ZFP151 enhances drought tolerance in rice through direct activation of NCED4 expression

Drought is a devastating abiotic stress that severely compromises global rice production. Despite decades of extensive research, the molecular mechanisms underlying rice drought tolerance remain largely elusive. Here, we characterize a Cys2/His2 (C2H2)-type zinc finger protein, ZFP151, as a positive transcription factor of rice drought tolerance. Mechanistically, ZFP151 directly binds to the promoter of NCED4, a rate-limiting gene in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic pathway and transcriptionally activates its expression. Through haplotype analysis of natural rice accessions, we identify five major ZFP151 haplotypes (Hap0-Hap4), among which ZFP151^Hap1 is determined as the elite allele. This allele correlates with higher NCED4 expression and elevated ABA levels under drought conditions. Introgression of ZFP151^Hap1, the elite allele, into the japonica cultivar Koshihikari, which carries the ZFP151^Hap0 allele, significantly improves its drought tolerance. Collectively, our findings uncover the regulatory role of ZFP151 in ABA-mediated drought response and underscores its potential as a target for genetic improvement of drought-tolerant rice varieties.