Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40394899›Full record

ArticlePlant communications2025

An InDel insertion in the promoter of a UDP-ᴅ-glucuronate 4-epimerase 1 gene enhances maize resistance to Fusarium ear rot.

Chaopei Dong, Yabin Wu, Jingyang Gao, Yunxia Song, Zhaokun Wu, Zhao Wang, Jianju He, Qian Yu, Zhonghuan Zhao, Mengya Cao and 9 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plant communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Achieving High-Density and Stress-Resilient Maize Breeding Via Germplasm Innovation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Chaopei DongCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Yabin WuCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China; Changyuan Branch, Henan Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Xinxiang 453400, China.
Jingyang GaoCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Yunxia SongCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Zhaokun WuCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Zhao WangCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Jianju HeCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Qian YuCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Zhonghuan ZhaoCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Mengya CaoCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Ronghui ZhangCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Weibin SongState Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, National Maize Improvement Center, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Xuecai ZhangInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), El Batan, Texcoco 56237, Mexico.
Pei JingCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Doudou SunCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Huiyong ZhangCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Zijian ZhouCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China. Electronic address: zhouzijian19900601@163.com.
Jiafa ChenCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China. Electronic address: chenjiafa2005@163.com.
Jianyu WuCollege of Agronomy, State Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China. Electronic address: wujianyu40@126.com.

Funding

Non-US Government Research Support type
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Fusarium ear rot (FER), caused by Fusarium verticillioides, results in substantial yield losses and poses a significant threat to maize production worldwide. However, the genetic basis of FER resistance remains poorly understood. Utilizing QTL-seq and association analysis, we identified a gene encoding UDP-ᴅ-glucuronate 4-epimerase 1 (ZmGAE1). A 141-base pair insertion was revealed as the natural functional variation in the promoter of ZmGAE1, which decreases its expression and enhances resistance to FER. Functional validation confirmed that ZmGAE1 acts as a negative regulator of maize resistance to FER. Notably, reduced ZmGAE1 accumulation not only improved FER resistance but also lowered fumonisin content. This effect was attributed to increased cell density within the down-placenta chalaza region, accompanied by the accumulation of galacturonic acid and pectin. Crucially, lines lacking ZmGAE1 exhibited no adverse effects on key agronomic traits and showed resistance to multiple diseases, including maize stalk rot, southern leaf blight, and seed rot. These findings highlight ZmGAE1 as a promising candidate for improving FER resistance in maize, offering a novel approach for crop protection and sustainable agriculture.

Indexed as

Carbohydrate EpimerasesDisease ResistanceFusariumINDEL MutationPlant DiseasesPlant ProteinsPromoter Regions, GeneticZea maysGene Expression Regulation, PlantQuantitative Trait LociCarbohydrate EpimerasesPlant ProteinsFusarium ear rotmaizemaize stalk rotmultiple disease resistanceZmGAE1

Identifiers

PMID40394899
PMCPMC12281194

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.