{"database":"biostudies-literature","file_versions":[],"scores":null,"additional":{"submitter":["Wang L"],"funding":["National Natural Science Foundation of China"],"pagination":["394"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12899097"],"repository":["biostudies-literature"],"omics_type":["Unknown"],"volume":["15(3)"],"pubmed_abstract":["Lead (Pb) severely impairs plant growth, yet the role of WRKY transcription factors in Pb tolerance in maize remains largely unknown. Here, we identified a Pb-responsive WRKY transcription factor, ZmWRKY4, whose transcript levels were rapidly and strongly induced in maize leaves following Pb exposure. Physiological and biochemical analyses showed that overexpression of <i>ZmWRKY4</i> substantially enhanced Pb tolerance in maize. Transgenic lines exhibited significantly lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and reduced electrolyte leakage than wild-type plants. In addition, <i>ZmWRKY4</i> overexpression increased catalase (CAT) activity and effectively limited H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> accumulation. Further analyses revealed that ZmWRKY4 positively regulates <i>ZmCAT1</i>, a key antioxidant g"],"journal":["Plants (Basel, Switzerland)"],"pubmed_title":["The Maize WRKY Transcription Factor ZmWRKY4 Confers Lead Tolerance by Regulating &lt;i&gt;ZmCAT1&lt;/i&gt; Expression."],"pmcid":["PMC12899097"],"funding_grant_id":["32402483"],"pubmed_authors":["Jing Y","Bi W","Li S","Liu M","Zhang X","Chen C","Han T","Wang L"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"The Maize WRKY Transcription Factor ZmWRKY4 Confers Lead Tolerance by Regulating &lt;i&gt;ZmCAT1&lt;/i&gt; Expression.","description":"Lead (Pb) severely impairs plant growth, yet the role of WRKY transcription factors in Pb tolerance in maize remains largely unknown. Here, we identified a Pb-responsive WRKY transcription factor, ZmWRKY4, whose transcript levels were rapidly and strongly induced in maize leaves following Pb exposure. Physiological and biochemical analyses showed that overexpression of <i>ZmWRKY4</i> substantially enhanced Pb tolerance in maize. Transgenic lines exhibited significantly lower malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and reduced electrolyte leakage than wild-type plants. In addition, <i>ZmWRKY4</i> overexpression increased catalase (CAT) activity and effectively limited H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> accumulation. Further analyses revealed that ZmWRKY4 positively regulates <i>ZmCAT1</i>, a key antioxidant g","dates":{"release":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","publication":"2026 Jan","modification":"2026-07-07T03:13:04.674Z","creation":"2026-07-07T03:08:41.806Z"},"accession":"S-EPMC12899097","cross_references":{"pubmed":["41681558"],"doi":["10.3390/plants15030394"]}}