DSD1/ZmICEb regulates stomatal development and drought tolerance in maize

doi:10.1111/jipb.13890

J Integr Plant Biol. ›› 2025, Vol. 67 ›› Issue (6): 1487-1500.DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13890

• Abiotic Stress Responses • Previous Articles Next Articles

DSD1/ZmICEb regulates stomatal development and drought tolerance in maize

Wenqi Zhou^1,†,*, Jun Yin^2,†, Yuqian Zhou¹, Yongsheng Li¹, Haijun He¹, Yanzhong Yang¹, Xiaojuan Wang¹, Xiaorong Lian¹, Xiaoyun Dong¹, Zengke Ma¹, Liang Chen^2,*, Suiwen Hou^2,*

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

Received:2024-12-26 Accepted:2025-02-14 Online:2025-03-19 Published:2025-06-01
Contact: * 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)
About author:†These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

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

Wenqi Zhou, Jun Yin, Yuqian Zhou, Yongsheng Li, Haijun He, Yanzhong Yang, Xiaojuan Wang, Xiaorong Lian, Xiaoyun Dong, Zengke Ma, Liang Chen, Suiwen Hou. DSD1/ZmICEb regulates stomatal development and drought tolerance in maize[J]. J Integr Plant Biol., 2025, 67(6): 1487-1500.

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DSD1/ZmICEb regulates stomatal development and drought tolerance in maize

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