The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)
MYB transcription factors constitute a diverse and functionally versatile family, playing central roles in regulating plant responses to a range of abiotic stressors. Based on previous research, we identified and characterized a maize MYB transcription factor gene, <i>ZmMYBR24</i>, which...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Liangliang Bao Wen Sun Jiaxin Wang Yuyang Zhou Jiahao Wang Qi Wang Dequan Sun Hong Lin Jinsheng Fan Yu Zhou Lin Zhang Zhenhua Wang Chunxiang Li Hong Di |
| author_facet | Liangliang Bao Wen Sun Jiaxin Wang Yuyang Zhou Jiahao Wang Qi Wang Dequan Sun Hong Lin Jinsheng Fan Yu Zhou Lin Zhang Zhenhua Wang Chunxiang Li Hong Di |
| author_sort | Liangliang Bao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | MYB transcription factors constitute a diverse and functionally versatile family, playing central roles in regulating plant responses to a range of abiotic stressors. Based on previous research, we identified and characterized a maize MYB transcription factor gene, <i>ZmMYBR24</i>, which is involved in responses to salt, alkali, and low-temperature stress. This study aimed to investigate the function and mechanism of <i>ZmMYBR24</i> in response to salt, alkali, and low-temperature stresses. We hypothesized that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> regulates biosynthetic pathways to influence maize resistance to multiple abiotic stresses. The results indicate that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> expression was markedly upregulated (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and the fold-change in gene expression ranged from 1.54 to 25.69 when plants were exposed to these combined stresses. Phenotypically, the <i>zmmybr24</i> mutant line exhibited more pronounced inhibition of seedling and root growth under stress compared to the wild-type B73 line. Based on a correlation expression pattern analysis and mutant line evaluation, <i>ZmMYBR24</i> was confirmed to be a positive regulatory transcription factor for multiple types of abiotic stress resistance. An RNA-seq analysis of both lines revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analyses indicating that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> may mediate stress responses by modulating the expression of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Notable differences were observed in the expression of pathway-associated genes between the mutant and wild-type plants. A haplotype analysis across 80 inbred maize lines revealed 16 <i>ZmMYBR24</i> coding region haplotypes—comprising 25 SNPs and 17 InDels—with HAP12 emerging as a superior haplotype. These results demonstrate that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> enhances maize yields by regulating the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in response to adverse climatic conditions including salt, alkaline conditions, and low temperatures. Collectively, these findings offer novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying maize adaptation to combined abiotic stresses and lay the groundwork for breeding programs targeting multi-stress resistance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-77bc3e7a0de9476bb6cb98170a74f996 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-77bc3e7a0de9476bb6cb98170a74f9962025-08-20T03:17:52ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-07-011413205410.3390/plants14132054The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)Liangliang Bao0Wen Sun1Jiaxin Wang2Yuyang Zhou3Jiahao Wang4Qi Wang5Dequan Sun6Hong Lin7Jinsheng Fan8Yu Zhou9Lin Zhang10Zhenhua Wang11Chunxiang Li12Hong Di13College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaInstitute of Forage and Grassland Sciences, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, ChinaInstitute of Forage and Grassland Sciences, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, ChinaInstitute of Forage and Grassland Sciences, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150086, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaCollege of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University/Key Laboratory of Germplasm Enhancement, Physiology and Ecology of Food Crops in Cold Region, Ministry of Education/Engineering Technology Research Center of Maize Germplasm Resources Innovation on Cold Land of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin 150030, ChinaMYB transcription factors constitute a diverse and functionally versatile family, playing central roles in regulating plant responses to a range of abiotic stressors. Based on previous research, we identified and characterized a maize MYB transcription factor gene, <i>ZmMYBR24</i>, which is involved in responses to salt, alkali, and low-temperature stress. This study aimed to investigate the function and mechanism of <i>ZmMYBR24</i> in response to salt, alkali, and low-temperature stresses. We hypothesized that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> regulates biosynthetic pathways to influence maize resistance to multiple abiotic stresses. The results indicate that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> expression was markedly upregulated (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and the fold-change in gene expression ranged from 1.54 to 25.69 when plants were exposed to these combined stresses. Phenotypically, the <i>zmmybr24</i> mutant line exhibited more pronounced inhibition of seedling and root growth under stress compared to the wild-type B73 line. Based on a correlation expression pattern analysis and mutant line evaluation, <i>ZmMYBR24</i> was confirmed to be a positive regulatory transcription factor for multiple types of abiotic stress resistance. An RNA-seq analysis of both lines revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with gene ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analyses indicating that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> may mediate stress responses by modulating the expression of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Notable differences were observed in the expression of pathway-associated genes between the mutant and wild-type plants. A haplotype analysis across 80 inbred maize lines revealed 16 <i>ZmMYBR24</i> coding region haplotypes—comprising 25 SNPs and 17 InDels—with HAP12 emerging as a superior haplotype. These results demonstrate that <i>ZmMYBR24</i> enhances maize yields by regulating the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway in response to adverse climatic conditions including salt, alkaline conditions, and low temperatures. Collectively, these findings offer novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying maize adaptation to combined abiotic stresses and lay the groundwork for breeding programs targeting multi-stress resistance.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/2054maize<i>ZmMYBR24</i> geneadversity stressfunctional validationRNA-seq |
| spellingShingle | Liangliang Bao Wen Sun Jiaxin Wang Yuyang Zhou Jiahao Wang Qi Wang Dequan Sun Hong Lin Jinsheng Fan Yu Zhou Lin Zhang Zhenhua Wang Chunxiang Li Hong Di The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) Plants maize <i>ZmMYBR24</i> gene adversity stress functional validation RNA-seq |
| title | The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) |
| title_full | The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) |
| title_fullStr | The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) |
| title_short | The Transcription Factor <i>ZmMYBR24</i> Gene Is Involved in a Variety of Abiotic Stresses in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.) |
| title_sort | transcription factor i zmmybr24 i gene is involved in a variety of abiotic stresses in maize i zea mays i l |
| topic | maize <i>ZmMYBR24</i> gene adversity stress functional validation RNA-seq |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/13/2054 |
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