Project description:Root foraging strategy of wheat for potassium (K) heterogeneity is based on special gene expressions. Low-K responsive genes, such as peroxidases, mitochondrion, transcription factor activity, calcium ion binding and respiration, up-regulated in Sp. NK rather than in Sp. LK. Methyltransferase activity, protein amino acid phosphorylation, potassium ion transport, protein kinase activity genes were found among down-regulated genes in Sp. LK. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying wheat root foraging strategy and identified distinct classes of up-regulated and down-regulated genes during this process.
Project description:Improvement of phosphorus (P) uptake by crops is a prerequisite for sustainable agriculture. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) PHOSPHORUS-STARVATION TOLERANCE 1 (OsPSTOL1) increases root growth and total P uptake. Here, a biogeographic survey of rice demonstrates OsPSTOL1 loss in a subset of japonica rice after the temperate-tropical split and frequent absence in paddy varieties of east Asia. OsPSTOL1 absence or loss-of-function alleles prevail in landraces from regions with fertilizer use and controlled irrigation, suggesting it is an adaptive genetic variant in low nutrient rainfed ecosystems. OsPSTOL1 is a truncated member of a family of multi-module kinases associated with microbial interactions. We demonstrate that ectopic expression of OsPSTOL1 in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) increases shoot and root growth under low P conditions, promotes root plasticity, and hastens induction of the low P response pathway. OsPSTOL1’s influence on adaptive root development in wheat validates its potential for broad utilization in crop improvement.
