TaCML49-B, a Calmodulin-like Protein, Interacts with TaIQD23 to Positively Regulate Salt Tolerance in Wheat

Calcium signaling is essential for coordinating plant responses to diverse stimuli and regulating growth and development. Among calcium sensors, calmodulin (CaM) and CaM-like proteins (CMLs) represent a class that, despite increasing research, remains incompletely characterized in wheat, with many interacting partners and biological functions remaining largely elusive. This study conducted bioinformatics analyses of subgroup II CaM/CMLs, characterizing their phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, sequence features, and <i>cis</i>-elements. Expression analysis revealed that <i>TaCML49-B</i> was significantly upregulated in roots under salt stress. Moreover, TaCML49-B was localized to nucleus, cytoplasm, and membrane. Function characterization demonstrated that overexpression of <i>TaCML49-B</i> in <i>Arabidopsis</i> enhanced salt tolerance, whereas the BSMV-VIGS silencing of <i>TaCML49-B</i> reduced salt resistance in wheat. Furthermore, STRING database prediction analysis and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay confirmed that TaCML49-B can physically interact with TaIQD23, which encodes an IQ67 domain protein, suggesting its potential involvement in the salt stress signaling pathway. Collectively, our findings indicate that <i>TaCML49-B</i> functions as a positive role in wheat salt stress response, thereby providing novel insights into the functions of TaCML genes and calcium signaling in wheat.