OsDUF1223 negatively regulates seedling drought tolerance and modulates nitrate-dependent root growth in rice
- 1State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Exploration and Utilization in Southwest China, Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
- 2Nanchong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
- 3Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China
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.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026osduf1223,
title = {{OsDUF1223 negatively regulates seedling drought tolerance and modulates nitrate-dependent root growth in rice}},
author = {Xiulin Zhao and Ziyi Wang and Mingfei Chen and Lingxiang Lu and Hui Lin and Xiaofei Zan and Xiaomei Jia and Xiaoying Ye and Rongjun Chen and Jianqing Zhu and Jun Zhu and Lihua Li},
journal = {PLOS Genetics},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - OsDUF1223 negatively regulates seedling drought tolerance and modulates nitrate-dependent root growth in rice
AU - Xiulin Zhao
AU - Ziyi Wang
AU - Mingfei Chen
AU - Lingxiang Lu
AU - Hui Lin
AU - Xiaofei Zan
AU - Xiaomei Jia
AU - Xiaoying Ye
AU - Rongjun Chen
AU - Jianqing Zhu
AU - Jun Zhu
AU - Lihua Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
JO - PLOS Genetics
DO - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295
UR - https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1012295
AB - 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.
SN - 1553-7404
ER -