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Identification of the Regulators of Epidermis Development under Drought- and Salt-Stressed Conditions by Single-Cell RNA-Seq

Authors :
Zhixin Liu
Chenxi Guo
Rui Wu
Jiajing Wang
Yaping Zhou
Xiaole Yu
Yixin Zhang
Zihao Zhao
Hao Liu
Susu Sun
Mengke Hu
Aizhi Qin
Yumeng Liu
Jincheng Yang
George Bawa
Xuwu Sun
Source :
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 23, Iss 5, p 2759 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

As sessile organisms, plants constantly face challenges from the external environment. In order to meet these challenges and survive, plants have evolved a set of sophisticated adaptation strategies, including changes in leaf morphology and epidermal cell development. These developmental patterns are regulated by both light and hormonal signaling pathways. However, our mechanistic understanding of the role of these signaling pathways in regulating plant response to environmental stress is still very limited. By applying single-cell RNA-Seq, we determined the expression pattern of PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR (PIF) 1, PIF3, PIF4, and PIF5 genes in leaf epidermal pavement cells (PCs) and guard cells (GCs). PCs and GCs are very sensitive to environmental stress, and our previous research suggests that these PIFs may be involved in regulating the development of PCs, GCs, and leaf morphology under environmental stress. Growth analysis showed that pif1/3/4/5 quadruple mutant maintained tolerance to drought and salt stress, and the length to width ratio of leaves and petiole length under normal growth conditions were similar to those of wild-type (WT) plants under drought and salt treatment. Analysis of the developmental patterns of PCs and GCs, and whole leaf morphology, further confirmed that these PIFs may be involved in mediating the development of epidermal cells under drought and salt stress, likely by regulating the expression of MUTE and TOO MANY MOUTHS (TMM) genes. These results provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of plant adaptation to adverse growth environments.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23052759, 14220067, and 16616596
Volume :
23
Issue :
5
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.13cd505774ce492fa63981c0c81630af
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23052759