Identification of root system architecture associated genes, regulatory network, and expression analysis under abiotic stress in maize.

Identification of 127 maize RSA-associated genes and a regulatory network highlights key regulators for stress resilience under drought and salinity conditions.

• Why it matters: Improving maize root system architecture (RSA) is crucial for enhancing tolerance to abiotic stresses, yet its complex regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood, limiting breeding efforts.
• What they did: Researchers integrated gene mining, cross-species orthology, in silico expression profiling, and gene regulatory network analysis to identify RSA regulators and key genes, including transcription factors and miRNAs, under stress conditions.
• The result: The study revealed a stress-responsive RSA network with major hubs like KN1, EREB147, D8, and miR167d-3p, providing targets for functional validation, genome editing, and breeding of climate-resilient maize cultivars.