Comprehensive mapping of abiotic stress inputs into the soybean circadian clock.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

The plant circadian clock evolved to increase fitness by synchronizing physiological processes with environmental oscillations. Crop fitness was artificially selected through domestication and breeding, and the circadian clock was identified by both natural and artificial selections as a key to improved fitness. Despite progress in Arabidopsis , our understanding of the crop circadian clock is still limited, impeding its rational improvement for enhanced fitness. To unveil the interactions between the crop circadian clock and various environmental cues, we comprehensively mapped abiotic stress inputs to the soybean circadian clock using a 2-module discovery pipeline. Using the "molecular timetable" method, we computationally surveyed publicly available abiotic stress-related soybean transcriptomes to identify stresses that have strong impacts on the global rhythm. These findings were then experimentally confirmed using a multiplexed RNA sequencing technology. Specific clock components modulated by each stress were further identified. This comprehensive mapping uncovered inputs to the plant circadian clock such as alkaline stress. Moreover, short-term iron deficiency targeted different clock components in soybean and Arabidopsis and thus had opposite effects on the clocks of these 2 species. Comparing soybean varieties with different iron uptake efficiencies suggests that phase modulation might be a mechanism to alleviate iron deficiency symptoms in soybean. These unique responses in soybean demonstrate the need to directly study crop circadian clocks. Our discovery pipeline may serve as a broadly applicable tool to facilitate these explorations.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Li, M; Cao, L; Mwimba, M; Zhou, Y; Li, L; Zhou, M; Schnable, PS; O'Rourke, JA; Dong, X; Wang, W

Published Date

  • November 2019

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 116 / 47

Start / End Page

  • 23840 - 23849

PubMed ID

  • 31676549

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC6876155

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1091-6490

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0027-8424

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1073/pnas.1708508116

Language

  • eng