BioProject

Plant stress response and tolerance mechanisms are controlled by diverse genes. More...

Plant stress response and tolerance mechanisms are controlled by diverse genes. Transcription factors have been implicated in drought tolerance under drought stress conditions. Identification of target genes of such transcription factors could offer molecular regulatory networks by which the tolerance mechanisms orchestrated. Previously, we generated transgenic rice plants with 4 rice transcription factors OsNAC5, 6, 9, and 10 under the root-specific promoter RCc3 that were tolerant to drought stress with less loss of grain yield under drought conditions. To understand the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance, we performed ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq analyses to identify direct target genes of the OsNACs using the RCc3:MYC-OsNACs roots. A total of 475 binding loci of 4 OsNACs were identified by cross-referencing the binding occupancy of OsNACs at promoter regions and expression levels of corresponding genes. The binding loci are distributed on promoter regions of 391 target genes that were directly up-regulated by OsNACs in four RCc3:MYC-OsNAC transgenic roots. The direct target genes were related to transmembrane/transporter activity, vesicle, plant hormone, carbohydrate metabolism, and transcription factors. The direct targets of each OsNAC are in a range of 4.0 to 8.7% of the genes up-regulated in RNA-Seq data sets. Thus, each OsNAC up-regulates of corresponding direct target genes that alters root system architectures of RCc3:OsNACs for drought tolerance. Our results provide valuable resources for functional dissection of the molecular mechanisms for plant drought tolerance. Overall design: ChIPseq using roots of NT and RCc3:6xmyc-OsNAC5, RCc3:6xmyc-OsNAC6, RCc3:6xmyc-OsNAC9, RCc3:6xmyc-OsNAC10 transgenic plants Less...