Natural variation in a cortex/epidermis-specific transcription factor bZIP89 determines lateral root development and drought resilience in maize

Lateral roots (LRs) branching is crucial for water and nutrient
acquisition in plants, thus determining the overall plant performance and
productivity. However, the transcriptional regulation of LR development in
crops and its role in enhancing stress resilience remain largely
unexplored. Leveraging integrated transcriptome-wide association studies
(TWAS) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we reported a basic
leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor ZmbZIP89 as an important
regulator of LRs elongation and mapped its spatial expression pattern in
cortex/epidermis cell types. ZmbZIP89 activates the expression of ZmPRX47
to regulate the production of root reactive oxygen species (ROS)
homeostasis, contributing to increased lateral root length (LRL) and
enhanced drought resistance. Natural variations in the 3′UTR of ZmbZIP89
enhance its expression by increasing mRNA stability, leading to improved
LRL and drought tolerance. These findings contribute to our understanding
of the molecular mechanisms involved in lateral root development and
provide potential targets for breeding stress-resilient crops.

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集聚焦于玉米侧根发育和抗旱性的分子机制研究，通过转录组关联分析（TWAS）和单细胞RNA测序（scRNA-seq）等方法，揭示了转录因子ZmbZIP89在皮层/表皮细胞中的表达模式及其自然变异如何通过增强mRNA稳定性来促进侧根伸长和干旱耐受性。数据集包含RNA-seq、TWAS、scRNA-seq、DAP-seq和机器学习模型等文件，为作物抗逆育种提供了潜在靶点和数据支持。