The transcription factor PdePHR1 increases phosphorus accumulation in poplar shoot and promotes root growth.
- 1Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China.
- 2Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Trees are major primary producers and long-term carbon sink by yielding a substantial amount of woody biomass, which relies on sufficient acquisition of mineral nutrient from soil by roots. Phosphate (Pi) is an essential, but often limited in soils, macronutrient. To sustain growth during Pi starvation, plants trigger an array of adaptive responses that are mainly controlled by the transcription factor of the PHOSPHATE RESPONSE 1 (PHR1) family. However, how the PHR1 functional homolog might influence the performance of forest trees remains unknown.Results
In this work, we identified PdePHR1from Populus deltoides x P. euramericana as a MYB-CC type transcription factor. Furthermore, overexpression of PdePHR1 in P. davidiana x P.bolleana triggers the expression of the Pi starvation response genes in replete Pi conditions, including genes mediating Pi uptake, remobilization, and signaling. Moreover, plants with overexpression of PdePHR1 exhibit enhanced Pi acquisition and translocation, leading to higher phosphorus accumulation in shoots under optimal conditions. Additionally, PdePHR1 overexpressing lines display substantially longer adventitious roots and more biomass accumulation independent of external Pi availability. Furthermore, overexpression of PdePHR1 sufficiently improves poplar performance under both Pi-replete and long-term depleted conditions.Conclusions
Our data support that PdePHR1 acts as a central positive regulator of Pi starvation response and root growth. PdePHR1 overexpression is sufficient to enable not only increased phosphorus accumulation in shoot but also greatly enhanced root growth and overall woody biomass accumulation regardless of Pi availability. These findings provide a potential tool for increasing tree productivity and sustainable carbon sequestration under various environmental conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026transcription,
title = {{The transcription factor PdePHR1 increases phosphorus accumulation in poplar shoot and promotes root growth.}},
author = {Qiang Wang and Lingfeng Chen and Dandan Jia and Fei Wang and Tao Pu and Wenfeng Li},
journal = {BMC plant biology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12870-026-09584-6},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902128},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The transcription factor PdePHR1 increases phosphorus accumulation in poplar shoot and promotes root growth.
AU - Qiang Wang
AU - Lingfeng Chen
AU - Dandan Jia
AU - Fei Wang
AU - Tao Pu
AU - Wenfeng Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC plant biology
DO - 10.1186/s12870-026-09584-6
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902128
AB - Background Trees are major primary producers and long-term carbon sink by yielding a substantial amount of woody biomass, which relies on sufficient acquisition of mineral nutrient from soil by roots. Phosphate (Pi) is an essential, but often limited in soils, macronutrient. To sustain growth during Pi starvation, plants trigger an array of adaptive responses that are mainly controlled by the transcription factor of the PHOSPHATE RESPONSE 1 (PHR1) family. However, how the PHR1 functional homolog might influence the performance of forest trees remains unknown.Results In this work, we identified PdePHR1from Populus deltoides x P. euramericana as a MYB-CC type transcription factor. Furthermore, overexpression of PdePHR1 in P. davidiana x P.bolleana triggers the expression of the Pi starvation response genes in replete Pi conditions, including genes mediating Pi uptake, remobilization, and signaling. Moreover, plants with overexpression of PdePHR1 exhibit enhanced Pi acquisition and translocation, leading to higher phosphorus accumulation in shoots under optimal conditions. Additionally, PdePHR1 overexpressing lines display substantially longer adventitious roots and more biomass accumulation independent of external Pi availability. Furthermore, overexpression of PdePHR1 sufficiently improves poplar performance under both Pi-replete and long-term depleted conditions.Conclusions Our data support that PdePHR1 acts as a central positive regulator of Pi starvation response and root growth. PdePHR1 overexpression is sufficient to enable not only increased phosphorus accumulation in shoot but also greatly enhanced root growth and overall woody biomass accumulation regardless of Pi availability. These findings provide a potential tool for increasing tree productivity and sustainable carbon sequestration under various environmental conditions.
SN - 1471-2229
ER -