International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Dear Colleagues,

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is not only a major staple food for the world’s population but also a model crop plant for studying the mode of action of agronomically valuable traits, suggesting ideas for application to other crop plants. The roots of the plant demonstrate a range of essential functions, including the acquisition of water and nutrient and structural support. A molecular and genetic understanding of the mechanism by which nutrient use efficiency is enhanced in rice, as a model crop plant, is very important for crop productivity. Advances in integrating omics studies using the genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and functional genomics will provide valuable insights into low-input and sustainable crop production.

Papers submitted to this Special Issue must report novel results and/or plausible and testable new models. This Special Issue includes studies involving physiological and chemical analysis associated with the transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, and integrating omics for nutrient use efficiency in crop plants and developing crops with enhanced nutrient use efficiency through the improvement of root traits using natural variation, biotechnology, and gene editing techniques. In addition, related database issues are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ki-Hong Jung
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

rice
root
nutrient use efficiency (nitrogen, phosphate, potassium)
utilization of micronutrients (boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc)
reactive oxygen species (ROS)
transcriptomics
proteomics
metabolomics
integrating omics
genome-wide association study (GWAS)
mutant analysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3241 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Rice Cation/H⁺ Exchanger Family Involved in Cd Tolerance and Transport

by Wenli Zou, Jingguang Chen, Lijun Meng, Dandan Chen, Haohua He and Guoyou Ye

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(15), 8186; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22158186 - 30 Jul 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2612

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd), a heavy metal toxic to humans, easily accumulates in rice grains. Rice with unacceptable Cd content has become a serious food safety problem in many rice production regions due to contaminations by industrialization and inappropriate waste management. The development of rice varieties with low grain Cd content is seen as an economic and long-term solution of this problem. The cation/H⁺ exchanger (CAX) family has been shown to play important roles in Cd uptake, transport and accumulation in plants. Here, we report the characterization of the rice CAX family. The six rice CAX genes all have homologous genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phylogenetic analysis identified two subfamilies with three rice and three Arabidopsis thaliana genes in both of them. All rice CAX genes have trans-member structures. OsCAX1a and OsCAX1c were localized in the vacuolar while OsCAX4 were localized in the plasma membrane in rice cell. The consequences of qRT-PCR analysis showed that all the six genes strongly expressed in the leaves under the different Cd treatments. Their expression in roots increased in a Cd dose-dependent manner. GUS staining assay showed that all the six rice CAX genes strongly expressed in roots, whereas OsCAX1c and OsCAX4 also strongly expressed in rice leaves. The yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells expressing OsCAX1a, OsCAX1c and OsCAX4 grew better than those expressing the vector control on SD-Gal medium containing CdCl₂. OsCAX1a and OsCAX1c enhanced while OsCAX4 reduced Cd accumulation in yeast. No auto-inhibition was found for all the rice CAX genes. Therefore, OsCAX1a, OsCAX1c and OsCAX4 are likely to involve in Cd uptake and translocation in rice, which need to be further validated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Nutrient Use Efficiency in Rice)

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Review

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15 pages, 1101 KiB

Open AccessReview

Molecular Regulatory Networks for Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Rice

by Mengmeng Hou, Ming Yu, Zhiqiang Li, Zhiyuan Ai and Jingguang Chen

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(16), 9040; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22169040 - 21 Aug 2021

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4759

Abstract

Nitrogen is an important factor limiting the growth and yield of rice. However, the excessive application of nitrogen will lead to water eutrophication and economic costs. To create rice varieties with high nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has always been an arduous task in rice breeding. The processes for improving NUE include nitrogen uptake, nitrogen transport from root to shoot, nitrogen assimilation, and nitrogen redistribution, with each step being indispensable to the improvement of NUE. Here, we summarize the effects of absorption, transport, and metabolism of nitrate, ammonium, and amino acids on NUE, as well as the role of hormones in improving rice NUE. Our discussion provide insight for further research in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Underground Mechanism to Enhance Nutrient Use Efficiency in Rice)

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