A novel miR160a-GmARF16-GmMYC2 module determines soybean salt tolerance and adaptation.

Salt stress is a major challenge that has a negative impact on soybean growth and productivity. Therefore, it is important to understand the regulatory mechanism of salt response to ensure soybean yield under such conditions. In this study, we identified and characterized a miR160a-GmARF16-GmMYC2 module and its regulation during the salt-stress response in soybean. miR160a promotes salt tolerance by cleaving GmARF16 transcripts, members of the Auxin Response Factor (ARF) family, which negatively regulates salt tolerance. In turn, GmARF16 activates GmMYC2, encoding a bHLH transcription factor that reduces salinity tolerance by down-regulating proline biosynthesis. Genomic analysis among wild and cultivated soybean accessions identified four distinct GmARF16 haplotypes. Among them, the GmARF16H3 haplotype is preferentially enriched in localities with relatively saline soils, suggesting GmARF16H3 was artificially selected to improve salt tolerance. Our findings therefore provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying salt response in soybean and provide valuable genetic targets for the molecular breeding of salt tolerance.

Transcriptome analysis reveals genes potentially related to maize resistance to Rhizoctonia solani.

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.

OsbHLH057 targets the AATCA cis-element to regulate disease resistance and drought tolerance in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: The AATCA motif was identified to respond pathogens infection in the promoter of defense-related gene Os2H16. OsbHLH057 bound to the motif to positively regulate rice disease resistance and drought tolerance. Sheath blight (ShB), caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is a devastating disease in rice (Oryza sativa L.). The transcriptional regulation of host defense-related genes in response to R. solani infection is poorly understood. In this study, we identified a cis-element, AATCA, in the promoter of Os2H16, a previously identified multifaceted defense-related gene in rice that responded to fungal attack. Using a DNA pull-down assay coupled with mass spectrometry, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor OsbHLH057 was determined to interact with the AATCA cis-element. OsbHLH057 was rapidly induced by R. solani, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), and osmotic stress. Furthermore, overexpressing OsbHLH057 enhanced rice disease resistance and drought tolerance, while knocking out OsbHLH057 made rice more susceptible to pathogens and drought. Overall, our results uncovered an OsbHLH057 and AATCA module that synergistically regulates the expression of Os2H16 in response to R. solani, Xoo, and drought in conjunction with the previously identified stress-related OsASR2 and GT-1 module.

Proteomic analysis of sugar beet apomictic monosomic addition line M14.

Apomixis in plants holds great promise for agriculture because of its vigor associated with heterozygosity and superior genotype. Despite the significance of apomictic reproductive process, our knowledge of proteins and their functions in apomictic development is limited. Here we report a comparative proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of sexual and apomictic processes in sugar beet. A total of 71 differentially expressed protein spots were successfully identified in the course of apomictic reproductive development using high-resolution 2-DE and MS analysis. The differentially expressed proteins were involved in several processes that might work cooperatively to lead to apomictic reproduction. This study has generated potential protein markers important for apomictic development.