College of Agronomy, Synergetic Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops and National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China.
CIMMYT-China Specialty Maize Research Center, Crop Breeding and Cultivation Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Plant Cell Environ. 2020 Sep;43(9):2272-2286. doi: 10.1111/pce.13829. Epub 2020 Jul 23.
The growth and development of maize are negatively affected by various abiotic stresses including drought, high salinity, extreme temperature, and strong wind. Therefore, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress resistance in maize. In the present work, we identified that a novel NAC transcriptional factor, ZmNST3, enhances maize lodging resistance and drought stress tolerance. ChIP-Seq and expression of target genes analysis showed that ZmNST3 could directly regulate the expression of genes related to cell wall biosynthesis which could subsequently enhance lodging resistance. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that ZmNST3 affected the expression of genes related to the synthesis of antioxidant enzyme secondary metabolites that could enhance drought resistance. More importantly, we are the first to report that ZmNST3 directly binds to the promoters of CESA5 and Dynamin-Related Proteins2A (DRP2A) and activates the expression of genes related to secondary cell wall cellulose biosynthesis. Additionally, we revealed that ZmNST3 directly binds to the promoters of GST/GlnRS and activates genes which could enhance the production of antioxidant enzymes in vivo. Overall, our work contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory network of ZmNST3 in regulating maize lodging and drought stress resistance.
玉米的生长和发育受到各种非生物胁迫的负面影响，包括干旱、高盐度、极端温度和强风。因此，了解玉米抗非生物胁迫的分子机制非常重要。在本工作中，我们鉴定了一个新的 NAC 转录因子 ZmNST3，它增强了玉米抗倒伏性和耐旱性。ChIP-Seq 和靶基因表达分析表明，ZmNST3 可以直接调控与细胞壁生物合成相关的基因表达，从而增强抗倒伏性。此外，我们还证明 ZmNST3 影响与抗氧化酶次生代谢物合成相关基因的表达，从而增强耐旱性。更重要的是，我们首次报道 ZmNST3 可以直接结合到 CESA5 和 Dynamin-Related Proteins2A（DRP2A）的启动子上，并激活与次生细胞壁纤维素生物合成相关基因的表达。此外，我们揭示了 ZmNST3 可以直接结合到 GST/GlnRS 的启动子上，并激活体内抗氧化酶的产生。总的来说，我们的工作有助于全面了解 ZmNST3 调节玉米抗倒伏和耐旱性的调控网络。
