Evolutionary innovations driving abiotic stress tolerance in C4 grasses and cereals

Pardo, Jeremy; VanBuren, Robert

doi:10.1093/plcell/koab205

Cited by 46 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…However, humid tropical regions are unsuitable for wheat cultivation due to heat stress which reduces growth and yield, but they are very well-suited to cassava, hence the large increase in cassava production [ 45 , 46 ]. Wheat can be and is cultivated in the hot drier regions but they are better suited to cultivation of the tropical (C4) cereals maize, sorghum and millets because of their potential to produce higher yields as they can better utilize the high intensity solar energy in the tropics [ 47 ].…”

Section: Analysis Of the Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis

Noort

Renzetti

Linderhof

et al. 2022

Foods

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Massive urbanization and increasing disposable incomes favor a rapid transition in diets and lifestyle in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As a result, the SSA population is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the double burden of malnutrition and obesity. This, combined with the increasing pressure to produce sufficient food and provide employment for this growing population together with the threat of climate change-induced declining crop yields, requires urgent sustainable solutions. Can an increase in the cultivation of climate-resilient crops (CRCs) and their utilization to produce attractive, convenient and nutritious bread products contribute to climate change adaptation and healthy and sustainable diets? A food system analysis of the bread food value chain in SSA indicates that replacement of refined, mostly imported, wheat in attractive bread products could (1) improve food and nutrition security, (2) bring about a shift to more nutritionally balanced diets, (3) increase economic inclusiveness and equitable benefits, and (4) improve sustainability and resilience of the food system. The food system analysis also provided systematic insight into the challenges and hurdles that need to be overcome to increase the availability, affordability and uptake of CRCs. Proposed interventions include improving the agronomic yield of CRCs, food product technology, raising consumer awareness and directing policies. Overall, integrated programs involving all stakeholders in the food system are needed.

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Section: Analysis Of the Food Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis

Noort

Renzetti

Linderhof

et al. 2022

Foods

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“…O. thomaeum and E. nindensis are found within the Chloridoideae subfamily of grasses, a group of stress tolerant C4 species with superior drought, heat, and salinity tolerance (Marcum, 1999; Peterson et al, 2001). Evolutionary access to existing resilience traits within this subfamily likely enabled the independent evolution of desiccation tolerance in O. thomaeum and E. nindensis (Pardo and VanBuren, 2021). Using detailed comparative genomics approaches with syntenic orthologs, we identified a core set of genes and cis -regulatory regions that are induced during desiccation in O. thomaeum and E. nindensis .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulatory dynamics distinguishing desiccation tolerance strategies within resurrection grasses

Aubin

Wai

Raju

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Desiccation tolerance has evolved recurrently in grasses using two unique strategies to mitigate photooxidative damage under anhydrobiosis. The grass Oropetium thomaeum protects and retains chlorophyll, thylakoids, and the photosynthetic apparatus during desiccation (Homoiochlorophyly), while Eragrostis nindensis degrades and resynthesizes these components under desiccation and rehydration (Poikilochlorophyly). Here, we surveyed chromatin architecture and gene expression during desiccation in these two closely related species to identify regulatory dynamics underlying the distinct desiccation tolerance strategies in grasses. In both grasses, we observed a strong association between nearby chromatin accessibility and gene expression in desiccated tissues compared to well-watered, reflecting an unusual chromatin stability under anhydrobiosis. Integration of chromatin accessibility (ATACseq) and expression data (RNAseq) revealed a core desiccation response across these two grasses including many genes with binding sites for the core seed development transcription factor ABI5. O. thomaeum had a unique set of desiccation induced genes and regulatory elements associated with photoprotection, pigment biosynthesis, and response to high light, reflecting its adaptation of homoiochlorophyly. A tandem array of early light induced proteins (ELIPs) had massive shifts in gene expression and chromatin openness under desiccation in only O. thomaeum, and ELIPs acquired a novel desiccation related cis-regulatory motif, reflecting regulatory neofunctionalization during the evolution of desiccation tolerance. Together, our results highlight the complex regulatory and expression dynamics underlying desiccation tolerance in grasses.

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“…These three taxonomic groups were established with complex genomic events ( Salse et al, 2008 ; Jiao et al, 2014 ). Grass species exhibit various physiological properties in photosynthetic systems and abiotic stress tolerance ( Pardo and VanBuren, 2021 ). Understanding of the molecular basis of the diversity of grass species is necessary to develop useful cultivated cereal plants further.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Original Form of C4-Photosynthetic Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Is Retained in Pooids but Lost in Rice

Yamamoto

Tong

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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Poaceae is the most prominent monocot family that contains the primary cereal crops wheat, rice, and maize. These cereal species exhibit physiological diversity, such as different photosynthetic systems and environmental stress tolerance. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in Poaceae is encoded by a small multigene family and plays a central role in C4-photosynthesis and dicarboxylic acid metabolism. Here, to better understand the molecular basis of the cereal species diversity, we analyzed the PEPC gene family in wheat together with other grass species. We could designate seven plant-type and one bacterial-type grass PEPC groups, ppc1a, ppc1b, ppc2a, ppc2b, ppc3, ppc4, ppcC4, and ppc-b, respectively, among which ppc1b is an uncharacterized type of PEPC. Evolutionary inference revealed that these PEPCs were derived from five types of ancient PEPCs (ppc1, ppc2, ppc3, ppc4, and ppc-b) in three chromosomal blocks of the ancestral Poaceae genome. C4-photosynthetic PEPC (ppcC4) had evolved from ppc1b, which seemed to be arisen by a chromosomal duplication event. We observed that ppc1b was lost in many Oryza species but preserved in Pooideae after natural selection. In silico analysis of cereal RNA-Seq data highlighted the preferential expression of ppc1b in upper ground organs, selective up-regulation of ppc1b under osmotic stress conditions, and nitrogen response of ppc1b. Characterization of wheat ppc1b showed high levels of gene expression in young leaves, transcriptional responses under nitrogen and abiotic stress, and the presence of a Dof1 binding site, similar to ppcC4 in maize. Our results indicate the evolving status of Poaceae PEPCs and suggest the functional association of ppc1-derivatives with adaptation to environmental changes.

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Evolutionary innovations driving abiotic stress tolerance in C4 grasses and cereals

Cited by 46 publications

References 114 publications

Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis

Towards Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa with Climate-Resilient Crops in Bread-Type Products: A Food System Analysis

Regulatory dynamics distinguishing desiccation tolerance strategies within resurrection grasses

The Original Form of C4-Photosynthetic Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase Is Retained in Pooids but Lost in Rice

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