OsWRI1a coordinates systemic growth responses to nitrogen availability in rice

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Shen, Chengbo; Ji, Zhe; Jiao, Wu; Zhang, Siyu; Huang, Yunzhi; Qin, Yaojun; Huang, Menghan; Kang, Shuming; Mo, Zulong; Jiang, Bingyu; Yu, Ying; Song, Yajing; Li, Yue; Xu, Jiayi; Tian, Yanan; Xie, Yanjie; Xiong, Guosheng; Wang, Shaokui; Xu, Guohua; Fu, Xiangdong; Li, Shan
• 署名单位: Nanjing Agricultural University; University of Oxford; Nanjing Forestry University; Nanjing Agricultural University; South China Agricultural University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing Institute of Geology & Paleontology, CAS; Institute of Genetics & Developmental Biology, CAS; Nanjing Agricultural University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aeb8384
• 发表日期: 2026-02-26
• 关键词: USE EFFICIENCY; arabidopsis; repression; domain; biosynthesis; wrinkled1; protein

摘要

Nitrogen (N) deficiency-induced increases in the root-to-shoot biomass ratio in plants are adaptive in nature but suboptimal for agriculture. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms governing this developmental plasticity could help improve crop performance while reducing fertilizer application. We identified OsWRI1a (WRINKLED1a) as a regulatory hub coordinating rice root and shoot growth in response to external N supply, thereby stabilizing the root-to-shoot ratio. In roots, OsWRI1a enhances N-responsive development by promoting auxin accumulation. Meanwhile, shoot OsWRI1a stimulates tiller development and therefore shoot growth. We identified an elite OsWRI1a haplotype that minimizes root-to-shoot ratio fluctuation under N deficiency, improving N-use efficiency and grain yield. Our findings reveal a central mechanism coordinating N-responsive growth allocation for sustainable agriculture.