Role of Wheat Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 Genes in Phosphorus Acquisition and Root Architecture

Abstract

The wheat plant requires elevated phosphorus levels for its normal growth and yield, but continuously depleting non-renewable phosphorus reserves in the soil is one of the biggest challenges in agricultural production worldwide. The Phosphorus Starvation Tolerance 1 (PSTOL1) gene has been reported to play a key role in efficient P uptake, deeper rooting, and high yield in rice. However, the function of the PSTOL1 gene in wheat is still unclear. In this study, a total of 22 PSTOL1 orthologs were identified in the wheat genome, and found that wheat PSTOL1 orthologs are unevenly distributed on chromosomes, and these genes were under strong purifying selection. Under different phosphorus regimes, wheat PSTOL1 genes showed differential expression patterns in different tissues. These results strengthen the classification of Pakistan-13 as a P-efficient cultivar and Shafaq-06 as a P-inefficient cultivar. Phenotypic characterization demonstrated that Pakistan-13 wheat cultivar has significantly increased P uptake, root length, root volume, and root surface area compared to Shafaq-06. Some wheat PSTOL1 orthologs are co-localized with phosphorus starvation’s related quantitative trait loci (QTLs), suggesting their potential role in phosphorus use efficiency. Altogether, these results highlight the role of the wheat PSTOL1 genes in wheat P uptake, root architecture, and efficient plant growth. This comprehensive study will be helpful for devising sustainable strategies for wheat crop production and adaptation to phosphorus insufficiency.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Receptor-Like Protein Kinase 1 (RPK1) Gene Family in Triticum aestivum Under Drought Stress

“…Being a most consumed cereal crop, it was grown on a large scale of 240 million hectares in 2016 ( Milner et al, 2018 ). However, due to water scarcity, nutrient deficiency, and abiotic stresses, wheat yield is curtailed ( Mondal et al, 2015 ; Abbas et al, 2022 ). Wheat is a drought sensitive crop.…”

PHOSPHORUS‐STARVATION TOLERANCE 1 (OsPSTOL1) is prevalent in upland rice and enhances root growth and hastens low phosphate signaling in wheat

“…A combined phylogenetic and protein domain analysis identified OsPSTOL1 ‐like RLK and RLCK genes: 27 multi‐module and four solo kinase‐domain genes, including OsPSTOL1 and LOC_Os8g24630 , maize Zm00001d039923 and wheat TaPSTOL1 / TraesCS5A02G067800LC (Milner et al, 2018) (Figure 4a,b). A larger number of OsPSTOL1 ‐like genes in wheat was identified using less stringent criteria (Abbas et al, 2022). The multi‐module RLKs are larger (36‐101 kDa) due to an N‐terminal extension preceding the kinase domain.…”

“…TraesCS5A02G067800LC (Milner et al, 2018) (Figure 4a,b). A larger number of OsPSTOL1-like genes in wheat was identified using less stringent criteria (Abbas et al, 2022). The multi-module RLKs are larger (36-101 kDa) due to an N-terminal extension preceding the kinase domain.…”

Root System Architecture and Omics Approaches for Belowground Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants

“…Phosphocholine phosphatase, a high-affinity phosphate transporter and glycolipid biosynthesis encoding gene, gets upregulated during phosphorus deficiency. Early root growth in a wheat variety depicted phosphorus-deficiency tolerance, which was conferred by phosphorus-deficiency tolerance (PSTOL1) protein kinase [47]. A deficiency in potassium also induces the expression of protein kinases, transporters, and phytohormones such as jasmonic acid, auxin, and ethylene [84].…”

“…Contrasting accumulation of root metabolites under drought stress between leguminous and non-leguminous crops suggested that 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutaric acid is highly tissue specific in non-leguminous crops root and coumestrol is specific to the roots of leguminous crops [118]. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis for roots and shoots of Medicago under several situations found different components that regulate different levels of drought-tolerance mechanisms, such as the role of myoinositol and proline [47]. Under water scarcity, root nodules uptake adequate amounts of nitrogen for plant growth and development.…”