Integrative Biology Journals
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J Integr Plant Biol.

• Research Article • Previous Articles    

DSD1/ZmICEb regulates stomatal development and drought tolerance in maize

Wenqi Zhou1†*, Jun Yin2†, Yuqian Zhou1, Yongsheng Li1, Haijun He1, Yanzhong Yang1, Xiaojuan Wang1, Xiaorong Lian1, Xiaoyun Dong1, Zengke Ma1, Liang Chen2* and Suiwen Hou2*   

  1. 1. Maize Research Center of Gansu Province, Crop Research Institute, Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730070, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Gene Editing for Breeding, Gansu Province, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China

    †These authors contributed equally to this work.
    *Correspondences: Liang Chen (liangchen@lzu.edu.cn); Suiwen Hou (housw@lzu.edu.cn); Wenqi Zhou (zhouwenqi850202@163.com; Dr. Zhou is fully responsible for the distribution of all materials associated with this article)
  • Received:2024-12-26 Accepted:2025-02-14 Online:2025-03-19
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 32160490; 31860384; 32360511; 32460510; 32170340); National Key Research & Development Program of China Grant (2022YFD1201801); Biological Breeding Project of Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (2024GAAS24); Foundation of the Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations (lzujbky‐2022‐kb03); Foundation of Science and Technology of Gansu Province (21ZD10NF003‐2, 22ZD6NA049 and 24JRRA428); The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky‐2023‐eyt02).

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Abstract: Maize (Zea mays L.) growth and yield are severely limited by drought stress worldwide. Stomata play crucial roles in transpiration and gas exchange and are thus essential for improving plant water-use efficiency (WUE) to help plants deal with the threat of drought. In this study, we characterized the maize dsd1 (decreased stomatal density 1) mutant, which showed defects in stomatal development, including guard mother cell differentiation, subsidiary cell formation and guard cell maturation. DSD1 encodes the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor INDUCER OF CBF EXPRESSION b (ZmICEb) and is a homolog of ICE1 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). DSD1/ZmICEb is expressed in stomatal file cells throughout stomatal development and plays a conserved role in stomatal development across maize and Arabidopsis. Mutations in DSD1/ZmICEb dramatically improved drought tolerance and WUE in maize and reduced yield losses under drought conditions. Therefore, DSD1/ZmICEb represents a promising candidate target gene for the genetic improvement of drought tolerance in maize by manipulating stomatal density.

Key words: drought tolerance, maize, stomata, stomatal development, ZmICEb

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