Grain crops use a hidden root-to-shoot chemical messenger system
Ali B, Khan Z, Imin N
Crispr
The wheat, rice, and barley fields that make up most of the world's calories could become more drought-tolerant if breeders learn to tweak this root signaling system, meaning steadier harvests as growing seasons get drier.
Plants have a chemical messaging system where roots send signals up to the shoot when they sense low nitrogen, and the shoot sends a reply back down telling the roots how to grow. Scientists have mostly studied this in lab plants like Arabidopsis, but new work shows the same system exists in wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and tweaking it with gene editing changes how deep or shallow the roots grow. In wheat specifically, one version of this signal also helps roots cope with drought, suggesting these molecules could eventually help breed grain crops that handle dry, low-nutrient soil better.
Key Findings
CEPR1 receptor genes from barley, maize, and rice can substitute for the equivalent gene in Arabidopsis, restoring normal growth, showing the signaling system is conserved across cereals and model plants.
CRISPR-Cas9 knockout of CEPR1 in barley altered seminal root growth angle but also caused an unintended fertility defect, illustrating tradeoffs in editing this pathway.
In wheat, the peptide TaCEP15 affects primary root length and drought tolerance through a distinct receptor pathway separate from the main nitrogen-sensing relay, revealing the peptide family has diversified functions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists have identified a hormone signaling system that lets cereal crops like wheat, barley, maize, and rice sense nitrogen levels and adjust their root growth accordingly, offering a potential path to breed more drought- and nutrient-resilient grain crops.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
CEP-CEPR1 Signalling in Cereal Crops: Integrating Nitrogen Demand, Root System Architecture, and Drought Resilience.
Cereal crops collectively account for more than half of global human caloric intake, yet the molecular mechanisms governing their root systems under water and nitrogen limitation remain poorly unde...
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