UC Davis

Plants have evolved complex mechanisms to reprogram growth in response to drought stress. In herbaceous perennial plant species, the rhizome, which is normally an organ for propagation and food storage, can also support plant growth in stressful environments, and allows the plant to perennate and survive stress damage. However, the mechanisms that regulate rhizome growth in perennial herbs during abiotic stresses are unknown. Here, we identified a chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) DEAD-box RNA helicase gene, CmRH56, that is specifically expressed in the rhizome shoot apex. Knock down of CmRH56 transcript levels decreased the number of rhizomes and enhanced drought stress tolerance. We determined that CmRH56 represses the expression of a putative gibberellin (GA) catabolic gene, GA2 oxidase6 (CmGA2ox6). Exogenous GA treatment and silencing of CmGA2ox6 resulted in more rhizomes. These results demonstrate that CmRH56 suppresses rhizome outgrowth under drought stress conditions by blocking GA biosynthesis.