Overexpression of a Plant-Specific GγProtein, AGG3, in the Model Monocot Setaria viridis Confers Tolerance to Heat Stress

María Daniela Torres Rodríguez, Nikita Bhatnagar, Sona Pandey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The vascular plant-specific, cysteine-rich type III Gγproteins, which are integral components of the heterotrimeric G-protein complex, play crucial roles in regulating a multitude of plant processes, including those related to crop yield and responses to abiotic stresses. The presence of multiple copies of type III Gγproteins in most plants and a propensity of the presence of specific truncated alleles in many cultivated crops present an ambiguous picture of their roles in modulating specific responses. AGG3 is a canonical type III Gγprotein of Arabidopsis, and its overexpression in additional model crops offers the opportunity to directly evaluate the effects of protein expression levels on plant phenotypes. We have shown that AGG3 overexpression in the monocot model Setaria viridis leads to an increase in seed yield. In this study, we have investigated the response of the S. viridis plants overexpressing AGG3 to heat stress (HS), one of the most important abiotic stresses affecting crops worldwide. We show that a short span of HS at a crucial developmental time point has a significant effect on plant yield in the later stages. We also show that plants with higher levels of AGG3 are more tolerant to HS. This is attributed to an altered regulation of stress-responsive genes and improved modulation of the photosynthetic efficiency during the stress. Overall, our results confirm that AGG3 plays a crucial role in regulating plant responses to unfavorable environmental conditions and may contribute positively to avoiding crop yield losses.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1243-1256
Number of pages14
JournalPlant and Cell Physiology
Volume64
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2023

Keywords

  • AGG3
  • Heat stress
  • Heterotrimeric G-proteins
  • Setaria viridis
  • Type III Gγproteins

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