Biotech Updates

Study Shows Link Between Iron Signaling and Rice Pathogen Defenses

November 13, 2024

Shenyang Agricultural University and Liaodong University researchers reported the role of iron-binding haemerythrin RING ubiquitin ligases OsHRZ1 in rice blast resistance. The findings are published in Transgenic Research.

Rice blast disease, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, can significantly decrease the yield of rice plants. Resistance to the disease is linked with the plant's iron levels, but the mechanism behind this linkage in immunity continues to be unclear. This led the researchers to conduct an investigation using rice plants with varying levels of OsHRZ1 expression.

The results showed that OsHRZ1 was suppressed by M. oryzae inoculation and high iron treatment. OsHRZ1 mutants exhibited improved rice blast resistance. Furthermore, OsPR1a was observed to be upregulated in OsHRZ1 mutants. Further analyses revealed that OsHRZ1 interacts with OsVOZ2 in the nucleus. The mutants of OsVOZ2 showed reduced rice blast resistance and downregulated the expression of OsPR1a.

Based on the findings, OsHRZ1 plays a vital part in rice disease resistance by mediated degradation of OsVOZ2, which implies a strong connection between iron signaling and rice pathogen defenses.

Read the research article in Transgenic Research.

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