Plant Biotechnology Reports最新文献

Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) are known to regulate plant growth, cell differentiation, and defense mechanisms. Cysteine-rich receptor-like protein kinases (CRKs) are a subfamily of RLKs with more than 40 members. In this study, we found that overexpressing CRK4 in Arabidopsis enhances abiotic tolerance to salinity and drought stress. We constructed a CRK4-overexpressed pCB302ES plasmid, transformed it into Arabidopsis and evaluated the insertion site of the transgene. The CRK4-overexpressed line was selected for molecular analyses, including western blotting and flanking T-DNA sequencing. In pots treated with either 200 mM NaCl or dryness, the CRK4-overexpressed line showed higher resistance than the wild-type Columbia-0 (Col-0). The expression levels of DREB2B, RAB18, and RD29B genes associated with plant stress, were lower than those of wild-type Col-0. In addition, ABF1 and abscisic-acid-responsive element-binding factor 1 expression levels increased in CRK4-overexpressed transgenic Arabidopsis. Furthermore, in an abscisic acid (ABA)-containing medium, CRK4-overexpressed transgenic Arabidopsis and wild-type Col-0 showed different root development patterns. Our results indicate that CRK4 modulates the ABA-signaling pathway and responds to salt and drought stress in Arabidopsis. This study helps elucidate the correlation between the ABA and CRK4 genes.

The composition of starch, which includes amylose and amylopectin, greatly affects the quality and characteristics of flour. The balance between these components is crucial in determining the properties and structure of starch. The waxy (Wx) gene encodes granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI), which is responsible for amylose biosynthesis in the endosperm. Gunji-3 was created through a cross between the waxy-type wheat cultivar Shinmichal 1 and the bread wheat cultivar Keumkang. Upon comparing the Wx-B1 allele encoding GBSSI in Gunji-3 with the Wx-B1 allele in Shinmichal 1 and Wx-B1b, a total of four SNPs and one deletion were identified in Gunji-3. Additionally, when comparing amino acid sequences with Wx-B1 alleles, differences at three positions were found, indicating that the mutant carried a new Wx-B1 allele named Wx-B1o. The physicochemical properties of Gunji-3 starch were characterized by a lower amylose content of 2.30% compared to 7.45% in Shinmichal 1 and 27.67% in Keumkang. Additionally, it exhibited a higher water retention capacity of 84.66% compared to 75.91% in Shinmichal 1 and 66.07% in Keumkang. The newly introduced waxy-type wheat could provide an essential basis for understanding wheat's starch characteristics and various breeding programs.

Ascorbic acid (AsA) can participate in the enzymatic and nonenzymatic clearance processes of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby enhancing stress tolerance in plants. GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase (GGP) is predicted to be a critical enzyme in the L-galactose route of plant AsA biosynthesis. However, information on the catalytic AsA synthesis and stress-resistance effect of the GGP gene in sweetpotato remains scarce. In this study, the IbGGP1 gene from sweetpotato was successfully isolated. The qRT-PCR determination revealed a distinctly higher expression level of IbGGP1 in sweetpotato flowers, and the gene was induced by multiple stresses, especially in drought, salt, and extreme temperatures. The seed germination, root elongation, and fresh weight were promoted in T₃ Arabidopsis IbGGP1-overexpressing lines as compared to wild-type plants under mannitol and salt stresses. The heterologous overexpression of IbGGP1 upregulated the mRNA level of the AtGME and AtGPP genes, and elevated the AsA content and AsA/DHA ratio under soil drought and salt stress. This stress-tolerance phenotype was associated with lower hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde content and higher antioxidant enzyme activity. These results indicate that the increased expression of IbGGP1 in Arabidopsis improves tolerance to multiple environmental stresses by promoting AsA biosynthesis and ROS-scavenging system. The functional identification of IbGGP1 provides a new approach for improving stress tolerance to drought and salt in sweetpotato and other species.

