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Root hairs facilitate rice root penetration into compacted layers

Kong, Xiuzhen; Yu, Suhang; Xiong, Yali; Song, Xiaoyun; Nevescanin-Moreno, Lucia; Wei, Xiaoqing; Rao, Jinliang; Zhou, Hu; Bennett, Malcolm J; Pandey, Bipin K; Huang, Guoqiang

Authors

Xiuzhen Kong

Suhang Yu

Yali Xiong

Xiaoyun Song

Lucia Nevescanin-Moreno

Xiaoqing Wei

Jinliang Rao

Hu Zhou

Guoqiang Huang



Abstract

Compacted soil layers adversely affect rooting depth and access to deeper nutrient and water resources, thereby impacting climate resilience of crop production and global food security. Root hair plays well-known roles in facilitating water and nutrient acquisition. Here, we report that root hair also contributes to root penetration into compacted layers. We demonstrate that longer root hair, induced by elevated auxin response during a root compaction response, improves the ability of rice roots to penetrate harder layers. This compaction-induced auxin response in the root hair zone is dependent on the root apex-expressed auxin synthesis gene OsYUCCA8 (OsYUC8), which is induced by compaction stress. This auxin source for root hair elongation relies on the auxin influx carrier AUXIN RESISTANT 1 (OsAUX1), mobilizing this signal from the root apex to the root hair zone. Mutants disrupting OsYUC8 and OsAUX1 genes exhibit shorter root hairs and weaker penetration ability into harder layers compared with wild type (WT). Root-hair-specific mutants phenocopy these auxin-signaling mutants, as they also exhibit an attenuated root penetration ability. We conclude that compaction stress upregulates OsYUC8-mediated auxin biosynthesis in the root apex, which is subsequently mobilized to the root hair zone by OsAUX1, where auxin promotes root hair elongation, improving anchorage of root tips to their surrounding soil environment and aiding their penetration ability into harder layers.

Citation

Kong, X., Yu, S., Xiong, Y., Song, X., Nevescanin-Moreno, L., Wei, X., Rao, J., Zhou, H., Bennett, M. J., Pandey, B. K., & Huang, G. (2024). Root hairs facilitate rice root penetration into compacted layers. Current Biology, 34(10), 2039-2048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.064

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 28, 2024
Online Publication Date Apr 22, 2024
Publication Date May 20, 2024
Deposit Date Apr 26, 2024
Publicly Available Date Apr 23, 2025
Journal Current Biology
Print ISSN 0960-9822
Electronic ISSN 1879-0445
Publisher Cell Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 34
Issue 10
Pages 2039-2048
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.064
Keywords compacted layer, root hair, anchorage, auxin, root penetration
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/34110516
Publisher URL https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)00404-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982224004044%3Fshowall%3Dtrue