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Differential roles of duplicate genes OsATG9a and OsATG9b in autophagy regulation and drought stress response in rice
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  • Yiming Li,
  • Yuantai Liu,
  • Mengzhao Shi,
  • Xiaoyun Luo,
  • Yanshu Huang,
  • Hao Zeng,
  • Yunfeng Liu,
  • Yifeng Huang,
  • Peng Xu,
  • Yangwen Qian,
  • Qingjun Xie,
  • Qianying Yang
Yiming Li
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Yuantai Liu
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Mengzhao Shi
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Xiaoyun Luo
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Yanshu Huang
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Hao Zeng
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Yunfeng Liu
Guangxi University College of Life Science and Technology
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Yifeng Huang
Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences
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Peng Xu
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
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Yangwen Qian
WIMI Biotechnology Co Ltd
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Qingjun Xie
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture
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Qianying Yang
South China Agricultural University College of Agriculture

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Gene duplication events frequently occur during eukaryotic genome evolution, often leading to functional redundancy for organism survival in complex environments. However, whether duplicate genes evolve diverse functions remains unclear. In this study, we explored the roles of autophagy-related gene 9 OsATG9a and OsATG9b in rice development and drought stress responses. Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved degradation pathway, plays a critical role in multiple biological processes by recycling cellular components. We found both OsATG9a and OsATG9b involved in autophagy, with functional redundancy affecting traits like grain size, plant height, tiller number, primary branch number, and panicle length. Notably, OsATG9b exhibited a distinct response to drought stress. The osatg9a mutant displayed a lower survival rate than wild type (WT) after drought stress, similar to other osatg mutants, while the osatg9b mutant showed the opposite. Moreover, autophagy flux decreased in osatg9a mutant but increased in osatg9b, surpassing WT response. Overexpression of OsATG9b resulted in lower survival rates and reduced autophagy induction under drought stress. These suggest OsATG9a promotes autophagy during drought stress, while OsATG9b negatively impacts it, representing a newly evolved function in rice. Our findings provided insights into the functional divergence of duplicate genes during evolution.