Biotech Updates

Rice Gene OsGRAS23 Confers Drought Stress Response

June 17, 2015

GRAS transcription factors are proteins that play diverse roles in plant development. However, the functions of some GRAS genes identified in rice are unknown, especially those related to rice drought resistance. Lijun Luo of the Huazhong Agricultural University in China isolated a novel GRAS transcription factor gene from rice, OsGRAS23.

The expression of OsGRAS23 was found to be induced by drought, salt, and jasmonic acid treatments. OsGRAS23-overexpressing rice plants showed improved drought resistance and oxidative stress tolerance as well as less hydrogen peroxide accumulation than wild-type plants. Further analysis showed that several anti-oxidation related genes were also up-regulated in the OsGRAS23-overexpressing rice plants.

Results demonstrate that OsGRAS23 encodes a stress-responsive GRAS transcription factor that positively modulates rice drought tolerance via the induction of a number of stress-responsive genes.

For more information on the study, read the full article on BMC Plant Biology.