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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #412071
Research Project: Championing Improvement of Sorghum and Other Agriculturally Important Species through Data Stewardship and Functional Dissection of Complex Traits

Location: Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research

Title: Decoding Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Maize and Sorghum: Insights from Comparative Gene Regulatory Networks for Sustainable Agriculture

Author
item BRAYNEN, JANEEN - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item KUMARI, SUNITA - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item OLSON, ANDREW - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item KUMAR, VIVEK - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item REGULSKI, MICHAEL - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item LISERON-MONFILS, CHRISTOPHE - National Research Council - Canada
item GAUDINIER, ALLISON - University Of California Berkeley
item FRANK, MARY - Corteva Agriscience
item SHEN, BO - Corteva Agriscience
item Ware, Doreen
item KLEIN, ROBERT - Texas A&M University
item Rooney, William
item Boerman, Nicholas
item KOCHIAN, LEON - University Of Saskatchewan

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/22/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) plays a critical role in both environmental sustainability and plant nutrient utilization. Employing Yeast One-Hybrid (Y1H) assays, we constructed Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of NUE in both dicot and monocot species. A GRN for maize, encompassing 1625 Protein-DNA Interactions (PDIs), was developed, and compared with a published Arabidopsis GRN. This comparative analysis shed light on conserved interactions within the nitrate assimilation pathway, with a notable divergence observed in transporter gene conservation between Arabidopsis and maize. Significantly, the bZIP transcription factor (TF) family, particularly bZIP18/bZIP30, was identified as a major regulatory influence within the maize GRN, influencing nitrogen assimilation and carbon metabolism. To capture temporal expression patterns, maize and sorghum were cultivated under controlled hydroponic conditions, subjected to varying nitrate levels to simulate limitation and recovery scenarios, followed by RNA-seq analysis. This approach unveiled species-specific and temporal variations in differentially expressed genes (DEGs), particularly within TF families like bZIP and NIN-LIKE PROTEIN in both crops. These variations highlight the unique responses of each species to nitrogen stress, thus emphasizing the importance of these TF families in nitrogen-related gene expression. Further extending the study to address excess nitrogen's impact on animal feed, we investigated genotypic differences in nitrate accumulation in sorghum. Utilizing four distinct male sterile lines and the reference genome BTx623, experiments were conducted in both hydroponic and sand-based systems. The observed gene expression profiles under various nitrate conditions pointed to substantial differences, especially in nitrate reduction and photosynthesis pathways. The study's insights into genomic regulatory frameworks crucial for plant adaptability to nitrogen fluctuations are key to identifying genotypes with enhanced NUE. These findings are instrumental in promoting sustainable agricultural practices, offering significant benefits for both crop management and environmental health. This project was funded by the USDA-ARS award # 8062-21000-044-000D.