Abstract
Key message
Rice MERISTEM ACTIVITYLESS (MAL), a RING-H2 finger domain (RFD)-containing gene, regulates meristem cell viability after the initiation of root primordia mediated by cytokinin signaling.
Abstract
Genes in the RING-H2 finger domain (RFD) family play various roles during plant development and in biotic/abiotic stress responses. Rice gene MERISTEM ACTIVITYLESS (MAL), being contained in the RING-H2 finger domain (RFD), is characterized by a transmembrane domain at the N-terminal and a C3H2C3 zinc finger domain at the C-terminal. To elucidate the physiological and molecular functions of MAL, we generated MAL knockdown transgenic plants by RNA interference. MAL RNA-interfered (MRi) transgenic plants exhibited a phenotype with shorter crown root length and lower crown root number, accompanied by a lower cell division rate. The low division rate was observed in the root meristem exactly where MAL was expressed. Furthermore, transcriptome data revealed that cell wall macromolecule metabolism-related genes and redox-related genes were enriched in MAL RNAi lines. Most of these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were induced by exogenous cytokinin. Hence, we conclude that MAL, as a novel regulatory factor, plays a major role in maintaining cell viability in the meristem after the initiation of root primordial formation, mediated by cytokinin signaling and reactive oxygen species (ROS).
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Acknowledgements
We thank Qinglu Zhang, and Xianghua Li for help in field experiments and management and Qinghua Zhang for RNA-Seq sequencing. This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0100301-006-1 and 2016YFD0100903-3), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31671516, 31730049 and 31970806) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2662018JC017).
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W.J. and Y.Z. designed the experiment. W.J. S.Z. H.H., and H.S. performed the experiments. Q.Z. managed the fields. W.J., S.Z., and Y.Z. analyzed the data. J.W. and Y.Z. wrote the article.
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Jiang, W., Zhou, S., Huang, H. et al. MERISTEM ACTIVITYLESS (MAL) is involved in root development through maintenance of meristem size in rice. Plant Mol Biol 104, 499–511 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-020-01053-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-020-01053-4