Elevated CO2 increases biomass of Sorghum bicolor green prop roots under drought conditions via soluble sugar accumulation and photosynthetic activity

Abstract

Elevated [CO₂ ] (E[CO₂ ]) mitigates agricultural losses of C4 plants under drought. Although several studies have described the molecular responses of the C4 plant species Sorghum bicolor during drought exposure, few have reported the combined effects of drought and E[CO₂ ] (E[CO₂ ]/D) on the roots. A previous study showed that, among plant organs, green prop roots (GPRs) under E[CO₂ ]/D presented the second highest increase in biomass after leaves compared with ambient [CO₂ ]/D. GPRs are photosynthetically active and sensitive to drought. To understand which mechanisms are involved in the increase in biomass of GPRs, we performed transcriptome analyses of GPRs under E[CO₂ ]/D. Whole-transcriptome analysis revealed several pathways altered under E[CO₂ ]/D, among which photosynthesis was strongly affected. We also used previous metabolome data to support our transcriptome data. Activities associated with photosynthesis and central metabolism increased, as seen by the upregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, a rise in glucose and polyol contents, and increased contents of chlorophyll a and carotenoids. Protein-protein interaction networks revealed that proliferation, biogenesis, and homeostasis categories were enriched and contained mainly upregulated genes. The findings suggest that the previously reported increase in GPR biomass of plants grown under E[CO₂ ]/D is mainly attributed to glucose and polyol accumulation, as well as photosynthesis activity and carbon provided by respiratory CO₂ refixation. Our findings reveal that an intriguing and complex metabolic process occurs in GPRs under E[CO₂ ]/D, showing the crucial role of these organs in plant drought /tolerance.