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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2025, Vol. 24 Issue (12): 4656-4669    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.09.018
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Regulation of lignin biosynthesis by a group IIe WRKY transcription factor PlWRKY29 in herbaceous peony

Yanqing Wu1, 2, Zhanyu Dong2, Yuehan Yin2, Jun Tao1, 2, Daqiu Zhao2, Yuhan Tang1, 2#

1 Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

2 College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

 Highlights 

The expression of PlWRKY29, a group IIe WRKY transcription factor, correlates with stem strength.

PlWRKY29 enhances stem strength by promoting lignin biosynthesis, primarily through the direct transcriptional activation of PlLAC15.

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摘要  

茎秆强度是关键的农艺性状之一,对增强植株抗倒伏能力、减少弯曲变形,进而提高产量与品质具有重要作用。尽管已有研究报道多个转录因子参与植物茎秆强度的调控,但其形成的分子机制尚未完全阐明,尤其在观赏植物中研究仍较为有限。本研究在芍药中鉴定出一个IIeWRKY转录因子PlWRKY29。在烟草中异源过表达PlWRKY29能够显著增强茎秆机械强度,并促进木质部发育、细胞壁增厚以及木质素积累;而在芍药中沉默该基因则导致相反表型。进一步机制研究表明,PlWRKY29直接结合木质素聚合基因PlLAC15的启动子区域。这些结果表明PlWRKY29正向调控植株木质素生物合成和茎秆强度,为理解植物木质素生物合成调控机制提供了新见解。



Abstract  

Stem strength represents one of the most critical agronomic traits, as it enables plants to resist lodging and bending, thereby contributing to their overall yield and quality.  Various transcription factors have been shown to regulate stem strength in crops; however, the mechanisms underlying stem strength formation and regulation remain largely unexplored, particularly in ornamental plants.  This study identified a group IIe WRKY transcription factor PlWRKY29 in herbaceous peony.  Tobacco plants overexpressing PlWRKY29 exhibited significantly enhanced stems, expanded xylem, thickened cell walls and elevated lignin content compared to wild-type specimens.  Conversely, PlWRKY29-silenced herbaceous peony demonstrated opposite characteristics.  Further investigation of the regulatory mechanism revealed that PlWRKY29 bound to the promoter of PlLAC15, which encodes a monolignol polymerization gene that facilitates lignin deposition.  These findings demonstrate that PlWRKY29 positively regulates lignin biosynthesis and stem strength, advancing our understanding of lignin biosynthetic regulation in plants.

Keywords:  herbaceous peony       stem lignification       PlWRKY29       laccase       gene function  
Received: 22 August 2024   Accepted: 17 June 2025 Online: 22 September 2025  
Fund: 

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32302586, 32330091), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023M732988, 2022M722698), the National Forest and Grass Science and Technology Innovation and Development Research Project, China (2023132012), and the Forestry Science and Technology Promotion Project of Jiangsu Province, China (LYKJ[2021]01).

About author:  Yanqing Wu, E-mail: yqwu@yzu.edu.cn; #Correspondence Yuhan Tang, E-mail: 008169@yzu.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Yanqing Wu, Zhanyu Dong, Yuehan Yin, Jun Tao, Daqiu Zhao, Yuhan Tang. 2025. Regulation of lignin biosynthesis by a group IIe WRKY transcription factor PlWRKY29 in herbaceous peony. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 24(12): 4656-4669.

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