Populus PtrbHLH011 Is a Transcriptional Co-Regulator Involved in the Activation of Cell Wall Biosynthesis by Iron Deprivation.

ABSTRACT: The lack of a mechanistic understanding of the environmental plasticity of secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis restricts large-scale biomass and bioenergy production on marginal lands. Using Populus (poplar), a key bioenergy crop, we discovered that iron deprivation, a prevalent abiotic stress on marginal lands, stimulates SCW biosynthesis in stems. We identified the transcription factor PtrbHLH011 as a critical regulator underlying this response. Through integrated analyses involving phenotypic characterisation of PtrbHLH011 knockout and overexpression plants, functional genomics and molecular investigations, we established that PtrbHLH011 functions as a central regulator of SCW biosynthesis, iron homeostasis and flavonoid biosynthesis by directly repressing essential genes in these pa

SUBMITTER: Tadesse D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12576429 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature