Genome-Wide Identification of <i>TaSAUR</i> Gene Family Members in Hexaploid Wheat and Functional Characterization of <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i> in Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Genome-Wide Identification of <i>TaSAUR</i> Gene Family Members in Hexaploid Wheat and Functional Characterization of <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i> in Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Excessive input of nitrogen fertilizer not only causes a great waste of resources but brings about a series of ecological and environmental problems. Although <i>Small Auxin Up-regulated</i> <i>RNAs</i> (<i>SAURs</i>) participate in diverse biological processes, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Weizeng Lv, Xue He, Haojuan Guo, Haibin Lan, Yanqing Jiao, Le Li, Yanhao Lian, Zhiqiang Wang, Zeyu Xin, Yongzhe Ren, Tongbao Lin
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:	International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:	<i>TaSAUR</i> gene family <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i> root nitrogen utilization efficiency
Online Access:	https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7574

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Summary:	Excessive input of nitrogen fertilizer not only causes a great waste of resources but brings about a series of ecological and environmental problems. Although <i>Small Auxin Up-regulated</i> <i>RNAs</i> (<i>SAURs</i>) participate in diverse biological processes, the function of <i>SAURs</i> in the nitrogen starvation response has not been well-studied. Here, we identified 308 <i>TaSAUR</i>s in wheat and divided them into 10 subfamilies. The promoter regions of most <i>TaSAURs</i> contain hormone responsive elements, and their expression levels change under the treatment of different hormones, such as IAA, MeJA, and ABA. Interestingly, overexpression of one of the <i>TaSAUR</i> family members, a nitrogen starvation responsive gene, <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i>, can promote the growth of <i>Arabidopsis</i> and wheat roots. In addition, overexpression of <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i> in <i>Arabidopsis</i> up-regulates the expression levels of auxin biosynthesis related genes, suggesting that overexpression <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i> may promote root growth by increasing the biosynthesis of auxin. Furthermore, overexpression of <i>TaSAUR66-5B</i> in wheat can increase the biomass and grain yields of transgenic plants, as well as the nitrogen concentration and accumulation of both shoots and grains, especially under low nitrogen conditions. This study provides important genomic information of the <i>TaSAUR</i> gene family and lays a foundation for elucidating the functions of <i>TaSAURs</i> in improving nitrogen utilization efficiency in wheat.
ISSN:	1661-6596 1422-0067