Floret fertility is a key determinant of the number of grains per inflorescence in cereals. During the evolution of wheat (Triticum sp.), floret fertility has increased, such that current bread wheat ...(Triticum aestivum) cultivars set three to five grains per spikelet. However, little is known regarding the genetic basis of floret fertility. The locus Grain Number Increase 1 (GNI1) is shown here to be an important contributor to floret fertility. GNI1 evolved in the Triticeae through gene duplication. The gene, which encodes a homeodomain leucine zipper class I (HD-Zip I) transcription factor, was expressed most abundantly in the most apical floret primordia and in parts of the rachilla, suggesting that it acts to inhibit rachilla growth and development. The level of GNI1 expression has decreased over the course of wheat evolution under domestication, leading to the production of spikes bearing more fertile florets and setting more grains per spikelet. Genetic analysis has revealed that the reduced-function allele GNI-A1 contributes to the increased number of fertile florets per spikelet. The RNAi-based knockdown of GNI1 led to an increase in the number of both fertile florets and grains in hexaploid wheat. Mutants carrying an impaired GNI-A1 allele out-yielded WT allele carriers under field conditions. The data show that gene duplication generated evolutionary novelty affecting floret fertility while mutations favoring increased grain production have been under selection during wheat evolution under domestication.
Since the discovery that nucleases of the bacterial CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat)‐associated (Cas) system can be used as easily programmable tools for genome ...engineering, their application massively transformed different areas of plant biology. In this review, we assess the current state of their use for crop breeding to incorporate attractive new agronomical traits into specific cultivars of various crop plants. This can be achieved by the use of Cas9/12 nucleases for double‐strand break induction, resulting in mutations by non‐homologous recombination. Strategies for performing such experiments − from the design of guide RNA to the use of different transformation technologies − are evaluated. Furthermore, we sum up recent developments regarding the use of nuclease‐deficient Cas9/12 proteins, as DNA‐binding moieties for targeting different kinds of enzyme activities to specific sites within the genome. Progress in base deamination, transcriptional induction and transcriptional repression, as well as in imaging in plants, is also discussed. As different Cas9/12 enzymes are at hand, the simultaneous application of various enzyme activities, to multiple genomic sites, is now in reach to redirect plant metabolism in a multifunctional manner and pave the way for a new level of plant synthetic biology.
CRISPR/Cas technology is revolutionizing plant breeding, allowing genomes to be modified rapidly and efficiently for generating crop plants with new advantageous traits. Moreover, the unprecedented expansion and development of the CRISPR/Cas toolbox continuously enables novel applications to be exploited, for agriculture as well as synthetic plant biology.
Leaf rust, caused by Puccinia hordei, is an economically significant disease of barley, but only a few major resistance genes to P. hordei (Rph) have been cloned. In this study, gene Rph3 was ...isolated by positional cloning and confirmed by mutational analysis and transgenic complementation. The Rph3 gene, which originated from wild barley and was first introgressed into cultivated Egyptian germplasm, encodes a unique predicted transmembrane resistance protein that differs from all known plant disease resistance proteins at the amino acid sequence level. Genetic profiles of diverse accessions indicated limited genetic diversity in Rph3 in domesticated germplasm, and higher diversity in wild barley from the Eastern Mediterranean region. The Rph3 gene was expressed only in interactions with Rph3-avirulent P. hordei isolates, a phenomenon also observed for transcription activator-like effector-dependent genes known as executors conferring resistance to Xanthomonas spp. Like known transmembrane executors such as Bs3 and Xa7, heterologous expression of Rph3 in N. benthamiana induced a cell death response. The isolation of Rph3 highlights convergent evolutionary processes in diverse plant-pathogen interaction systems, where similar defence mechanisms evolved independently in monocots and dicots.
About 12,000 years ago in the Near East, humans began the transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture-based societies. Barley was a founder crop in this process, and the most important steps in ...its domestication were mutations in two adjacent, dominant, and complementary genes, through which grains were retained on the inflorescence at maturity, enabling effective harvesting. Independent recessive mutations in each of these genes caused cell wall thickening in a highly specific grain “disarticulation zone,” converting the brittle floral axis (the rachis) of the wild-type into a tough, non-brittle form that promoted grain retention. By tracing the evolutionary history of allelic variation in both genes, we conclude that spatially and temporally independent selections of germplasm with a non-brittle rachis were made during the domestication of barley by farmers in the southern and northern regions of the Levant, actions that made a major contribution to the emergence of early agrarian societies.
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•Wild barley spikes are brittle at maturity due to thin cell walls at rachis nodes•This characteristic evolved by duplication and neo-functionalization of two genes, Btr1 and Btr2•During domestication, deletions in Btr1 or Btr2 converted the rachis to non-brittle•The deletions happened twice: first in the South (btr1) and then in the North Levant (btr2)
Spatially and temporally independent selections of seeds with a non-brittle rachis were made during the domestication of barley by farmers in the southern and northern regions of the Levant, actions that made a major contribution to the emergence of early agrarian societies.
Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are customizable fusion proteins able to cleave virtually any genomic DNA sequence of choice, and thereby to generate site-directed genetic ...modifications in a wide range of cells and organisms. In the present study, we expressed TALENs in pollen-derived, regenerable cells to establish the generation of instantly true-breeding mutant plants. A gfp-specific TALEN pair was expressed via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in embryogenic pollen of transgenic barley harboring a functional copy of gfp. Thanks to the haploid nature of the target cells, knock-out mutations were readily detected, and homozygous primary mutant plants obtained following genome duplication. In all, 22% of the TALEN transgenics proved knocked out with respect to gfp, and the loss of function could be ascribed to the deletions of between four and 36 nucleotides in length. The altered gfp alleles were transmitted normally through meiosis, and the knock-out phenotype was consistently shown by the offspring of two independent mutants. Thus, here we describe the efficient production of TALEN-mediated gene knock-outs in barley that are instantaneously homozygous and non-chimeric in regard to the site-directed mutations induced. This TALEN approach has broad applicability for both elucidating gene function and tailoring the phenotype of barley and other crop species.
Barley is one of the most important cereals, which is used for breweries, animal and human feeds. Genetic manipulation of plant hormone cytokinins may influence several physiological processes, ...besides others stress tolerance, root formation and crop yield.
, endogenous cytokinin status is finely regulated by the enzyme cytokinin dehydrogenase (EC 1.5.99.12; CKX), that irreversible degrades the side chain of adenine-derived isoprenoid cytokinins. Increasing grain yield by mean of manipulation of endogenous cytokinin content was assayed by the silencing of the
gene. Moreover, to elucidate the putative role of
gene on grain production, knocked-out
mutant plants were generated using the RNA-guided Cas9 system. Homozygote transgenic plants with silenced
gene and azygous knock-out
mutants have been selected and analyzed. Both reduced expression of
gene and CKX activity were measured in different stages of barley grain development. Phenotyping of the transgenic lines revealed reduced root growth, however, plants produced more tillers and grains than azygous wild-type controls and the total yield was increased up to 15 per cent. Although plant productivity was increased, total grain biomass was decreased to 80% of WT grains. RNA-seq analysis of knock-down transgenic lines revealed that several important macronutrient transporters were downregulated in the stage of massive starch accumulation. It suggests that local accumulation of cytokinins negatively affected nutrients flow resulting in reduced grain biomass. Obtained results confirmed the key role of HvCKX1 for regulation of cytokinin content in barley.
• The wheat Lr34res allele, coding for an ATP-binding cassette transporter, confers durable resistance against multiple fungal pathogens. The Lr34sus allele, differing from Lr34res by two critical ...nucleotide polymorphisms, is found in susceptible wheat cultivars. Lr34res is functionally transferrable as a transgene into all major cereals, including rice, barley, maize, and sorghum.
• Here, we used transcriptomics, physiology, genetics, and in vitro and in vivo transport assays to study the molecular function of Lr34.
• We report that Lr34res results in a constitutive induction of transcripts reminiscent of an abscisic acid (ABA)-regulated response in transgenic rice. Lr34-expressing rice was altered in biological processes that are controlled by this phytohormone, including dehydration tolerance, transpiration and seedling growth. In planta seedling and in vitro yeast accumulation assays revealed that both LR34res and LR34sus act as ABA transporters. However, whereas the LR34res protein was detected in planta the LR34sus version was not, suggesting a post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism.
• Our results identify ABA as a substrate of the LR34 ABC transporter. We conclude that LR34res-mediated ABA redistribution has a major effect on the transcriptional response and physiology of Lr34res-expressing plants and that ABA is a candidate molecule that contributes to Lr34res-mediated disease resistance.
Chloroplasts fuel plant development and growth by converting solar energy into chemical energy. They mature from proplastids through the concerted action of genes in both the organellar and the ...nuclear genome. Defects in such genes impair chloroplast development and may lead to pigment-deficient seedlings or seedlings with variegated leaves. Such mutants are instrumental as tools for dissecting genetic factors underlying the mechanisms involved in chloroplast biogenesis. Characterization of the green-white variegated
mutant of barley (
) has greatly broadened the field of chloroplast biology, including the discovery of retrograde signaling. Here, we report identification of the
gene
(also known as
) by positional cloning as well as its functional validation based on independently induced mutants by Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING) and RNA-guided clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 endonuclease-mediated gene editing. The phenotypes of the independent
mutants imply residual activity of HvCMF7 in the original
allele conferring an imperfect penetrance of the variegated phenotype even at homozygous state of the mutation.
is a homolog of the Arabidopsis (
)
(
)
transcription factor gene
, which was reported to be involved in the expression of nuclear genes essential for chloroplast biogenesis. Notably, in barley we localized HvCMF7 to the chloroplast, without any clear evidence for nuclear localization.
Modular proteins are an evolutionary answer to optimize performance of proteins that physically interact with each other for functionality. Using a combination of genetic and biochemical experiments, ...we charac-terized the rice protein OsJAC1, which consists of a jacalin-related lectin （JRL） domain predicted to bind mannose-containing oligosaccharides, and a dirigent domain which might function in stereoselective coupling of monolignols. Transgenic overexpression of OsJAC1 in rice resulted in quantitative broad- spectrum resistance against different pathogens including bacteria, oomycetes, and fungi. Overexpression of this gene or its wheat ortholog TAJA1 in barley enhanced resistance against the powdery mildew fungus. Both protein domains of OsJAC1 are required to establish resistance as indicated by single or combined transient expression of individual domains. Expression of artificially separated and fluorescence-tagged protein domains showed that the JRL domain is sufficient for targeting the powdery mildew penetration site. Nevertheless, co-localization of the lectin and the dirigent domain occurred. Phylogenetic analyses re- vealed orthologs of OsJAC1 exclusively within the Poaceae plant family. Dicots, by contrast, only contain proteins with either JRL or dirigent domain（s）. Altogether, our results identify OsJAC1 as a representative of a novel type of resistance protein derived from a plant lineage-specific gene fusion event for better function in local pathogen defense.
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