Hertig Christian W, Devunuri Pravinya, Rutten Twan, Hensel Götz, Schippers Jos H M, Müller Bruno, Thiel Johannes
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Seeland/OT Gatersleben, D-06466, Germany.
Department of Molecular Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Seeland/OT Gatersleben, D-06466, Germany.
BMC Plant Biol. 2025 Feb 17;25(1):209. doi: 10.1186/s12870-025-06161-1.
The two-component system (TCS) serves as a common intracellular signal transduction pathway implicated in various processes of plant development and response to abiotic stress. With regard to the important cereal crop barley, only partial information about the occurrence of TCS signaling elements in the genome and putative functions is available.
In this study, we identified a total of 67 non-redundant TCS genes from all subgroups of the phosphorelay in the latest barley reference genome. Functional annotation and phylogenetic characterization was combined with a comprehensive gene expression analysis of the signaling components. Expression profiles hint at potential functions in vegetative and reproductive organs and tissue types as well as diverse stress responses. Apparently, a distinct subset of TCS genes revealed a stringent grain-specificity not being expressed elsewhere in the plant. By using laser capture microdissection (LCM)-based transcript analysis of barley grain tissues, we refined expression profiles of selected TCS genes and attributed them to individual cell types within the grain. Distinct TCS elements are exclusively expressed in the different maternal and filial cell types, particularly in the endosperm transfer cell (ETC) region. These genes are deemed to be selected in the domestication process of modern cultivars. Moreover, barley plants transformed with a synthetic sensor (TCSn::GFP) showed a high and specific activity in the ETC region of grains monitoring transcriptional output of the signaling system.
The results provide comprehensive insights into the TCS gene family in the temperate cereal crop barley and indicate implications in various agronomic traits. The dataset is valuable for future research in different aspects of plant development and will be indispensable not only for barley, but also for other crops of the Poaceae.
双组分系统（TCS）是一种常见的细胞内信号转导途径，参与植物发育和对非生物胁迫响应的各种过程。关于重要的谷类作物大麦，目前仅获得了基因组中TCS信号元件的部分信息及其推定功能。
在本研究中，我们在最新的大麦参考基因组中从磷中继的所有亚组中总共鉴定出67个非冗余TCS基因。功能注释和系统发育特征分析与信号成分的全面基因表达分析相结合。表达谱暗示了其在营养和生殖器官及组织类型以及多种胁迫响应中的潜在功能。显然，TCS基因的一个独特子集显示出严格的籽粒特异性，在植物的其他部位不表达。通过基于激光捕获显微切割（LCM）的大麦籽粒组织转录分析，我们细化了所选TCS基因的表达谱，并将它们归因于籽粒内的单个细胞类型。不同的TCS元件在不同的母本和子代细胞类型中特异性表达，特别是在胚乳转移细胞（ETC）区域。这些基因被认为是在现代栽培品种的驯化过程中被选择的。此外，用合成传感器（TCSn::GFP）转化的大麦植株在监测信号系统转录输出的籽粒ETC区域显示出高且特异的活性。
这些结果为温带谷类作物大麦中的TCS基因家族提供了全面的见解，并表明其在各种农艺性状中的作用。该数据集对于植物发育不同方面的未来研究具有重要价值，不仅对大麦，而且对禾本科的其他作物都将是不可或缺的。
