Uncovering the Role of the <i>KANADI</i> Transcription Factor <i>ZmKAN1</i> in Enhancing Drought Tolerance in Maize.

ABSTRACT: Drought stress causes substantial yield losses in maize, posing a serious threat to food security. Leaf adaxial-abaxial polarity development is closely associated with drought tolerance. KANADI (KAN) genes play a pivotal role in leaf polarity establishment and are likely involved in regulating drought tolerance in maize. In this study, we identified 11 ZmKAN genes through sequence similarity analysis and functionally characterized one of them, ZmKAN1, in the context of drought response. The kan1-1 mutant exhibited enhanced drought tolerance compared to the wild-type B73. Transcriptome analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes in the mutant before and after drought stress were significantly enriched in pathways associated with drought tolerance

SUBMITTER: Xie S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12788164 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature