Domestication of Tartary Buckwheat Shaped a Regulatory Module for Seedling Salt Tolerance by Targeting the Magnesium Transporter Gene FtMGT2
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Globally, soil salinization increasingly affects farmland, severely limiting the production of Tartary buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum ). To identify genetic factors for salt tolerance, we analyzed core Tartary buckwheat accessions and utilized differential expression analysis and genome‐wide association studies (GWAS), identifying a key domesticated magnesium transporter protein, FtMGT2. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype (G/A) of a natural variant located in the FtMGT2 promoter was found to be positively associated with the expression of FtMGT2 and salt tolerance variation. Mechanistically, the MADS transcription factor FtAGL16 binds the A variant more strongly. FtAGL16 and the MYB transcription factor FtMYB15L co‐regulate FtMGT2 transcription, with FtMYB15L protein stability strictly controlled by the E3 ubiquitin ligase FtBRG1. Intriguingly, under salt stress, FtAGL16 can compete with FtBRG1 for binding to FtMYB15L, stabilizing and accumulating FtMYB15L. This enhances FtMGT2 expression, increasing Mg 2+ flux, which in turn enhances the transport activity of the sodium (Na + ) transporter FtHKT1. This coordinated action leads to increased Na + efflux and enhanced salt resistance. This study thereby establishes both the theoretical basis and practical application for targeted molecular breeding to enhance plant salt tolerance.
Source: Advanced Science
Authors: Xiang Lu, Yuqi He, Wenfeng Weng, Zebin Liu, Yuanfen Gao, Yaliang Shi, Wei Li, Dili Lai, Mengyu Zhao, Rintu Jha, Hui Zhao, Guangsheng Li, Chaonan Guan, Shuai Shao, Jingjun Ruan, Sun Hee Woo, Yinan Ouyang, Muriel Quinet, Milen I. Georgiev, Alisdair R. Fernie, Congcong Hou, Kaixuan Zhang, Xu Liu, Meiliang Zhou
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Crop Sciences, Zunyi Normal College, Capital Normal University, Sichuan Agricultural University, East China University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, Guizhou University, Chungbuk National University, UCLouvain, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,730
OpenAlex ID: W4416675304