{ "abstract": "Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major staple food crop worldwide. Drought stress induced by extreme weather severely limits its growth and yield. Proteins containing domains of unknown function (DUF) play important roles in plant stress responses, but their regulatory mechanisms remain largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the plasma membrane-localized protein OsDUF1223 functions as a negative regulator of drought tolerance in rice seedlings. Under drought stress, OsDUF1223-overexpressing lines exhibited lower survival rates, higher water loss rates, and reduced antioxidant enzyme activities and osmolyte accumulation. Transcriptomic and physiological analyses revealed that OsDUF1223 modulates drought responses through ABA signaling and nitrogen response pathways. Collectively, this study elucidates that OsDUF1223 regulates drought tolerance at the seedling stage in rice through functional association with the ABA and nitrogen signaling pathways, thereby providing a candidate gene resource for the genetic improvement of drought tolerance in rice. Author summary: Rice is a major staple food crop that feeds nearly half of the world's population. However, drought stress severely limits its growth and yield. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme drought events, developing drought-resistant rice varieties has become critical for food security. Plants respond to drought through complex signaling networks, yet the functions of many proteins within these networks remain unclear. In this study, we discovered that a rice protein named OsDUF1223 negatively regulates drought tolerance at the seedling stage. When this protein is overexpressed, rice plants show lower survival rates, faster water loss, and reduced antioxidant capacity under drought conditions. Through gene expression analysis and physiological experiments, we found that OsDUF1223 modulates drought responses through the hormone abscisic acid signaling and nitrogen response pathways. Our findings provide a candidate gene resource for breeding drought-resistant rice and deepen our understanding of how proteins of previously unknown function contribute to plant stress adaptation.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China", "Nanchong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchong, Sichuan, China", "Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China" ], "article_type": "Research Article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 12, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Xiulin Zhao" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Ziyi Wang" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Mingfei Chen" }, { "name": "Lingxiang Lu" }, { "name": "Hui Lin" }, { "name": "Xiaofei Zan" }, { "name": "Xiaomei Jia" }, { "name": "Xiaoying Ye" }, { "name": "Rongjun Chen" }, { "name": "Jianqing Zhu" }, { "name": "Jun Zhu" }, { "name": "Lihua Li" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2bj5fjsakvefk.bib", "cited_by": 1, "doi": "10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295", "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295", "id": "2bj5fjsakvefk", "issns": [ "1553-7404" ], "landing_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295", "language": null, "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "1110|Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Bioengineering/Biotechnology/Genetic engineering/Genetically modified organisms/Genetically modified plants" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Bioengineering/Biotechnology/Plant biotechnology/Genetically modified plants" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Signal transduction/Cell signaling/Signaling cascades/Stress signaling cascade" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Ecology/Plant ecology/Plant-environment interactions/Plant resistance to abiotic stress/Drought adaptation" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Genetics/Gene expression/Gene regulation" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Genetically modified plants" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Grasses/Rice" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Eukaryota/Plants/Seedlings" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Plant physiology/Plant defenses/Plant resistance to abiotic stress/Drought adaptation" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Leaves/Stomata" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant anatomy/Stem anatomy/Stomata" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant biotechnology/Genetically modified plants" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant ecology/Plant-environment interactions/Plant resistance to abiotic stress/Drought adaptation" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant pathology/Plant resistance to abiotic stress/Drought adaptation" ], [ "plos", "/Biology and life sciences/Plant science/Plant physiology/Plant defenses/Plant resistance to abiotic stress/Drought adaptation" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Ecology/Plant ecology/Plant-environment interactions/Plant resistance to abiotic stress/Drought adaptation" ], [ "plos", "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Natural resources/Water resources" ], [ "plos", "/Engineering and technology/Bioengineering/Biotechnology/Genetic engineering/Genetically modified organisms/Genetically modified plants" ], [ "plos", "/Engineering and technology/Bioengineering/Biotechnology/Plant biotechnology/Genetically modified plants" ], [ "plos", "/Research and analysis methods/Animal studies/Experimental organism systems/Plant and algal models/Rice" ] ], "openalex": "W7207533817", "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295&type=printable", "pmcid": null, "pmid": null, "published": "2026-09-03", "publisher": "Public Library of Science", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2bj5fjsakvefk.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z", "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295", "source": "plos", "url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:plant science", "subfield": "plant-biology" }, { "field": "biology", "origin": "plos:biotechnology", "subfield": "systems-synthetic" } ], "title": "OsDUF1223 negatively regulates seedling drought tolerance and modulates nitrate-dependent root growth in rice", "title_text": "OsDUF1223 negatively regulates seedling drought tolerance and modulates nitrate-dependent root growth in rice", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2bj5fjsakvefk", "venue": "PLOS Genetics", "versions": [] }