Deciphering genetic variations of proteome responses to water deficit in maize leaves

The proteome of the basal part of growing Zea mays leaves was analyzed from 4 to 14 d after stopping watering and in well watered controls. The relative quantity of 46 proteins was found to increase in leaves of plants submitted to water deficit. Different types of responses were observed, some proteins showing a constant increase during water deficit, while others showed stabilization after a first increase or a transient increase. Isoforms encoded by the same gene showed different responses. The response to water deficit showed genetic variation. Some increased proteins were induced specifically in one of the two studied genotypes (e.g. ASR1) while others were significantly induced in both genotypes but to a different level or with different kinetics. Analyses of relations between protein quantities, relative water content (RWC) and abscisic acid (ABA) concentration allowed us to show that the quantitative variation of some proteins (e.g. ABA45 and OSR40 proteins) was linked to differences in ABA accumulation between the genotypes. Other proteins showed genetic variations that were not related to differences in water status or ABA concentration (e.g. a cystatin). Data obtained from these experiments, together with data from other experiments, contribute to the characterization of maize proteome response to drought in different conditions and in different genotypes. This characterization allows the search for candidate proteins, i.e. for protein whose genetic variation of expression could be partly responsible for the variability of plant responses to drought.