一个新的OsBRI1弱等位突变体的鉴定及其调控种子大小的功能研究

水稻(Oryza sativa)籽粒大小是影响其产量的关键农艺性状, 克隆并研究水稻籽粒大小相关基因对于提高水稻产量具有重要意义。为深入探究水稻籽粒大小的调控机制, 通过EMS诱变品种宽叶粳(KYJ), 分离了一系列水稻籽粒大小改变的突变体, 其中smg12表现为籽粒变小, 株高变矮, 一级枝梗数和二级枝梗数减少。遗传分析表明, 该小粒突变体受隐性单基因控制。细胞学分析显示, 该突变体颖壳纵向细胞长度显著变短, 表明SMG12主要影响细胞扩展。利用Mutmap方法对候选基因进行克隆, 筛选出SMG12的候选基因OsBRI1, 该基因编码油菜素内酯受体激酶。OsBRI1外显子上的第2 074个碱基发生了由C到T的置换, 产生非同义突变, 使得该位置编码的脯氨酸变为丝氨酸, 从而影响OsBRI1的功能。综上, 该研究鉴定了OsBRI1基因的1个新等位变异, 揭示了油菜素内酯途径调控水稻籽粒大小的细胞和分子基础。     

小麦TaLCD基因的克隆及其对渗透胁迫的调节作用

半胱氨酸脱巯基酶(CDes)可催化降解半胱氨酸(Cys)生成硫化氢(H₂S)。通过克隆小麦(Triticum aestivum)中的L-半胱氨酸脱巯基酶基因TaLCD, 并将其在拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)中过表达, 探讨TaLCD对渗透胁迫条件下种子萌发和根系生长的影响, 并分析其对干旱胁迫的调节作用。结果显示, 盐胁迫条件下, TaLCD过表达植株种子萌发率显著高于野生型; 甘露醇处理条件下, TaLCD过表达植株的根长也显著高于野生型, 且TaLCD过表达显著提高植株抗旱性。此外, TaLCD过表达植株对ABA更加敏感, ABA处理下TaLCD过表达植株的种子萌发率及根长均显著低于野生型。干旱胁迫下, TaLCD过表达植株胁迫响应基因(COR47、RD29A、RAB18和RD22)及ABA信号途径相关基因(NCED3、HAB1、HAB2、ABI1、ABI2和ABF2)的表达水平均显著高于野生型。因此推测, TaLCD增强植株抗旱和抗盐能力可能依赖于ABA信号途径。     

Rice Big Grain 1 promotes cell division to enhance organ development,stress tolerance and grain yield

Grain/seed yield and plant stress tolerance are two major traits that determine the yield potential of many crops. In cereals, grain size is one of the key factors affecting grain yield. Here, we identify and characterize a newly discovered gene Rice Big Grain 1 (RBG1) that regulates grain and organ development, as well as abiotic stress tolerance. Ectopic expression of RBG1 leads to significant increases in the size of not only grains but also other major organs such as roots, shoots and panicles. Increased grain size is primarily due to elevated cell numbers rather than cell enlargement. RBG1 is preferentially expressed in meristematic and proliferating tissues. Ectopic expression of RBG1 promotes cell division, and RBG1 co‐localizes with microtubules known to be involved in cell division, which may account for the increase in organ size. Ectopic expression of RBG1 also increases auxin accumulation and sensitivity, which facilitates root development, particularly crown roots. Moreover, overexpression of RBG1 up‐regulated a large number of heat‐shock proteins, leading to enhanced tolerance to heat, osmotic and salt stresses, as well as rapid recovery from water‐deficit stress. Ectopic expression of RBG1 regulated by a specific constitutive promoter, GOS2, enhanced harvest index and grain yield in rice. Taken together, we have discovered that RBG1 regulates two distinct and important traits in rice, namely grain yield and stress tolerance, via its effects on cell division, auxin and stress protein induction.     

过表达OsCatC基因水稻的获得及其耐盐性机理分析

过氧化氢酶C(Catalase C,CatC)作为重要的抗氧化酶,在水稻发育和胁迫响应方面起重要作用。为了探究CatC在盐胁迫响应中的功能及其作用机制,该研究构建了OsCatC过表达转基因水稻,并比较了其耐盐性和相关抗逆生理指标的变化。结果表明:(1)成功构建过量表达载体pCUbi1390-OsCatC-Flag,并经农杆菌介导的愈伤组织转化获得了30个独立转基因株系(T0),Western blot鉴定T1代幼苗共获得2个OsCatC过表达株系(OE-10、OE-18);qRT-PCR分析发现,OE-10和OE-18株系的OsCatC转录水平显著高于野生型(WT),证明OsCatC基因已成功过表达于转基因株系(OE-10、OE-18)中,且能正常翻译为融合蛋白CatC-Flag。(2)正常水培条件下,OE-10和OE-18与WT的水稻幼苗长势无明显差异,200 mmol·L-1 NaCl处理7 d后再恢复水培10 d时,OE-10和OE-18幼苗的存活率为20%~25%,而WT幼苗绝大部分则干枯死亡,存活率仅为5%左右。(3)与WT相比,OsCatC过表达水稻(OE-10和OE-18)幼苗的耐盐性显著增强,其盐胁迫下的相对电导率、丙二醛和H₂O₂含量显著降低,过氧化氢酶活性显著升高;4μmol·L^-1甲基紫精(MV)处理7 d后,OE-10和OE-18生长受抑制程度显著小于WT,且幼苗的长度均显著大于WT,表现出较强的氧化胁迫耐受性。研究发现,CatC主要通过降解盐胁迫下过量积累的H₂O₂,减轻氧化损伤,从而提高水稻的耐盐性,证明过表达OsCatC能显著提高水稻对盐胁迫的耐受性,且OsCatC是一个非常好的水稻耐盐候选基因。     

The Arabidopsis phosphatase PP2C49 negatively regulates salt tolerance through inhibition of AtHKT1;1

Type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs) are the largest protein phosphatase family. PP2Cs dephosphorylate substrates for signaling in Arabidopsis, but the functions of most PP2Cs remain unknown. Here, we characterized PP2C49 (AT3G62260, a Group G PP2C), which regulates Na⁺ distribution under salt stress and is localized to the cytoplasm and nucleus. PP2C49 was highly expressed in root vascular tissues and its disruption enhanced plant tolerance to salt stress. Compared with wild type, the pp2c49 mutant contained more Na⁺ in roots but less Na⁺ in shoots and xylem sap, suggesting that PP2C49 regulates shoot Na⁺ extrusion. Reciprocal grafting revealed a root‐based mechanism underlying the salt tolerance of pp2c49. Systemic Na⁺ distribution largely depends on AtHKT1;1 and loss of function of AtHKT1;1 in the pp2c49 background overrode the salt tolerance of pp2c49, resulting in salt sensitivity. Furthermore, compared with plants overexpressing PP2C49 in the wild‐type background, plants overexpressing PP2C49 in the athtk1;1 mutant background were sensitive to salt, like the athtk1;1 mutants. Moreover, protein–protein interaction and two‐voltage clamping assays demonstrated that PP2C49 physically interacts with AtHKT1;1 and inhibits the Na⁺ permeability of AtHKT1;1. This study reveals that PP2C49 negatively regulates AtHKT1;1 activity and thus determines systemic Na⁺ allocation during salt stress.     

Natural alleles of a uridine 5ʹ-diphospho-glucosyltransferase gene responsible for differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice

Traditional upland rice generally exhibits insufficient grains resulting from abnormal endosperm development compared to paddy rice. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of this trait is poorly understood. Here, we cloned the uridine 5ʹ-diphospho (UDP)-glucosyltransferase gene EDR1 (Endosperm Development in Rice) responsible for differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice by performing quantitative trait loci analysis and map-based cloning. EDR1 was highly expressed in developing seeds during grain filling. Natural variations in EDR1 significantly reduced the UDP-glucosyltransferase activity of EDR1^YZN compared to EDR1^YD1, resulting in abnormal endosperm development in the near-isogenic line, accompanied by insufficient grains and changes in grain quality. By analyzing the distribution of the two alleles EDR1^YD1 and EDR1^YZN among diverse paddy rice and upland rice varieties, we discovered that EDR1 was conserved in upland rice, but segregated in paddy rice. Further analyses of grain chalkiness in the alleles of EDR1^YD1 and EDR1^YZN varieties indicated that rice varieties harboring EDR1^YZN and EDR1^YD1 preferentially showed high chalkiness, and low chalkiness, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the UDP-glucosyltransferase gene EDR1 is an important determinant controlling differential endosperm development between upland rice and paddy rice.     

