International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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16 pages, 2471 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bright Fluorescent Vacuolar Marker Lines Allow Vacuolar Tracing Across Multiple Tissues and Stress Conditions in Rice

by Yiran Cao, Wenguo Cai, Xiaofei Chen, Mingjiao Chen, Jianjun Chu, Wanqi Liang, Staffan Persson, Zengyu Liu and Dabing Zhang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(12), 4203; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21124203 - 12 Jun 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4657

Abstract

The vacuole is indispensable for cells to maintain their water potential and to respond to environmental changes. Nevertheless, investigations of vacuole morphology and its functions have been limited to Arabidopsis thaliana with few studies in the model crop rice (Oryza sativa). [...] Read more.

The vacuole is indispensable for cells to maintain their water potential and to respond to environmental changes. Nevertheless, investigations of vacuole morphology and its functions have been limited to Arabidopsis thaliana with few studies in the model crop rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we report the establishment of bright rice vacuole fluorescent reporter systems using OsTIP1;1, a tonoplast water channel protein, fused to either an enhanced green fluorescent protein or an mCherry red fluorescent protein. We used the corresponding transgenic rice lines to trace the vacuole morphology in roots, leaves, anthers, and pollen grains. Notably, we observed dynamic changes in vacuole morphologies in pollen and root epidermis that corresponded to their developmental states as well as vacuole shape alterations in response to abiotic stresses. Our results indicate that the application of our vacuole markers may aid in understanding rice vacuole function and structure across different tissues and environmental conditions in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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24 pages, 5189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overexpression of Rice Expansin7 (Osexpa7) Confers Enhanced Tolerance to Salt Stress in Rice

by Chuluuntsetseg Jadamba, Kiyoon Kang, Nam-Chon Paek, Soo In Lee and Soo-Cheul Yoo

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(2), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21020454 - 10 Jan 2020

Cited by 68 | Viewed by 6355

Abstract

Expansins are key regulators of cell-wall extension and are also involved in the abiotic stress response. In this study, we evaluated the function of OsEXPA7 involved in salt stress tolerance. Phenotypic analysis showed that OsEXPA7 overexpression remarkably enhanced tolerance to salt stress. OsEXPA7 [...] Read more.

Expansins are key regulators of cell-wall extension and are also involved in the abiotic stress response. In this study, we evaluated the function of OsEXPA7 involved in salt stress tolerance. Phenotypic analysis showed that OsEXPA7 overexpression remarkably enhanced tolerance to salt stress. OsEXPA7 was highly expressed in the shoot apical meristem, root, and the leaf sheath. Promoter activity of OsEXPA7:GUS was mainly observed in vascular tissues of roots and leaves. Morphological analysis revealed structural alterations in the root and leaf vasculature of OsEXPA7 overexpressing (OX) lines. OsEXPA7 overexpression resulted in decreased sodium ion (Na⁺) and accumulated potassium ion (K⁺) in the leaves and roots. Under salt stress, higher antioxidant activity was also observed in the OsEXPA7-OX lines, as indicated by lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and increased antioxidant activity, when compared with the wild-type (WT) plants. In addition, transcriptional analysis using RNA-seq and RT-PCR revealed that genes involved in cation exchange, auxin signaling, cell-wall modification, and transcription were differentially expressed between the OX and WT lines. Notably, salt overly sensitive 1, which is a sodium transporter, was highly upregulated in the OX lines. These results suggest that OsEXPA7 plays an important role in increasing salt stress tolerance by coordinating sodium transport, ROS scavenging, and cell-wall loosening. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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20 pages, 2521 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus Changes The Molecular Mechanisms of Root Development in Oryza sativa L. Growing Under Water Stress

by Renata Silva, Luanna Filgueiras, Bruna Santos, Mariana Coelho, Maria Silva, Germán Estrada-Bonilla, Marcia Vidal, José Ivo Baldani and Carlos Meneses

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(1), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21010333 - 3 Jan 2020

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 5341

Abstract

Background: Inoculation with Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus has shown to influence root development in red rice plants, and more recently, the induced systemic tolerance (IST) response to drought was also demonstrated. The goal of this study was to evaluate the inoculation effect of G. diazotrophicus [...] Read more.

Background: Inoculation with Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus has shown to influence root development in red rice plants, and more recently, the induced systemic tolerance (IST) response to drought was also demonstrated. The goal of this study was to evaluate the inoculation effect of G. diazotrophicus strain Pal5 on the amelioration of drought stress and root development in red rice (Oryza sativa L.). Methods: The experimental treatments consist of red rice plants inoculated with and without strain Pal5 in presence and absence of water restriction. Physiological, biochemical, and molecular analyses of plant roots were carried out, along with measurements of growth and biochemical components. Results: The plants showed a positive response to the bacterial inoculation, with root growth promotion and induction of tolerance to drought. An increase in the root area and higher levels of osmoprotectant solutes were observed in roots. Bacterial inoculation increased the drought tolerance and positively regulated certain root development genes against the water deficit in plants. Conclusion: G. diazotrophicus Pal5 strain inoculation favored red rice plants by promoting various root growth and developmental mechanisms against drought stress, enabling root development and improving biochemical composition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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16 pages, 2261 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Transcriptome Analysis of Rice Seedlings after Seed Dressing with Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84^T and Silicon

by Yo-Han Yoo, Minjae Kim, Anil Kumar Nalini Chandran, Woo-Jong Hong, Hye Ryun Ahn, Gang Taik Lee, Sungju Kang, Dabin Suh, Jin-O Kim, Yeon-Ju Kim and Ki-Hong Jung

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(23), 5883; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20235883 - 23 Nov 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5583

Abstract

Plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are beneficial microorganisms that can also protect against disease and environmental stress. Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in soil, and is known to increase plant growth, grain yield, resistance to biotic stress, and tolerance to abiotic stress. [...] Read more.

Plant-growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are beneficial microorganisms that can also protect against disease and environmental stress. Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in soil, and is known to increase plant growth, grain yield, resistance to biotic stress, and tolerance to abiotic stress. Combined treatment of PGPB and Si has been shown to further enhance plant growth and crop yield. To determine the global effects of the PGPB and Si on rice growth, we compared rice plants treated with Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84^T (DCY84^T) and Si with untreated rice. To identify the genes that respond to DCY84^T+Si treatment in rice, we performed an RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis by sampling treated and untreated roots on a weekly basis for three weeks. Overall, 576 genes were upregulated, and 394 genes were downregulated in treated roots, using threshold fold-changes of at least 2 (log₂) and p-values < 0.05. Gene ontology analysis showed that phenylpropanoids and the L-phenylalanine metabolic process were prominent in the upregulated genes. In a metabolic overview analysis using the MapMan toolkit, pathways involving phenylpropanoids and ethylene were strongly associated with upregulated genes. The functions of seven upregulated genes were identified as being associated with drought stress through a literature search, and a stress experiment confirmed that plants treated with DCY84^T+Si exhibited greater drought tolerance than the untreated control plants. Furthermore, the predicted protein–protein interaction network analysis associated with DCY84^T+ Si suggests mechanisms underlying growth promotion and stress tolerance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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Review

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12 pages, 1893 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Plasticity of Root Systems in Response to External Phosphate

by Guoqiang Huang and Dabing Zhang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(17), 5955; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21175955 - 19 Aug 2020

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 4899

Abstract

Phosphate is an essential macro-element for plant growth accumulated in the topsoil. The improvement of phosphate uptake efficiency via manually manipulating root system architecture is of vital agronomic importance. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms of root patterning in response to external phosphate [...] Read more.

Phosphate is an essential macro-element for plant growth accumulated in the topsoil. The improvement of phosphate uptake efficiency via manually manipulating root system architecture is of vital agronomic importance. This review discusses the molecular mechanisms of root patterning in response to external phosphate availability, which could be applied on the alleviation of phosphate-starvation stress. During the long time evolution, plants have formed sophisticated mechanisms to adapt to environmental phosphate conditions. In terms of root systems, plants would adjust their root system architecture via the regulation of the length of primary root, the length/density of lateral root and root hair and crown root growth angle to cope with different phosphate conditions. Finally, plants develop shallow or deep root system in low or high phosphate conditions, respectively. The plasticity of root system architecture responds to the local phosphate concentrations and this response was regulated by actin filaments, post-translational modification and phytohormones such as auxin, ethylene and cytokinin. This review summarizes the recent progress of adaptive response to external phosphate with focus on integrated physiological, cellular and molecular signaling transduction in rice and Arabidopsis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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13 pages, 947 KiB

Open AccessReview

Root Development and Stress Tolerance in rice: The Key to Improving Stress Tolerance without Yield Penalties

by Deok Hyun Seo, Subhin Seomun, Yang Do Choi and Geupil Jang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(5), 1807; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21051807 - 6 Mar 2020

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 6539

Abstract

Roots anchor plants and take up water and nutrients from the soil; therefore, root development strongly affects plant growth and productivity. Moreover, increasing evidence indicates that root development is deeply involved in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. These [...] Read more.

Roots anchor plants and take up water and nutrients from the soil; therefore, root development strongly affects plant growth and productivity. Moreover, increasing evidence indicates that root development is deeply involved in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity. These findings suggest that modulating root growth and development provides a potentially useful approach to improve plant abiotic stress tolerance. Such targeted approaches may avoid the yield penalties that result from growth–defense trade-offs produced by global induction of defenses against abiotic stresses. This review summarizes the developmental mechanisms underlying root development and discusses recent studies about modulation of root growth and stress tolerance in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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22 pages, 774 KiB

Open AccessReview

Root Response to Drought Stress in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

by Yoonha Kim, Yong Suk Chung, Eungyeong Lee, Pooja Tripathi, Seong Heo and Kyung-Hwan Kim

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(4), 1513; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21041513 - 22 Feb 2020

Cited by 198 | Viewed by 19178

Abstract

The current unpredictable climate changes are causing frequent and severe droughts. Such circumstances emphasize the need to understand the response of plants to drought stress, especially in rice, one of the most important grain crops. Knowledge of the drought stress response components is [...] Read more.

The current unpredictable climate changes are causing frequent and severe droughts. Such circumstances emphasize the need to understand the response of plants to drought stress, especially in rice, one of the most important grain crops. Knowledge of the drought stress response components is especially important in plant roots, the major organ for the absorption of water and nutrients from the soil. Thus, this article reviews the root response to drought stress in rice. It is presented to provide readers with information of use for their own research and breeding program for tolerance to drought stress in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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20 pages, 5047 KiB

Open AccessReview

Drought Response in Rice: The miRNA Story

by Kalaivani Nadarajah and Ilakiya Sharanee Kumar

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019, 20(15), 3766; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20153766 - 1 Aug 2019

Cited by 71 | Viewed by 7505

Abstract

As a semi-aquatic plant, rice requires water for proper growth, development, and orientation of physiological processes. Stress is induced at the cellular and molecular level when rice is exposed to drought or periods of low water availability. Plants have existing defense mechanisms in [...] Read more.

As a semi-aquatic plant, rice requires water for proper growth, development, and orientation of physiological processes. Stress is induced at the cellular and molecular level when rice is exposed to drought or periods of low water availability. Plants have existing defense mechanisms in planta that respond to stress. In this review we examine the role played by miRNAs in the regulation and control of drought stress in rice through a summary of molecular studies conducted on miRNAs with emphasis on their contribution to drought regulatory networks in comparison to other plant systems. The interaction between miRNAs, target genes, transcription factors and their respective roles in drought-induced stresses is elaborated. The cross talk involved in controlling drought stress responses through the up and down regulation of targets encoding regulatory and functional proteins is highlighted. The information contained herein can further be explored to identify targets for crop improvement in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Stress Tolerance in Rice)

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