Transcription factor OsWRKY72 is involved in Cu/Cd toxicity by regulating lignin synthesis in rice

Maintenance of ion homeostasis in plant cells is an essential physiological requirement for sustainable growth, development, and yield of crops. Plants respond to high levels of heavy metals such as copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) to avoid irreversible damage at the structural, physiological and molecular levels. Our previous study found that rice germin-like proteins (OsGLPs) are a type of Cu-responsive proteins. The deletion of 10 tandem OsGLP genes on chromosome 8 led to more severe heavy metal toxicity in rice. In this study, we show that rice WRKY transcription factor OsWRKY72 negatively regulates OsGLP8-7 transcription. Overexpression of OsWRKY72 weakens the Cu/Cd tolerance of rice when exposed to Cu and Cd. OsWRKY72 suppressed expression of OsGLP8-7 and lignin synthesis genes, resulting in reduced lignin polymerization and consequently lower lignin accumulation in cell walls, thereby increasing the Cu and Cd accumulation. In addition, OsWRKY53 bound to OsWRKY72 to alleviate the transcriptional inhibition of OsGLP8-7. These results revealed that OsWRKY72-OsGLP8-7 is an important module response of rice to heavy metal stress, and that transcription factor OsWRKY72 acts upstream of OsGLP8-7 to regulate Cu/Cd toxicity.