Genetic factors regulating cluster roots of white lupin

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Uwe Ludewig
• Subject Area: Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology ; Plant Genetics and Genomics
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 413902939

• Final Report Year: 2023

Final Report Abstract

Cluster roots are found in specialist plants that are able to mobilize and acquire phosphate from soil at very low availability. White lupin is one of the few crops that have these structures. Transfer of cluster roots to other crops might improve overall agronomic usage of phosphate (a limited, essential resource). We identified two CLE peptides that dramatically affect root development in white lupin and even strongly affect cluster root development. These effects, however, are not specific only for cluster roots (overall root development is affected). Components of cluster root function were also molecularly identified in this study; a malate exudate release channel (LaALMT1) and the LaMATE protein was identified to be involved in flavonoid release from clusters. Furthermore, a vacuolar manganese transporter (LaMTP8) is apparently responsible for the very high manganese accumulation in white lupin shoots; the manganese accumulation trait was suggested as indicator of whether a species is able to efficiently mobilize phosphate from the soil. Overall, while this research project provided a large number of interesting molecular details for cluster root development and function, technical limitations due to inefficient transformation impaired faster development of the project. An improved transformation protocol, which is aimed to be published soon from our results, may eliminate this bottleneck in white lupin research.

Publications

• LaALMT1 mediates malate release from phosphorus‐deficient white lupin root tips and metal root to shoot translocation. Plant, Cell & Environment, 43(7), 1691-1706.
  Zhou, Yaping; Neuhäuser, Benjamin; Neumann, Günter & Ludewig, Uwe
  
• Loss of LaMATE impairs isoflavonoid release from cluster roots of phosphorus‐deficient white lupin. Physiologia Plantarum, 173(3), 1207-1220.
  Zhou, Yaping; Olt, Philipp; Neuhäuser, Benjamin; Moradtalab, Narges; Bautista, William; Uhde‐Stone, Claudia; Neumann, Günter & Ludewig, Uwe
  
• The vacuolar transporterLaMTP8.1 detoxifies manganese in leaves ofLupinus albus. Physiologia Plantarum, 174(6).
  Olt, Philipp; Alejandro‐Martinez, Santiago; Fermum, Johann; Ramos, Edith; Peiter, Edgar & Ludewig, Uwe