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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Cereal Disease Lab » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417324
Research Project: Surveillance, Pathogen Biology, and Host Resistance of Cereal Rusts

Location: Cereal Disease Lab

Title: VRS5 (HvTB1) binds to the promoter of tillering and floral homeotic genes to regulate their expression

Author
item WINKELMOLEN, TON - Wageningen University And Research Center
item COLLEONI, PIERANGELA - Wageningen University And Research Center
item Moscou, Matthew
item HOSEINZADEH, PARASTOO - Kws Saat Ag
item OLDACH, KLAUS - Kws Saat Ag
item SCHMIDT, RALF-CHRISTIAN - Basf Corporation
item IMMINK, RICHARD - Wageningen University And Research Center
item VAN ESSE, GIJSBERTA - Wageningen University And Research Center

Submitted to: bioRxiv
Publication Type: Pre-print Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2024
Publication Date: 8/23/2024
Citation: Winkelmolen, T., Colleoni, P., Moscou, M.J., Hoseinzadeh, P., Oldach, K., Schmidt, R., Immink, R., Van Esse, G.W. 2024. VRS5 (HvTB1) binds to the promoter of tillering and floral homeotic genes to regulate their expression. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.22.609225.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.22.609225

Interpretive Summary: Grasses contribute to over half of the world's caloric intake. Several grass species have been domesticated by mankind including corn, wheat, rice, and barley. A key feature in all grass crops is our ability to modify how they grow through selecting for varieties that fit a specific agricultural need. In barley, this involves changes in height, the number of tillers from an individual plant, and the number of rows in the spike/head. While the barley gene VRS5 is known to regulate tillering and row-type in barley, the targets of this regulator are unknown. In this study, the targets of VRS5 were identified by comparing genes that have increased and decreased expression and by using a sequencing approach that determines if VRS5 physically associates with these genes’ promoter regions. Several targets have known roles in controlling tillering and row-type in barley and other cereals. Through the identification of VRS5 targets, we have discovered new genes that can be used to modify barley and other cereals to maximize their yield in agriculture.

Technical Abstract: Variation in shoot architecture, or tillering, is an important adaptive trait targeted during the domestication of crops. A well-known regulatory factor in shoot architecture is TEOSINTE BRANCHED 1 (TB1). TB1 and its orthologs have a conserved function in integrating environmental signals to regulate axillary branching, or tillering in cereals. The barley ortholog of TB1, VULGARE ROW-TYPE SIX 5 (VRS5) does not only regulate tillering, but is also involved in regulating row-type by inhibiting lateral spikelet development. These discoveries predominantly come from genetic studies, but how VRS5 regulates these processes on a molecular level remains largely unknown. By combining transcriptome analysis between vrs5 and WT at different developmental stages and DAP-sequencing to locate the genome-wide DNA binding sites of VRS5, we identified bona fide targets of VRS5. We found that VRS5 targets in particular abscisic acid related genes to inhibit tillering in a conserved way. While later in inflorescence development, row-type gene VRS1 and several known floral development genes, like MIKCc type MADS-box genes, are targeted. This study identifies several significant genes for mutational analysis, representing a selection of bona fide targets that will contribute to a deeper understanding of the VRS5 network and its role in shaping barley development.