RESEARCH-PGR: Unlocking the Genetic and Epigenetic Basis of Cereal Crop Adaptation to Acidic Soil Regions

在气候迅速转变为更为恶劣的作物种植条件的情况下，抵御能力对全球的可持续粮食生产和安全至关重要。低pH值的酸性土壤在全球广泛存在，在粮食安全面临挑战的热带和亚热带地区也很常见。铝中毒是酸性土壤的一种重要的非生物胁迫，它损害根系，增加作物对干旱和矿物质缺乏的敏感性。先前的研究表明，膜转运蛋白多药物和有毒化合物挤压（MATE）家族的基因在高粱和玉米的铝耐受性中起重要作用，而其他基因在各种植物的铝耐受性中与DNA甲基化和组蛋白修饰的表观遗传变异密切相关。本项目将采用多组学方法在遗传和表观遗传水平上识别和探索Al耐受性的变化，以Al耐受性为范式，将基因调控与谷物的非生物逆境耐受性联系起来。预计该项目将对促进玉米和高粱遗传学/表观遗传学和基因组学研究成果的转化产生重大影响，以制定更有效的育种策略，以适应更广泛的非生物胁迫条件。在培训和推广方面，除了培训项目学生和博士后科学家外，该项目还将开发一个以人工智能耐受性为重点的翻译基因组学模块，该模块将包括在冷泉港实验室举办的长期谷物基因组学研讨会中。膜转运蛋白MATE家族的同源基因通过介导铝解毒柠檬酸盐向根际的释放，在高粱（SbMATE）和玉米（ZmMATE1）的铝耐受性中发挥重要作用。研究表明，铝诱导的SbMATE的表达不仅局限于根端，这是铝毒性和耐受性的部位，而且还非常特异性地表达于远端过渡区的表皮和皮质细胞。该项目将利用单细胞转录组学技术，通过将表观遗传反应与细胞特异性基因表达联系起来，为发现新的铝耐受性基因提供必要的空间分辨率。候选调控元件将通过基因编辑和突变分析进行功能验证，铝耐受性表型将在受控条件下和在具有良好特征的酸性土壤上进行评估。所有项目成果将通过在适当的长期数据储存库和库存中心存放的方式提供和广泛分发。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In a climate that is rapidly transitioning into much harsher crop cultivation conditions, resilience becomes vital for sustainable food production and security across the globe. Acidic soils with low pH are widespread globally and common in tropical and sub-tropical regions, where food security is a challenge. Aluminum (Al) toxicity, a significant abiotic stress on acidic soils, damages root systems and enhances crop susceptibility to drought and mineral deficiencies. Previous studies have shown that genes in the multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family of membrane transporters play an important role in Al tolerance in sorghum and maize while others strongly implicate epigenetic variation in DNA methylation and histone modification in Al tolerance in various plant species. This project will take a multi-omics approach to identify and explore variation in Al tolerance at both the genetic and epigenetic levels, using Al tolerance as a paradigm to connect gene regulation to abiotic stress tolerance in cereals. It is expected that this project will have significant impacts for facilitating translation of findings from maize and sorghum genetics/epigenetics and genomics research to develop more effective breeding strategies targeting adaptation to broader abiotic stress conditions. With respect to training and outreach, in addition to the training of project students and postdoctoral scientists, the project will develop a module on translational genomics focusing on Al tolerance that will be included in the long-running Cereal Genomics Workshop held at Cold Spring Harbor Lab. Homologous genes in the MATE family of membrane transporters play an important role in Al tolerance in sorghum (SbMATE) and maize (ZmMATE1) by mediating release of Al detoxifying citrate into the rhizosphere. Studies have shown that Al-induced expression of SbMATE is not just localized to the root apex, which is the site of Al toxicity and tolerance, but also very specifically to the epidermal and cortical cells in the distal transition zone. This project will leverage single-cell transcriptomics technologies that will provide the spatial resolution necessary to discover novel Al tolerance genes by associating epigenetic responses with cell-specific gene expression. Candidate regulatory elements will be functionally validated using gene editing and mutant analyses and Al tolerance phenotypes will be evaluated in controlled conditions and in the field on well-characterized acidic soils. All project outcomes will be made available and broadly distributed through deposition at the appropriate long-term data repositories and stock centers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.