Pumpkin CmoCDPK20 improved the salt tolerance of grafted cucumber by phosphorylating CmoDREB2A to promote jasmonic acid biosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activities

• DOI: 10.1111/tpj.70167
• Publication Date: 2025-05-10T23:20:52Z
• Authors: Hui Chen; Ying Wang; Yuquan Peng; Guoyu Chen; Lanxing Wei; Dandi Xu; Lihui Wang; Lvjun Cui; Shouyu Geng; Li Yang; Zhilong Bie
• Keywords: Jasmonic acid

SUMMARY Soil salinization hinders crop growth, but salt‐tolerant pumpkin is a valuable rootstock for grafting cucumbers. Calcium‐dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) play an important role in plant salt tolerance, yet their specific functions and the underlying mechanisms regulating tolerance remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified CmoCDPK20 as key regulator of grafted cucumber. Functional characterization revealed that enhanced cucumbers by inducing jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis antioxidant enzyme activities. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated interacts with phosphorylates transcription factor dehydration‐responsive element‐binding 2A (CmoDREB2A) at Ser241/396 residues. The activated CmoDREB2A subsequently binds to promoters CmoAOC2 , CmoPOD2 CmoCAT3 leading increased JA production activity. These findings elucidate novel regulatory pathway provide insights developing rootstocks.