowering Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis var. utilis Tsen et Lee, 2n=20, AA) is a vegetable species in southern parts of China that faces high temperatures in the summer and winter seasons. While heat stress adversely impacts plant productivity and survival, the underlying molecular and biochemical causes are poorly understood. This study investigated the gene expression profiles of heat-sensitive (HS) '3T-6' and heat-tolerant (HT) 'Youlu-501' varieties of flowering Chinese cabbage in response to heat stress using RNA sequencing. Among the 37,958 genes expressed in leaves, 20,680 were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 1, 6, and 12 h, with 1,078 simultaneously expressed at all time points in both varieties. Hierarchical clustering analysis identified three clusters comprising 1,958, 556, and 591 down-regulated, up-regulated, and up- and/or down-regulated DEGs (3205 DEGs; 8.44%), which were significantly enriched in MAPK signaling, plant-pathogen interactions, plant hormone signal transduction, and brassinosteroid biosynthesis pathways and involved in stimulus, stress, growth, reproductive, and defense responses. Transcription factors, including MYB (12), NAC (13), WRKY (11), ERF (31), HSF (17), bHLH (16), and regulatory proteins such as PAL, CYP450, and photosystem II, played an essential role as effectors of homeostasis, kinases/phosphatases, and photosynthesis. Among 3205 DEGs, many previously reported genes underlying heat stress were also identified, e.g., BraWRKY25, BraHSP70, BraHSPB27, BraCYP71A23, BraPYL9, and BraA05g032350.3C. The genome-wide comparison of HS and HT provides a solid foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance in flowering Chinese cabbage.
PMID: 36531374
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P939395 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.939395
Understanding plant-microbe interaction of rice and soybean with two contrasting diazotrophic bacteria through comparative transcriptome analysis.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, India.; Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India.; ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, India.; Division of Nematology, ICAR- Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi, India.
Understanding the beneficial plant-microbe interactions is becoming extremely critical for deploying microbes imparting plant fitness and achieving sustainability in agriculture. Diazotrophic bacteria have the unique ability to survive without external sources of nitrogen and simultaneously promote host plant growth, but the mechanisms of endophytic interaction in cereals and legumes have not been studied extensively. We have studied the early interaction of two diazotrophic bacteria, Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (GAB) and Bradyrhizobium japonicum (BRH), in 15-day-old seedlings of rice and soybean up to 120 h after inoculation (hai) under low-nitrogen medium. Root colonization of GAB in rice was higher than that of BRH, and BRH colonization was higher in soybean roots as observed from the scanning electron microscopy at 120 hai. Peroxidase enzyme was significantly higher at 24 hai but thereafter was reduced sharply in soybean and gradually in rice. The roots of rice and soybean inoculated with GAB and BRH harvested from five time points were pooled, and transcriptome analysis was executed along with control. Two pathways, "Plant pathogen interaction" and "MAPK signaling," were specific to Rice-Gluconacetobacter (RG), whereas the pathways related to nitrogen metabolism and plant hormone signaling were specific to Rice-Bradyrhizobium (RB) in rice. Comparative transcriptome analysis of the root tissues revealed that several plant-diazotroph-specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and metabolic pathways of plant-diazotroph-specific transcripts, viz., chitinase, brassinosteroid, auxin, Myeloblastosis (MYB), nodulin, and nitrate transporter (NRT), were common in all plant-diazotroph combinations; three transcripts, viz., nitrate transport accessory protein (NAR), thaumatin, and thionin, were exclusive in rice and another three transcripts, viz., NAC (NAM: no apical meristem, ATAF: Arabidopsis thaliana activating factor, and CUC: cup-shaped cotyledon), ABA (abscisic acid), and ammonium transporter, were exclusive in soybean. Differential expression of these transcripts and reduction in pathogenesis-related (PR) protein expression show the early interaction. Based on the interaction, it can be inferred that the compatibility of rice and soybean is more with GAB and BRH, respectively. We propose that rice is unable to identify the diazotroph as a beneficial microorganism or a pathogen from an early response. So, it expressed the hypersensitivity-related transcripts along with PR proteins. The molecular mechanism of diazotrophic associations of GAB and BRH with rice vis-a-vis soybean will shed light on the basic understanding of host responses to beneficial microorganisms.
PMID: 36483966
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1079087 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1079087
UV-B induces the expression of flavonoid biosynthetic pathways in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) calli.
Department of Horticulture, College of Plant Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is an environmental signal that affects the accumulation of secondary metabolites in plants. In particular, UV-B promotes flavonoid biosynthesis, leading to improved fruit quality. To explore the underlying molecular mechanism, we exposed blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) calli to UV-B radiation and performed a transcriptome deep sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We detected 16,899 DEGs among different treatments, with the largest number seen after 24 h of UV-B exposure relative to controls. Functional annotation and enrichment analysis showed a significant enrichment for DEGs in pathways related to plant hormone signal transduction and phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthesis. In agreement with the transcriptome data, flavonol, anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin accumulated upon UV-B radiation, and most DEGs mapping to the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid biosynthetic pathways using the KEGG mapper tool were upregulated under UV-B radiation. We also performed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to explore the relationship among genes involved in plant hormone signal transduction, encoding transcription factors or participating in flavonoid biosynthesis. The transcription factors VcMYBPA1, MYBPA2.1, MYB114, MYBA2, MYBF, and MYB102 are likely activators, whereas MYB20, VcMYB14, MYB44, and VcMYB4a are inhibitors of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, as evidenced by the direction of correlation between the expression of these MYBs and flavonoid biosynthesis-related genes. The transcription factors bHLH74 and bHLH25 might interact with MYB repressors or directly inhibited the expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes to control flavonoid accumulation. We also observed the downregulation of several genes belonging to the auxin, gibberellin and brassinosteroid biosynthetic pathways, suggesting that MYB inhibitors or activators are directly or indirectly regulated to promote flavonoid biosynthesis under UV-B radiation.
PMID: 36483950
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1061196 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1061196
Genome-wide association study reveals a GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3 gene regulating plant height in Brassica napus.
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Oil Crops, The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.; Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.; Key Laboratory of Genetics and Germplasm Innovation of Tropical Special Forest Trees and Ornamental Plants (Ministry of Education), School of Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, China.; Guizhou Rapeseed Institute, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is an allotetraploid crop that is the main source of edible oils and feed proteins in the world. The ideal plant architecture breeding is a major objective of rapeseed breeding and determining the appropriate plant height is a key element of the ideal plant architecture. Therefore, this study aims to improve the understanding of the genetic controls underlying plant height. The plant heights of 230 rapeseed accessions collected worldwide were investigated in field experiments over two consecutive years in Wuhan, China. Whole-genome resequencing of these accessions yielded a total of 1,707,194 informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were used for genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). GWAS and haplotype analysis showed that BnaA01g09530D, which encodes BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE 2 and belongs to the GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3 (GSK3) family, was significantly associated with plant height in B. napus. Moreover, a total of 31 BnGSK3s with complete domains were identified from B. napus genome and clustered into four groups according to phylogenetic analysis, gene structure, and motif distribution. The expression patterns showed that BnGSK3s exhibited significant differences in 13 developmental tissues in B. napus, suggesting that BnGSK3s may be involved in tissue-specific development. Sixteen BnGSK3 genes were highly expressed the in shoot apical meristem, which may be related to plant height or architecture development. These results are important for providing new haplotypes of plant height in B. napus and for extending valuable genetic information for rapeseed genetic improvement of plant architecture.
PMID: 36407634
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P1022961 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1022961
Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of Shatian pomelo (Citrus grandis var. Shatinyu Hort) leaves provide insights into the overexpression of the gibberellin-induced gene CcGASA4.
Life Science and Technology School, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, China.; Institute of Fruit Tree Research, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China.; Key Laboratory of South Subtropical Fruit Biology and Genetic Resource Utilization (MOA), Guangzhou, China.; Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical of Fruit Tree Research, Science and Technology Department of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, China.
