Two Transcriptional Factors Antagonistically Fine-Tune MIR1863a to Balance Resistance and Yield Traits in Rice.

ABSTRACT: Immune activation usually trades off growth, leading to yield loss. Genes that coordinate resistance and yield are urgently required for crop improvement. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) provide rich candidates for coordinating resistance with yield. Here, we demonstrated that mutation of MIR1863a enhances blast disease resistance without yield loss accompanying increased panicle number. However, overexpression and mutation of MIR1863a both lead to compromised yield traits such as seed setting rate. The expression of MIR1863a was antagonistically regulated by two transcription factors, MADS51 and ESR1. MADS51 activates, whereas ESR1 suppresses MIR1863a in leaves and panicles during the growth period and upon pathogen invasion, thus avoiding a penalty in yield caused by excessive resistance. Consistent

SUBMITTER: Hu ZW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12576448 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature