Arabidopsis MPK2 negatively regulates drought tolerance by balancing growth and stress responses

Drought stress significantly limits plant growth by disrupting water homeostasis and metabolic equilibrium. While Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are known signaling mediators in plants, the specific role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MPK2) in drought adaptation has remained poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of MPK2 in Arabidopsis using genetic, physiological, and transcriptomic approaches. MPK2 is predominantly expressed in leaves and is strongly induced by drought stress. Phenotypic characterization revealed that mpk2 mutants exhibit enhanced water retention and higher germination rates under water-deficit conditions, whereas MPK2-overexpressing lines display increased leaf curling, accelerated water loss, and significantly lower survival rates compared with wild-type plants. Transcriptomic profiling and RT-qPCR validation identified a wide array of differentially expressed genes involved in hypoxia, oxidative stress, and flavonoid metabolism. Specifically, our results indicate that MPK2-mediated signaling influences the MAPK and phosphatidylinositol signaling pathways, shifting the cellular balance from growth-related processes, such as photosynthesis, toward stress-responsive programs. We conclude that MPK2 negatively regulates drought tolerance by coordinating the transcriptional trade-off between growth and stress adaptation. These findings provide a molecular framework for understanding how specific MAPK cascades fine-tune plant resilience to environmental constraints, offering potential targets for improving drought tolerance in crops.