The Genetics of Heat Shock Proteins in Wheat in Relation to Heat Tolerance and Yield
Authors: Blum Abraham , Nguyen Henry T. , Klueva N.Y. 
Published: December 2021

Fifty six diverse spring wheat cultivars were evaluated for genetic variation and heritability for thermotolerance in terms of cell-membrane stability (CMS) and triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction. The most divergent cultivars for thermotolerance (Danbata-tolerant and Nacozari-susceptible) were crossed to develop an F8 random onbred line (RIL) population. This population was evaluated for co-segragation in CMS, yield under heat stress and HSP accumulation. Further studies of thermotolerance in relations to HSP and the expression of heterosis for growth under heat stress were performed with F1 hybrids of wheat and their parental cultivars. CMS in 95 RILs ranged from 76.5% to 22.4% with 71.5% and 31.3% in Danbata and Nacozari, respectively. The population segregated with a normal distribution across the full range of the parental values. Yield and biomass under non-stress conditions during the normal winter season at Bet Dagan dit not differ between the two parental cultivar, but the range of segregation for these traits in 138 RILs was very high and distinctly transgressive with a CV of 35.3% and 42.4% among lines for biomass and yield, respectively. Mean biomass and yield of the population was reduced about twofold when grown under the hot summer conditions (irrigated) at Bet Dagan. Segregation for biomass and yield was decreased relative to the normal winter conditions with CV of 20.2% and 23.3% among lines for biomass and yield, respectively. However, contrary to non-stress conditions, the parental cultivars differed about twofold in biomass and yield under heat stress and the population segregated with normal distribution across the full range of this difference. CMS was highly and positively correlated across 79 RILs with biomass (r=0.62**) and yield (r=0.58**) under heat stress. No such correlation was obtained under the normal winter conditions. All RILs expressed a set of HSPs under heat shock (37oC for 2 h). No variation was detected among RILs in high molecular weight HSP isoforms and they were similar to the patterns of the parental cultivars. There was a surprisingly low variability in low molecular weight HSP isoforms. Only one low molecular weight and Nacozari-specific HSP isoform (belonging to HSP 16.9 family) appeared to segregate among all RILs, but it was not quantitatively correlated with any parameter of plant production under heat stress or with CMS in this population. It is concluded that this Danbata/Nacozari F8 RIL population co-segregated well for thermotolerance and yield under heat stress and that CMS could predict the relative productivity of lines under chronic heat stress. Regretfully this population did not express meaningful variability for HSP accumulation under heat shock and therefore no role could be seen for HSP in the heat tolerance of this population. In the study of seven F1 hybrids and their parent cultivars it was found that heterosis (superiority of the F1 over the best parent) for CMs was generally lower than that for growth under heat stress. Hybrids varied in the rate of heterosis for growth at normal (15o/25o) and at high (25o/35o) temperatures. In certain hybrids heterosis for growth significantly increased at high temperature as compared with normal temperature, suggesting temperature-dependent heterosis. Generally, under normal temperature, only limited qualitative variation was detected in the patterns of protein synthesis in four wheat hybrids and their parents. However, a singular protein (C47/5.88) was specifically expressed only in the most heterotic hybrid at normal temperature but not in its parent cultivars. Parental cultivars were significantly different in the sets of synthesized HSP at 37o. No qualitative changes in the patterns of protein expression under heat stress were correlated with heterosis. However, a quantitative increase in certain low molecular weight HSP (mainly H14/5.5 and H14.5.6, belonging to the HSP16.9 family) was positively associated with greater heterosis for growth at high temperature. None of these proteins were correlated with CMS across hybrids. These results support the concept of temperature-dependent heterosis for growth and a possible role for HSP 16.9 family in this respect. Finally, when all experiments are viewed together, it is encouraging to find that genetic variation in wheat yield under chronic heat stress is associated with and well predicted by CMS as an assay of thermotolerance. On the other hand the results for HSP are elusive. While very low genetic variation was expressed for HSP in the RIL population, a unique low molecular weight HSP (of the HSP 16.9 family) could be associated with temperature dependant heterosis for growth.