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Overexpression of the OsERF71 Transcription Factor Alters Rice Root Structure and Drought Resistance

2016/07/05 by Dong-Keun Lee, Harin Jung, Geupil Jang +7 · 246 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Arabidopsis #Biology #Botany #Cell biology #Endodermis #Gene #Genetics #Lateral root #Meristem #Mutant #Oryza sativa #Pericycle #Phenotype #Plant Gene Expression Analysis #Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance #Plant responses to water stress #Transcription factor

paper · pdf · doi:10.1104/pp.16.00379

published in PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 172(1), 575-588 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2016/07/05 · openalex created_date 2016/07/22 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

Plant responses to drought stress require the regulation of transcriptional networks via drought-responsive transcription factors, which mediate a range of morphological and physiological changes. AP2/ERF transcription factors are known to act as key regulators of drought resistance transcriptional networks; however, little is known about the associated molecular mechanisms that give rise to specific morphological and physiological adaptations. In this study, we functionally characterized the rice (Oryza sativa) drought-responsive AP2/ERF transcription factor OsERF71, which is expressed predominantly in the root meristem, pericycle, and endodermis. Overexpression of OsERF71, either throughout the entire plant or specifically in roots, resulted in a drought resistance phenotype at the vegetative growth stage, indicating that overexpression in roots was sufficient to confer drought resistance. The root-specific overexpression was more effective in conferring drought resistance at the reproductive stage, such that grain yield was increased by 23% to 42% over wild-type plants or whole-body overexpressing transgenic lines under drought conditions. OsERF71 overexpression in roots elevated the expression levels of genes related to cell wall loosening and lignin biosynthetic genes, which correlated with changes in root structure, the formation of enlarged aerenchyma, and high lignification levels. Furthermore, OsERF71 was found to directly bind to the promoter of OsCINNAMOYL-COENZYME A REDUCTASE1, a key gene in lignin biosynthesis. These results indicate that the OsERF71-mediated drought resistance pathway recruits factors involved in cell wall modification to enable root morphological adaptations, thereby providing a mechanism for enhancing drought resistance.

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