1. Publication
  2. Research Highlights
  3. 2023

Novel drought stress response mechanisms in plants

Related Research Project
Resilient crops SATREPS BOLIVIA

Description

Drought is the most serious environmental stress that threatens crop growth and survival. Even a mild drought with no leaf wilting can significantly reduce crop growth and have a profound impact on yields. Therefore, early detection of such "invisible droughts" and appropriate measures such as irrigation are important for stable crop production. However, the response of crops to "invisible drought" in the field and its mechanisms have not been well understood. In this study, using a drought stress evaluation system with ridges we developed, we elucidated the plant response to the "invisible drought" that occurs in the field and its physiological significance through detailed analysis in the laboratory and using model plants.

To understand the plant response to the "invisible drought" that occurs in the field, we conducted RNA sequencing analysis using the leaves of soybean grown on flats and those grown on ridges. The data showed that a battery of phosphate starvation response (PSR) genes was up-regulated under mild drought conditions (Fig. 1). By elemental analysis of the leaves, it was demonstrated that mild drought stress reduces levels of Pi among the three primary macronutrients, N, P, and K, in plants in the field. In addition, we showed that the expression of PSR genes is induced in a soil water-dependent manner during the initial phase of drought stress in soybean grown in pots with controlled soil water contents. Furthermore, as drought stress intensifies, the expression of abscisic acid (ABA) response genes is induced (Fig. 2). Not only in soybean but also in Arabidopsis thaliana, the expression of PSR genes is induced in the early phase of drought stress before the expression of ABA response genes is induced, suggesting that the newly found phenomenon is universal in plants. In PSR-deficient Arabidopsis mutant plants, growth is significantly suppressed by mild drought stress compared to wild-type plants, suggesting that induction of PSR gene expression under mild drought stress plays an important role in maintaining growth during water stress (Fig. 3).

Phosphate content and expression of PSR genes are expected to contribute to the development of plant water sensors as early indicators of "invisible drought," but it is necessary to consider the possibility that environmental conditions other than soil moisture may also affect the induction of phosphate deficiency responses.
 

Figure, table

  1. Figs
Research project
Program name

Food

Stable Agricultural Production

Stable Food Production

KAKEN
Term of research

FY2015-2023

Responsible researcher

Nagatoshi Yukari ( Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division )

ORCID ID
0000-0002-9029-7826
KAKEN Researcher No.: 90723859
MIERUKA ID: 001763

Kobayashi Yasufumi ( Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division )

Fujii Kenichiro ( Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division )

Baba Junya ( Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division )

Fujita Yasunari ( Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division )

ORCID ID
0000-0002-5036-8319
KAKEN Researcher No.: 00446395
MIERUKA ID: 001776

Ikazaki Kenta ( Crop, Livestock and Environment Division )

KAKEN Researcher No.: 70582021

Oya Tetsuji ( Crop, Livestock and Environment Division )

Mizuno Nobuyuki ( Kyoto University )

Yasui Yasuo ( Kyoto University )

KAKEN Researcher No.: 70293917

Sugita Ryohei ( Nagoya University )

ORCID ID
0009-0000-0858-1821
KAKEN Researcher No.: 60724747

Takebayashi Yumiko ( RIKEN )

ORCID ID
0000-0003-4207-297X

Kojima Mikiko ( RIKEN )

ORCID ID
0000-0002-2967-5082
KAKEN Researcher No.: 10634678

Sakakibara Hitoshi ( RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science ･ Nagoya University )

ORCID ID
0000-0001-5449-6492
KAKEN Researcher No.: 20242852

Kobayashi Natsuko ( University of Tokyo )

ORCID ID
0000-0002-1279-7083
KAKEN Researcher No.: 60708345

Tanoi Keitaro ( University of Tokyo )

ORCID ID
0000-0001-7545-2771
KAKEN Researcher No.: 90361576

Ogiso Tanaka Eri ( National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) )

ORCID ID
0000-0002-7655-3408
KAKEN Researcher No.: 646929

Ishimoto Masao ( National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) )

KAKEN Researcher No.: 20355134

ほか
Publication, etc.

Nagatoshi et al. (2023) Nature Communications 14: 5047.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40773-1

Japanese PDF

2023_B03_ja.pdf1.91 MB

English PDF

2023_B03_en.pdf529.3 KB

＊ Affiliation at the time of implementation of the study.

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