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is susceptible to infection by the root knot nematode (RKN) Meloidogyne incognita, which results in significant reductions in the yield of this important tuber crop worldwide. Previously, transcriptome analysis revealed differential gene expression between the roots of RKN-susceptible and -resistant sweetpotato cultivars after RKN infection, raising the possibility of identifying the genes involved in protection against RKN infection. A number of trait-specific and/or response-specific genes were also identified, including RKN infection-responsive aquaporin protein encoded by the nodulin-26-like intrinsic protein (NIP) gene. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the role of NIP genes in the defense response to RKN infection in susceptible and resistant sweetpotato cultivars. A comparison of the nucleotide sequences of sweetpotato with those of its closely related species, morning glory, revealed a group of NIP genes that could be categorized into four different ortholog groups. These four groups contained several unique genes that showed changes in expression in sweetpotato roots after RKN infection. These results indicate that NIP genes could have a potential role in protecting sweetpotato roots from RKN infection.

Potassium deficiency in wheat can significantly influence the accumulation of other macronutrients and affect various yield traits. Understanding the genetic factors controlling wheat macronutrient accumulation and yield attributes is important for improved nutritional wheat quality and human health under potassium deficiency This study investigated a set of 111 wheat accessions to assess their response to potassium deprivation. The accessions were subjected to two different levels of potassium treatment: moderate (K1) and low (K2). The wheat grains were analyzed for four macronutrients, mainly magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P), as well as yield attributes, under both treatments. A statistically significant decrease was observed for all assessed minerals and yield traits in wheat accessions under low potassium. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis identified 366 SNP markers that were significantly linked with all assessed macronutrients and yield parameters, regardless of the potassium treatments. Remarkably, 14 genomic regions were identified that exhibited highly significant relationships with all evaluated characteristics under both treatments. Interestingly, the TraesCS1B02G359800 gene was located on chromosome 3B and annotated as protein kinases that harbor the variation of NGS, P, Mg_K2, and Mg_K1. Protein kinases can modulate the activity of ion transporters and channels, such as the High-Affinity K⁺ Transporter (HKT) family, to enhance the uptake and redistribution of potassium and other macronutrient. Therefore, integrating these genetic insights with modern breeding techniques holds the promise of developing superior wheat varieties that can meet the challenges of global food security.

Rice, a staple crop that feeds more than one-third of the world’s population, encounters a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses due to climate change. Rising temperature is one of the significant abiotic stresses affecting rice productivity worldwide. The development of heat-tolerant rice cultivars is critical in this regard. Weedy rice could potentially serve as a natural resource for genes conferring agronomically important traits beneficial to cultivated rice. However, heat tolerance in both cultivated and weedy rice is still understudied. This study screened a set of 180 weedy rice accessions for heat stress tolerance and further characterised them using genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis. Five heat-tolerant (HT) accessions (MU244, MU235, MU249, MU260 and MU237), along with five heat-susceptible (HS) accessions (MU100, MU114, MU264, MU251 and MU005), were subjected to relative electrical conductivity (REC) test and reactive oxidative species assay (ROS). These tests verified that the five HT accessions performed better under heat stress than their HS counterparts. In addition, whole-genome sequences of three HT (MU235, MU237 and MU066) and four HS (MU100, MU114, MU022 and MU005) accessions were selected for the genome-wide SNPs comparison, revealing substantial amino acid variation in the heat-tolerance-related genes between the HT and HS rice groups. The proposed genes and genome-wide SNP markers may help rice breeders better understand how different rice cultivars respond to heat stress.

Petrocodon is a small genus in the family Gesneriaceae, which is special for its remarkable floral diversity, and has high ornamental value. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence and genome characteristics of Petrocodon longitubus are first reported. The genome size is 152,958 bp, including a large single-copy region (LSC, 83,901 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,255 bp), and two inverted repeat sequences (IRs, 25,401 bp, each). The chloroplast genome of P. longitubus was analyzed, revealing a total GC content of 37.47%. A total of 131 genes were de novo assembled, consisting of 87 protein-coding genes, 36 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. A comparative analysis was conducted between the chloroplast genome of P. longitubus and three other published species of Petrocodon. The chloroplast genome of four Petrocodon species was found to have a double-chain ring structure, with a size ranging from 152,958 to 153,292 bp. Chloroplast genome size had indistinguishable. Four Petrocodon species was ra elatively conserved sequence, with 87 or 88 protein-coding genes, and 8 rRNA were the most conserved, which contains 42 ~ 50 SSR sites, which are mainly mononucleotides and dinucleotides, 4 boundary transition regions, then trinucleotides, pentanucleotides and hexanucleotides have been not detected. The non-preferred codons of the chloroplast genome in the four Petrocodon species are those ending in A, C, G, or T. The chloroplast genomes of these four Petrocodon species are highly similar to each other and to several Primulina species. Phylogenetic trees indicate that P. longitubus and other Petrocodon species were grouped together in a clade, with P. longitubus form a single clade. The results support the scientific naming of P. Longitubusr based on horticultural traits and further clarify the systematic status using molecular information.

