PIP2;10 Enhances Drought Tolerance via Promoting Water-Retaining Capacity in <i>Populus</i>

Abstract

Drought is an adverse environmental factor for plant growth and development. Aquaporins play an influential role in water uptake and transport in plants. However, the function of PagPIP2;10 in response to drought stress remains largely unclear. Here, we report that the plasma membrane intrinsic protein PagPIP2;10 was in the cell membrane and induced by dehydration in the poplar 84K hybrids. The overexpression of PagPIP2;10 in poplars enhanced drought tolerance. The PagPIP2;10ox lines maintained a higher water retention content, photosynthetic rate, and proline content. Meanwhile, a lower content of MDA and transpiration and stomatal conductance were observed under drought stress than in that of the WT plants. A further analysis found that the PagPIP2;10ox lines decreased the stomatal aperture and accumulated more ROS in guard cells compared with WT after ABA treatment with the exception that the root hydraulic conductance of the PagPIP2;10ox lines was higher than that of the WT plants. These results imply that PagPIP2;10 played a positive role in enhancing drought stress via enhancing water-retaining capacity under drought stress.

Keywords

• drought stress
• PagPIP2
• 10
• poplars
• stomatal closure
• ROS