Enhancing the Expression of the <i>OsF3H</i> Gene in <i>Oryza sativa</i> Leads to the Regulation of Multiple Biosynthetic Pathways and Transcriptomic Changes That Influence Insect Resistance
The white-backed planthopper (WBPH) is a major pest of rice crops and causes severe loss of yield. We previously developed the WBPH-resistant rice cultivar “<i>OxF3H</i>” by overexpressing the <i>OsF3H</i> gene. Although there was a higher accumulation of the flavonoids kaemp...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/23/15308 |
| Summary: | The white-backed planthopper (WBPH) is a major pest of rice crops and causes severe loss of yield. We previously developed the WBPH-resistant rice cultivar “<i>OxF3H</i>” by overexpressing the <i>OsF3H</i> gene. Although there was a higher accumulation of the flavonoids kaempferol (Kr) and quercetin (Qu) as well as salicylic acid (SA) in <i>OxF3H</i> transgenic (<i>OsF3H</i> or Trans) plants compared to the wild type (WT), it is still unclear how Os<i>F3H</i> overexpression affects these WBPH resistant-related changes in gene expression in <i>OxF3H</i> plants. In this study, we analyze RNA-seq data from <i>OxF3H</i> and WT at several points (0 h, 3 h, 12 h, and 24 h) after WBPH infection to explain how overall changes in gene expression happen in these two cultivars. RT-qPCR further validated a number of the genes. Results revealed that the highest number of DEGs (4735) between the two genotypes was detected after 24 h of infection. Interestingly, it was found that several of the DEGs between the WT and <i>OsF3H</i> under control conditions were also differentially expressed in <i>OsF3H</i> in response to WBPH infestation. These results indicate that significant differences in gene expression between the “<i>OxF3H</i>” and “WT” exist as the infection time increases. Many of these DEGs were related to oxidoreductase activity, response to stress, salicylic acid biosynthesis, metabolic process, defense response to pathogen, cellular response to toxic substance, and regulation of hormone levels. Moreover, genes involved in salicylic acid (SA) and ethylene (Et) biosynthesis were upregulated in <i>OxF3H</i> plants, while jasmonic acid (JA), brassinosteroid (Br), and abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathways were found downregulated in <i>OxF3H</i> plants during WBPH infestation. Interestingly, many DEGs related to pathogenesis, such as <i>OsPR1</i>, <i>OsPR1b</i>, <i>OsNPR1</i>, <i>OsNPR3,</i> and <i>OsNPR5,</i> were found to be significantly upregulated in <i>OxF3H</i> plants. Additionally, genes related to the MAPKs pathway and about 30 <i>WRKY</i> genes involved in different pathways were upregulated in <i>OxF3H</i> plants after WBPH infestation. This suggests that overexpression of the <i>OxF3H</i> gene leads to multiple transcriptomic changes and impacts plant hormones and pathogenic-related and secondary-metabolites-related genes, enhancing the plant’s resistance to WBPH infestation. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |