Integrated physiological, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analyses of 24-epibrassinolide-mediated yield protection under complete submergence during panicle differentiation in rice
- 1Department of Biological and Food Engineering, Lyuliang University , ,
Abstract
Complete submergence during panicle differentiation can severely reduce rice yield, yet the physiological and molecular responses associated with yield protection by 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) remain unclear. A two-year pot experiment evaluated submergence-sensitive Jiyou 3 and submergence-tolerant Nongxiangzhan under a non-submerged control (CK), complete submergence without EBR (SUB), and complete submergence following foliar pretreatment with 0.06, 0.12, or 0.24 mg L ⁻¹ EBR. Submergence lasted four days. Yield and physiological traits were assessed in both cultivars, whereas tandem mass tag-based proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses were confined to Nongxiangzhan under CK, SUB, and 0.12 mg L ⁻¹ EBR (E12). Across cultivars and years, the greatest yield recovery among EBR treatments was observed under E12. Relative to SUB, E12 increased grain yield per plant by 33.79%-42.03%, primarily through higher grains per panicle and seed-setting rate. E12 increased superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities while reducing hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde accumulation. This improved redox status coincided with partial recovery of net photosynthetic rate and Rubisco activity. Higher phosphofructokinase, pyruvate decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase activities indicated greater glycolytic and ethanolic-fermentation capacity. Nitrogen assimilation was partially maintained, and submergence-induced leaf hormone changes were moderated. Proteomic and phosphoproteomic responses converged on photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, redox regulation, and signaling. Integrated analysis identified 14 proteins with concordant abundance and phosphorylation increases, including components of glycolysis, photosynthetic electron transfer, and antioxidant defense, whereas 74.95% of E12-responsive phosphorylation sites occurred without significant abundance changes. EBR-mediated yield preservation was associated primarily with improved redox homeostasis, maintenance of photosynthetic carbon assimilation, and adjustment of carbon metabolism under oxygen limitation, while nitrogen assimilation and hormone regulation may have supported reproductive development. These findings support further multi-environment field evaluation of EBR pretreatment as a candidate management option to reduce yield loss from short-duration complete submergence during rice panicle differentiation.
Related
- Submergence Response and Tolerance of Rice: Morphological and Physiological Strategies, and Regulatory Mechanisms.
- Physiological and multiomics analyses on photosynthesis and carbon utilization reveal biochemical carbon-concentrating mechanisms in Hygrophilla difformis under submergence
- Integrated Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses Revealed That Exogenous 24-Epibrassinolide Application Modulated Lignin Biosynthesis in Cold-Stressed Zizania latifolia.
- Integrated phenotyping reveals coordinated physiological responses to cold, freezing, and recovery in Ramonda resurrection plants
- Physiological Determinants of High Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in Waxy Sorghum: Integrated Analysis of Biomass Production, Nitrogen Assimilation, and Antioxidant Metabolism
BibTeX
@article{du2026integrated,
title = {{Integrated physiological, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analyses of 24-epibrassinolide-mediated yield protection under complete submergence during panicle differentiation in rice}},
author = {Jie Du and Yu Feng and Yizhen Du and Wenxia Wang},
journal = {Frontiers in plant science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1969548},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662057},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Integrated physiological, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analyses of 24-epibrassinolide-mediated yield protection under complete submergence during panicle differentiation in rice
AU - Jie Du
AU - Yu Feng
AU - Yizhen Du
AU - Wenxia Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in plant science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1969548
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662057
AB - Complete submergence during panicle differentiation can severely reduce rice yield, yet the physiological and molecular responses associated with yield protection by 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) remain unclear. A two-year pot experiment evaluated submergence-sensitive Jiyou 3 and submergence-tolerant Nongxiangzhan under a non-submerged control (CK), complete submergence without EBR (SUB), and complete submergence following foliar pretreatment with 0.06, 0.12, or 0.24 mg L ⁻¹ EBR. Submergence lasted four days. Yield and physiological traits were assessed in both cultivars, whereas tandem mass tag-based proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses were confined to Nongxiangzhan under CK, SUB, and 0.12 mg L ⁻¹ EBR (E12). Across cultivars and years, the greatest yield recovery among EBR treatments was observed under E12. Relative to SUB, E12 increased grain yield per plant by 33.79%-42.03%, primarily through higher grains per panicle and seed-setting rate. E12 increased superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase activities while reducing hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde accumulation. This improved redox status coincided with partial recovery of net photosynthetic rate and Rubisco activity. Higher phosphofructokinase, pyruvate decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase activities indicated greater glycolytic and ethanolic-fermentation capacity. Nitrogen assimilation was partially maintained, and submergence-induced leaf hormone changes were moderated. Proteomic and phosphoproteomic responses converged on photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, redox regulation, and signaling. Integrated analysis identified 14 proteins with concordant abundance and phosphorylation increases, including components of glycolysis, photosynthetic electron transfer, and antioxidant defense, whereas 74.95% of E12-responsive phosphorylation sites occurred without significant abundance changes. EBR-mediated yield preservation was associated primarily with improved redox homeostasis, maintenance of photosynthetic carbon assimilation, and adjustment of carbon metabolism under oxygen limitation, while nitrogen assimilation and hormone regulation may have supported reproductive development. These findings support further multi-environment field evaluation of EBR pretreatment as a candidate management option to reduce yield loss from short-duration complete submergence during rice panicle differentiation.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -