Work

Truncated OsVHA-c promotes drought stress tolerance in rice

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Rice is extremely sensitive to drought, a major abiotic stress that critically affects crop yield. Vacuolar-type H + -ATPases (v-ATPases) are ATP-dependent proton pumps responsible for energizing secondary transport processes. Genes encoding different v-ATPases subunits have been implicated in responses to abiotic stresses. Nevertheless, there are no reports on the role of OsVHA-c in drought tolerance in rice. In this study, we generated truncated OsVHA-c lines (Δ OsVHA-c ) using CRIPSR-Cas9 technology and overexpression lines in Nipponbare ( Oryza sativa ) background to investigate the physiological and molecular involvement of OsVHA-c under drought stress. Compared to wildtype, the Δ OsVHA-c lines demonstrated enhanced drought stress tolerance, exhibiting no senescence in younger leaves, higher CO 2 assimilation rates and water use efficiency, and lower oxidative stress, without developmental penalties. Furthermore, changes in ionomic composition indicated altered ion homeostasis in the Δ OsVHA-c lines. These lines also exhibited a higher stomatal density, although the stomata were smaller. This characteristic could potentially enable more efficient stomatal movement and a faster response to drought stress. A gene involved in the synthesis of phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate, a molecule that is essential for vacuolar convolution, was identified as down-regulated in Δ OsVHA-c lines, possibly impairing the fragmentation of a few large vacuoles into multiple small vesicles. Our findings showed that truncated OsVHA-c enhanced the drought stress tolerance in rice plants, likely due to a combined effect of the morphological, physiological, and metabolic alterations. These results provide a promising avenue in adaptive breeding to global climate change.

Source: Plant Stress

DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2025.101021

Authors: Andriele Wairich, Lin-Bo Wu, Michael Frei

Institution: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen

Language: English

Topic: Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,310