A receptor-like kinase controls the amplitude of secondary cell wall synthesis in rice

Wenguo Cai; Jun Hong; Zengyu Liu; Wenyu Wang; Jiao Zhang; Gynheung An; Wanqi Liang; Staffan Persson; Dabing Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.035

A receptor-like kinase controls the amplitude of secondary cell wall synthesis in rice

Curr Biol. 2023 Feb 6;33(3):498-506.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.035. Epub 2023 Jan 12.

Authors

Wenguo Cai¹, Jun Hong², Zengyu Liu², Wenyu Wang³, Jiao Zhang², Gynheung An⁴, Wanqi Liang², Staffan Persson⁵, Dabing Zhang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 20040, China; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
² Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 20040, China.
³ Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 20040, China; College of Life Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China.
⁴ Crop Biotech Institute and Graduate School of Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 17104, Korea.
⁵ Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 20040, China; Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark; Copenhagen Plant Science Center, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
⁶ Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 20040, China; School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia. Electronic address: zhangdb@sjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36638797
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.035

Abstract

Cell wall expansion is a key element in determining plant morphology and growth, and cell wall integrity changes are relayed to the cell to fine-tune growth responses. Here, we show that variations in the ectodomain of a cell wall-associated receptor-like kinase, WAK10, in temperate Oryza japonica accessions differentially amplify fluctuations in cell wall integrity to control rice stem height. Mutation in the WAK10 gene exhibited increased cell wall thickening in stem sclerenchyma and reduced cell expansion in the stem. Two WAK10 ectodomain variants bound pectic oligosaccharides with different affinities. The pectic oligosaccharide binding regulated WAK10 phosphorylation activity, the amplitude of secondary wall deposition, and ultimately, stem height. Rice population analyses revealed active enrichment of the short-stem WAK10 ectodomain alleles in japonica subspecies during domestication. Our study outlines not only a mechanism for how variations in ligand affinities of a receptor kinase control cell wall biosynthesis and plant growth, but it also provides breeding targets for new semi-dwarf rice cultivars.

Keywords: cell wall signals; cell wall-associated receptor-like kinase; genome-wide association analyses; plant height.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cell Wall / metabolism
Mutation
Oryza* / genetics
Plant Breeding