An R2R3 MYB transcription factor PsFLP regulates the symmetric division of guard mother cells during stomatal development in Pisum sativum

MYB transcriptional regulators belong to one of the most significant transcription factors families in plants, among which R2R3-MYB transcription factors are involved in plant growth and development, hormone signal transduction, and stress response. Two R2R3-MYB transcription factors, FLP and its paralogous AtMYB88, redundantly regulate the symmetrical division of guard mother cells (GMCs), and abiotic stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana. Only one orthologue gene of FLP was identified in pea (Pisum sativum FLP; PsFLP). In this study, we explored the gene function of PsFLP by virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology. The phenotypic analysis displayed that the silencing of PsFLP expression led to the abnormal development of stomata and the emergence of multiple guard cells tightly united. In addition, the abnormal stomata of flp could be fully rescued by PsFLP driven by the FLP promoter. In conclusion, the results showed that PsFLP plays a conservative negative role in regulating the symmetric division of GMC during stomatal development. Based on real-time quantitative PCR, the relative expressions of AAO3, NCED3, and SnRK2.3 significantly increased in the flp pFLP::PsFLP plants compared to mutant, indicating that PsFLP might be involved in drought stress response. Thus, PsFLP regulates the genes related to cell cycle division during the stomatal development of peas and participates in response to drought stress. The study provides a basis for further research on its function and application in leguminous crop breeding.