2018 journal article
Cholesterol accumulation by suppression of SMT1 leads to dwarfism and improved drought tolerance in herbaceous plants
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT, 41(6), 1417–1426.
author keywords: cholesterol; drought tolerance; plant growth; polyamine synthesis; sterol-C24-methyltransferase 1
MeSH headings : Adaptation, Physiological / genetics; Cholesterol / metabolism; Cynodon / anatomy & histology; Cynodon / genetics; Cynodon / physiology; Down-Regulation / genetics; Droughts; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Mutation / genetics; Oryza / anatomy & histology; Oryza / genetics; Oryza / physiology; Plant Proteins / metabolism; Plants, Genetically Modified; Polyamines / metabolism; RNA Interference; RNA, Messenger / genetics; RNA, Messenger / metabolism; Suppression, Genetic
TL;DR:
It is suggested that cholesterol induces expression of SAMDC and leads to dwarfism and elevated drought tolerance in plants as a result of the promoted Spd and Spm synthesis.
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UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
2. Zero Hunger
(Web of Science)
13. Climate Action
(Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018
AbstractDwarfism and drought tolerance are 2 valuable traits in breeding of many crops. In this study, we report the novel physiological roles of cholesterol in regulation of plant growth and drought tolerance. Compared with the wild type, sterol‐C24‐methyltransferase 1 (SMT1) gene transcript was greatly reduced in a bermudagrass mutant with dwarfism and enhanced drought tolerance, accompanied with cholesterol accumulation, elevated transcript levels of a small group of genes including SAMDC, and increased concentrations of putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm). Knock‐down of OsSMT1 expression by RNA interference resulted in similar phenotypic changes in transgenic rice. Moreover, exogenously applied cholesterol also led to elevated transcripts of a similar set of genes, higher levels of Put, Spd, and Spm, improved drought tolerance, and reduced plant height in both bermudagrass and rice. We revealed that it is Spm, but not Spd, that is responsible for the height reduction in bermudagrass and rice. In conclusion, we suggest that cholesterol induces expression of SAMDC and leads to dwarfism and elevated drought tolerance in plants as a result of the promoted Spd and Spm synthesis.