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Eweda MA, Jalil S, Rashwan AK, Tsago Y, Hassan U, Jin X. Molecular and physiological characterizations of roots under drought stress in rice: A comprehensive review. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2025; 225:110012. [PMID: 40388855 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.110012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2025] [Revised: 05/05/2025] [Accepted: 05/10/2025] [Indexed: 05/21/2025]
Abstract
Drought stress poses a major challenge to rice (Oryza sativa L.) production, significantly threatening global food security, especially in the context of climate change. Root architecture plays a key role in drought resistance, as rice plants require substantial water throughout their growth. The genetic diversity of rice root systems exhibits various growth patterns and adaptive traits that enable plants to endure water-deficient conditions. Harnessing this diversity to improve drought resilience demands a thorough understanding of critical root traits and adaptive mechanisms. This review explores rice roots' anatomical, physiological, and biochemical responses to drought, emphasizing important traits such as root architecture, xylem vessel modifications, root cortical aerenchyma (RCA), and water transport mechanisms. The role of biochemical regulators, including phytohormones, sugars, lipids, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), in root adaptation to drought is also explored. Additionally, the genetic and molecular pathways influencing root development under drought stress are discussed, with a focus on key genes and transcription factors (TFs) such as NAC, bZIP, AP2/ERF, and others that contribute to enhanced drought tolerance. Understanding these complex interactions is crucial for breeding drought-tolerant rice varieties, ultimately improving crop productivity under challenging environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Ali Eweda
- The Advanced Seed Institute, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China; Department of Plant Production, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, The City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, SRTA-City, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Sanaullah Jalil
- The Advanced Seed Institute, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Ahmed K Rashwan
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Yohannes Tsago
- The Advanced Seed Institute, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Umair Hassan
- The Advanced Seed Institute, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Xiaoli Jin
- The Advanced Seed Institute, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China.
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Zhao J, Wang D, Tang Y, Yu H, Zhang Y, Zhu L, Yan X, Yang J, Liu L, Chen Y. The role of OsRGA1 in aerenchyma formation and adventitious root growth in rice seedlings based on the U-Gompertz model. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2025; 25:490. [PMID: 40240988 PMCID: PMC12004756 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-025-06526-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2025] [Indexed: 04/18/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aerenchyma in adventitious roots plays a crucial role in rice growth under flooding conditions. However, the mechanisms underlying the dynamic formation process of aerenchyma remain poorly understood, largely due to the time-consuming and labor-intensive nature of traditional sectioning methods for analyzing aerenchyma formation. In this study, we optimized the Gompertz model to investigate the dynamic process of aerenchyma formation and its relationship with root growth. The materials used included the wild-type Nipponbare (NIP) as well as OsRGA1 knockout and overexpression lines, rga1-5 and RGA1-OE1. RESULTS All three parameters of the optimized U-Gompertz model directly characterized the dynamic process of aerenchyma formation. Compared to NIP, the rga1-5 knockout line exhibited significantly lower maximum value and rate of aerenchyma formation, with delays at the initial point, maximum acceleration point, inflection point, maximum deceleration point, and maximum value point. In contrast, RGA1-OE1 line displayed an opposite trend. Additionally, OsRGA1 upregulated RBOH gene expression, reduced catalase and peroxidase activities, and consequently increased the endogenous H2O2 content from the initial point to the inflection point of aerenchyma formation. CONCLUSIONS As evidenced by the optimized U-Gompertz model, our results demonstrate that OsRGA1 accelerates aerenchyma formation by increasing H2O2 levels, thereby enhancing root activity and promoting root growth in rice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiamei Zhao
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Dongyao Wang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yujie Tang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Huan Yu
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Yani Zhang
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Li Zhu
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Xinyao Yan
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Jiqiang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Lijun Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
| | - Yun Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Physiology, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Centre for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
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Nasr Esfahani M, Sonnewald U. Unlocking dynamic root phenotypes for simultaneous enhancement of water and phosphorus uptake. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 207:108386. [PMID: 38280257 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) and water are crucial for plant growth, but their availability is challenged by climate change, leading to reduced crop production and global food security. In many agricultural soils, crop productivity is confronted by both water and P limitations. The diminished soil moisture decreases available P due to reduced P diffusion, and inadequate P availability diminishes tissue water status through modifications in stomatal conductance and a decrease in root hydraulic conductance. P and water display contrasting distributions in the soil, with P being concentrated in the topsoil and water in the subsoil. Plants adapt to water- and P-limited environments by efficiently exploring localized resource hotspots of P and water through the adaptation of their root system. Thus, developing cultivars with improved root architecture is crucial for accessing and utilizing P and water from arid and P-deficient soils. To meet this goal, breeding towards multiple advantageous root traits can lead to better cultivars for water- and P-limited environments. This review discusses the interplay of P and water availability and highlights specific root traits that enhance the exploration and exploitation of optimal resource-rich soil strata while reducing metabolic costs. We propose root ideotype models, including 'topsoil foraging', 'subsoil foraging', and 'topsoil/subsoil foraging' for maize (monocot) and common bean (dicot). These models integrate beneficial root traits and guide the development of water- and P-efficient cultivars for challenging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Nasr Esfahani
- Department of Biology, Chair of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Uwe Sonnewald
- Department of Biology, Chair of Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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Yamauchi T, Nakazono M. Modeling-based age-dependent analysis reveals the net patterns of ethylene-dependent and -independent aerenchyma formation in rice and maize roots. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 321:111340. [PMID: 35696932 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plants require oxygen for the functioning of roots, and thus the establishment of a long-distance diffusion path from above-water tissues to the submerged roots is essential to survive flooding. Rice (Oryza sativa) constitutively forms aerenchyma (gas spaces) under aerobic conditions, and induces its formation in response to low-oxygen conditions. Constitutive aerenchyma formation in rice roots is regulated by the phytohormone auxin, whereas ethylene stimulates inducible aerenchyma formation. However, the net patterns of the ethylene-dependent and -independent (auxin-dependent) aerenchyma formation remain unclear. In the present study, we used a modeling approach to determine age-dependent aerenchyma formation in the wild-type rice and reduced culm number 1 mutant, in which ethylene production is reduced, to reveal the net patterns of ethylene-dependent and -independent aerenchyma formation. Subsequent comparison of age-dependent aerenchyma formation between rice and maize roots suggested that more rapid induction of ethylene-dependent aerenchyma formation and more aerenchyma in rice roots are essential to achieve efficient oxygen diffusion under low-oxygen conditions. Moreover, rice roots showed rapid increase in the expression levels of ethylene biosynthesis and responsive genes, suggesting that the local ethylene production at an early time point after root-cell emergence contributes to the rapid induction of the ethylene-dependent aerenchyma formation in rice. DATA AVAILABILITY: All data included in this study are available upon request by contact with the corresponding author.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaki Yamauchi
- Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan.
| | - Mikio Nakazono
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan; School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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