Unlocking ABA's Role in Rice Cold Tolerance: Insights from Zhonghua 11 and Kasalath

Overview

Journal Theor Appl Genet

Publisher Springer

Specialty Genetics

Date 2025 Jan 3

PMID 39751652

Authors

Wenyu Li

Xin Lou

Zhijun Wang

Di Zhang

Lingling Li

Xiaoping Ding

Gongye Cheng

Weiying Nie

Zhilin Li

Jianghui Yu

Jiwai He

Nenghui Ye

Dingyang Yuan

Meijuan Duan

Citao Liu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Unraveling key ABA pathways, including OsWRKY71-OsABA8ox1 and OsbZIP73-OsNCED5, provides valuable insights for improving cold tolerance in rice breeding for cold-prone regions. Cold stress limits rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in cooler climates. This study uncovers how abscisic acid (ABA) signaling enhances cold tolerance in the rice variety Zhonghua 11 (ZH11) compared to the cold-sensitive Kasalath. Under cold stress, ZH11 rapidly accumulates ABA through efficient regulation of key genes. The transcription factor OsWRKY71 represses the ABA catabolism gene OsABA8ox1 during early stress, enabling quick ABA accumulation. Additionally, OsbZIP73 regulates the ABA synthesis gene OsNCED5 to maintain ABA balance during prolonged stress. Transgenic ZH11 plants overexpressing OsWRKY71 exhibited enhanced cold tolerance, while overexpression of OsWRKY71 did not confer benefits. Haplotype analysis linked allelic variations in OsWRKY71 and OsNCED5 to differences in cold tolerance. Our findings highlight critical ABA signaling pathways that enhance cold tolerance in rice. Targeting these pathways offers promising strategies for breeding cold-resistant rice varieties, improving resilience in cold-prone regions.

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