OsERF27
‐
OsPLT4
regulatory module and
ROS
equilibrium control temporospatial rice crown root patterning
Khrang Khrang Khunggur Mushahary, Pragya Yadav, Komal Verma, Rohan Kashyap, Vedika Jayant Joshi, Zeenu Singh, Shruti Singh, Karishma Mittal, Akshay Kumar, Sohini Rakshit, Gitesh Masram, Mikael Lucas, Stefan Jouannic, Pascal Gantet, Kalika Prasad, Shri Ram Yadav Summary
In rice (
Oryza sativa
), the root architecture is heavily shaped by shoot‐borne crown roots that arise from the phytomers at the stem base. Each phytomer typically generates two spatially distinct crown root populations – lower/proximal and upper/distal crown roots – that also emerge temporally, with the proximal roots forming first. The mechanisms that coordinate this temporospatial patterning, however, remain poorly understood.
Here, we identify an AP2/ERF gene
OsERF27
which is differentially expressed between proximal and distal crown root primordia and is specifically required for the timely development of proximal roots. We further show that
OsPLT4
functions downstream of
OsERF27
, defining an
OsERF27‐OsPLT4
regulatory module that drives the outgrowth and emergence of proximal crown roots.
Interestingly, we uncover a requirement for reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis in crown root development: Loss‐of‐function mutants display disturbed ROS accumulation pattern and sensitized root formation to ROS perturbation, indicating that this module promotes root emergence by spatially maintaining optimal redox balance. Together, our findings reveal a multi‐layered regulatory network that integrates genetic elements with positional cues with redox control to pattern distinct crown root populations. Our study highlights how localized developmental programmes scale to shape root system architecture for tuning plant form and function in grasses.