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Background and aims <p>With the escalating severity of climate change, drought has emerged as a global challenge, severely limiting agricultural productivity. Maize (Zea mays), one of the world’s staple food crops, is particularly affected. The SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter) gene family plays a critical role in sugar ransport. SWEET proteins influence plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity.Our aim is to investigate the effect of ZmSWEET12 gene on ROS content and drought resistance in maize.</p> Methods <p>We overexpressed the ZmSWEET12 gene in maize and further investigated its role in drought tolerance by measuring root length changes and physiological and biochemical indicators such as SOD, POD, and CAT activities in transgenic maize seedlings under drought stress.</p> Results <p>The expression of ZmSWEET12 peaked at 6–12&#xa0;h after drought stress induction. Its promoter contains multiple cis-acting elements associated with abiotic stress responses. Under drought conditions, maize plants overexpressing ZmSWEET12 exhibited significantly higher germination rates and longer root lengths. At the seedling stage, transgenic lines (OE) showed lower activities of POD, SOD, and CAT compared to wild-type plants, while NBT and DAB staining indicated reduced accumulation of H₂O₂ and O₂⁻. Furthermore, the ZmSWEET12 protein was found to interact with ZmMGL3, providing additional insight into its molecular role in drought response. Together, these findings suggest that ZmSWEET12 contributes to enhanced drought tolerance in maize.</p> Conclusion <p>Overexpression of the ZmSWEET12 gene in maize significantly enhanced the in vivo clearance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced drought-induced damage.These findings suggest that ZmSWEET12 may contribute to drought tolerance in maize.</p>

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Overexpression of sugar transporter ZmSWEET12 improved drought tolerance in maize

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年9月19日

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  • Zhenzhong Jiang,
  • Jiaqi Liu,
  • Peng Jiao,
  • Xiaotong Wei,
  • Chunlai Siyan Wang,Liu,
  • Yiyong Ma,
  • Shuyan Guan

摘要

Background and aims

With the escalating severity of climate change, drought has emerged as a global challenge, severely limiting agricultural productivity. Maize (Zea mays), one of the world’s staple food crops, is particularly affected. The SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporter) gene family plays a critical role in sugar ransport. SWEET proteins influence plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity.Our aim is to investigate the effect of ZmSWEET12 gene on ROS content and drought resistance in maize.

Methods

We overexpressed the ZmSWEET12 gene in maize and further investigated its role in drought tolerance by measuring root length changes and physiological and biochemical indicators such as SOD, POD, and CAT activities in transgenic maize seedlings under drought stress.

Results

The expression of ZmSWEET12 peaked at 6–12 h after drought stress induction. Its promoter contains multiple cis-acting elements associated with abiotic stress responses. Under drought conditions, maize plants overexpressing ZmSWEET12 exhibited significantly higher germination rates and longer root lengths. At the seedling stage, transgenic lines (OE) showed lower activities of POD, SOD, and CAT compared to wild-type plants, while NBT and DAB staining indicated reduced accumulation of H₂O₂ and O₂⁻. Furthermore, the ZmSWEET12 protein was found to interact with ZmMGL3, providing additional insight into its molecular role in drought response. Together, these findings suggest that ZmSWEET12 contributes to enhanced drought tolerance in maize.

Conclusion

Overexpression of the ZmSWEET12 gene in maize significantly enhanced the in vivo clearance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced drought-induced damage.These findings suggest that ZmSWEET12 may contribute to drought tolerance in maize.