Exploring the Role of TaERF4a in Enhancing Drought Tolerance and Regulating Dehydrin <i>WZY1-2</i> Gene Expression in Wheat.

ABSTRACT: Dehydrins (DHNs) belong to the second family of late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, which are widely distributed in plants. We cloned a SK₃-type DHN gene named WZY1-2 in Zheng yin 1 cultivar of Triticum aestivum. An ERF-type transcription factor TaERF4a was found to be involved in the regulation of the dehydrin WZY1-2 gene in our last report. The stress-responsive ability and dual-luciferase assay demonstrated that TaERF4a positively regulates WZY1-2 gene transcription under stress conditions. In this study, we further characterized the role of the transcription factor TaERF4a in plant drought tolerance. Arabidopsis thaliana heterologously overexpressing TaERF4a exhibited higher survival rate, increased superoxide dismutase (SOD)

SUBMITTER: Yang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12030695 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature