Stage-specific transcriptomic responses of wheat to heat, drought, and combined stress: AP2/ERF regulatory networks and functional characterization of TaEREBP1-L

作者：Junjie Han, Jianqiang Xia, Chunsheng Wang, Zhenlong Wang, Zhun Zhao, Zhong Wang, Yueqiang Zhang · 发表于：BMC Plant Biology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12870-025-07615-2 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance、Plant responses to water stress、Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is increasingly constrained by drought, heat, and their combination, especially in arid regions like Xinjiang, China. While previous studies have focused on single-stress responses, the molecular mechanisms underlying wheat adaptation to combined drought and heat stress (HD) remain elusive. Here, we performed transcriptome profiling at three key spike developmental stages-Jointing Stage (JS), Stamen and Pistil Primordial Differentiation Stage (SPDS), and Tetrad Stage (TS)-under drought (DS), heat (HS), and combined HD conditions. Comparative analysis revealed that HD triggered the most extensive transcriptional reprogramming, with 3,884, 5,230, and 2,793 stage-specific upregulated genes across JS, SPDS, and TS, respectively. Notably, the overlap between HS- and HD-responsive genes was higher than that between DS and HD during early stages, indicating stress-specific transcriptional shifts. Functional enrichment highlighted pathways related to osmotic adjustment, oxidative defense, and phytohormone signaling, particularly ABA and JA biosynthesis. Among stress-responsive transcription factors, the AP2/ERF family showed prominent enrichment, with TaEREBP1-L (TraesCS5A02G215900) identified as a central regulator. Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed that TaEREBP1-L directly activated the promoters of ABA- and JA-pathway genes (AAO3, AOC2). Co-expression analysis further revealed its coordination with membrane transporters (e.g., ABC an...