OsACA9, an Autoinhibited Ca-ATPase, Synergically Regulates Disease Resistance and Leaf Senescence in Rice.

Calcium (Ca) is a versatile intracellular second messenger that regulates several signaling pathways involved in growth, development, stress tolerance, and immune response in plants. Autoinhibited Ca-ATPases (ACAs) play an important role in the regulation of cellular Ca homeostasis. Here, we systematically analyzed the putative OsACA family members in rice, and according to the phylogenetic tree of OsACAs, OsACA9 was clustered into a separated branch in which its homologous gene in was reported to be involved in defense response. When the gene was knocked out by CRISPR/Cas9, significant accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected in the mutant lines. Meanwhile, the knock out lines showed enhanced disease resistance to both rice bacterial blight (BB) and bacterial leaf streak (BLS). In addition, compared to the wild-type (WT), the mutant lines displayed an early leaf senescence phenotype, and the agronomy traits of their plant height, panicle length, and grain yield were significantly decreased. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-Seq showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between WT and the mutant were mainly enriched in basal immune pathways and antibacterial metabolite synthesis pathways. Among them, multiple genes related to rice disease resistance, () and () genes were upregulated. Our results suggest that the Ca-ATPase OsACA9 may trigger oxidative burst in response to various pathogens and synergically regulate disease resistance and leaf senescence in rice.