Understanding paraquat resistance mechanisms in Arabidopsis thaliana to facilitate developing paraquat-resistant crops

Authors: NAZISH, TAHMINA - University Of Science And Technology Of China; HUANG, YI-JIE - University Of Science And Technology Of China; ZHANG, JING - University Of Science And Technology Of China; XIA, JIN-QIU - University Of Science And Technology Of China; ALFATIH, ALAMIN - University Of Science And Technology Of China; CHAO, LUO - Nanjing Forestry University; CAI, XIAO-TENG - Beijing University Of Agriculture; XI, JING - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); XU, PING - Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden; XIANG, CHENG-BIN - University Of Science And Technology Of China

Submitted to: Plant Communications
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/24/2022
Publication Date: 3/24/2022
Citation: Nazish, T., Huang, Y., Zhang, J., Xia, J., Alfatih, A., Chao, L., Cai, X., Xi, J., Xu, P., Xiang, C. 2022. Understanding paraquat resistance mechanisms in Arabidopsis thaliana to facilitate developing paraquat-resistant crops. Plant Communications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2022.100321.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2022.100321

Interpretive Summary: Paraquat represents one of the most extensively used broad spectrum herbicides world-wide, second only to the herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate. Its high solubility, rapid action and lack of soil activity makes paraquat one of the most important weed management tools available to growers. In recent decades, the utility of many of the more widely used herbicides have been compromised by the occurrence of weeds able to resist their inhibitory effects. While some cases of weeds resistant to paraquat have also been identified, in general the evolution of resistance to paraquat is a relatively slow process and paraquat-resistant weeds are not currently considered to be of major economic concern. Crop plants engineered to resist the effects of broad-spectrum herbicides have emerged as powerful tools for growers in recent years, due to their ease of use and the significant economic benefits provided. Paraquat resistant crops could offer similar benefits for growers, although little is known at present concerning how plants can acquire resistance to this particular herbicide. In this review, we discuss the potential for the development of paraquat-resistant crops and discuss what is currently known concerning the mechanisms utilized by various weed species to acquire tolerance to this plant growth inhibitor. We also discuss the potential utility of the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana for accelerating our understanding of paraquat resistance mechanisms, which could ultimately facilitate the development of paraquat resistant crops.

Technical Abstract: Paraquat (PQ) is the third most used broad-spectrum nonselective herbicide around the globe after glyphosate and glufosinate. Repeated usage and overreliance on this herbicide have resulted in the emergence of PQ-resistant weeds that are a potential hazard to agriculture. It is generally believed that PQ resistance in weeds is due to increased sequestration of the herbicide and its decreased translocation to the target site, as well as an enhanced ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species. However, little is known about the genetic bases and molecular mechanisms of PQ resistance in weeds, and hence no PQ-resistant crops have been developed to date. Forward genetics of the model plant Arabidopsis has advanced our under-standing of the molecular mechanisms of PQ resistance. This review focuses on PQ resistance loci and resistance mechanisms revealed in Arabidopsis and examines the possibility of developing PQ-resistant crops using the elucidated mechanisms.