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Zea Maize Calmodulin (ZmCaM2) Regulates Drought Tolerance in Corn Plants Through an Abscisic Acid-Dependent Signaling
Meiyi Liu1, Pengxiang Bao1, Hanqiao Wang1
1College of Agriculture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China.
None:
Calmodulins (CaMs), which are important calcium-binding proteins, play critical roles in plant stress responses. However, limited information is available regarding the biological functions of CaMs under drought stress. In this study, we identified and isolated a CaM gene, ZmCaM2, from maize (Zea mays L.) in length and encodes a 184-amino acid protein containing four EF-hand domains capable of specifically binding calcium ions (Ca2+). Subcellular localization analysis revealed that ZmCaM2 is localized to the nucleus and membrane. Functional characterization indicated that ZmCaM2 negatively regulates drought tolerance in maize by increasing malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content while decreasing antioxidant enzyme activity, proline (Pro) content, abscisic acid (ABA) content and relative water content (RWC). Moreover, ZmCaM2 reduced maize sensitivity to ABA treatment, suggesting that ZmCaM2 negatively regulates the drought tolerance of maize by relying on the ABA pathway. These findings provide new insights into the functional role of ZmCaM2 and may facilitate the development of drought-resistant maize cultivars.
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