The gibberellic acid (GA)-stimulated Arabidopsis (GASA) gene family is highly specific to plants and plays crucial roles in plant growth and development. CcGASA4 is a member of the GASA gene family in citrus plants; however, the current understanding of its function in citrus is limited. We used CcGASA4-overexpression transgenic citrus (OEGA) and control (CON) plants to study the role of CcGASA4 in Shatian pomelo. The RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis showed that 3,522 genes, including 1,578 upregulated and 1,944 downregulated genes, were significantly differentially expressed in the CON versus OEGA groups. The Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that 178 of the differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were associated with flowers. A Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in 134 pathways, including "plant-pathogen interaction", "MAPK signaling pathway-plant", "phenylpropane biosynthesis", "plant hormone signal transduction", "phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis", and "flavonoid and flavonol biosynthesis". The most significantly-enriched pathway was "plant-pathogen interaction", in which 203 DEGs were enriched (126 DEGs were upregulated and 78 were downregulated). The metabolome analysis showed that 644 metabolites were detected in the OEGA and CON samples, including 294 differentially-accumulated metabolites (DAMs; 83 upregulated versus 211 downregulated in OEGA compared to CON). The metabolic pathway analysis showed that these DAMs were mainly involved in the metabolic pathways of secondary metabolites, such as phenylpropanoids, phenylalanine, flavone, and flavonol biosynthesis. Thirteen flavonoids and isoflavones were identified as DAMs in OEGA and CON. We also discovered 25 OEGA-specific accumulated metabolites and found 10 that were associated with disease resistance. CcGASA4 may therefore play a functional role in activating the expression of MAPK signaling transduction pathway and disease resistance genes, inhibiting the expression of auxin- and ethylene-related genes, and activating or inhibiting the expression of brassinosteroid biosynthesis- and abscisic acid-related genes. CcGASA4 may also play a role in regulating the composition and abundance of flavonoids, isoflavones, amino acids, purines, and phenolic compounds. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of action of CcGASA4 in citrus plants.
PMID: 36407630
Front Plant Sci , IF:5.753 , 2022 , V13 : P965069 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.965069
A novel small open reading frame gene, IbEGF, enhances drought tolerance in transgenic sweet potato.
Key Laboratory of Sweetpotato Biology and Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/ Beijing Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement/Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization, Ministry of Education, College of Agronomy & Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Small open reading frames (sORFs) can encode functional polypeptides or act as cis-translational regulators in stress responses in eukaryotes. Their number and potential importance have only recently become clear in plants. In this study, we identified a novel sORF gene in sweet potato, IbEGF, which encoded the 83-amino acid polypeptide containing an EGF_CA domain. The expression of IbEGF was induced by PEG6000, H(2)O(2), abscisic acid (ABA), methyl-jasmonate (MeJA) and brassinosteroid (BR). The IbEGF protein was localized to the nucleus and cell membrane. Under drought stress, overexpression of IbEGF enhanced drought tolerance, promoted the accumulation of ABA, MeJA, BR and proline and upregulated the genes encoding superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) in transgenic sweet potato. The IbEGF protein was found to interact with IbCOP9-5alpha, a regulator in the phytohormone signalling pathways. These results suggest that IbEGF interacting with IbCOP9-5alpha enhances drought tolerance by regulating phytohormone signalling pathways, increasing proline accumulation and further activating reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system in transgenic sweet potato.
PMID: 36388596
J Agric Food Chem , IF:5.279 , 2022 Dec , V70 (51) : P16229-16240 doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c07072
Novel Plant Growth Regulator Guvermectin from Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Boosts Biomass and Grain Yield in Rice.
Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.; State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China.; State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China.; Key Laboratory of Vector Biology and Pathogen Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Life Science, Huzhou University, Huzhou 313000, China.; Institute of Plant Protection, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changsha 410125, China.
Food is a fundamental human right, and global food security is threatened by crop production. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) play an essential role in improving crop yield and quality, and this study reports on a novel PGR, termed guvermectin (GV), isolated from plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, which can promote root and coleoptile growth, tillering, and early maturing in rice. GV is a nucleoside analogue like cytokinin (CK), but it was found that GV significantly promoted root and hypocotyl growth, which is different from the function of CK in Arabidopsis. The Arabidopsis CK receptor triple mutant ahk2-2 ahk3-3 cre1-12 still showed a GV response. Moreover, GV led different growth-promoting traits from auxin, gibberellin (GA), and brassinosteroid (BR) in Arabidopsis and rice. The results from a four-year field trial involving 28 rice varieties showed that seed-soaking treatment with GV increased the yields by 6.2 to 19.6%, outperforming the 4.0 to 10.8% for CK, 1.6 to 16.9% for BR, and 2.2 to 7.1% for GA-auxin-BR mixture. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that GV induced different transcriptome patterns from CK, auxin, BR, and GA, and SAUR genes may regulate GV-mediated plant growth and development. This study suggests that GV represents a novel PGR with a unique signal perception and transduction pathway in plants.
