Transcriptomics and metabolomics reveal tolerance new mechanism of rice roots to Al stress

Abstract

The prevalence of soluble aluminum (Al) ions is one of the major limitations to crop production worldwide on acid soils. Therefore, understanding the Al tolerance mechanism of rice and applying Al tolerance functional genes in sensitive plants can significantly improve Al stress resistance. In this study, transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses were performed to reveal the mechanism of Al tolerance differences between two rice landraces (Al-tolerant genotype Shibanzhan (KR) and Al-sensitive genotype Hekedanuo (MR) with different Al tolerance. The results showed that DEG related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis was highly enriched in KR and MR after Al stress, indicating that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis may be closely related to Al tolerance. E1.11.1.7 (peroxidase) was the most significant enzyme of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis in KR and MR under Al stress and is regulated by multiple genes. We further identified that two candidate genes Os02g0770800 and Os06g0521900 may be involved in the regulation of Al tolerance in rice. Our results not only reveal the resistance mechanism of rice to Al stress to some extent, but also provide a useful reference for the molecular mechanism of different effects of Al poisoning on plants.

Understanding plant tolerance to aluminum: exploring mechanisms and perspectives

“…The Al tolerance differs among the crop species. In Al-sensitive rice variety treatment with 200 µM of Al significantly decreased root length, however the inhibition of elongation processes was not observed (Wang et al 2023). Similar results were observed in maize, as treatment with 100 µM of aluminum did not halt the root elongation (Kong et al 2014).…”

“…However, when the pH drops below 5.5, Al solubilized, and the phytotoxic forms like [Al(H 2 O) 6 ] 3+ , AlOH 2+ , AL(OH) 3 (for simplicity named Al 3+ ) are released from the minerals (Rahman and Upadhyaya 2021). The toxic dose of Al differs among plant species -for some plants like barley, even 10µM of bioavailable Al 3+ can cause major damage (Szurman-Zubrzycka et al 2021), whereas treatment of rice plants with 20 times higher dose of Al did not inhibit the growth (Wang et al 2023). However, the activity of Al 3+ is dependent on various factors such as deficiencies of key nutrition elements (especially concentration of phosphorous), pH, and others (Kochian et al 2004), that is why it is hard to compare the Al doses used Abstract Aluminum (Al) is the third, most abundant element in the Earth's crust.…”

Exploring Aluminum Tolerance Mechanisms in Plants with Reference to Rice and Arabidopsis: A Comprehensive Review of Genetic, Metabolic, and Physiological Adaptations in Acidic Soils

“…The induction of HSP70 and its derivatives might be a key factor in Al tolerance, with protease activity indicating tolerance through the turnover of degenerative proteins. In tolerant cultivars, protease-mediated lysis of misfolded proteins may alleviate degradation from root membrane lysis and growth inhibition [116].…”