Wang Yimeng, Jiao Peng, Wang Chunlai, Wu Chenyang, Wei Xiaotong, Liu Siyan, Ma Yiyong, Guan Shuyan
College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
Plant Sci. 2025 Jul;356:112502. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2025.112502. Epub 2025 Apr 7.
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a food crop with the largest planted area globally and one of the highest total yields worldwide. However, in recent years, deteriorating climate, increasing scarcity of freshwater resources, and rising land salinity have caused drought and salinity stress to be the two major factors that restrict crop growth, development, and yield, significantly affecting crop production and ecological sustainability. Nuclear factor Ys (NF-Ys) are an important class of transcription factors (TFs); however, their roles in plant stress tolerance responses and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we conducted a bioinformatic analysis of 17 members of the maize NF-YC family and examined the ZmNF-YC14 gene through multiple sequence alignment among different species and HFD_NF-YC-like functional domains. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) results indicated that ZmNF-YC14 exhibited the highest expression levels in maize leaves and was positively expressed under both drought and salt stress treatments. Western blot analysis revealed a distinct band at 27.68 kDa. Analyses of Escherichia coli BL21 and yeast strains confirmed that ZmNF-YC14 plays a biological role in enhancing tolerance to salt and drought stress. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing ZmNF-YC14 demonstrated reduced levels of hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion, and malondialdehyde while exhibiting increased peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities after drought and salt stress treatments. This effect was attributed to the reciprocal relationship between ZmNF-YC14 and its downstream target gene ZmCONSTANS-LIKE16. Therefore, ZmNF-YC14 and ZmCONSTANS-LIKE16 may be essential for the response to abiotic stresses such as drought and salt stress in maize. They play a crucial role in the development of new germplasm, cultivation of new maize varieties, addressing the 'necklace' problem in crop breeding, and ensuring national food security.
玉米（Zea mays L.）是全球种植面积最大的粮食作物之一，也是世界总产量最高的作物之一。然而，近年来，气候恶化、淡水资源日益稀缺以及土壤盐渍化加剧，导致干旱和盐胁迫成为限制作物生长、发育和产量的两大主要因素，严重影响作物生产和生态可持续性。核因子Y（NF-Y）是一类重要的转录因子（TFs）；然而，它们在植物耐逆反应中的作用及其潜在分子机制仍 largely未知。在本研究中，我们对玉米NF-YC家族的17个成员进行了生物信息学分析，并通过不同物种间的多序列比对和HFD_NF-YC样功能域对ZmNF-YC14基因进行了研究。逆转录定量PCR（RT-qPCR）结果表明，ZmNF-YC14在玉米叶片中表达水平最高，在干旱和盐胁迫处理下均呈阳性表达。蛋白质免疫印迹分析显示在27.68 kDa处有一条明显的条带。对大肠杆菌BL21和酵母菌株的分析证实，ZmNF-YC14在增强对盐和干旱胁迫的耐受性方面发挥生物学作用。过表达ZmNF-YC14的拟南芥植株在干旱和盐胁迫处理后，过氧化氢、超氧阴离子和丙二醛水平降低，而过氧化物酶、过氧化氢酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性增加。这种效应归因于ZmNF-YC14与其下游靶基因ZmCONSTANS-LIKE16之间的相互关系。因此，ZmNF-YC14和ZmCONSTANS-LIKE16可能对玉米应对干旱和盐胁迫等非生物胁迫至关重要。它们在新种质开发、玉米新品种培育、解决作物育种中的“项链”问题以及确保国家粮食安全方面发挥着关键作用。