PMID: 36515163
Plant Sci , IF:4.729 , 2022 Dec , V325 : P111482 doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111482
OsCPD1 and OsCPD2 are functional brassinosteroid biosynthesis genes in rice.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address: hdzhan@njau.edu.cn.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.; College of Life Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC DWARF (CPD), member of the CYP90A family of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) monooxygenase, is an essential component of brassinosteroids (BRs) biosynthesis pathway. Compared with a single CPD/CYP90A1 in Arabidopsis thaliana, two highly homologous CPD genes, OsCPD1/CYP90A3 and OsCPD2/CYP90A4, are present in rice genome. There is still no genetic evidence so far about the requirement of OsCPD1 and OsCPD2 in rice BR biosynthesis. In this study, we reported the functional characterization of OsCPD genes using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. The overall growth and development of oscpd1 and oscpd2 single knock-out mutants was indistinguishable from the wild-type, whereas, the oscpd1 oscpd2 double mutant displayed multiple and obvious BR-related defects. Cytological analyses further indicated the defective cell elongation in oscpd1 oscpd2 double mutant. The oscpd double mutants had a lower endogenous BR level and could be restored by the application of the brassinolide (BL). Moreover, overexpression of OsCPD1 and OsCPD2 led to a typical BR enhanced phenotype, with enlarged leaf angle and increased grain size. Taken together, our results provide direct genetic evidence that OsCPD1 and OsCPD2 play essential and redundant roles in maintenance of plant architecture by modulating BR biosynthesis in rice.
PMID: 36191635
Plant Physiol Biochem , IF:4.27 , 2022 Dec , V193 : P78-89 doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.10.029
Transcriptome analysis reveals genes potentially related to maize resistance to Rhizoctonia solani.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai an, 271018, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai an, 271018, China. Electronic address: nli@sdau.edu.cn.
Banded leaf and sheath blight (BLSB) is a devasting disease caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani that affects maize (Zea mays L.) fields worldwide, especially in China and Southeast Asia. Understanding how maize plants respond to R. solani infection is a key step towards controlling the spread of this fungal pathogen. In this study, we determined the transcriptome of maize plants infected by a low-virulence strain (LVS) and a high-virulence strain (HVS) of R. solani for 3 and 5 days by transcriptome deep-sequencing (RNA-seq). We identified 3,015 (for LVS infection) and 1,628 (for HVS infection) differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We confirmed the expression profiles of 10 randomly selected DEGs by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. We also performed a Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis to establish which biological processes are associated with these DEGs, which revealed the enrichment of defense-related GO terms in LVS- and HVS-regulated genes. We selected 388 DEGs upregulated upon fungal infection as possible candidate genes. Among them, the overexpression of ZmNAC41 (encoding NAC transcription factor 41) or ZmBAK1 (encoding BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-associated receptor kinase 1) in rice enhanced resistance to R. solani. In addition, overexpressing ZmBAK1 in rice also increased plant height, plant weight, thousand-grain weight, and grain length. The identification of 388 potential key maize genes related to resistance to R. solani provides significant insights into improving BLSB resistance.
PMID: 36343463
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Dec , V22 (1) : P565 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03905-1
Identification, evolution, and expression analysis of OsBSK gene family in Oryza sativa Japonica.
College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang, China.; Engineering Research Center of Crop Straw Utilization, Heilongjiang Province, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang, China.; College of Agriculture, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang, China. zhaocj15@byau.edu.cn.; Engineering Research Center of Crop Straw Utilization, Heilongjiang Province, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang, China. zhaocj15@byau.edu.cn.; Key Laboratory of Low-carbon Green Agriculture in Northeastern China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang, China. zhaocj15@byau.edu.cn.; Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Cultivation and Crop Germplasm Improvement, Daqing, 163319, Heilongjiang, China. zhaocj15@byau.edu.cn.
