Abstract
Drought severely affects crop yield and yield stability. Maize and sorghum are major crops in Africa and globally, and both are negatively impacted by drought. However, sorghum has a better ability to withstand drought than maize. Consequently, this study identifies differences between maize and sorghum grown in water deficit conditions, and identifies proteins associated with drought tolerance in these plant species. Leaf relative water content and proline content were measured, and label-free proteomics analysis was carried out to identify differences in protein expression in the two species in response to water deficit. Water deficit enhanced the proline accumulation in sorghum roots to a higher degree than in maize, and this higher accumulation was associated with enhanced water retention in sorghum. Proteomic analyses identified proteins with differing expression patterns between the two species, revealing key metabolic pathways that explain the better drought tolerance of sorghum than maize. These proteins include phenylalanine/tyrosine ammonia-lyases, indole-3-acetaldehyde oxidase, sucrose synthase and phenol/catechol oxidase. This study highlights the importance of phenylpropanoids, sucrose, melanin-related metabolites and indole acetic acid (auxin) as determinants of the differences in drought stress tolerance between maize and sorghum. The selection of maize and sorghum genotypes with enhanced expression of the genes encoding these differentially expressed proteins, or genetically engineering maize and sorghum to increase the expression of such genes, can be used as strategies for the production of maize and sorghum varieties with improved drought tolerance.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit increased proline accumulation in sorghum roots to a higher degree than in maize.
- Organ / stage
- rootse1
- Treatment
- Water deficite1
- Outcome
- proline accumulatione1
- Direction
- enhancede1
- Comparator
- maizee1
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize and sorghum are major crops in Africa and globally”
e1“Water deficit enhanced the proline accumulation in sorghum roots to a higher degree than in maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher proline accumulation in sorghum was associated with enhanced water retention.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“Water deficit enhanced the proline accumulation in sorghum roots to a higher degree than in maize”
e2“this higher accumulation was associated with enhanced water retention in sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Proteomic analysis identified proteins with differing expression patterns between maize and sorghum under water deficit.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize and sorghum are major crops in Africa and globally”
e3“Proteomic analyses identified proteins with differing expression patterns between the two species, revealing key metabolic pathways that explain the better drought tolerance of sorghum than maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Key metabolic pathways may explain the better drought tolerance of sorghum than maize.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize and sorghum are major crops in Africa and globally”
e3“Proteomic analyses identified proteins with differing expression patterns between the two species, revealing key metabolic pathways that explain the better drought tolerance of sorghum than maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Phenylalanine/tyrosine ammonia-lyases, indole-3-acetaldehyde oxidase and sucrose synthase are among the differentially expressed proteins between maize and sorghum.
- Gene
- phenylalanine/tyrosine ammonia-lyases, indole-3-acetaldehyde oxidase, sucrose synthasee4
- Outcome
- proteinse4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize and sorghum are major crops in Africa and globally”
e3“Proteomic analyses identified proteins with differing expression patterns between the two species, revealing key metabolic pathways that explain the better drought tolerance of sorghum than maize”
e4“These proteins include phenylalanine/tyrosine ammonia-lyases, indole-3-acetaldehyde oxidase, sucrose synthase and phenol/catechol oxidase”
Claim · model-written summary
Phenol/catechol oxidase is among the differentially expressed proteins between maize and sorghum.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Maize and sorghum are major crops in Africa and globally”
e3“Proteomic analyses identified proteins with differing expression patterns between the two species, revealing key metabolic pathways that explain the better drought tolerance of sorghum than maize”
e4“These proteins include phenylalanine/tyrosine ammonia-lyases, indole-3-acetaldehyde oxidase, sucrose synthase and phenol/catechol oxidase”
Claim · model-written summary
Phenylpropanoids, sucrose, melanin-related metabolites and indole acetic acid are determinants of the drought-tolerance differences between maize and sorghum.
- Outcome
- differences in drought stress tolerancee5
- Qualifier
- phenylpropanoids, sucrose, melanin-related metabolites and indole acetic acid (auxin)e5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“This study highlights the importance of phenylpropanoids, sucrose, melanin-related metabolites and indole acetic acid (auxin) as determinants of the differences in drought stress tolerance between maize and sorghum”
Claim · model-written summary
Selecting maize and sorghum genotypes with enhanced expression of the differentially expressed protein genes, or engineering them to increase that expression, can produce varieties with improved drought tolerance.
- Outcome
- production of maize and sorghum varieties with improved drought tolerancee6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e6“The selection of maize and sorghum genotypes with enhanced expression of the genes encoding these differentially expressed proteins, or genetically engineering maize and sorghum to increase the expression of such genes, can be used as strategies for the production of maize and sorghum varieties with improved drought tolerance”
The same questions in other papers
drought · physiology: osmolytes · SorghumResults agree
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See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.