Identification and analysis of a differentially expressed wheat RING-type E3 ligase in spike primordia development during post-vernalization

• Published in: Plant cell reports Vol. 40; no. 3; pp. 543 - 558
• Main Authors: Kim, Jae Ho, Khan, Irfan Ullah, Lee, Cheol Won, Kim, Dae Yeon, Jang, Cheol Seong, Lim, Sung Don, Park, Yong Chan, Kim, Ju Hee, Seo, Yong Weon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-03-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biodegradation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Cell Biology; Crop yield; Cultivars; Degradation; Developmental stages; Flowering; Flowers; Flowers - genetics; Flowers - growth & development; Flowers - physiology; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Gene sequencing; Genes; Life Sciences; Original Article; Phylogeny; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plant Sciences; Primordia; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex - metabolism; Proteasomes; Proteins; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Spikes; Time Factors; Transcription; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - physiology; Triticum aestivum; Ubiquitin-protein ligase; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases - genetics; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases - physiology; Ubiquitination; Vernalization; Wheat; Winter wheat; Waddington scale; ); RING-type E3 ligase; Primordia development; Wheat; Vernalization; Wheat (triticum aestivum)
• ISSN: 0721-7714; 1432-203X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00299-020-02651-8

Key message
We identified a RING-type E3 ligase (TaBAH1) protein in winter wheat that targets TaSAHH1 for degradation and might be involved in primordia development by regulating targeted protein degradation.
Grain yield per spike in wheat (
Triticum aestivum
), is mainly determined prior to flowering during mature primordia development; however, the genes involved in primordia development have yet to be characterized. In this study, we demonstrated that, after vernalization for 50 days at 4 °C, there was a rapid acceleration in primordia development to the mature stages in the winter wheat cultivars
Keumgang
and
Yeongkwang
compared with the
Chinese Spring
cultivar. Although
Yeongkwang
flowers later than
Keumgang
under normal condition, it has the same heading time and reaches the WS9 stage of floral development after vernalization for 50 days. Using RNA sequencing, we identified candidate genes associated with primordia development in cvs.
Keumgang
and
Yeongkwang
, that are differentially expressed during wheat reproductive stages. Among these, the RING-type E3 ligase
TaBAH1
(TraesCS5B01G373000) was transcriptionally upregulated between the double-ridge (WS2.5) stage and later stages of floret primordia development (WS10) after vernalization. Transient expression analysis indicated that TaBAH1 was localized to the plasma membrane and nucleus and was characterized by self-ubiquitination activity. Furthermore, we found that TaBAH1 interacts with TaSAHH1 to mediate its polyubiquitination and degradation through a 26S proteasomal pathway. Collectively, the findings of this study indicate that
TaBAH1
might play a prominent role in post-vernalization floret primordia development.