Zhang Xueli, Duan Wei, Wang Yuxiang, Jiang Zhihu, Li Qian
Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of Grassland Resources and Ecology of Western Arid Region, Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources and Ecology of Xinjiang, College of Grassland Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Sep 1;26(17):8495. doi: 10.3390/ijms26178495.
Drought stress is a major abiotic constraint that severely restricts the growth of L. by inducing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) play a key role in regulating plant responses to drought stress. In this study, we investigated the role of the gene in drought tolerance. Under mannitol and ABA stress treatments, -overexpressing lines (OEs) showed significantly longer primary roots, increased lateral roots, and higher fresh weight compared to wild-type (Col) lines, indicating significantly enhanced growth and drought tolerance. Similarly, under soil drought conditions, transgenic exhibited enhanced drought tolerance. NBT staining demonstrated decreased ROS accumulation in transgenic lines after stress treatment. Correspondingly, the -overexpressing lines displayed significantly lower levels of hydrogen peroxide (HO), superoxide anion (O), and malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to Col, along with elevated activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), as well as increased proline (Pro) content. Furthermore, upregulated the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes (, , and ) and modulated the expression of other drought-related genes. In summary, our results demonstrate that enhances drought tolerance in by improving ROS scavenging capacity. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further exploration of 's functional mechanisms in drought stress adaptation.
干旱胁迫是一种主要的非生物限制因素，通过诱导植物体内活性氧（ROS）的积累严重限制了L.的生长。WRKY转录因子（TFs）在调节植物对干旱胁迫的反应中起关键作用。在本研究中，我们调查了该基因在耐旱性中的作用。在甘露醇和脱落酸（ABA）胁迫处理下，与野生型（Col）品系相比，过表达系（OEs）表现出明显更长的主根、更多的侧根和更高的鲜重，表明其生长和耐旱性显著增强。同样，在土壤干旱条件下，转基因植株表现出增强的耐旱性。NBT染色显示胁迫处理后转基因系中ROS积累减少。相应地，与Col相比，过表达系中过氧化氢（H₂O₂）、超氧阴离子（O₂⁻）和丙二醛（MDA）的水平显著降低，同时超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）和过氧化物酶（POD）的活性升高，脯氨酸（Pro）含量增加。此外，该基因上调了抗氧化酶基因（、和）的表达，并调节了其他干旱相关基因的表达。总之,我们的结果表明，该基因通过提高ROS清除能力增强了L.的耐旱性。本研究为进一步探索该基因在干旱胁迫适应中的功能机制提供了理论基础。
