Cross-Species Root Transcriptional Network Analysis Highlights Conserved Modules in Response to Nitrate between Maize and Sorghum

Abstract

Plants have evolved complex mechanisms to respond to the fluctuation of available nitrogen (N) in soil, but the genetic mechanisms underlying the N response in crops are not well-documented. In this study, we generated a time series of NO3−-mediated transcriptional profiles in roots of maize and sorghum, respectively. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified modules of co-expressed genes that related to NO3− treatments. A cross-species comparison revealed 22 conserved modules, of which four were related to hormone signaling, suggesting that hormones participate in the early nitrate response. Three other modules are composed of genes that are mainly upregulated by NO3− and involved in nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism, including NRT, NIR, NIA, FNR, and G6PD2. Two G2-like transcription factors (ZmNIGT1 and SbNIGT1), induced by NO3− stimulation, were identified as hub transcription factors (TFs) in the modules. Transient assays demonstrated that ZmNIGT1 and SbNIGT1 are transcriptional repressors. We identified the target genes of ZmNIGT1 by DNA affinity-purification sequencing (DAP-Seq) and found that they were significantly enriched in catalytic activity, including carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrient metabolism. A set of ZmNIGT1 targets encode transcription factors (ERF, ARF, and AGL) that are involved in hormone signaling and root development. We propose that ZmNIGT1 and SbNIGT1 are negative regulators of nitrate responses that play an important role in optimizing nutrition metabolism and root morphogenesis. Together with conserved N responsive modules, our study indicated that, to encounter N variation in soil, maize and sorghum have evolved an NO3−-regulatory network containing a set of conserved modules and transcription factors.