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Two Transcriptional Factors Antagonistically Fine-Tune MIR1863a to Balance Resistance and Yield Traits in Rice
Zhang-Wei Hu1, Jun-Hua Wang1, Xiao-Yu Xiong1
1State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.
Plant Biotechnology Journal
|July 29, 2025
Summary
Rice microRNAs (miRNAs) balance disease resistance and yield. MIR1863a mutation enhances blast resistance without yield loss, regulated by transcription factors MADS51 and ESR1.
Area of Science:
- Plant Molecular Biology
- Crop Genetics
- Plant Pathology
Background:
- Immune activation in plants often leads to a trade-off with growth, resulting in reduced crop yield.
- Identifying genes that coordinate disease resistance and crop yield is crucial for agricultural improvement.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as key regulators with potential to balance resistance and yield.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of MIR1863a in regulating the trade-off between blast disease resistance and crop yield in rice.
- To identify the regulatory mechanisms controlling MIR1863a expression and its impact on yield traits.
- To explore the potential of manipulating the MADS51-ESR1-MIR1863a pathway for crop improvement.
Main Methods:
- Gene mutation and overexpression studies of MIR1863a in rice.
- Analysis of transcription factor binding and regulation of MIR1863a expression.
- Phenotypic evaluation of disease resistance and yield-related traits (e.g., panicle number, seed setting rate).
- Haplotype analysis of MADS51 and ESR1 in diverse rice accessions.
Main Results:
- Mutation of MIR1863a enhanced rice blast resistance without compromising yield, increasing panicle number.
- Overexpression or mutation of MIR1863a negatively impacted yield traits like seed setting rate.
- MIR1863a expression is antagonistically regulated by MADS51 (activator) and ESR1 (suppressor) in response to pathogen invasion.
- Mutation of MADS51 also enhanced blast resistance without yield loss.
- Differential haplotypes of MADS51 and ESR1 correlate with varying disease resistance phenotypes across rice subspecies.
Conclusions:
- A regulatory mechanism involving MADS51, ESR1, and MIR1863a fine-tunes miRNA levels to balance rice disease resistance and yield.
- This pathway provides a novel target for breeding crops with enhanced disease resistance and optimal yield.
- Subspecies-specific evolution of this regulatory module suggests diverse strategies for managing the resistance-yield trade-off in rice.
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