The ZOS7-MYB60 module confers drought-stress tolerance in rice
Shubo Zhou,
Lihong He,
Zubair Iqbal,
Yi Su,
Jihang Huang,
Lijing He,
Mingnan Qu,
Langtao Xiao
Affiliations
Shubo Zhou
Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, Hainan, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410125, Hunan, China; Yazhou Bay Innovation Institute, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, Hainan, China
Lihong He
College of Agriculture and Biology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510225, Guangdong, China
Zubair Iqbal
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu, China
Yi Su
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410125, Hunan, China
Jihang Huang
Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, Hainan, China
Lijing He
Yazhou Bay Innovation Institute, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, Hainan, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572024, Hainan, China; Corresponding authors.
Mingnan Qu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, Jiangsu, China; Nanfan Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sanya 572024, Hainan, China; Corresponding authors.
Langtao Xiao
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410125, Hunan, China; Corresponding authors.
Shanlan upland rice is an important landrace resource with high drought stress (DS) tolerance. Despite its importance, genes responsible for yield in Shanlan upland rice have yet to be discovered. Our previous study identified a drought-responsive zinc finger protein, ZOS7, as highly expressed in Shanlandao upland rice. However, the function of this gene in controlling drought tolerance remains largely unexplored. In this study, we found that overexpressing ZOS7, a drought-responsive zinc finger protein, in rice increased biomass and yield under drought stress. Co-overexpressing ZOS7 and MYB60, encoding a protein with which ZOS7 interacted, intensified the yield increase. ZOS7 and MYB60 appear to form a module that confers drought tolerance by regulating stomatal density and wax biosynthesis. The ZOS7-MYB60 module could be used in molecular breeding for drought tolerance in rice.
