期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:2022
卷号:119
期号:31
DOI:10.1073/pnas.2201350119
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:Significance
The growth angle roots adopt are critical for capturing soil resources, such as nutrients and water. Despite its agronomic importance, few regulatory genes have been identified in crops. Here we identify the root angle regulatory gene
ENHANCED GRAVITROPISM 1 (
EGT1) in barley. Strikingly, mutants lacking
EGT1 exhibit a steeper angle in every root class. EGT1 appears to function as a component of an antigravitropic offset mechanism that regulates tissue stiffness, which impacts final root growth angle.
EGT1 is a hot spot for selection as natural allelic variation within a conserved Tubby domain that is linked with steeper root angle. Analogous
EGT1-dependent regulation of root angle in wheat demonstrates broad significance of EGT1 for trait improvement in cereal crops.
Root angle in crops represents a key trait for efficient capture of soil resources. Root angle is determined by competing gravitropic versus antigravitropic offset (AGO) mechanisms. Here we report a root angle regulatory gene termed
ENHANCED GRAVITROPISM1 (
EGT1) that encodes a putative AGO component, whose loss-of-function enhances root gravitropism. Mutations in barley and wheat
EGT1 genes confer a striking root phenotype, where every root class adopts a steeper growth angle.
EGT1 encodes an F-box and Tubby domain-containing protein that is highly conserved across plant species. Haplotype analysis found that natural allelic variation at the barley
EGT1 locus impacts root angle. Gravitropic assays indicated that
Hvegt1 roots bend more rapidly than wild-type. Transcript profiling revealed
Hvegt1 roots deregulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and cell wall-loosening enzymes and cofactors. ROS imaging shows that
Hvegt1 root basal meristem and elongation zone tissues have reduced levels. Atomic force microscopy measurements detected elongating
Hvegt1 root cortical cell walls are significantly less stiff than wild-type. In situ analysis identified
HvEGT1 is expressed in elongating cortical and stele tissues, which are distinct from known root gravitropic perception and response tissues in the columella and epidermis, respectively. We propose that EGT1 controls root angle by regulating cell wall stiffness in elongating root cortical tissue, counteracting the gravitropic machinery’s known ability to bend the root via its outermost tissues. We conclude that root angle is controlled by
EGT1 in cereal crops employing an antigravitropic mechanism.