AUTHOR=Lim Junsub , Lim Chae Woo , Lee Sung Chul 

TITLE=Pepper Novel Pseudo Response Regulator Protein CaPRR2 Modulates Drought and High Salt Tolerance

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.736421

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.736421

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Plants modify their internal states to adapt to environmental stresses. Under environmental stress conditions, plants restrict their growth and development and activate defense responses. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a major phytohormone that plays a crucial role in the osmotic stress response. In osmotic stress adaptation, plants regulate stomatal closure, osmoprotectant production, and gene expression. Here, we isolated <italic>CaPRR2</italic> – encoding a pseudo response regulator protein – from the leaves of pepper plants (<italic>Capsicum annuum</italic>). After exposure to ABA and environmental stresses, such as drought and salt stresses, <italic>CaPRR2</italic> expression in pepper leaves was significantly altered. Under drought and salt stress conditions, <italic>CaPRR2</italic>-silenced pepper plants exhibited enhanced osmotic stress tolerance, characterized by an enhanced ABA-induced stomatal closing and high MDA and proline contents, compared to the control pepper plants. Taken together, our data indicate that CaPRR2 negatively regulates osmotic stress tolerance.</p>