TaPYR10 Coordinates Abscisic Acid Sensing and Downstream Gene Activation to Deliver Drought Resilience and Yield Benefits in Wheat

Abscisic acid (ABA) receptors (PYR) are essential components of the ABA signalling pathway. This study reported wheat PYR gene, TaPYR10, in modulating plant adaptation to drought stress. TaPYR10 contains conserved PYR motifs and targeted nucleus. TaPYR10 transcripts were upregulated in response to drought stress, attributing to the drought response-associated cis-elements that regulate gene transcription. Using Y-2H, BiFC, Co-IP and in vitro pull-down assays, the study revealed interactions among TaPYR10, PP2C phosphatase member TaPP2C30, SnRK2 kinase member TaSnRK2.10 and transcription factor TaNF-YC1 using specific conserved domains, suggesting that TaPYR10 constitutes a regulatory pathway with these partners (i.e., TaPYR10-TaPP2C30-TaSnRK2.10-TaNF-YC1). TaPYR10, TaSnRK2.10 and TaNF-YC1 positively whereas TaPP2C30 negatively regulated drought adaptation by modulating osmotic stress-associated physiological processes. TaNF-YC1 activated the transcription of a suite of stress-responsive genes, including the S-type anion channel gene TaSLAC1-3, delta-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) gene TaP5CR1, superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene TaSOD4, catalase (CAT) gene TaCAT2 and the PIN-FORMED gene TaPIN6, which contributed to the TaPYR10 regulatory pathway-modulated drought response. TaPYR10 transcripts were positively correlated with yield in a wheat variety panel under drought conditions, with haplotype TaPYR10-Hap1 conferring increased target transcripts and drought tolerance. Overall, our findings provide novel insights into plant drought response mediated by the TaPYR10 signalling pathway.