State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory, Nanjing, China.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
Nat Genet. 2024 Jul;56(7):1516-1526. doi: 10.1038/s41588-024-01795-7. Epub 2024 Jun 13.
Excessive nitrogen promotes the formation of nonproductive tillers in rice, which decreases nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Developing high-NUE rice cultivars through balancing nitrogen uptake and the formation of productive tillers remains a long-standing challenge, yet how these two processes are coordinated in rice remains elusive. Here we identify the transcription factor OsGATA8 as a key coordinator of nitrogen uptake and tiller formation in rice. OsGATA8 negatively regulates nitrogen uptake by repressing transcription of the ammonium transporter gene OsAMT3.2. Meanwhile, it promotes tiller formation by repressing the transcription of OsTCP19, a negative modulator of tillering. We identify OsGATA8-H as a high-NUE haplotype with enhanced nitrogen uptake and a higher proportion of productive tillers. The geographical distribution of OsGATA8-H and its frequency change in historical accessions suggest its adaption to the fertile soil. Overall, this study provides molecular and evolutionary insights into the regulation of NUE and facilitates the breeding of rice cultivars with higher NUE.
过量的氮会促进水稻产生非生产性分蘖,从而降低氮利用效率(NUE)。通过平衡氮吸收和生产性分蘖的形成来开发高 NUE 水稻品种仍然是一个长期存在的挑战,但水稻中这两个过程是如何协调的仍不清楚。在这里,我们鉴定出转录因子 OsGATA8 是水稻氮吸收和分蘖形成的关键协调因子。OsGATA8 通过抑制铵转运基因 OsAMT3.2 的转录来负调控氮吸收。同时,它通过抑制分蘖负调节剂 OsTCP19 的转录来促进分蘖的形成。我们鉴定出 OsGATA8-H 是一种具有增强氮吸收和更高比例生产性分蘖的高 NUE 单倍型。OsGATA8-H 的地理分布及其在历史品系中的频率变化表明它适应了肥沃的土壤。总的来说,这项研究为 NUE 的调控提供了分子和进化方面的见解,并促进了具有更高 NUE 的水稻品种的培育。