Zhong Liyuan, Geng Leping, Xiang Yimeng, Guang Xuanmin, Cao Le, Shi Jiawei, Li Weikun, Wang Jianglin, He Weiming, Huang Liyu, Yang Feng, Bai Yi-Xuan, Sahu Sunil Kumar, Guo Xing, Zhang Shilai, Zhang Gengyun, Xu Xun, Hu Fengyi, Yang Wanneng, Liu Huan, Zhao Yu, Lyu Jun
BGI Research, Wuhan 430074, China; State Key Laboratory of Genome and Multi-omics Technologies, BGI Research, Shenzhen 518083, China.
National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Mol Plant. 2025 May 5;18(5):797-819. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2025.04.001. Epub 2025 Apr 6.
Drought severely threatens food security, and its detrimental effects will be exacerbated by climate change in many parts of the world. Rice production is water-consuming and particularly vulnerable to drought stress. Upland rice is a special rice ecotype that specifically adapts to dryland mainly due to its robust root system. However, the molecular and developmental mechanism underlying this adaption has remained elusive. In this study, by comparing the root development between upland and irrigated rice phenotypically and cytologically, we identified key developmental phenotypes that distinguish upland rice from irrigated rice. We further generated spatial transcriptomic atlases for coleoptilar nodes and root tips to explore their molecular differences in crown root formation and development, uncovering promising genes for enhancing rice drought resistance. Among the identified genes, HMGB1, a transcriptional regulator, functions as a key factor that facilitates root elongation and thickening in upland rice and thereby enhances drought resistance. In summary, our study uncovers spatially resolved transcriptomic features in roots of upland rice that contribute to its adaptation to dryland conditions, providing valuable genetic resources for breeding drought-resilient rice.
干旱严重威胁粮食安全，在世界许多地区，气候变化将加剧其有害影响。水稻生产耗水量大，特别容易受到干旱胁迫的影响。旱稻是一种特殊的水稻生态型，主要因其强大的根系而特别适应旱地环境。然而，这种适应性背后的分子和发育机制仍然不清楚。在本研究中，通过对旱稻和灌溉稻的根系发育进行表型和细胞学比较，我们确定了区分旱稻和灌溉稻的关键发育表型。我们进一步生成了胚芽节和根尖的空间转录组图谱，以探索它们在冠根形成和发育中的分子差异，发现了增强水稻抗旱性的有前景的基因。在鉴定出的基因中，转录调节因子HMGB1是促进旱稻根系伸长和加粗从而增强抗旱性的关键因子。总之，我们的研究揭示了旱稻根系中有助于其适应旱地条件的空间解析转录组特征，为培育抗旱水稻提供了宝贵的遗传资源。
