中国农业大学蒋才富等研究人员合作发现，ZmGolS1是玉米中自然变异的甘露寡糖含量和耐盐性的基础。该研究于2024年12月24日在线发表于《遗传学报》。

研究人员证明了盐诱导的半乳糖醇合成酶基因ZmGolS1的过表达，通过促进甘露寡糖的合成，缓解了盐引起的生长抑制。此外，研究人员还发现ZmGolS1转录水平的自然变异，有助于玉米中甘露寡糖含量和耐盐性的多样性。进一步研究表明，类型B响应调节因子转录因子ZmRR18与ZmGolS1启动子中的AATC元件结合，这种结合在盐胁迫条件下增加了ZmGolS1的转录水平。此外，ZmGolS1启动子中的一个单核苷酸多态性（称为SNP-302T），显著降低了其与ZmRR18的结合亲和力，导致ZmGolS1表达降低，甘露寡糖含量减少，最终导致盐敏感表型。

综上所述，该研究揭示了ZmRR18-ZmGolS1模块如何通过增强甘露寡糖生物合成，促进玉米在盐胁迫条件下的生长。这项研究为与糖类生物合成相关的耐盐机制提供了重要的见解，并确定了用于培育耐盐玉米品种的宝贵遗传位点。

研究人员表示，盐胁迫显著抑制作物的生长和发育，缓解盐胁迫能够增强各种作物的耐盐性。先前的研究表明，调控糖类生物合成是植物耐盐性的一个关键方面。然而，其潜在的分子机制仍未被充分探索。

附：英文原文

Title: ZmGolS1 underlies natural variation of raffinose content and salt tolerance in maize

Author: Yibo Cao b, Caifu Jiang a

Issue&Volume: 2024/12/24

Abstract: Salt stress significantly inhibits crop growth and development, and mitigating this can enhance salt tolerance in various crops. Previous studies have shown that regulating saccharide biosynthesis is a key aspect of plant salt tolerance; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that overexpression of a salt-inducible galactinol synthase gene, ZmGolS1, alleviates salt-induced growth inhibition, likely by promoting raffinose synthesis. Additionally, we show that natural variation in ZmGolS1 transcript levels contributes to the diversity of raffinose content and salt tolerance in maize. We further reveal that ZmRR18, a type-B response regulator transcription factor, binds to the AATC element in the promoter of ZmGolS1, with this binding increases the transcript levels of ZmGolS1 under salt conditions. Moreover, a single nucleotide polymorphism (termed SNP-302T) within the ZmGolS1 promoter significantly reduces its binding affinity for ZmRR18, resulting in decreased ZmGolS1 expression and diminished raffinose content, ultimately leading to a salt-hypersensitive phenotype. Collectively, our findings reveal the molecular mechanisms by which the ZmRR18-ZmGolS1 module enhances raffinose biosynthesis, thereby promoting maize growth under salt conditions. This research provides important insights into salt tolerance mechanisms associated with saccharide biosynthesis and identifies valuable genetic loci for breeding salt-tolerant maize varieties.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.12.013

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1673852724003667