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Insights into the role of SUMO in regulating drought stress responses in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan)

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Abstract

Key message

We have identified and analyzed 28 SUMO-pathway proteins from pigeonpea. Enhanced transcripts of pathway genes and increased SUMO conjugation under drought signifies the role of SUMO in regulating stress.

Abstract

Being a protein-rich and nutrient-dense legume crop, pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) holds a vital position in a vegetarian meal. It is a resilient crop capable of striving in harsh climates and provides a means of subsistence to small-holding farmers. Nevertheless, extremes of water scarcity and drought conditions, especially during seedling and reproductive stages, remains a major issue severely impacting the growth and overall productivity of pigeonpea. Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), a post-translational modification system, plays a pivotal role in fortifying plants against stressful conditions by rapid reprogramming of molecular events. In this study, we have scanned the entire pigeonpea genome and identified 28 candidates corresponding to SUMO machinery components of pigeonpea. qRT-PCR analysis of different SUMO machinery genes validated their presence under natural conditions. The analysis of the promoters of identified SUMO machinery genes revealed the presence of abiotic stress-related cis-regulatory elements highlighting the potential involvement of the genes in abiotic stress responses. The transcript level analysis of selected SUMO machinery genes and global SUMO status of pigeonpea proteins in response to drought stress suggests an integral role of SUMO in regulating drought stress conditions in pigeonpea. Collectively, the work puts forward a detailed in silico analysis of pigeonpea SUMO machinery candidates and highlights the essential role of SUMOylation in drought stress responses. Being the first report on a pulse crop, the study will serve as a resource for devising strategies for counteracting drought stress in pigeonpea that can be further extended to other pulse crops.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

SUMO:

Small ubiquitin-like modifier

PTM:

Post-translational modification

SAE:

SUMO-activating enzyme

SCE:

SUMO-conjugating enzyme

NEM:

N-Ethylmaleimide

PVDF:

Polyvinylidene difluoride

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Funding

This work was supported by Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship Grant (BT/RLF/Re-entry/22/2017) from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. The study was partly also supported by DBT PG Teaching Grant (BT/HRD/01/59/2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Central University of Rajasthan, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan, 305817, India

    Aastha Ranjan, Shiloo Raj & Vivek Verma

  2. Department of Biotechnology, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, 485001, India

    Kamlesh Kumar Soni

  3. Plant Biotechnology Division, Gujarat Biotechnology University, Near GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382355, India

    Vivek Verma

Authors
  1. Aastha Ranjan
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  2. Shiloo Raj
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  3. Kamlesh Kumar Soni
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  4. Vivek Verma
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Contributions

VV conceived the ideas. VV and KKS designed the methodology. AR performed the bioinformatic analysis and all the experiments presented in the manuscript. SR gathered all the gene sequences and performed the initial bioinformatic analysis. AR and VV wrote the draft. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vivek Verma.

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Communicated by Prakash P. Kumar.

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Ranjan, A., Raj, S., Soni, K.K. et al. Insights into the role of SUMO in regulating drought stress responses in pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan). Plant Cell Rep 43, 129 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-024-03205-y

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