The expanding roles of APETALA2/Ethylene Responsive Factors and their potential applications in crop improvement

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 240-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajat Srivastava ◽  
Rahul Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Ethylene Response Factor ◽  
Improvement Programs

AbstractUnderstanding the molecular basis of the gene-regulatory networks underlying agronomic traits or plant responses to abiotic/biotic stresses is very important for crop improvement. In this context, transcription factors, which either singularly or in conjugation directly control the expression of many target genes, are suitable candidates for improving agronomic traits via genetic engineering. In this regard, members of one of the largest class of plant-specific APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily, which is implicated in various aspects of development and plant stress adaptation responses, are considered high-value targets for crop improvement. Besides their long-known regulatory roles in mediating plant responses to abiotic stresses such as drought and submergence, the novel roles of AP2/ERFs during fruit ripening or secondary metabolites production have also recently emerged. The astounding functional plasticity of AP2/ERF members is considered to be achieved by their interplay with other regulatory networks and signalling pathways. In this review, we have integrated the recently accumulated evidence from functional genomics studies and described their newly emerged functions in plants. The key structural features of AP2/ERF proteins and the modes of their action are briefly summarized. The importance of AP2/ERFs in plant development and stress responses and a summary of the event of their successful applications in crop improvement programs are also provided. Altogether, we envisage that the synthesized information presented in this review will be useful to design effective strategies for improving agronomic traits in crop plants.

scholarly journals Multifarious Roles of GRAS Transcription Factors in Plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Kumari ◽  
Mrinalini Kakkar ◽  
Vijay Gahlaut ◽  
Vandana Jaiswal ◽  
Sanjay Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Interacting Proteins ◽  
Transcription Factor Gene ◽  
Factor Gene ◽  
Conserved Domain ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Transcription Factor Gene Family

The GAI‐RGA ‐ and ‐SCR (GRAS) proteins belong to the plant-specific transcription factor gene family and involved in several developmental processes, phytohormone and phytochrome signaling, symbiosis, stress responses etc. GRAS proteins have a conserved GRAS domain at C-terminal and hypervariable N-terminal. The C-terminal conserved domain directly affects the function of the GRAS proteins. For instance, in Arabidopsis, mutations in this domain in Slender rice 1 (SLR1) and Repressor of GA (RGA) proteins cause significant phenotypic changes. GRAS proteins have been reported in more than 30 plant species and till now it has been divided into 17 subfamilies. This review highlighted GRAS protein's importance during several biological processes in plants, structural features of GRAS proteins, their expansion and diversification in the plants, GRAS-interacting proteins complexes and their role in biological processes. We also summarized available recent research that utilized CRISPR-Cas9 technology to manipulate GRAS genes in a plant for different traits. Further, the exploitation of GRAS genes in crop improvement programs has also been discussed

scholarly journals Omics and plant responses to Botrytis cinerea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Synan AbuQamar ◽  
Khaled Moustafa ◽  
Lam-Son Tran
Keyword(s):  
Botrytis Cinerea ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Plant Interactions

Botrytis cinerea is a dangerous plant pathogenic fungus with wide host ranges. This aggressive pathogen uses multiple weapons to invade and cause serious damages on its host plants. The continuing efforts of how to solve the “puzzle” of the multigenic nature of B. cinerea’s pathogenesis and plant defense mechanisms against the disease caused by this mold, the integration of omic approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, along with functional analysis could be a potential solution. Omic studies will provide a foundation for development of genetic manipulation and breeding programs that will eventually lead to crop improvement and protection. In this mini-review, we will highlight the current progresses in research in plant stress responses to B. cinerea using high-throughput omic technologies. We also discuss the opportunities that omic technologies can provide to research on B. cinerea-plant interactions as an example showing the impacts of omics on agricultural research.

scholarly journals Drought Response in Rice: The miRNA Story

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 3766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalaivani Nadarajah ◽  
Ilakiya Sharanee Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Aquatic Plant ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
And Control

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.

Delineating Calcium Signaling Machinery in Plants: Tapping the Potential through Functional Genomics

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soma Ghosh ◽  
Malathi Bheri ◽  
Girdhar K. Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Protein Kinases ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Functional Characterization ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Dependent Protein

: Plant systems have developed calcium (Ca2+) signaling as an important mechanism of regulation of stress perception, developmental cues, and responsive gene expression. The post-genomic era has witnessed the successful unravelling of the functional characterization of genes and the creation of large datasets of molecular information. The major elements of Ca2+ signaling machinery involve Ca2+ sensors and responders such as Calmodulin (CaM), Calmodulin-like proteins (CMLs), Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinases (CCaMK), Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs), Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) as well as transporters, such as Cyclic nucleotide-gated channels (CNGCs), Glutamate-like receptors (GLRs), Ca2+-ATPases, Ca2+/H+ exchangers (CAXs) and mechanosensitive channels. These elements play an important role in the regulation of physiological processes and plant responses to various stresses. Detailed genomic analysis can help us in the identification of potential molecular targets that can be exploited towards the development of stress-tolerant crops. The information sourced from model systems through omics approaches helps in the prediction and simulation of regulatory networks involved in responses to different stimuli at the molecular and cellular levels. The molecular delineation of Ca2+ signaling pathways could be the stepping stone for engineering climate-resilient crop plants. Here, we review the recent developments in Ca2+ signaling in the context of transport, responses, and adaptations significant for crop improvement through functional genomics approaches.

