Dosage differences in 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes modulate wheat primary root growth

Gabay, G.; Wang, H.; Zhang, J.; Moriconi, J.; Burguener, G. F.; Howell, T. R.; Lukaszewski, A.; Staskawicz, B.; Cho, M.-J.; Tanaka, J.; Fahima, T.; Ke, H.; Dehesh, K.; Zhang, G.-L.; Gou, J.-Y.; Hamberg, M.; Santa Maria, G.; Dubcovsky, J.

doi:10.1101/2022.08.25.505338

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.08.25.505338

Dosage differences in 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes modulate wheat primary root growth

Gabay, G.·Wang, H.·Zhang, J.·Moriconi, J.·Burguener, G. F.·Howell, T. R.·Lukaszewski, A.·Staskawicz, B.·Cho, M.-J.·Tanaka, J.·Fahima, T.·Ke, H.·Dehesh, K.·Zhang, G.-L.·Gou, J.-Y.·Hamberg, M.·Santa Maria, G.·Dubcovsky, J.

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Abstract

Wheat is an essential crop for global food security and is well adapted to a wide variety of soils1. However, the gene networks regulating different root architectures remain poorly understood. We report here the identification of a cluster of a monocot-specific 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes from subfamily III (OPRIII) that modulate key differences in wheat root architecture associated with grain yield under water-limited conditions. Wheat plants with a loss-of-function mutation in OPRIII showed longer seminal roots, whereas plants with increased OPRIII dosage or transgenic over-expression showed reduced seminal root growth, precocious development of lateral roots and increased jasmonic acid (JA). A JA-biosynthesis inhibitor eliminated the root differences, confirming a JA-mediated mechanism. Multiple transcriptome analysis of transgenic and wild-type lines revealed significant enriched JA-biosynthetic and reactive oxygen species (ROS) pathways that paralleled changes in ROS distribution. The OPRIII genes provide a useful entry point to engineer root architecture in wheat and other cereals.

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Gabay, G., Wang, H., Zhang, J., Moriconi, J., Burguener, G. F., Howell, T. R., Lukaszewski, A., Staskawicz, B., Cho, M.-J., Tanaka, J., Fahima, T., Ke, H., Dehesh, K., Zhang, G.-L., Gou, J.-Y., Hamberg, M., Santa Maria, G., Dubcovsky, J.. 2022-08-26. Dosage differences in 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE genes modulate wheat primary root growth. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.08.25.505338

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