Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Wei, Xiaotong; Fan, Xuhong; Zhang, Honglin; Jiao, Peng; Jiang, Zhenzhong; Lu, Xuan; Liu, Siyan; Guan, Shuyan; Ma, Yiyong

doi:10.3390/ijms232113349

Open AccessArticle

Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.)

by

Xiaotong Wei

^1,†,

Xuhong Fan

^2,†,

Honglin Zhang

¹,

Peng Jiao

³

,

Zhenzhong Jiang

³,

Xuan Lu

³,

Siyan Liu

^1,4,

Shuyan Guan

^1,4,*

and

Yiyong Ma

^1,4,*

¹

College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China

²

Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130118, China

³

College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China

⁴

Joint International Research Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Technology, Ministry of Education, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13349; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113349

Submission received: 13 September 2022 / Revised: 28 October 2022 / Accepted: 30 October 2022 / Published: 1 November 2022

(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Plant Sciences)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

Osmotic stress caused by drought and high salinity is the key factor limiting plant growth. However, its underlying molecular regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found the stress-related gene Zm00001d019704 (ZmSRG7) based on transcriptome sequencing results previously obtained in the laboratory and determined its biological function in maize. We found that ZmSRG7 was significantly expressed in both roots and leaves under 10% PEG6000 or 150 mM NaCl. Subcellular localization showed that the gene was localized in the nucleus. The germination rate and root length of the ZmSRG7 overexpressing lines were significantly increased under drought or salt stress compared with the control. However, after drought stress, the survival rate and relative water content of maize were increased, while the water loss rate was slowed down. Under salt stress, the Na⁺ concentration and Na⁺: K⁺ ratio of maize was increased. In addition, the contents of antioxidant enzymes and proline in maize under drought or salt stress were higher than those in the control, while the contents of MDA, H₂O₂ and O₂⁻ were lower than those in the control. The results showed that the ZmSRG7 gene played its biological function by regulating the ROS signaling pathway. An interaction between ZmSRG7 and the Zmdhn1 protein was found using a yeast two-hybrid experiment. These results suggest that the ZmSRG7 gene can improve maize tolerance to drought or salt by regulating hydrogen peroxide homeostasis.

Keywords: maize; drought tolerance; salt tolerance; ABA; ROS

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Wei, X.; Fan, X.; Zhang, H.; Jiao, P.; Jiang, Z.; Lu, X.; Liu, S.; Guan, S.; Ma, Y. Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 13349. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113349

AMA Style

Wei X, Fan X, Zhang H, Jiao P, Jiang Z, Lu X, Liu S, Guan S, Ma Y. Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.). International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022; 23(21):13349. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113349

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wei, Xiaotong, Xuhong Fan, Honglin Zhang, Peng Jiao, Zhenzhong Jiang, Xuan Lu, Siyan Liu, Shuyan Guan, and Yiyong Ma. 2022. "Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.)" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 21: 13349. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113349

APA Style

Wei, X., Fan, X., Zhang, H., Jiao, P., Jiang, Z., Lu, X., Liu, S., Guan, S., & Ma, Y. (2022). Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.). International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(21), 13349. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113349

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Overexpression of ZmSRG7 Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI