A GmWRKY20–GmbZIP9 transcriptional module synergistically activates GmANKTM21 to confer drought tolerance in soybean

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ID: 318526
2026
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Abstract
Abstract Soybean yields are increasingly curtailed by drought; however, the native transcription factor pairs that translate water-deficit signals into a robust antioxidant response have not been fully characterized. Here, we show that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of GmWRKY20 reduces antioxidant-enzyme activities and decreases drought tolerance, confirming its essential role in soybean drought tolerance. The bZIP factor GmbZIP9, isolated as a GmWRKY20 interactor, is nuclear-localized and rapidly induced upon dehydration. Overexpression of GmbZIP9 alone elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capacity and enhanced drought tolerance. Critically, co-expression of GmWRKY20 and GmbZIP9 in both yeast and soybean hairy-root assays demonstrated a powerful synergistic effect, conferring superior osmotic-stress tolerance and survival under drought compared with either gene alone. We further identified GmANKTM21, encoding a plasma-membrane ankyrin-repeat protein, as the direct downstream target of this complex. The GmWRKY20-GmbZIP9 heterodimer binds directly to the GmANKTM21 promoter and synergistically drives its transcription, leading to enhanced antioxidant defense. Our findings unveil a key transcriptional regulatory module and provide a rational strategy for pyramiding GmWRKY20 and GmbZIP9 to breed drought-resilient soybean cultivars.
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Authors Shuang Jiao, Ke Zhao, Xiaohong Liu, Jianing Zhao, Rui Zhao, Yanting Dong, Longji Shan, Jianing Xun, Huibing Mu, D L Guo, Huaiyuan Qi, Jingwen Zhou, Baohui Liu, Xi Bai, Hong Zhai
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Journal Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/plphys/kiag421
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiag421
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