Abstract Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth, and its deficiency severely limits crop productivity. The PHOSPHATE1 (PHO1) protein family, defined by an N-terminal SPX domain, four transmembrane (4TM) domains, and a C-terminal EXS domain, mediates phosphate (Pi) loading into the xylem for root-to-shoot transport. In rice, OsPHO1;2 is critical for Pi export, and loss-of-function mutants exhibit severe growth retardation and Pi deficiency symptoms despite sufficient external Pi. To dissect the functional contributions of PHO1 domains beyond Pi transport, we generated CRISPR/Cas9 rice lines expressing either the EXS domain containing part of the SPX domain (S-EXS) or the 4TM+EXS domains (T-EXS) of OsPHO1;2. Phenotypic analyses under Pi-sufficient and Pi-deficient conditions revealed that S-EXS lines displayed improved early growth compared to ospho1;2 mutants, despite similar shoot Pi levels. These plants exhibited reduced jasmonic acid accumulation and attenuated phosphate starvation responses, resembling wild-type hormone profiles. In contrast, T-EXS lines mirrored the growth defects of ospho1;2 mutants. Transcriptome profiling confirmed that defense and phosphate starvation pathways were less activated in S-EXS lines relative to mutants. However, both S-EXS and T-EXS lines retained seed development defects and reduced seed phosphorus content, consistent with ospho1;2 phenotypes. Heterozygous plants carrying one functional OsPHO1;2 allele exhibited normal growth and seed development, confirming the recessive nature of the mutation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the S-EXS domain of OsPHO1;2 promotes plant growth independently of Pi transport by modulating jasmonate signaling and suppressing phosphate starvation responses. This highlights a signaling role for PHO1 domains, offering new insights into Pi homeostasis and potential strategies for breeding Pi-efficient crops
Mani et al. (Sat,) studied this question.