Drought-proof crop research gains ground
Drought, fueled by global warming and climate change, is now one of the most severe threats to agriculture. It significantly reduces crop yields and, as a result, directly impacts global food security.
A research team at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, has discovered that myosin XI plays an important role in helping plants tolerate drought. Until now, myosin XI was known primarily for its function as a cellular “courier,” transporting components inside the cell.
Plant strategies to counter drought
To survive water scarcity, plants adopt resistance strategies. One key mechanism is the closing of stomata, the tiny pores on leaf surfaces responsible for gas exchange, which helps limit water loss.
Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that plays a crucial role in both plant development and internal stress responses. Specifically, it regulates stomatal closure during drought conditions.
The Japanese scientists found that myosin XI plays a central role in how plants respond to drought. Without this protein, plants lose water more rapidly, trigger fewer defense mechanisms, and show greater vulnerability to drought stress.
Comparing wild and modified plants
To study myosin XI’s function in drought response, the researchers used Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant from the Brassicaceae family commonly used as a model organism.
They created genetically modified plants lacking one or more myosin XI genes and compared them to wild-type specimens. These plants were tested for drought survival, water loss rates, stomatal behavior, and sensitivity to ABA.
Additionally, the team examined cellular parameters and used fluorescent markers to visualize microtubules, assessing myosin XI’s contribution to drought tolerance at the cellular level.
Myosin XI’s role in drought response
The results showed that plants without myosin XI experienced higher water loss, reduced stomatal closure, and lower drought survival. They were also less responsive to ABA.
This led researchers to conclude that myosin XI is more than just a transport protein. It acts as a critical regulator, coordinating hormonal signaling and the structural remodeling of guard cells, enabling effective stomatal closure.
In doing so, the protein significantly contributes to drought tolerance, giving plants a survival advantage in harsh environments.
The Japanese team’s discovery could open new pathways for agriculture. Developing crop varieties better adapted to climate change and limited water resources may prove vital for long-term food security.
The study, Myosin XI coordinates ABA-induced stomatal closure via microtubule stability and ROS synthesis in drought-stressed Arabidopsis, was published in Plant Cell Reports.