OsLdh7 Overexpression in Rice Confers Submergence Tolerance by Regulating Key Metabolic Pathways: Anaerobic Glycolysis, Ethanolic Fermentation and Amino Acid Metabolism

Lactate dehydrogenase plays a key role in alleviating hypoxia during prolonged submergence. To explore the function of the OsLdh7 gene in enhancing submergence tolerance, we overexpressed this gene in rice (Oryza sativa cv. IR64) and subjected the transgenic lines to complete inundation. The overexpression lines showed enhanced viability, chlorophyll content and photosystem II (PSII) efficiency compared to wild-type (WT) plants under stress and recovery conditions. Additionally, these lines exhibited better starch accumulation and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Protein-protein interaction studies revealed that OsLdh7 interacts with OsLos2, OsPdc2, OsAlaAT2 and OsAsp2. Under submergence, enhanced enzyme activities of OsLdh7, OsAsp2 and OsAdh1 led to higher NAD⁺ levels, sustaining anaerobic glycolytic flux and increasing pyruvate, a critical carbon source for amino acid metabolism as well as anaerobic fermentation pathways. Elevated l-lactate levels resulted in increased activity of OsPdc2, which eventually led to enhanced ethanol production. The overexpression lines also accumulated higher levels of aspartate, glutamate and alanine, crucial for ROS reduction and energy production during recovery. These findings suggest that OsLdh7 overexpression confers tolerance to submergence stress by regulating the important metabolic pathways- anaerobic glycolysis, ethanolic fermentation and amino acid metabolism in rice.