1
|
Liu Y, Chen Z, Zhang C, Guo J, Liu Q, Yin Y, Hu Y, Xia H, Li B, Sun X, Li Y, Liu X. Gene editing of ZmGA20ox3 improves plant architecture and drought tolerance in maize. Plant Cell Rep 2023; 43:18. [PMID: 38148416 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-023-03090-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE Editing ZmGA20ox3 can achieve the effect similar to applying Cycocel, which can reduce maize plant height and enhance stress resistance. Drought stress, a major plant abiotic stress, is capable of suppressing crop yield performance severely. However, the trade-off between crop drought tolerance and yield performance turns out to be significantly challenging in drought-resistant crop breeding. Several phytohormones [e.g., gibberellin (GA)] have been reported to play a certain role in plant drought response, which also take on critical significance in plant growth and development. In this study, the loss-of-function mutations of GA biosynthesis enzyme ZmGA20ox3 were produced using the CRISPR-Cas9 system in maize. As indicated by the result of 2-year field trials, the above-mentioned mutants displayed semi-dwarfing phenotype with the decrease of GA1, and almost no yield loss was generated compared with wild-type (WT) plants. Interestingly, as revealed by the transcriptome analysis, differential expressed genes (DEGs) were notably enriched in abiotic stress progresses, and biochemical tests indicated the significantly increased ABA, JA, and DIMBOA levels in mutants, suggesting that ZmGA20ox3 may take on vital significance in stress response in maize. The in-depth analysis suggested that the loss function of ZmGA20ox3 can enhance drought tolerance in maize seedling, reduce Anthesis-Silking Interval (ASI) delay while decreasing the yield loss significantly in the field under drought conditions. The results of this study supported that regulating ZmGA20ox3 can improve plant height while enhancing drought resistance in maize, thus serving as a novel method for drought-resistant genetic improvement in maize.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Ziqi Chen
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Chuang Zhang
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Jia Guo
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yuejia Yin
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Yang Hu
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Hanchao Xia
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
- Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
| | - Bingyang Li
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaopeng Sun
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, China.
| | - Yidan Li
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China.
| | - Xiangguo Liu
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Song X, Zhao Y, Wang J, Lu MZ. The transcription factor KNAT2/6b mediates changes in plant architecture in response to drought via down-regulating GA20ox1 in Populus alba × P. glandulosa. J Exp Bot 2021; 72:5625-5637. [PMID: 33987654 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Plant architecture is genetically controlled, but is influenced by environmental factors. Plants have evolved adaptive mechanisms that allow changes in their architecture under stress, in which phytohormones play a central role. However, the gene regulators that connect growth and stress signals are rarely reported. Here, we report that a class I KNOX gene, PagKNAT2/6b, can directly inhibit the synthesis of gibberellin (GA), altering plant architecture and improving drought resistance in Populus. Expression of PagKNAT2/6b was significantly induced under drought conditions, and transgenic poplars overexpressing PagKNAT2/6b exhibited shorter internode length and smaller leaf size with short or even absent petioles. Interestingly, these transgenic plants showed improved drought resistance under both short- and long-term drought stress. Histological observations indicated that decreased internode length and leaf size were mainly caused by the inhibition of cell elongation and expansion. GA content was reduced, and the GA20-oxidase gene PagGA20ox1 was down-regulated in overexpressing plants. Expression of PagGA20ox1 was negatively related to that of PagKNAT2/6b under drought stress. ChIP and transient transcription activity assays revealed that PagGA20ox1 was directly targeted by PagKNAT2/6b. Therefore, this study provides evidence that PagKNAT2/6b mediates stress signals and changes in plant architecture via GA signaling by down-regulating PagGA20ox1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xueqin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yanqiu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jinnan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Meng-Zhu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Feys K, Demuynck K, De Block J, Bisht A, De Vliegher A, Inzé D, Nelissen H. Growth rate rather than growth duration drives growth heterosis in maize B104 hybrids. Plant Cell Environ 2018; 41:374-382. [PMID: 29143349 PMCID: PMC5887878 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Research in maize is often performed using inbred lines that can be readily transformed, such as B104. However, because the B104 line flowers late, the kernels do not always mature before the end of the growing season, hampering routine seed yield evaluations of biotech traits introduced in B104 at many geographical locations. Therefore, we generated five hybrids by crossing B104 with the early-flowering inbred lines CML91, F7, H99, Mo17, and W153R and showed in three consecutive years that the hybrid lines proved to be suitable to evaluate seed yield under field conditions in a temperate climate. By assessing the two main processes driving maize leaf growth, being rate of growth (leaf elongation rate or LER) and the duration of growth (leaf elongation duration or LED) in this panel of hybrids, we showed that leaf growth heterosis was mainly the result of increased LER and not or to a lesser extent of LED. Ectopic expression of the transgenes GA20-oxidase (GA20-OX) and PLASTOCHRON1 (PLA1), known to stimulate the LER and LED, respectively, in the hybrids showed that leaf length heterosis can be stimulated by increased LER, but not by LED, indicating that LER rather than LED is the target for enhancing leaf growth heterosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Feys
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent University9052GhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyTechnologiepark 9279052GhentBelgium
| | - Kirin Demuynck
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent University9052GhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyTechnologiepark 9279052GhentBelgium
| | - Jolien De Block
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent University9052GhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyTechnologiepark 9279052GhentBelgium
| | - Anchal Bisht
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent University9052GhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyTechnologiepark 9279052GhentBelgium
| | - Alex De Vliegher
- Crop Husbandry and EnvironmentInstitute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO)9820MerelbekeBelgium
| | - Dirk Inzé
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent University9052GhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyTechnologiepark 9279052GhentBelgium
| | - Hilde Nelissen
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and BioinformaticsGhent University9052GhentBelgium
- VIB Center for Plant Systems BiologyTechnologiepark 9279052GhentBelgium
| |
Collapse
|