Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress

Abstract Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have been identified in various eukaryotic organisms and are known to play crucial roles in genomic plasticity. However, in crop plants, the role of eccDNAs in responses to environmental cues, particularly nutritional stresses, remains unexplored. Ri...

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Main Authors: Hanfang Ni, Lenin Yong-Villalobos, Mian Gu, Damar Lizbeth López-Arredondo, Min Chen, Liyan Geng, Guohua Xu, Luis Rafael Herrera-Estrella
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59572-x
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author Hanfang Ni
Lenin Yong-Villalobos
Mian Gu
Damar Lizbeth López-Arredondo
Min Chen
Liyan Geng
Guohua Xu
Luis Rafael Herrera-Estrella
author_facet Hanfang Ni
Lenin Yong-Villalobos
Mian Gu
Damar Lizbeth López-Arredondo
Min Chen
Liyan Geng
Guohua Xu
Luis Rafael Herrera-Estrella
author_sort Hanfang Ni
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have been identified in various eukaryotic organisms and are known to play crucial roles in genomic plasticity. However, in crop plants, the role of eccDNAs in responses to environmental cues, particularly nutritional stresses, remains unexplored. Rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica), a vital crop for over half the world’s population and an excellent model plant for genomic studies, faces numerous environmental challenges during growth. Therefore, we conduct comprehensive studies investigating the distribution, sequence, and potential responses of rice eccDNAs to nutritional stresses. We describe the changes in the eccDNA landscape at various developmental stages of rice in optimal growth. We also identify eccDNAs overlapping with genes (ecGenes), transposable elements (ecTEs), and full-length repeat units (full-length ecRepeatUnits), whose prevalence responds to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deficiency. We analyze multiple-fragment eccDNAs and propose a potential TE-mediated homologous recombination mechanism as the origin of rice’s multiple-fragment eccDNAs. We provide evidence for the role of eccDNAs in the rice genome plasticity under nutritional stresses and underscore the significance of their abundance and specificity.
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spelling doaj-art-fa8c7ff24a1b4a54a9bc72e20454d6572025-08-20T02:55:35ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-05-0116111810.1038/s41467-025-59572-xAdaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stressHanfang Ni0Lenin Yong-Villalobos1Mian Gu2Damar Lizbeth López-Arredondo3Min Chen4Liyan Geng5Guohua Xu6Luis Rafael Herrera-Estrella7National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural UniversityDepartment of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST), Texas Tech UniversityNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural UniversityDepartment of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST), Texas Tech UniversityNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural UniversityNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural UniversityNational Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural UniversityDepartment of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance (IGCAST), Texas Tech UniversityAbstract Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have been identified in various eukaryotic organisms and are known to play crucial roles in genomic plasticity. However, in crop plants, the role of eccDNAs in responses to environmental cues, particularly nutritional stresses, remains unexplored. Rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica), a vital crop for over half the world’s population and an excellent model plant for genomic studies, faces numerous environmental challenges during growth. Therefore, we conduct comprehensive studies investigating the distribution, sequence, and potential responses of rice eccDNAs to nutritional stresses. We describe the changes in the eccDNA landscape at various developmental stages of rice in optimal growth. We also identify eccDNAs overlapping with genes (ecGenes), transposable elements (ecTEs), and full-length repeat units (full-length ecRepeatUnits), whose prevalence responds to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deficiency. We analyze multiple-fragment eccDNAs and propose a potential TE-mediated homologous recombination mechanism as the origin of rice’s multiple-fragment eccDNAs. We provide evidence for the role of eccDNAs in the rice genome plasticity under nutritional stresses and underscore the significance of their abundance and specificity.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59572-x
spellingShingle Hanfang Ni
Lenin Yong-Villalobos
Mian Gu
Damar Lizbeth López-Arredondo
Min Chen
Liyan Geng
Guohua Xu
Luis Rafael Herrera-Estrella
Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress
Nature Communications
title Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress
title_full Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress
title_fullStr Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress
title_full_unstemmed Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress
title_short Adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular DNA in rice under nutrient stress
title_sort adaptive dynamics of extrachromosomal circular dna in rice under nutrient stress
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59572-x
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