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PMID: 24086146 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Genome-wide analysis of ZmDREB genes and their association with natural variation in drought tolerance at seedling stage of Zea mays L.

PLoS genetics ·Vol. 9 ·No. 9 ·2013-00-00 ·Pages e1003790

Liu S, Wang X, Wang H, Xin H, Yang X, Yan J, Li J, Tran LS, Shinozaki K, Yamaguchi-Shinozaki K, Qin F

Abstract

The worldwide production of maize (Zea mays L.) is frequently impacted by water scarcity and as a result, increased drought tolerance is a priority target in maize breeding programs. While DREB transcription factors have been demonstrated to play a central role in desiccation tolerance, whether or not natural sequence variations in these genes are associated with the phenotypic variability of this trait is largely unknown. In the present study, eighteen ZmDREB genes present in the maize B73 genome were cloned and systematically analyzed to determine their phylogenetic relationship, synteny with rice, maize and sorghum genomes; pattern of drought-responsive gene expression, and protein transactivation activity. Importantly, the association between the nucleic acid variation of each ZmDREB gene with drought tolerance was evaluated using a diverse population of maize consisting of 368 varieties from tropical and temperate regions. A significant association between the genetic variation of ZmDREB2.7 and drought tolerance at seedling stage was identified. Further analysis found that the DNA polymorphisms in the promoter region of ZmDREB2.7, but not the protein coding region itself, was associated with different levels of drought tolerance among maize varieties, likely due to distinct patterns of gene expression in response to drought stress. In vitro, protein-DNA binding assay demonstrated that ZmDREB2.7 protein could specifically interact with the target DNA sequences. The transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing ZmDREB2.7 displayed enhanced tolerance to drought stress. Moreover, a favorable allele of ZmDREB2.7, identified in the drought-tolerant maize varieties, was effective in imparting plant tolerance to drought stress. Based upon these findings, we conclude that natural variation in the promoter of ZmDREB2.7 contributes to maize drought tolerance, and that the gene and its favorable allele may be an important genetic resource for the genetic improvement of drought tolerance in maize.

MeSH Terms
Amino Acid Sequence Arabidopsis/genetics Droughts Gene Expression Regulation, Plant Genetic Association Studies Oryza/genetics Phylogeny Promoter Regions, Genetic Seedlings/genetics,growth & development Synteny/genetics Transcription Factors/genetics Zea mays/genetics,growth & development
Chemicals
Transcription Factors
Authors & Affiliations
11 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Liu Shengxue
Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ; Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Wang Xianglan
Wang Hongwei
Xin Haibo
Yang Xiaohong
Yan Jianbing
Li Jiansheng
Tran Lam-Son Phan
Shinozaki Kazuo
Yamaguchi-Shinozaki Kazuko
Qin Feng
Conflict of Interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Article Info
Journal
PLoS genetics
Abbr.
PLoS Genet
ISSN
1553-7404
DOI
10.1371/journal.pgen.1003790
Published
2013-00-00
Epub
2013-00-26
Pages
e1003790
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
101239074
PMCID
PMC3784558
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003790 PMC Full Text View journal details
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