scholarly journals Precision Genome Engineering Through Cytidine Base Editing in Rapeseed (Brassica napus. L)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Hu ◽  
Olalekan Amoo ◽  
Qianqian Liu ◽  
Shengli Cai ◽  
Miaoshan Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Engineering ◽  
Molecular Breeding ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Brassica Napus L ◽  
Editing Efficiency ◽  
Base Editing ◽  
Expected Gain ◽  
Genome Wide

Rapeseed is one of the world's most important sources of oilseed crops. Single nucleotide substitution is the basis of most genetic variation underpinning important agronomic traits. Therefore, genome-wide and target-specific base editing will greatly facilitate precision plant molecular breeding. In this study, four CBE systems (BnPBE, BnA3A-PBE, BnA3A1-PBE, and BnPBGE14) were modified to achieve cytidine base editing at five target genes in rapeseed. The results indicated that genome editing is achievable in three CBEs systems, among which BnA3A1-PBE had the highest base-editing efficiency (average 29.8% and up to 50.5%) compared to all previous CBEs reported in rapeseed. The editing efficiency of BnA3A1-PBE is ~8.0% and fourfold higher, than those of BnA3A-PBE (averaging 27.6%) and BnPBE (averaging 6.5%), respectively. Moreover, BnA3A1-PBE and BnA3A-PBE could significantly increase the proportion of both the homozygous and biallelic genotypes, and also broaden the editing window compared to BnPBE. The cytidine substitution which occurred at the target sites of both BnaA06.RGA and BnaALS were stably inherited and conferred expected gain-of-function phenotype in the T1 generation (i.e., dwarf phenotype or herbicide resistance for weed control, respectively). Moreover, new alleles or epialleles with expected phenotype were also produced, which served as an important resource for crop improvement. Thus, the improved CBE system in the present study, BnA3A1-PBE, represents a powerful base editor for both gene function studies and molecular breeding in rapeseed.

scholarly journals Broad and Complex Roles of NBR1-Mediated Selective Autophagy in Plant Stress Responses

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2562
Author(s):  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Zhixiang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Protein Aggregates ◽  
Degradation Pathway ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Stress Memory ◽  
Selective Autophagy ◽  
Cargo Proteins ◽  
Plant Stress Responses

Selective autophagy is a highly regulated degradation pathway for the removal of specific damaged or unwanted cellular components and organelles such as protein aggregates. Cargo selectivity in selective autophagy relies on the action of cargo receptors and adaptors. In mammalian cells, two structurally related proteins p62 and NBR1 act as cargo receptors for selective autophagy of ubiquitinated proteins including aggregation-prone proteins in aggrephagy. Plant NBR1 is the structural and functional homolog of mammalian p62 and NBR1. Since its first reports almost ten years ago, plant NBR1 has been well established to function as a cargo receptor for selective autophagy of stress-induced protein aggregates and play an important role in plant responses to a broad spectrum of stress conditions including heat, salt and drought. Over the past several years, important progress has been made in the discovery of specific cargo proteins of plant NBR1 and their roles in the regulation of plant heat stress memory, plant-viral interaction and special protein secretion. There is also new evidence for a possible role of NBR1 in stress-induced pexophagy, sulfur nutrient responses and abscisic acid signaling. In this review, we summarize these progresses and discuss the potential significance of NBR1-mediated selective autophagy in broad plant responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses.

Genetic variation and path analysis for yield and other agronomic traits in Nigella sativa L. germplasm

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-527
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sajjad Iqbal ◽  
Abdul Ghafoor ◽  
Muhammad Akbar ◽  
Shamim Akhtar ◽  
Sammer Fatima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Path Coefficient ◽  
Root Weight ◽  
Days To Maturity ◽  
Improvement Programs

Thirty two genotypes of Nigella sativa L. were evaluated for three consecutive years which showed significant differences for all the traits indicating high level of genetic variation. Heritability in broad sense ranged from 0.28 to 0.98 and the highest heritability was calculated for days to maturity and days to flowers. Grain yield was positively associated with plant height, capsule weight, capsule length, root length, whereas negatively with capsule width and 1000-seed weight that required the use of novel breeding techniques to break this undesired linkage to improve grain yield in N. sativa. Path coefficient indicated that direct effects of all the traits were positive except days to first flower, days to 50% flowers, flowering duration, number of capsules, root weight and harvest index. The characters exhibiting correlation along with direct effect towards grain yield viz., days to maturity, capsule weight, capsule length and root length should be given more preference while selecting high yielding N. sativa genotypes for future crop improvement programs.

Polymorphisms in intron 1 of carrot AOX2b – a useful tool to develop a functional marker?

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélia Cardoso ◽  
Maria Doroteia Campos ◽  
Thomas Nothnagel ◽  
Birgit Arnholdt-Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Gene Diversity ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Functional Marker ◽  
Functional Markers ◽  
Length Variation ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Intron 1 ◽  
Stress Behaviour

Alternative oxidase (AOX) has been proposed as a promising functional marker candidate for multiple plant stress behaviour. The present paper describes natural polymorphism in AOX2b of Daucus carota L. (DcAOX2b). Exon-primed intron crossing-PCR (EPIC-PCR) revealed length variation (intron length polymorphisms, ILPs) in intron 1. Six fragment patterns were identified in 40 genotypes. However, no more than two fragments were found per genotype, suggesting the presence of two alleles. The ILPs were able to discriminate between single plant genotypes in cv. Rotin and to distinguish individual wild carrot plants. The repetitive pattern of intron 1 length variation allows the grouping of genotypes for functional analysis in future studies. Sequence analysis in intron 1 of polymorphic but also of obviously identical PCR-fragments revealed underlying high levels of sequence polymorphisms between alleles and genotypes. Variation was due to repetitive insertion/deletion (InDel) events and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The results suggest that high AOX2b gene diversity in D. carota may be a source of functional markers for agronomic traits related to environmental stress responses.

scholarly journals Comparative Genomic Analysis of Quantitative Trait Loci Associated With Micronutrient Contents, Grain Quality, and Agronomic Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikwan Shariatipour ◽  
Bahram Heidari ◽  
Ahmad Tahmasebi ◽  
Christopher Richards
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Trait Loci ◽  
Quantitative Trait ◽  
Grain Quality ◽  
Agronomic Traits ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Trait Loci ◽  
Stable Qtls ◽  
Improvement Programs

Comparative genomics and meta-quantitative trait loci (MQTLs) analysis are important tools for the identification of reliable and stable QTLs and functional genes controlling quantitative traits. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify the most stable QTLs for grain yield (GY), grain quality traits, and micronutrient contents in wheat. A total of 735 QTLs retrieved from 27 independent mapping populations reported in the last 13 years were used for the meta-analysis. The results showed that 449 QTLs were successfully projected onto the genetic consensus map which condensed to 100 MQTLs distributed on wheat chromosomes. This consolidation of MQTLs resulted in a three-fold reduction in the confidence interval (CI) compared with the CI for the initial QTLs. Projection of QTLs revealed that the majority of QTLs and MQTLs were in the non-telomeric regions of chromosomes. The majority of micronutrient MQTLs were located on the A and D genomes. The QTLs of thousand kernel weight (TKW) were frequently associated with QTLs for GY and grain protein content (GPC) with co-localization occurring at 55 and 63%, respectively. The co- localization of QTLs for GY and grain Fe was found to be 52% and for QTLs of grain Fe and Zn, it was found to be 66%. The genomic collinearity within Poaceae allowed us to identify 16 orthologous MQTLs (OrMQTLs) in wheat, rice, and maize. Annotation of promising candidate genes (CGs) located in the genomic intervals of the stable MQTLs indicated that several CGs (e.g., TraesCS2A02G141400, TraesCS3B02G040900, TraesCS4D02G323700, TraesCS3B02G077100, and TraesCS4D02G290900) had effects on micronutrients contents, yield, and yield-related traits. The mapping refinements leading to the identification of these CGs provide an opportunity to understand the genetic mechanisms driving quantitative variation for these traits and apply this information for crop improvement programs.

scholarly journals Function of Chloroplasts in Plant Stress Responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 13464
Author(s):  
Yun Song ◽  
Li Feng ◽  
Mohammed Abdul Muhsen Alyafei ◽  
Abdul Jaleel ◽  
Maozhi Ren
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Plant Stress ◽  
Environmental Stresses ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Oxygenic Photosynthesis ◽  
Central Position ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Biotic Stresses

The chloroplast has a central position in oxygenic photosynthesis and primary metabolism. In addition to these functions, the chloroplast has recently emerged as a pivotal regulator of plant responses to abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Chloroplasts have their own independent genomes and gene-expression machinery and synthesize phytohormones and a diverse range of secondary metabolites, a significant portion of which contribute the plant response to adverse conditions. Furthermore, chloroplasts communicate with the nucleus through retrograde signaling, for instance, reactive oxygen signaling. All of the above facilitate the chloroplast’s exquisite flexibility in responding to environmental stresses. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the involvement of chloroplasts in plant regulatory responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses including heat, chilling, salinity, drought, high light environmental stress conditions, and pathogen invasions. This review will enrich the better understanding of interactions between chloroplast and environmental stresses, and will lay the foundation for genetically enhancing plant-stress acclimatization.

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