Prediction of the crosstalk regulation model between the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling and peroxisome abundance during drought stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Phenotyping plant responses under the progressive phases of drought stress are complicated by tangled signaling pathways. To explore one of these complex signaling networks we investigated the relationship between the abscisic acid (ABA) hormone signaling pathway, plant peroxisome abundance as a ROS scavenger during the response and repair phases of drought. Photosynthetic activity, morphological traits, and plant yield were measured in response to imposed drought stress, and this data was used along with published transcriptomic data for wheat (Triticum aestivum) to identify regulatory genes associated with distinct drought phases, as well as to predict novel protein networks associated with drought response. We found that greater phenotypic variation occurred during the repair phase than the response phase of drought, ABA content positively correlated with peroxisome abundance at the repair phase but negatively correlated with the other traits under both drought phases, and drought upregulated TaABA4, TaPEX11.A, TaDRP3B, TaDRP5A, and TaFIS1A genes, while downregulating TaLHB1B2, TaLHCA1, and TaPsbR genes. We also found that TaFIS1A, is a hub protein for the peroxisome biogenesis protein network, shared the same cluster with ABA biosynthesis proteins and TaLHCA1 protein. This study provides new evidence for a connection between ABA signaling, peroxisome proliferation, and drought regulation