TY - JOUR
T1 - Chromosome-scale pearl millet genomes reveal CLAMT1b as key determinant of strigolactone pattern and Striga susceptibility
AU - Kuijer, Hendrik N.J.
AU - Wang, Jian You
AU - Bougouffa, Salim
AU - Abrouk, Michael
AU - Jamil, Muhammad
AU - Incitti, Roberto
AU - Alam, Intikhab
AU - Balakrishna, Aparna
AU - Alvarez, Derry
AU - Votta, Cristina
AU - Chen, Guan Ting Erica
AU - Martínez, Claudio
AU - Zuccolo, Andrea
AU - Berqdar, Lamis
AU - Sioud, Salim
AU - Fiorilli, Valentina
AU - de Lera, Angel R.
AU - Lanfranco, Luisa
AU - Gojobori, Takashi
AU - Wing, Rod A.
AU - Krattinger, Simon G.
AU - Gao, Xin
AU - Al-Babili, Salim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/12
Y1 - 2024/12
N2 - The yield of pearl millet, a resilient cereal crop crucial for African food security, is severely impacted by the root parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, which requires host-released hormones, called strigolactones (SLs), for seed germination. Herein, we identify four SLs present in the Striga-susceptible line SOSAT-C88-P10 (P10) but absent in the resistant 29Aw (Aw). We generate chromosome-scale genome assemblies, including four gapless chromosomes for each line. The Striga-resistant Aw lacks a 0.7 Mb genome segment containing two putative CARLACTONOIC ACID METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (CLAMT1) genes, which may contribute to SL biosynthesis. Functional assays show that P10CLAMT1b produces the SL-biosynthesis intermediate methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA) and that MeCLA is the precursor of P10-specific SLs. Screening a diverse pearl millet panel confirms the pivotal role of the CLAMT1 section for SL diversity and Striga susceptibility. Our results reveal a reason for Striga susceptibility in pearl millet and pave the way for generating resistant lines through marker-assisted breeding or direct genetic modification.
AB - The yield of pearl millet, a resilient cereal crop crucial for African food security, is severely impacted by the root parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, which requires host-released hormones, called strigolactones (SLs), for seed germination. Herein, we identify four SLs present in the Striga-susceptible line SOSAT-C88-P10 (P10) but absent in the resistant 29Aw (Aw). We generate chromosome-scale genome assemblies, including four gapless chromosomes for each line. The Striga-resistant Aw lacks a 0.7 Mb genome segment containing two putative CARLACTONOIC ACID METHYLTRANSFERASE1 (CLAMT1) genes, which may contribute to SL biosynthesis. Functional assays show that P10CLAMT1b produces the SL-biosynthesis intermediate methyl carlactonoate (MeCLA) and that MeCLA is the precursor of P10-specific SLs. Screening a diverse pearl millet panel confirms the pivotal role of the CLAMT1 section for SL diversity and Striga susceptibility. Our results reveal a reason for Striga susceptibility in pearl millet and pave the way for generating resistant lines through marker-assisted breeding or direct genetic modification.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85201243619&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-024-51189-w
DO - 10.1038/s41467-024-51189-w
M3 - Article
C2 - 39134551
AN - SCOPUS:85201243619
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 15
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
IS - 1
M1 - 6906
ER -
