Deciphering the Molecular Mechanisms of Chilling Tolerance in Lsi1-Overexpressing Rice

Improving tolerance to low-temperature stress during the rice seedling stage is of great significance in agricultural science. In this study, using the low silicon gene 1 (Lsi1)-overexpressing (Dular-OE) and wild-type rice (Dular-WT), we showed that Lsi1 overexpression enhances chilling tolerance in Dular-OE. The overexpression of the Lsi1 increases silicon absorption, but it was not the main reason for chilling tolerance in Dular-OE. Instead, our data suggest that the overexpression of a Lsi1-encoding NIP and its interaction with key proteins lead to chilling tolerance in Dular-OE. Additionally, we show that the high-mobility group protein (HMG1) binds to the promoter of Lsi1, positively regulating its expression. Moreover, Nod26-like major intrinsic protein (NIP)’s interaction with α and β subunits of ATP synthase and the 14-3-3f protein was validated by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), bimolecular fluorescent complementary (BiFC), and GST-pulldown assays. Western blotting revealed that the overexpression of NIP positively regulates the ATP-synthase subunits that subsequently upregulate calcineurin B-like interacting protein kinases (CIPK) negatively regulating 14-3-3f. Overall, these NIP-mediated changes trigger corresponding pathways in an orderly manner, enhancing chilling tolerance in Dular-OE.