PYL2 regulates drought and blast (Magnaporthe oryzae) resistance in rice

The ABA receptor PYL/RCAR plays a crucial role in initiating ABA sensing and signal transduction, which is essential for plant stress resistance. However, the role of OsPYL2 in rice drought and blast tolerance remains largely unexplored. In this study, we investigated the function of OsPYL2 in drought and rice blast. Overexpression of OsPYL2 resulted in stronger drought tolerance by increasing photosynthetic pigment content, water-holding capacity in rice leaves, while significantly decreasing MDA content. Additionally, overexpression of OsPYL2 could also increase the resistance to rice blast by promoting the accumulation of H₂O₂. In contrast, loss of OsPYL2 function resulted in the opposite effects. And, PYL2 also regulates hormone content by affecting the expression of ABA and JA signaling pathway genes in response to stress environment. Results of yeast two-hybrid assay, bimolecular fluorescence complementation and firefly luciferase complementation revealed that OsPYL2 could interact with PP2C proteins, VQ24 protein and JAZ proteins. These results illustrated that OsPYL2 can integrate dual stress tolerance responses by synergistically regulating ABA and JA signaling pathways. This study provides valuable insights underlying drought and blast tolerance in rice.