A field-focused systems approach reveals mRNA covalent modifications linked to sorghum growth and development under drought stress

RNA Covalent Modifications (RCMs) are post-transcriptional chemical alterations that influence RNA stability and translation efficiency, thus play critical roles in eukaryotic growth and development. However, their role in regulating plant performance under abiotic stress remain largely unexplored. Here, we integrated multi-omics data in six Sorghum bicolor accessions under water-limiting conditions in the field to explore the relationship between RCMs and drought response. Within a stress and photosynthesis-associated gene co-expression module, we identified SbDUS2, a member of family of enzymes, conserved across eukaryotes, which catalyzes the reduction of uracil to dihydrouridine (DHU) on RNA molecules. DHU-modified transcripts in this module were enriched for photosynthetic functions and showed strong correlation with photosynthetic traits. To elucidate the function of this RCM, we characterized loss of function dus2 mutants in the genetic model, Arabidopsis thaliana. Under control conditions, these DHU-deficient mutants exhibited impaired germination and delayed development. Furthermore, when exposed to heat or water-limiting conditions, these mutants showed significantly reduced net CO2 assimilation and survival. Using multiple transcriptome-wide RNA stability assays, we demonstrated that transcripts associated with lower DHU level in a dus2 background generally exhibited increased stability compared to Col-0 controls. Particularly, lack of DUS2 led to the hyperstability of photosynthesis-related transcripts, impeding their turnover and likely preventing proper photosynthetic acclimation during stress. We propose a model based on these data where DHU acts as a critical post-transcriptional regulator marking mRNAs for rapid turnover under stress, highlighting an overlooked regulatory layer contributing to plant resilience.