ZmERF21 directly regulates hormone signaling and stress‐responsive gene expression to influence drought tolerance in maize seedlings

• DOI: 10.1111/pce.14243
• Publication Date: 2021-12-07T06:54:11Z
• Authors: Zhiyong Wang; Xiang Zhao; Zhenzhen Ren; Salah Fatouh Abou...; Xiaoyu Pu; Yingfang Zhu; Dandan Dou; Huihui Su; Haiyang Cheng; Zhixue Liu; Yanhui Chen; Ertao Wang; Ruixin Shao; Lixia Ku
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 2. Zero hunger; Gene Expression; 15. Life on land; Zea mays; 6. Clean water; Droughts; 03 medical and health sciences; Plant Growth Regulators; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Seedlings; Stress, Physiological; Plant Proteins; Signal Transduction

AbstractDrought stress adversely impacts crop development and yield. Maize frequently encounters drought stress during its life cycle. Improvement of drought tolerance is a priority of maize breeding programs. Here, we identified a novel transcription factor encoding gene, APETALA2 (AP2)/Ethylene response factor (ERF), which is tightly associated with drought tolerance in maize seedlings. ZmERF21 is mainly expressed in the root and leaf and it can be highly induced by polyethylene glycol treatment. Genetic analysis showed that the zmerf21 mutant plants displayed a reduced drought tolerance phenotype, accompanied by phenotypical and physiological changes that are commonly observed in drought conditions. Overexpression of ZmERF21 in maize significantly increased the chlorophyll content and activities of antioxidant enzymes under drought conditions. RNA‐Seq and DNA affinity purification sequencing analysis further revealed that ZmERF21 may directly regulate the expression of genes related to hormone (ethylene, abscisic acid) and Ca signaling as well as other stress‐response genes through binding to the promoters of potential target genes. Our results thereby provided molecular evidence of ZmERF21 is involved in the drought stress response of maize.