MaWRKY80 positively regulates plant drought stress resistance through modulation of abscisic acid and redox metabolism

WRKY transcription factors play key roles in plant biotic and abiotic stress responses, but the function of some MaWRKYs remains elusive. Here, we characterized the positive role of MaWRKY80 in drought stress resistance and the underlying mechanism. MaWRKY80 was significantly upregulated under drought stress and confirmed as a transcription factor that could bind to the W-box. Overexpression of MaWRKY80 in Arabidopsis showed better phenotypic morphology, higher survival rate, less water loss rate, and lower malondialdehyde level than wild type (WT) under drought stress. Consistently, MaWRKY80 transgenic Arabidopsis leaves displayed significantly lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) than WT under drought stress. Moreover, MaWRKY80 mediated the stomata movement and leaf water retention capacity through modulation of the transcript of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenases (NCEDs) and abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Notably, chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative real-time PCR (ChIP-PCR) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) provided evidences supporting the direct and specific interaction between MaWRKY80 and both the W-box in AtNCEDs promoter in Arabidopsis and the W-box in MaNCEDs promoter in banana. Taken together, MaWRKY80 serves as a positive regulator of drought stress resistance through modulating ABA level by regulating NCEDs expression and ROS accumulation by regulating antioxidant system. This study provides a novel insight into MaWRKY80 in coordinating ABA synthesis and ROS elimination in response to drought stress.