BACKGROUND: As an essential component of the BR (brassinosteroid) signaling pathway, BSK (BR-signalling kinases) plays a vital role in plant growth, development, and stress regulation. There have been sporadic reports on the functions of members of this family in monocotyledonous model plant rice, but few reports have been reported on the phylogenetic analysis and gene expression profiling of the family genes. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 6 OsBSK members were identified at the genomic level by bioinformatics methods, distributed on four rice chromosomes. Through the evolution analysis of 74 BSK proteins from 22 species, it was found that BSKs originated from higher plants, were highly conserved, and could be divided into six subgroups. Among them, OsBSKs belonged to four subgroups or two significant groups. OsBSK family gene promoters contained a large number of light, abscisic acid (ABA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) response-related elements. At the same time, the qRT-PCR test also showed that the genes of this family were involved in response to a variety of hormones, biotic and abiotic stress treatments, and expression patterns of the family gene can be roughly divided into two categories, which were similar to the tissue expression patterns of genes in different growth stages. OsBSK1-1, OsBSK1-2, and OsBSK3 were mostly up-regulated. OsBSK2, OsBSK4, and OsBSK5 were mostly down-regulated or had little change in expression. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the origin and evolution of the BSK family and the farm-out of BSKs in rice growth, development, and stress response. It provides the theoretical reference for in-depth analysis of BR hormone, signal transduction, and molecular breeding design for resistance.
PMID: 36464674
BMC Plant Biol , IF:4.215 , 2022 Nov , V22 (1) : P531 doi: 10.1186/s12870-022-03910-4
Identification of key gene networks related to the freezing resistance of apricot kernel pistils by integrating hormone phenotypes and transcriptome profiles.
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.; State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China. wlibing@caf.ac.cn.
BACKGROUND: Apricot kernel, a woody oil tree species, is known for the high oil content of its almond that can be used as an ideal feedstock for biodiesel production. However, apricot kernel is vulnerable to spring frost, resulting in reduced or even no yield. There are no effective countermeasures in production, and the molecular mechanisms underlying freezing resistance are not well understood. RESULTS: We used transcriptome and hormone profiles to investigate differentially responsive hormones and their associated co-expression patterns of gene networks in the pistils of two apricot kernel cultivars with different cold resistances under freezing stress. The levels of auxin (IAA and ICA), cytokinin (IP and tZ), salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA and ILE-JA) were regulated differently, especially IAA between two cultivars, and external application of an IAA inhibitor and SA increased the spring frost resistance of the pistils of apricot kernels. We identified one gene network containing 65 hub genes highly correlated with IAA. Among these genes, three genes in auxin signaling pathway and three genes in brassinosteroid biosynthesis were identified. Moreover, some hub genes in this network showed a strong correlation such as protein kinases (PKs)-hormone related genes (HRGs), HRGs-HRGs and PKs-Ca(2+) related genes. CONCLUSIONS: Ca(2+), brassinosteroid and some regulators (such as PKs) may be involved in an auxin-mediated freezing response of apricot kernels. These findings add to our knowledge of the freezing response of apricot kernels and may provide new ideas for frost prevention measures and high cold-resistant apricot breeding.
PMID: 36380302
Gene , IF:3.688 , 2022 Dec , V854 : P147059 doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.147059
Grape BES1 transcription factor gene VvBES1-3 confers salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.
College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.; College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China. Electronic address: bhch@gsau.edu.cn.
BRI1-EMS-Suppressor 1 (BES1) regulates plant growth, development, and stress resistance, and plays a pivotal role in the brassinosteroid (BR) signal transduction pathway. In this study, a total of 12 BES1 genes were identified in the grape (Vitis vinifera) genome. Phylogenetic, structure, and motif sequence analyses of these genes provided insights into their evolutionary characteristics. Hormone-, stress-, and light-responsive and organ-specific cis-acting elements were identified in VvBES1 gene promoters. Microarray data analysis showed that VvBES1 family members exhibit diverse expression patterns in different organs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the expression levels of VvBES1 genes differed in response to BR, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), cold (4 degrees C), NaCl, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatments. The expression of VvBES1-3 was 29-fold higher under salt stress than control at 12 h. Moreover, VvBES1-3-overexpessing Arabidopsis thaliana plants showed lower malondialdehyde content, higher proline content, enhanced antioxidant enzyme (catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase) activities, and higher salt-responsive gene expression levels than wild-type plants under salt stress, indicating that VvBES1-3 overexpression enhances salt stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. These results will contribute to further understanding the functions of BES1 transcription factors in the abiotic stress response.
