TY - JOUR
T1 - ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 34 promotes secondary cell wall thickening and strength of rice peduncles
AU - Zhang, Jiao
AU - Liu, Zengyu
AU - Sakamoto, Shingo
AU - Mitsuda, Nobutaka
AU - Ren, Anran
AU - Persson, Staffan
AU - Zhang, Dabing
N1 - © American Society of Plant Biologists 2022. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected].
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Cellulose and lignin are critical cell wall components for plant morphogenesis and adaptation to environmental conditions. The cytoskeleton supports cell wall deposition, but much of the underpinning regulatory components remain unknown. Here, we show that an APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) family transcription factor, OsERF34, directly promotes the expression of the actin- and microtubule-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) in rice (Oryza sativa) peduncles. OsERF34 and RMD are highly expressed in sclerenchymatous peduncle cells that are fortified by thick secondary cell walls (SCWs) that provide mechanical peduncle strength. erf34 and rmd-1 mutants contained lower cellulose and lignin contents and thinner SCWs, while ERF34 over-expressing (OE) lines maintained high cellulose and lignin content with thicker SCWs. These characteristics impacted peduncle mechanical strength, i.e. reduced strength in erf34 and rmd-1 and increased strength of ERF34 OE plants. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the OsERF34-RMD cascade positively regulates SCW synthesis and mechanical strength in rice peduncles, which is important for yield, and provide a potential guide for improved peduncle breeding efforts in rice.
AB - Cellulose and lignin are critical cell wall components for plant morphogenesis and adaptation to environmental conditions. The cytoskeleton supports cell wall deposition, but much of the underpinning regulatory components remain unknown. Here, we show that an APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (AP2/ERF) family transcription factor, OsERF34, directly promotes the expression of the actin- and microtubule-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) in rice (Oryza sativa) peduncles. OsERF34 and RMD are highly expressed in sclerenchymatous peduncle cells that are fortified by thick secondary cell walls (SCWs) that provide mechanical peduncle strength. erf34 and rmd-1 mutants contained lower cellulose and lignin contents and thinner SCWs, while ERF34 over-expressing (OE) lines maintained high cellulose and lignin content with thicker SCWs. These characteristics impacted peduncle mechanical strength, i.e. reduced strength in erf34 and rmd-1 and increased strength of ERF34 OE plants. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the OsERF34-RMD cascade positively regulates SCW synthesis and mechanical strength in rice peduncles, which is important for yield, and provide a potential guide for improved peduncle breeding efforts in rice.
U2 - 10.1093/plphys/kiac385
DO - 10.1093/plphys/kiac385
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36047836
VL - 190
SP - 1806
EP - 1820
JO - Plant Physiology
JF - Plant Physiology
SN - 0032-0889
IS - 3
ER -