Overexpression of an ART1-Interacting Gene OsNAC016 Improves Al Tolerance in Rice

Abstract

Rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i>) exhibits tremendous aluminum (Al)-tolerance. The C2H2-transcription factor (TF) ART1 critically regulates rice Al tolerance via modulation of specific gene expression. However, little is known about the posttranscriptional ART1 regulation. Here, we identified an ART1-interacted gene <i>OsNAC016</i> via a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay. <i>OsNAC016</i> was primarily expressed in roots and weakly induced by Al. Immunostaining showed that OsNAC016 was a nuclear protein and localized in all root cells. Knockout of <i>OsNAC016</i> did not alter Al sensitivity. Overexpression of <i>OsNAC016</i> resulted in less Al aggregation within roots and enhanced Al tolerance in rice. Based on transcriptomic and qRT-PCR evaluations, certain cell-wall-related or ART-regulated gene expressions such as <i>OsMYB30</i> and <i>OsFRDL4</i> were altered in <i>OsNAC016</i>-overexpressing plants. These results indicated that OsNAC016 interacts with ART1 to cooperatively regulate some Al-tolerance genes and is a critical regulatory factor in rice Al tolerance.