The Abscisic Acid Receptor Gene from Confers Tolerance to Drought Stress in Transgenic Plants.

Pyrabactin resistance 1-like (PYL) proteins are abscisic acid (ABA) receptors that play a crucial role in the plant's response to adverse environmental conditions. However, as of yet, there is limited research on the role of PYL proteins in potato. In this study, a potato gene, , was identified through transcriptome analysis under drought stress. Molecular characterization revealed that the StPYL8-like protein possesses a highly conserved PYL family domain. Evolutionary analysis demonstrated that StPYL8-like protein clusters with various PYL proteins are involved in stress responses across different species. Functional assays showed that robustly responds to different abiotic stresses, including drought and ABA treatment. Furthermore, the transient and stable expressions of in tobacco enhanced their drought resistance, leading to increased plant height, leaf number, and fresh weight, as well as an improved root system. Transgenic tobacco carrying the gene exhibited lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and higher proline accumulation and antioxidant enzyme activity compared to wild-type plants under drought conditions. Moreover, upregulated the expression of stress-responsive genes (, , , , , and ) in transgenic plants subjected to drought stress. Collectively, these findings highlight the positive regulatory role of the gene in enhancing potato plants' response to drought stress.