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Phase separation of Rht8-derived RNHL1 integrates ethylene and gibberellin signaling to regulate wheat internode elongation

delete2026-04-01
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PRE
AI
C
Chaoqun Dong
程溪柳 (Xiliu Cheng)
M
Meng Yuan
Z
Zhe Zhang
Y
Yiqing Wang
J
Jing Liu *
L
Long Song
H
Haoran Wang
Y
Yujie Jiang
L
Liu, Xiangqing
J
Jianhui Wu
Y
Yingyin Yao
Z
Zhongfu Ni
Q
Qixin Sun
L
Lingling Chai
刘杰 cover
刘杰 (Jie Liu) *
DOI:10.1093/plcell/koag081delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Semidwarf varieties of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) carrying Reduced height (Rht) genes revolutionized wheat production. Rht8, a widely deployed semidwarfing allele, encodes RNHL1 (ribonuclease H-Like 1); yet, the molecular mechanisms underlying its growth regulation remain unclear. Here, we uncover a liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-mediated transcriptional pathway by which RNHL1 controls plant height. We show that RNHL1 forms nuclear biomolecular condensates via its intrinsically disordered regions (IDR1 and IDR3) and physically interacts with the ethylene signaling transcription factor TaEIL1 (ethylene insensitive3-like 1) to establish functional transcriptional hubs. These RNHL1-TaEIL1 condensates directly bind and repress the ethylene response factor gene TaERF1 (Ethylene response factor 1), and TaERF1 suppresses the gibberellin (GA) biosynthetic gene TaGA3ox2 (Gibberellin 3-beta dioxygenase 2). Genetic analyses demonstrate that both RNHL1 and TaEIL1 positively regulate plant height, with loss-of-function mutants exhibiting similar dwarf phenotypes and convergent transcriptomic profiles. Importantly, we establish TaERF1 as a direct repressor of TaGA3ox2, completing a regulatory cascade in which RNHL1-TaEIL1 condensates modulate GA-mediated internode elongation. Our findings reveal an integration point between ethylene and GA signaling orchestrated by RNHL1-TaEIL1 phase separation and highlight RNHL1's roles in nucleic acid metabolism and transcriptional regulation. This study provides fundamental insights into LLPS-mediated growth control in crops and identifies specific protein domains as potential targets for wheat improvement. RNHL1 phase separation with TaEIL1 integrates ethylene and gibberellin signaling to control wheat internode elongation by repressing TaERF1 expression and GA biosynthesis.
Keywords:
SUBMERGENCE TOLERANCE
GENETIC-ANALYSIS
RNASE-H
RESPONSES
DWARFISM
HEIGHT
RICE
DNA
COLEOPTILE
ENZYMES

Journal

Plant Cell cover
Plant Cell
IF:
11.6
Papers:
8.3K
Citations:
6.3W

Organization

I
institute of crop sciences, caas
Scholars:
1.7K
Papers: 1.3K
Citations: 1
C
china agricultural university
Scholars:
4.9W
Papers: 2.9W
Citations: 43
C
chinese academy of agricultural sciences
Scholars:
4.8W
Papers: 3.0W
Citations: 43
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