AUTHOR=Kim Minchae , Jeong Soongon , Lim Chae Woo , Lee Sung Chul 

TITLE=Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase CaDIMK1 Functions as a Positive Regulator of Drought Stress Response and Abscisic Acid Signaling in Capsicum annuum

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.646707

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.646707

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Protein phosphorylation by kinase is an important mechanism for adapting to drought stress conditions. Here, we isolated the <italic>CaDIMK1</italic> (<italic>Capsicum annuum drought-induced MAP kinase 1</italic>) from dehydrated pepper leaf tissue and functionally characterized it. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the CaDIMK1 protein was localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. <italic>CaDIMK1</italic>-silenced pepper plants exhibited drought-susceptible phenotypes that were characterized by increased transpiration rates, low leaf temperatures, and decreased stomatal closure. In contrast, <italic>CaDIMK1</italic>-overexpressing (OX) transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> plants were hypersensitive to abscisic acid (ABA) from germination to adult growth stages. Furthermore, the <italic>CaDIMK1</italic>-OX plants were tolerant to drought stress. The transcript levels of several stress-related genes were high in <italic>CaDIMK1</italic>-OX plants than in wild-type plants. Taken together, our data demonstrate that <italic>CaDIMK1</italic> acts as a positive modulator of drought tolerance and ABA signal transduction in pepper plants.</p>