Proteomic insights into protein biomarkers for root trait improvement in bread wheat

Date and Time: Thursday 13 March, 11:00am EDT

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QJ8YzCIgS1SkdwYRaXGLmA

Presenter

Tanushree Halder
Associate Professor, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Honorary Research Fellow, UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Australia

Outline

Improvement of yield and climate resilience in wheat is crucial to meet its future demand. Improved root traits can play a significant role in addressing the demand by enhancing resource uptake from soil. Root traits, including total root length and root dry mass, can be improved using their associated protein biomarkers, while precise protein identification depends on the selection of germplasm, root phenotyping system, and effective proteomic approach.

Near-isogenic lines (NILs), the isolines with similar genetic backgrounds except for a single locus or a few loci with contrasting alleles, are excellent genetic resources for the exploration of root trait-associated proteins in wheat. A high-throughput semi-hydroponic system is an effective method for obtaining reliable root data due to its non-destructive approach to facilitating homogenous plant growth and reproducibility. On the other hand, label-free quantitative proteomics (LFQP) is an outstanding technique for quantifying all the peptides in a sample precisely and economically.

We used an LFQP to identify proteins controlling total root length and root dry mass in NILs. Three differentially abundant proteins located in the contrasting genomic regions of the NILs expressed consistently at both transcriptional and translational levels. Molecular pathways of the proteins were also identified. These proteins were considered candidate protein biomarkers for the target root traits.

The identified protein biomarkers and their associated molecular pathways offer a foundation for further research to improve wheat root traits.

References

• Halder, T., Stroeher, E., Liu, H., Chen, Y., Yan, G., Siddique, K. H. M. (2023). Protein biomarkers for root length and root dry mass on chromosomes 4A and 7A in wheat. Journal of Proteomics, 105044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2023.105044
• Halder, T., Choudhary, M., Liu, H., Chen, Y., Yan, G. and Siddique, K. H. M. (2022). Wheat
  proteomics for abiotic stress tolerance and root system architecture: current status and future prospects. Proteomoes, 10(2), 17. https://doi.org/10.3390/proteomes10020017