摘要:
Drought is a devastating abiotic stress that severely compromises global rice production. Despite decades of extensive research, the molecular mechanisms underlying rice drought tolerance remain largely elusive. Here, we characterize a Cys2/His2 (C2H2)-type zinc finger protein, ZFP151, as a positive transcription factor of rice drought tolerance. Mechanistically, ZFP151 directly binds to the promoter of NCED4, a rate-limiting gene in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic pathway and transcriptionally activates its expression. Through haplotype analysis of natural rice accessions, we identify five major ZFP151 haplotypes (Hap0–Hap4), among which ZFP151Hap1 is determined as the elite allele. This allele correlates with higher NCED4 expression and elevated ABA levels under drought conditions. Introgression of ZFP151Hap1, the elite allele, into the japonica cultivar Koshihikari, which carries the ZFP151Hap0 allele, significantly improves its drought tolerance. Collectively, our findings uncover the regulatory role of ZFP151 in ABA-mediated drought response and underscores its potential as a target for genetic improvement of drought-tolerant rice varieties.
Abstract:
Drought is a devastating abiotic stress that severely compromises global rice production. Despite decades of extensive research, the molecular mechanisms underlying rice drought tolerance remain largely elusive. Here, we characterize a Cys2/His2 (C2H2)-type zinc finger protein, ZFP151, as a positive transcription factor of rice drought tolerance. Mechanistically, ZFP151 directly binds to the promoter of NCED4, a rate-limiting gene in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic pathway and transcriptionally activates its expression. Through haplotype analysis of natural rice accessions, we identify five major ZFP151 haplotypes (Hap0–Hap4), among which ZFP151Hap1 is determined as the elite allele. This allele correlates with higher NCED4 expression and elevated ABA levels under drought conditions. Introgression of ZFP151Hap1, the elite allele, into the japonica cultivar Koshihikari, which carries the ZFP151Hap0 allele, significantly improves its drought tolerance. Collectively, our findings uncover the regulatory role of ZFP151 in ABA-mediated drought response and underscores its potential as a target for genetic improvement of drought-tolerant rice varieties.
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