Evolutionary Systems Biology Identifies Genetic Trade-offs in Rice Defense against Aboveground and Belowground
Taryn S Dunivant1,2, Damaris Godinez-Vidal1, Craig Perkins1,2
1Department of Nematology, University of California Riverside, 900 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Plant & Cell Physiology
|September 18, 2024
Summary
Rice plant genes KSL8 and MG1 show potential genetic trade-offs, impacting resistance to different pests and pathogens. These genetic variations may be maintained by complex ecological interactions.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Ecology
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Plants like rice (Oryza sativa) face diverse environmental stresses from pathogens and herbivores.
- These stresses vary geographically and temporally, potentially creating conflicting selection pressures on plant defense mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential genetic trade-offs in rice defense mechanisms.
- To identify specific genes and loci involved in plant-herbivore and plant-pathogen interactions.
Main Methods:
- Conducted assays with aboveground (fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda) and belowground (southern root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita) herbivores.
- Compared rice responses to these herbivores with known responses to microbial pathogens.
- Analyzed genetic polymorphisms at the KSL8 and MG1 loci on chromosome 11.
Main Results:
- Genetic trade-offs were identified at the KSL8 and MG1 loci.
- Knocking out KSL8-jap and CPS4 in japonica rice increased resistance to S. frugiperda but decreased resistance to M. incognita.
- MG1 is associated with M. incognita resistance, while other haplotypes confer resistance to Magnaporthe oryzae and other threats.
Conclusions:
- Polymorphisms at KSL8 and MG1 may be maintained by balancing selection due to complex community interactions.
- These findings suggest that plant defense evolution is shaped by multiple, potentially conflicting, ecological pressures.
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