华中农业大学Fazhan Qiu等研究人员合作发现，ZmEREB179的遗传变异与玉米的耐涝性有关。相关论文于2024年4月16日在线发表在《遗传学报》上。

研究人员发现了一个涝害和乙烯诱导基因ZmEREB179，它编码一个定位于细胞核的乙烯响应因子（ERF）。在玉米中过表达ZmEREB179可提高对水涝胁迫的敏感性。相反，zmereb179基因敲除突变体对水涝的耐受性更强，这表明ZmEREB179是水涝耐受性的负调控因子。对ZmEREB179基因缺失植株的转录组分析表明，ERF型转录因子可调控包括ZmEREB180在内的各种胁迫相关基因的表达。研究人员发现ZmEREB179直接靶向ZmEREB180启动子并抑制其表达。

值得注意的是，对220个玉米近交系的分析表明，ZmEREB179启动子（Hap2）的遗传变异与抗涝性显著相关。在两个F2分离群体中，Hap2与抗涝性的功能关联是紧密共分离的，这突显了其在育种计划中的潜在应用。这些发现揭示了ERF转录级联在调控植物抗涝性中的参与。

据了解，玉米（Zea mays）极易受到水涝胁迫的影响，水涝会降低这种重要作物的产量和质量。然而，有关耐涝性的分子机制却鲜为人知。

附：英文原文

Title: Genetic variations in ZmEREB179 are associated with waterlogging tolerance in maize

Author: Feng Yu b, Fazhan Qiu a

Issue&Volume: 2024/04/16

Abstract: Maize (Zea mays) is highly susceptible to waterlogging stress, which reduces both the yield and quality of this important crop. However, the molecular mechanism governing waterlogging tolerance is poorly understood. In this study, we identify a waterlogging- and ethylene-inducible gene ZmEREB179 that encodes an ethylene responsive factor (ERF) localized in the nucleus. Overexpression of ZmEREB179 in maize increases the sensitivity to waterlogging stress. Conversely, the zmereb179 knockout mutants are more tolerant to waterlogging, suggesting that ZmEREB179 functions as a negative regulator of waterlogging tolerance. A transcriptome analysis of the ZmEREB179-overexpressing plants reveals that the ERF-type transcription factor modulates the expression of various stress-related genes, including ZmEREB180. We find that ZmEREB179 directly targets the ZmEREB180 promoter and represses its expression. Notably, the analysis of a panel of 220 maize inbred lines reveals that genetic variations in the ZmEREB179 promoter (Hap2) are significantly associated with waterlogging resistance. The functional association of Hap2 with waterlogging resistance is tightly co-segretated in two F2 segregating populations, highlighting its potential applications in breeding programs. Our findings shed light on the involvement of the transcriptional cascade of ERFs in regulating plant waterlogging tolerance.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.04.005

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1673852724000754