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Sugar transporter ZmSWEET1b is responsible for assimilate allocation and salt stress response in maize

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Abstract

Sugar efflux transporter SWEET family is involved in multiple biological processes, from nectar secretion, pollen fertility to seed filling. Although roles of SWEETs in abiotic stress adaption have been revealed mainly in reference organism Arabidopsis, cereal crops SWEETs responses to abiotic stimulation remain largely elusive. Here, we report the characterization of maize SWEET family member ZmSWEET1b, with emphasis on its response to salinity stress. ZmSWEET1b is a canonical sugar transporter, characteristic of seven transmembrane helices and plasma membrane localization. ZmSWEET1b and its rice ortholog OsSWEET1b in phylogenetic clade I underwent convergent selection during evolution. Two independent knockout lines were created by the CRISPR/Cas9 method to functionally characterized ZmSWEET1b. Sucrose and fructose contents are significantly decreased in ZmSWEET1b knockout lines. Mature leaves of ZmSWEET1b-edited lines exhibit chlorosis, reminiscent of senescence-like phenotype. Ears and seeds of ZmSWEET1b knockout lines are small. Upon salinity treatment, ZmSWEET1b-edited lines become more wilted. Transcriptional abundance of genes for Na+ efflux from roots to the rhizosphere, including ZmSOS1, ZmH+-ATPASE 2, and ZmH+-ATPASE 8, is decreased in salt-treated ZmSWEET1b knockout lines. These findings indicate that convergently selected sugar transporter ZmSWEET1b is important for maize plant development and responses to salt stress. The manipulation of ZmSWEET1b may represent a feasible way forward in the breeding of salinity tolerant ideotypes through the optimization of assimilate allocation.

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The authors declare that all data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its supplementary information.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31571671), the High-end Talent Project of Yangzhou University (18HTYZU12), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

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  1. Yinting Wu and Shanshan Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/ Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education/Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Yinting Wu, Shanshan Wang, Wenhui Du, Yuhang Ding, Wei Li, Yudong Chen, Zhongtian Zheng & Yijun Wang

  2. Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Yinting Wu, Shanshan Wang, Wenhui Du, Yuhang Ding, Wei Li, Yudong Chen, Zhongtian Zheng & Yijun Wang

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  1. Yinting Wu
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Contributions

YJW designed the research. YTW, SSW, WHD, YDC, and ZTZ prepared Figs. 1, 2, and 3. YTW, SSW, YHD, and WL prepared Figs. 4 and 5. YJW wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yijun Wang.

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Key message

• Plasma membrane–localized sugar transporter ZmSWEET1b is important for maize assimilate allocation and salinity stress response.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Fig. S1

Domain distribution in ZmSWEET1b protein. (PNG 146 kb)

Fig. S2

Sequencing of edited region 1 in ZmSWEET1b. (PNG 390 kb)

High resolution image (TIF 1091 kb)

Fig. S3

Sequencing of edited region 2 in ZmSWEET1b. (PNG 413 kb)

High resolution image (TIF 1092 kb)

Table S1

Primers used in this study. (DOCX 16 kb)

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Wu, Y., Wang, S., Du, W. et al. Sugar transporter ZmSWEET1b is responsible for assimilate allocation and salt stress response in maize. Funct Integr Genomics 23, 137 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10142-023-01062-8

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