PMID: 36535462
Funct Integr Genomics , IF:3.41 , 2022 Dec , V23 (1) : P11 doi: 10.1007/s10142-022-00944-7
Comparative analysis of the potential physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in the response to root zone hypoxia in two rootstock seedlings of the Chinese bayberry via transcriptomic analysis.
Institute of Forestry, Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Science, Ningbo, 315040, China. jydyx@163.com.; Haishu District Agricultural Technology Management Service Station, Ningbo, 315100, China.; Citrus Research Institute, Southwest University/Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chongqing, China.; Institute of Forestry, Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Science, Ningbo, 315040, China.
The negative effects of waterlogging can be effectively improved through the use of waterlogging-resistant rootstocks. However, the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms of Chinese bayberry (Morella rubra) rootstock tolerance to waterlogging have not yet been investigated. This study aims to unravel the molecular regulation mechanisms underlying waterlogging-tolerant rootstocks. Two rootstocks, Morella cerifera (tolerant) and Morella rubra (sensitive), were selected for root zone hypoxia treatments, assessments of hormone levels and antioxidant enzyme activity, and transcriptomic analysis. While the contents of abscisic acid (ABA) and brassinosteroid (BR) in the roots of M. rubra decreased significantly after root zone hypoxia treatment, there were no significant changes in M. cerifera. Both the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased in M. cerifera but were decreased in M. rubra. Transcriptome sequencing identified 1,925 (928 up- and 997 downregulated) and 733 (278 up- and 455 downregulated) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the two rootstocks. The gene set enrichment analysis showed that 84 gene sets were enriched after root zone hypoxia treatment, including 57 (35 up- and 22 downregulated) and 14 (five up- and nine downregulated) gene sets derived from M. cerifera and M. rubra, respectively, while the remaining 13 gene sets were shared. KEGG pathway analysis showed specific enrichment in six pathways in M. cerifera, including the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), tyrosine metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, ribosome, cyanoamino acid metabolism, and plant-pathogen interaction pathways. Overall, these results provide preliminary insights into the molecular mechanisms of Chinese bayberry tolerance to waterlogging.
PMID: 36542181
Steroids , IF:2.668 , 2022 Dec , V190 : P109153 doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2022.109153
Cancer and brassinosteroids: Mechanisms of action, SAR and future perspectives.
Instituto de Quimica y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile. Electronic address: marcos.lorcac@alumnos.uv.cl.; Instituto de Quimica y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile. Electronic address: david.cabezas@postgrado.uv.cl.; Instituto de Quimica y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile. Electronic address: ileana.araque@postgrado.uv.cl.; Instituto de Quimica y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile. Electronic address: andres.teran@postgrado.uv.cl.; Instituto de Quimica y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile. Electronic address: santiago.hernandez@postgrado.uv.cl.; Instituto de Investigacion y Postgrado, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Central de Chile, Santiago 8330507, Chile. Electronic address: marco.mellado@ucentral.cl.; Departamento de Quimica, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Av. Espana No. 1680, Valparaiso 2340000, Chile. Electronic address: luis.espinozac@usm.cl.; Instituto de Quimica y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile; Centro de Investigacion Farmacopea Chilena (CIFAR), Universidad de Valparaiso, Av. Gran Bretana 1111, Valparaiso 2360102, Chile. Electronic address: jaime.mella@uv.cl.
Brassinosteroids are plant hormones whose main function is to stimulate plant growth. However, they have been studied for their biological applications in humans. Brassinosteroid compounds have displayed an important role in the study of cancer pathology and show potential for developing novel anticancer drugs. In this review we describe the relationship of brassinosteroids with cancer with focus on the last decade, the mechanisms of cytotoxic activity described to date, and a structure-activity relationship based on the available information.
