Liu Zhaojiao, Liu Xinye, Wang Shuailei, Liang Shuang, Li Saimei, Wang Juntao, Liu Sitong, Guo Yi, Li Rui
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Hebei Collaboration Innovation Center for Cell Signaling and Environmental Adaptation, Hebei Research Center of the Basic Discipline of Cell Biology, Hebei Key Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Mar 10;26(6):2478. doi: 10.3390/ijms26062478.
High temperatures can severely affect plant development and cause a notable decrease in crop yields. Currently, most studies use whole plants that are exposed to steady, high temperatures. This does not reflect the conditions encountered in natural fields, and it overlooks possible differences and coordination between the shoots and roots under heat stress (HS). Here, we analyzed the transcriptome changes in whole plants, shoots, and roots exposed separately to HS. In total, 3346 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained. Plants in which only the shoots were HS-treated showed minor transcriptional changes compared with whole plants exposed to HS. 62 genes were specifically expressed in HS treatment on shoots, and most of these genes have not been reported to function in HS. We found NAC1 may enhance plant heat tolerance. Utilizing Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses, HS-treated shoots showed enhanced gene transcription, protein folding, and MAPK signaling but decreased auxin signaling, while HS-treated roots showed an increase in oxidative stress and suppression of starch and sucrose metabolism. The binding of -regulatory elements by transcription factors that act downstream in reactive oxygen species (ROS), abscisic acid (ABA), and brassinosteroid (BR) signaling was significantly enriched at the putative promoters of co-expressed genes in shoots and roots under HS treatments on aboveground tissues or roots. Moreover, 194 core HS-responsive genes were identified from all HS treatments, of which 125 have not been reported to function in HS responses. Among them, we found that REV1 and MYC67 may positively regulate the response of plants to heat shock. This work uncovers many new HS-responsive genes and distinct response strategies employed by shoots and roots following HS exposure. Additionally, ROS, ABA, and BR or their downstream signaling factors may be important components for transmitting heat shock signals between shoots and roots.
高温会严重影响植物发育，并导致作物产量显著下降。目前，大多数研究使用暴露于稳定高温的整株植物。这并不能反映自然田间所遇到的情况，并且忽视了热胁迫（HS）下地上部与根部之间可能存在的差异及协调性。在此，我们分析了分别暴露于热胁迫下的整株植物、地上部和根部的转录组变化。总共获得了3346个差异表达基因（DEG）。仅地上部接受热胁迫处理的植株与暴露于热胁迫的整株植物相比，转录变化较小。有62个基因在地上部热胁迫处理中特异性表达，其中大多数基因在热胁迫中的功能尚未见报道。我们发现NAC1可能增强植物耐热性。利用基因本体论和京都基因与基因组百科全书分析，热胁迫处理的地上部显示基因转录、蛋白质折叠和丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号传导增强，但生长素信号传导减弱，而热胁迫处理的根部显示氧化应激增加以及淀粉和蔗糖代谢受到抑制。在地上部组织或根部热胁迫处理下，参与活性氧（ROS）、脱落酸（ABA）和油菜素内酯（BR）信号传导下游作用的转录因子与调控元件的结合在地上部和根部共表达基因的假定启动子处显著富集。此外，从所有热胁迫处理中鉴定出194个核心热胁迫响应基因，其中125个基因在热胁迫响应中的功能尚未见报道。在这些基因中，我们发现REV1和MYC67可能正向调控植物对热激的响应。这项工作揭示了许多新的热胁迫响应基因以及地上部和根部在热胁迫暴露后所采用的不同响应策略。此外，ROS、ABA和BR或其下游信号因子可能是地上部和根部之间传递热激信号的重要组成部分。
