Biology subjects

von Korff Schmising, M.

Publications and source records attributed to von Korff Schmising, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Golden Promise-rapid, a fast-cycling barley genotype with high transformation efficiency

The spring barley cultivar Golden Promise (GP) is the major reference genotype for transformation due to its high transformability and availability of a reference genome. However, GP is characterized by a long generation cycle and stress susceptibility under non-optimal growth conditions because it carries a mutation at the floral inducer Photoperiod-H1 (Ppd-H1). Previously, we showed that a GP introgression line, Golden Promise-fast (GP-fast), generated by introducing the wild-type Ppd-H1 allele from the winter barley cultivar Igri, exhibits early flowering and improved stress resilience. In this study, we generated a fast-cycling genotype, Golden Promise-rapid (GP-rapid), isogenic to GP with high transformation efficiency. We conducted two backcrosses of GP-fast to reduce the residual Igri genome. The resulting genotype contains only a single introgression of approximately 0.6 Mbp at the Ppd-H1 locus on chromosome 2H. Under speed breeding conditions, its generation time was reduced to 63 days (25% shorter than GPs 84 days). Parallel transformation of GP, GP-fast, and GP-rapid using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing of Ppd-H1 revealed high regeneration and transformation efficiencies of GP-rapid, comparable to GP. Overall, we report on the development of a fast-cycling GP isogenic line as a research tool for efficient generation of transgenic and gene-edited barley plants. HighlightsA new fast-cycling barley genotype, GP-rapid, reduces generation time by 25% while retaining high transformation efficiency, advancing functional genomic studies in barley.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

CLAVATA signalling shapes barley inflorescence architecture by controlling activity and determinacy of shoot apical and rachilla meristems

Grasses exhibit a large variety of diverse inflorescence architectures, from complex branched inflorescences in Oryzeae (rice) to simple spike-type inflorescences in Triticeae (e.g. barley, wheat). Inflorescence architecture depends on shape, longevity and determinacy of meristems that direct growth of the main rachis and lateral branches, but how individual meristem activities are determined and integrated within complex inflorescences is not yet understood. We found that activity of distinct meristems in the barley inflorescence is coordinated by a signalling pathway comprising the receptor like kinase Hordeum vulgare CLAVATA1 (HvCLV1) and the secreted CLAVATA3/ENDOSPERM SURROUNDING REGION (CLE)-family peptide FON2- LIKE CLE PROTEIN1 (HvFCP1). HvFCP1 interacts with HvCLV1 to promote spikelet formation but restricts inflorescence meristem and rachilla meristem proliferation. Hvfcp1 or Hvclv1 mutants generate branched inflorescences with additional rows of spikelets and supernumerary florets. Transcriptome analysis reveals that HvFCP1/HvCLV1 signalling controls inflorescence branching through the regulation of trehalose-6-phosphate synthesis and sugar transport. Our discoveries reveal the potential to engineer barley inflorescence architecture by manipulating regulation of distinct meristem activities.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

FLOWERING LOCUS T4 (HvFT4) delays flowering and decreases floret fertility in barley

FLOWERING LOCUS T-like genes (FT-like) control the photoperiodic regulation of flowering in many angiosperm plants. The family of FT-like genes is characterised by extensive gene duplication and subsequent diversification of FT functions which occurred independently in modern angiosperm lineages. In barley, there are 12 known FT-like genes (HvFT) but the function of most of them remains uncharacterised. This study aimed to characterise the role of HvFT4 in flowering time control and development in barley. The overexpression of HvFT4 in the spring cultivar Golden Promise delayed flowering time under long-day conditions. Microscopic dissection of the shoot apical meristem (SAM) revealed that overexpression of HvFT4 specifically delayed spikelet initiation and reduced the number of spikelet primordia and grains per spike. Furthermore, ectopic overexpression of HvFT4 was associated with floret abortion and with the downregulation of the barley MADS-box genes VRN-H1, HvBM3 and HvBM8 which promote floral development. This suggests that HvFT4 functions as a repressor of reproductive development in barley. Unraveling the genetic basis of FT-like genes can contribute to the identification of novel breeding targets to modify reproductive development and thereby spike morphology and grain yield. HighlightWe identify the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)-like gene HvFT4 as a negative regulator of reproductive development, spikelet initiation, floret fertility and grain number in barley.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Ppd-H1 integrates drought stress signals to control spike development and flowering time in barley

Drought impairs growth and spike development and is therefore a major cause of yield losses in the temperate cereals barley and wheat. Here, we show that the photoperiod response gene PHOTOPERIOD-H1 (Ppd-H1) interacts with drought stress signals to modulate spike development. We tested the effects of a continuous mild and a transient severe drought stress on developmental timing and spike development in spring barley cultivars with a natural mutation in ppd-H1 and derived introgression lines carrying the wild-type Ppd-H1 allele from wild barley. Mild drought reduced the spikelet number and delayed floral development in spring cultivars but not the introgression lines with a wild-type Ppd-H1 allele. Similarly, drought-triggered reductions in plant height, tiller and spike number were more pronounced in the parental lines compared to the introgression lines. Transient severe stress halted growth and floral development, upon rewatering introgression lines, but not the spring cultivars, accelerated development so that control and stressed plants flowered almost simultaneously. These genetic differences in development were correlated with a differential downregulation of the flowering promotors FLOWERING LOCUS T1 and the BARLEY MADS-box genes BM3 and BM8. Our findings, therefore, demonstrate that Ppd-H1 affects developmental plasticity in response to drought in barley. HighlightWe show that Ppd-H1 integrates photoperiod and drought stress signals via FLOWERING LOCUS T 1 (FT1) and the downstream MADS-box genes BM3 and BM8 to modulate reproductive development, and shoot and spike morphology in barley.

plant biology↗