PMID: 36481216
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2022 Dec : P1-5 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2153209
MYB3R-SCL28-SMR module with a role in cell size control negatively regulates G2 progression in Arabidopsis.
School of Biological Science and Technology, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan.; RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan.; Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.; Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.; Gene Discovery Research Group, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Tsukuba, Japan.; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Cell size control is one of the prerequisites for plant growth and development. Recently, a GRAS family transcription factor, SCARECROW-LIKE28 (SCL28), was identified as a critical regulator for both mitotic and postmitotic cell-size control. Here, we show that SCL28 is specifically expressed in proliferating cells and exerts its function to delay G2 progression during mitotic cell cycle in Arabidopsis thaliana. Overexpression of SCL28 provokes a significant enlargement of cells in various organs and tissues, such as leaves, flowers and seeds, to different extents depending on the type of cells. The increased cell size is most likely due to a delayed G2 progression and accelerated onset of endoreplication, an atypical cell cycle repeating DNA replication without cytokinesis or mitosis. Unlike DWARF AND LOW-TILLERING, a rice ortholog of SCL28, SCL28 may not have a role in brassinosteroid (BR) signaling because sensitivity against brassinazole, a BR biosynthesis inhibitor, was not dramatically altered in scl28 mutant and SCL28-overexpressing plants. Collectively, our findings strengthen a recently proposed model of cell size control by SCL28 and suggest the presence of diversified evolutionary mechanisms for the regulation and action of SCL28.
PMID: 36576149
Plant Signal Behav , IF:2.247 , 2022 Dec , V17 (1) : P2084277 doi: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2084277
Behavior and possible function of Arabidopsis BES1/BZR1 homolog 2 in brassinosteroid signaling.
The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.; Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, Japan.; Department of Japanese Food Culture, Faculty of Letters, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, Japan.
Two key transcription factors (TFs) in brassinosteroid (BR) signaling BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-EMS-SUPPRESSOR 1 (BES1) and BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT 1 (BZR1), belong to a small family with four BES1/BZR1 homologs (BEH1-4). To date, in contrast to the wealth of knowledge regarding BES1 and BZR1, little is known about BEH1-4. Here, we show that BEH2 was expressed preferentially in the roots and leaf margins including serrations, which was quite different from another member BEH4, and that BRs downregulated BEH2 through a module containing GSK3-like kinases and BES1/BZR1 TFs, among which BES1, rather than BZR1, contributed to this process. In addition, BEH2 consistently existed in the nucleus, suggesting that its subcellular localization is not under BR-dependent nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling control. Furthermore, gene ontology analysis on RNA-seq data indicated that BEH2 may be implicated in stress response and photosynthesis. These findings might assist in the future elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying BR signaling.
PMID: 35695417
Plant Commun , 2022 Nov , V3 (6) : P100419 doi: 10.1016/j.xplc.2022.100419
Brassinosteroids promote thermotolerance through releasing BIN2-mediated phosphorylation and suppression of HsfA1 transcription factors in Arabidopsis.
College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China; Sanya Institute of Henan University, Sanya 572025, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.; State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Adaptation and Improvement, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China; Sanya Institute of Henan University, Sanya 572025, China. Electronic address: xueluw@henu.edu.cn.
High temperature adversely affects plant growth and development. The steroid phytohormones brassinosteroids (BRs) are recognized to play important roles in plant heat stress responses and thermotolerance, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that the glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)-like kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE2 (BIN2), a negative component in the BR signaling pathway, interacts with the master heat-responsive transcription factors CLASS A1 HEAT SHOCK TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS (HsfA1s). Furthermore, BIN2 phosphorylates HsfA1d on T263 and S56 to suppress its nuclear localization and inhibit its DNA-binding ability, respectively. BR signaling promotes plant thermotolerance by releasing the BIN2 suppression of HsfA1d to facilitate its nuclear localization and DNA binding. Our study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms by which BRs promote plant thermotolerance by strongly regulating HsfA1d through BIN2 and suggests potential ways to improve crop yield under extreme high temperatures.
PMID: 35927943