Wheat TaHGH1/HSFA2D integrates temperature and gravity signals to control starch granule biogenesis and auxin asymmetry for shaping shoot architecture plasticity.

Authors

Yi Ding, Yufeng Yang, Ruiqiang Guo, Hao Zhang, Qi Zhang, Tengteng Zhang, Weilong Guo, Tao Jing, Caihua Li, Mingqi He, Huiqiang Wang, Junming Li, Shuzhi Zheng, Wenqiang Tang, Yue Cui, Xigang Liu

Published in

Molecular plant. Oct 20, 2026. Epub Oct 20, 2026.

Abstract

Shoot architecture, mainly determined by tiller angle, is a key agronomic trait affecting crop yield. Winter wheat undergoes dynamic erect-prostrate growth transitions in response to low temperatures during overwintering, yet the coordinated regulation of shoot architecture by temperature and gravity remains elusive. In this study, we identified TaHGH1, an HSFA2 transcription factor, via GWAS and found it positively regulates shoot gravitropism and thereby reduces tiller angle. TaHGH1 promotes amyloplast abundance to enhance gravitropism; heat-induced transcription and cold-induced alternative splicing of TaHGH1 jointly modulate gravitropism and the erect-prostrate-erect growth shift. Mechanistically, TaHGH1 directly activates TaLAX3 and TaARF19, leading to asymmetric auxin distribution and differential cell elongation. Beneficial TaHGH1 haplotypes associated with compact architecture and increased spikelet number have undergone global artificial selection. Our work reveals a molecular module integrating thermal and gravity signals for adaptive shoot architecture, providing valuable targets for high-yield wheat breeding.

PMID:
42902561
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Oct 2026.

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