玉米逆境响应相关转录因子ZmC2H2-1基因克隆及功能验证

玉米是我国第一大作物,提高玉米的抗逆性是玉米育种的重要目标性状之一。植物C2H2型锌指蛋白广泛参与植物各个时期的生长发育及逆境应答过程。本研究从玉米中分离了转录因子ZmC2H2-1基因并对其功能进行了初步研究。结果表明,ZmC2H2-1属于C2H2锌指蛋白转录因子家族,编码蛋白主要位于细胞核中,酵母自激活实验表明ZmC2H2-1不具有自激活活性;干旱、盐和ABA等逆境可抑制ZmC2H2-1基因在玉米中的表达;过表达ZmC2H2-1基因的拟南芥叶片失水速率更快,在PEG、高盐和ABA处理条件下,与对照相比转ZmC2H2-1基因拟南芥耐逆性降低,以上结果说明ZmC2H2-1基因是作为玉米抗逆的负调控因子参与了逆境胁迫应答。本研究为深入解析玉米ZmC2H2-1的调控网络和玉米的抗逆调控机制奠定了基础。     

谷子SiRLK35基因克隆及功能分析

为探讨谷子(Setaria italica L.)耐旱抗逆机制,解析类受体蛋白激酶(receptor like protein kinase, RLKs)基因功能,进而为培育谷子抗逆新品种提供依据,本文以干旱处理的谷子“豫谷1号”为材料,通过iTRAQ技术筛选到1个干旱响应的类受体蛋白激酶基因,命名为SiRLK35。以谷子RNA反转录的单链cDNA为模板,经PCR扩增获取SiRLK35基因全长序列。应用qRT-PCR方法,对SiRLK35在NaCl、PEG、ABA、GA、MeJA等不同处理下的表达模式进行分析。进一步构建基因原核表达载体pET28a-SiRLK35,结合斑点法对SiRLK35的抗盐能力进行初步评价。同时构建过表达载体pCAMBIA1301P-SiRLK35转化水稻,并对转基因植株抗盐能力进行检测。结果显示：胁迫及激素处理均可不同程度诱导SiRLK35基因的表达;斑点法研究结果显示,在相同NaCl浓度的LB平板上,含有SiRLK35基因的原核表达载体的大肠杆菌菌株生长状态较阴性对照好,SiRLK35具有一定的抗盐能力;获得的转SiRLK35基因水稻植株对盐胁迫的耐受性高于对照。SiRLK35基因对不同胁迫均可以产生响应,但对盐胁迫的响应较为明显,推测该基因可能在谷子的抗盐及抗逆过程中发挥作用。     

水稻盐碱逆境响应锌指蛋白基因OsZFP6表达特性及功能研究

筛选到C2HC型锌指蛋白,其编码304个氨基酸,命名为OsZFP6。分别使用碱性盐(NaHCO3)和H2O2对水稻两周龄幼苗进行胁迫处理,检测到OsZFP6相对表达量受其诱导,并在叶和根中出现差异,因此,推测OsZFP6参与相应的逆境响应调节途径。我们将一个绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)与之融合,发现OsZFP6定位在细胞核。此外,对过表达OsZFP6的水稻转基因植株进行NaHCO3胁迫处理,结果表明过表达植株均具有较强的耐受性;并且在株高、鲜重生理指标上,野生型植株低于过表达OsZFP6植株,在野生型植株体内的MDA、H2O2含量高于过表达植株;说明OsZFP6在响应NaHCO3胁迫时可以通过清除过氧化物来增强植物的抗性。初步推测OsZFP6基因参与响应碱性盐胁迫途径的调控,可能在转录调控中直接或间接发挥重要作用。     

GW5‐Like,a homolog of GW5, negatively regulates grain width,weight and salt resistance in rice

Grain size is an important determinant of yield potential in crops. We previously demonstrated that natural mutations in the regulatory sequences of qSW5/GW5 confer grain width diversity in rice. However, the biological function of a GW5 homolog, named GW5-Like(GW5 L), remains unknown. In this study, we report on GW5 L knockout mutants in Kitaake, a japonica cultivar(cv.)considered to have a weak gw5 variant allele that confers shorter and wider grains. GW5 L is evenly expressed in various tissues, and its protein product is localized to the plasma membrane. Biochemical assays verified that GW5 L functions in a similar fashion to GW5. It positively regulates brassinosteroid(BR) signaling through repression of the phosphorylation activity of GSK2. Genetic data show that GW5 L overexpression in either Kitaake or a GW5 knockout line, Kasaorf3(indica cv. Kasalath background), causes more slender, longer grains relative to the wild-type. We also show that GW5 L could confer salt stress resistance through an association with calmodulin protein OsCa M1-1. These findings identify GW5 L as a negative regulator of both grain size and salt stress tolerance, and provide a potential target for breeders to improve grain yield and salt stress resistance in rice.     

Overexpression of OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 enhances drought and salt tolerance in rice

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) play an important role in plant stress tolerance. We previously reported that expression of OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 could be enhanced by heat shock treatment and/or other abiotic stresses. In this paper, stress tolerance assays of transgenic rice plants overexpressing OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 have been carried out. Both OsHsp17.0-OE and OsHsp23.7-OE transgenic lines demonstrated higher germination ability compared to wild-type (WT) plants when subjected to mannitol and NaCl. Phenotypic analysis showed that transgenic rice lines displayed a higher tolerance to drought and salt stress compared to WT plants. In addition, transgenic rice lines showed significantly lower REC, lower MDA content and higher free proline content than WT under drought and salt stresses. These results suggest that OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 play an important role in rice acclimation to salt and drought stresses and are useful for engineering drought and salt tolerance rice.     

Functional characterisation of OsCPK21, a calcium-dependent protein kinase that confers salt tolerance in rice

Calcium acts as a messenger in various signal transduction pathways in plants. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) play important roles in regulating downstream components in calcium signaling pathways. In rice, the CDPKs constitute a large multigene family consisting of 29 genes, but the biological functions and functional divergence or redundancy of most of these genes remain unclear. Using a mini-scale full-length cDNA overexpressor (FOX) gene hunting system, we generated 250 independent transgenic rice plants overexpressing individual rice CDPKs (CDPK FOX-rice lines). These CDPK FOX-rice lines were screened for salt stress tolerance. The survival rate of the OsCPK21-FOX plants was higher than that of wild-type (WT) plants grown under high salinity conditions. The inhibition of seedling growth by abscisic acid (ABA) treatment was greater in the OsCPK21-FOX plants than in WT plants. Several ABA- and high salinity-inducible genes were more highly expressed in the OsCPK21-FOX plants than in WT plants. These results suggest that OsCPK21 is involved in the positive regulation of the signaling pathways that are involved in the response to ABA and salt stress.     

油菜素甾醇调控水稻盐胁迫应答的作用研究

油菜素甾醇(BR)作为植物内源激素, 广泛参与植物的生长发育过程及逆境应答。虽然BR调控生长发育的分子机制目前已相对清楚, 但在水稻(Oryza sativa)中, BR在逆境反应中的功能还鲜有报道。该研究系统分析了BR在高盐胁迫过程中的作用, 表明盐胁迫和逆境激素脱落酸可抑制BR合成基因D2和D11的表达, 典型的BR缺陷突变体(如d2-2和d61-1)则表现出对盐胁迫敏感性增强。此外, 通过对BR核心转录因子OsBZR1的过表达株系进行分析, 发现BR可显著诱导OsBZR1的去磷酸化, 盐胁迫对OsBZR1蛋白的积累水平和磷酸化状态均有调控作用。转录组数据分析表明, BR处理前后差异表达基因中有38.4%同时受到盐胁迫调控, 其中91.5%受到BR和高盐一致调控, 并显著富集在应激反应过程中。研究结果表明, BR正调控水稻的耐盐性, 而盐胁迫通过抑制BR合成来限制水稻的生长。     

Transgenic rice overexpressing the Brassica juncea gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase gene enhances tolerance to abiotic stress and improves grain yield under paddy field conditions

Glutathione (GSH), a low-molecular-weight tripeptide molecule that plays an important role in cell function and metabolism as an antioxidant, is synthesized by γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and glutathione synthetase. To investigate the functional role of GSH in the adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses, we developed Brassica juncea L. ECS (BrECS)-expressing transgenic rice plants (BrECS1 and BrECS2) under the regulation of a stress-inducible Rab21 promoter. BrECS1 and BrECS2 transgenic rice plants with BrECS overexpression tolerated high salinity by maintaining a cellular glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide redox buffer, which prevented unnecessary membrane oxidation. BrECS1 and BrECS2 rice plants also showed lower ion leakage and higher chlorophyll-fluorescence than wild-type (WT) rice plants in the presence of methyl viologen (MV) and salt, resulting in enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses. During germination, BrECS overexpression increased growth and development, resulting in an increased germination rate in the presence of salt conditions, but not under salt-free normal conditions. Furthermore, BrECS1 and BrECS2 rice plants displayed a moderate increase in biomass and rice grain yield under general paddy field conditions when compared to WT rice plants under general paddy field conditions. Therefore, our results suggest that BrECS-overexpression was critical for cellular defense from reactive oxygen species attacks produced by salt and MV, promotion of germination, and metabolic processes involved in natural environmental stress tolerance, thereby enhancing growth development and rice grain yield.     

大麦NF-YC基因鉴定及在盐胁迫下的表达分析

核因子Y (NF-Y)是由NF-YA、NF-YB和NF-YC三个亚基组成的一类真核细胞转录因子, 主要参与植物生长发育调控和非生物胁迫信号传递。该研究利用生物信息学方法解析了大麦(Hordeum vulgare) NF-YC基因家族功能。首先, 基于大麦基因组数据库鉴定出11个HvNF-YC成员, 分布在除第2号染色体以外的其余6条染色体上, 内含子0-5个。系统进化分析显示, 大麦、拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)和水稻(Oryza sativa) NF-YC基因家族成员可分为5个亚家族。基因复制分析显示, 6个HvNF-YC基因存在片段复制, 3个HvNF-YC基因存在串联复制。启动子顺式作用元件分析显示, 大多数HvNF-YC基因启动子含有与非生物胁迫及激素响应相关的顺式作用元件。对HvNF-YC家族成员在不同组织不同时期的表达模式分析表明, 不同成员的时空表达存在明显差异, 其中HvNF-YC9和HvNF-YC11可能在籽粒发育初期发挥重要作用。通过分析耐盐型和盐敏感型大麦品种根和叶中HvNF-YC表达量变化, 发现HvNF-YC3、HvNF-YC6和HvNF-YC10主要在盐胁迫初期的根中行使功能, HvNF-YC9主要在长期盐胁迫处理后期的根中起作用。综上所述, 推测HvNF-YC9、10、11三个基因可作为后续探究大麦NF-YC参与耐盐作用机制的候选基因。该研究结果为进一步解析HvNF-YC在大麦中的耐盐调控功能奠定了基础。     

谷子MYB类转录因子SiMYB42提高转基因拟南芥低氮胁迫耐性

Myeloblastosis (MYB)类转录因子是高等植物中最大的转录因子家族之一,在植物发育及防御反应过程中发挥重要作用,还参与植物对干旱等非生物胁迫的响应。谷子(Setaria italica L.)起源于中国,具有抗旱、耐瘠薄的特性,是研究单子叶作物非生物胁迫抗性的理想材料。本研究对耐低氮胁迫谷子品种郑204经低氮处理后进行转录组分析,鉴定出一个在低氮胁迫条件下明显上调的MYB类转录因子SiMYB42。系统发育树结果表明,SiMYB42属于R2R3-MYB亚族,具有2个MYB保守域;表达模式分析显示,SiMYB42在低氮、高盐、干旱和ABA胁迫条件下表达量显著上调;亚细胞定位、quantitative real-time PCR及转录激活活性分析结果表明,SiMYB42蛋白定位于植物的细胞核和细胞膜中,主要在谷子的叶部或根部表达,具有转录激活活性;基因功能分析结果表明,在正常条件下,转SiMYB42基因拟南芥与野生型Columbia-0拟南芥(WT)无明显差异,但在低氮条件下,转SiMYB42基因拟南芥的主根长、根系表面积及鲜重均显著高于WT,结果证明SiMYB42基因可以提高转基因植物对低氮胁迫的耐性;下游基因表达分析结果显示,在转SiMYB42基因拟南芥中,参与植物氮素转运的硝酸盐转运基因NRT2.1、NRT2.4和NRT2.5的表达水平均高于WT,启动子分析结果显示NRT2.1、NRT2.4和NRT2.5基因启动子序列中均具有MYB结合位点。以上结果证明,SiMYB42可以通过调控下游硝酸盐转运体基因的表达提高植物在低氮条件下的耐性。本研究揭示了SiMYB42基因在低氮胁迫反应途径中的作用,为进一步了解谷子低氮胁迫响应的调控网络奠定了基础。