OsPSKR15, a phytosulfokine receptor from rice enhances abscisic acid response and drought stress tolerance

Abstract

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a major phytohormone that acts as stimuli and plays an important role in plant growth, development, and environmental stress responses.Membrane-localized receptor-like kinases (RLKs) help to detect extracellular stimuli and activate downstream signaling responses to modulate a variety of biological processes. Phytosulfokine receptor (PSKR), a Leu-rich repeat (LRR)-RLK, has been characterized for its role in growth, development and biotic stress. Here, we observed that OsPSKR15, a rice PSKR, was upregulated by ABA in Oryza sativa. We demonstrated OsPSKR15 is a positive regulator in plant response to ABA. Ectopic expression of OsPSKR15 in Arabidopsis thaliana increased the sensitivity to ABA during germination, growth and stomatal closure. Consistently, the expression of ABA-inducible genes was significantly upregulated in these plants. OsPSKR15 also regulated reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated ABA signaling in guard cells, thereby governing stomatal closure. Furthermore, the constitutive expression of OsPSKR15 enhanced drought tolerance by reducing the transpirational water loss in Arabidopsis. We also reported that OsPSKR15 directly interacts with AtPYL9 and its orthologue OsPYL11 of rice through its kinase domain in the plasma membrane and nucleus. Altogether, these results reveal an important role of OsPSKR15 in plant response toward abiotic stress in an ABA-dependent manner.

Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphic Loci and Candidate Genes for Seed Germination Percentage in Okra under Salt and No-Salt Stresses by Genome-Wide Association Study

“…PSK represents a group of plant peptide growth factors that are ubiquitously present in higher plants and have universal functions [ 59 ]. The PSK genes participate in regulating disease resistance under stress [ 60 ], drought [ 61 ], and osmotic stress [ 62 ]. In this study, the Ae44G005470 gene negatively regulated the salt tolerance of okra seeds during germination, indicating that PSK genes also function in regulating salt tolerance in plants.…”

Phytosulfokine peptides, their receptors, and functions

“…Moreover, overexpression AtSBT3.8, which encodes a protease responsible for PSK-a maturation, or AtPSK1 increases tolerance to drought stress (Stuhrwohldt et al, 2021). Similarly, overexpression of a rice PSK receptor OsPSKR15 improves the plant's ability to tolerate drought stress in an abscisic acid-dependent manner (Nagar et al, 2022). In tomato, the expression of SlPhyt2, which encodes a subtilisin-like protease to generate mature PSK peptide, is also induced by drought stress.…”

Molecular Mechanisms and Regulatory Pathways Underlying Drought Stress Response in Rice

“…An ectopic expression of OsPSKR15 in Arabidopsis increases ABA sensitivity during seed germination, growth, and stomatal closure. A constitutive expression of OsPSKR15 enhances drought tolerance in Arabidopsis by reducing water loss through transpiration [281]. The transcrip-tion of LRR-RLK gene LP2 is directly regulated by the zinc finger TF DST and interacts with drought-responsive aquaporin OsPIP1;1, OsPIP1;3, and OsPIP2;3.…”