Legumes have played an essential part as food and feed, but their productivity is inadequate to deliver the protein needs of a rapidly growing human population and livestock sectors. In numerous places around the world, legumes are the peculiar source of protein which essential for the human consumption. They are typically used as a supplement to other dietary proteins. As legumes have the richest protein source, the health experts and consumers demand increased rapidly. Simultaneously, the inhabitants of humans in the universe increased promptly. Meanwhile, fluctuation in biotic and also abiotic components is an extensive constraint for crop growth. It may provoke stress which results in the reduction of yield. However, the legume shows recalcitrant nature, these are the major root cause of the shortage of food. The biotechnology provides a solution to rectify all those issues and genetic transformation plays a consequential impact on enhancement of the legume productivity. This review clearly emphasizes the constraints of legume productivity, the strategy used, skill requirement and current advances in biotechnology for legume improvement.

ITS sections, which are situated inside the ribosomal DNA operon, are recognized for their high levels of diversity and slow rate of evolution, which makes them important for plant phylogenetic studies. The objective of this work is to use the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of 18 alfalfa (Medicago sativa) genotypes/varieties to determine their genetic relationships and to verify possible genetic markers for variety identification and classification. This has been done by validating the secondary structures of the ITS regions and observing the effects of the relationships among the lowest energy state, the total number of possible secondary structure hairpins, and (GC) content. The results indicated that the length of the ITS sequences varied between 426 and 629 nucleotides and that the G + C content of the ITS region varied between 46.6 and 50%. In this study, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was used to validate the effectiveness of configuration analysis and revealed that fluctuations in the data accounted for a substantial amount of the observed total variance. Moreover, 94 percent of the genotypes analyzed exhibited a significant degree of variety. This shows that a large fraction of the observed variation is likely attributable to genetic variables. Population four, comprising Bilensoy80, Emily, Quin, Vendor, and Felicia, had the highest degree of heterozygosity at 68.8%, whereas population two, including Gozlu1, Prosementi, Nimet and Local (Van), had the lowest level at 37.5%. The original Shannon’s approach as an unbiased estimator employed in population genetics research validated the differences among alfalfa genotypes with the AMOVA analysis results of this study. Individual differences were found to be 59%, whereas population differences were found to be 41%. There have been a few ITS studies on Medicago sativa that have utilized ITS as a phylogenetic marker to estimate connections and define new taxonomic categories (e.g., tribes). However, our research also includes an analysis of the secondary structure of these sequences and the results of this study imply that ITS sequence and secondary structure data can be utilized to understand the intraspecific genetic makeup of different alfalfa varieties.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an annual or short-term perennial plant belonging to the economically important family Poaceae. Sorghum, a C4 crop, has multiple uses like food, fodder, forage, and also as a biofuel feedstock. With an ability to thrive under harsh environmental conditions and adaptability to diverse climates and soils, sorghum has a long history of cultivation in the semi-arid tropics of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Gene regulation plays an important role in adaptability to adverse environmental conditions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one of the classes of small non-coding RNAs that have emerged as a key regulators of gene expression. These small RNAs are profoundly present in all higher eukaryotes including plants. These are involved in regulating the intrinsic normal growth of cells and the development of organisms as well as in maintaining the integrity of genomes. In plants, miRNAs have been functionally implicated in abiotic stress tolerance, flower development, root development, grain size determination, yield, and immune responses. Several miRNAs have been reported in sorghum, and the potential functions of some miRNAs have been characterized. Here, in this review, an overview of sorghum-encoded miRNAs is provided. The potential known and putative functions of these miRNAs are critically discussed. In addition, the possible methods for employing miRNAs as a tool for sorghum improvement are also suggested. The present review will help us to understand the miRNA functions in sorghum and underlying regulatory gene networks which have applications to design effective methods to achieve desired traits.