Gene Modules Co-regulated with Biosynthetic Gene Clusters for Allelopathy between Rice and Barnyardgrass

What is it about?

The study focuses on allelopathy, a central process in crop-weed interactions that is mediated by the release of allelochemicals. The genomic mechanism for the biosynthesis of many critical allelochemicals is unknown but may involve the clustering of non-homologous biosynthetic genes involved in their formation and regulatory gene modules involved in controlling the coordinated expression within these gene clusters. In this study, the authors used transcriptomes from mono- or co-cultured rice and barnyardgrass to investigate the nature of the gene clusters and their regulatory gene modules involved in the allelopathic interactions of these two plants. They identified three potential new clusters including one for quercetin biosynthesis and potentially involved in allelopathic interaction with rice. Based on the construction of gene networks, they identified one gene regulatory module containing hub transcription factors, significantly positively co-regulated with both the momilactone A and phytocassane clusters in rice. In barnyardgrass, gene modules and hub genes co-expressed with the gene clusters responsible for 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) biosynthesis were also identified. Their findings offer new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of biosynthetic gene clusters involved in allelopathic interactions between rice and barnyardgrass, and have potential implications in controlling weeds for crop protection.

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Photo by Alok Shenoy on Unsplash

Photo by Alok Shenoy on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study is important because it provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of biosynthetic gene clusters involved in allelopathic interactions between rice and barnyardgrass. Allelopathy is a central process in crop-weed interactions that is mediated by the release of allelochemicals. Understanding the genomic mechanism for the biosynthesis of many critical allelochemicals can have potential implications in controlling weeds for crop protection. The study used transcriptomes from mono- or co-cultured rice and barnyardgrass to investigate the nature of the gene clusters and their regulatory gene modules involved in the allelopathic interactions of these two plants. The authors identified three potential new clusters including one for quercetin biosynthesis and potentially involved in allelopathic interaction with rice. They also identified gene regulatory modules containing hub transcription factors, significantly positively co-regulated with both the momilactone A and phytocassane clusters in rice. In barnyardgrass, gene modules and hub genes co-expressed with the gene clusters responsible for 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazin-3-one (DIMBOA) biosynthesis were also identified. Overall, this study provides valuable information that can be used to develop new strategies for controlling weeds and improving crop protection through a better understanding of the allelopathic interactions between rice and barnyardgrass.

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