Overexpression of SbEPF12 enhances Arabidopsis drought tolerance by improving scavenging ability of reactive oxygen species and decreasing stomatal density

Drought tolerance, which impacts the crop yield under the drought stress, is responsible to significant yield loss globally in the face of climate change. The EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR (EPF) peptides family has been suggested to have a pivotal role in response to drought stress and stomatal development. However, how sorghum EPF functions in drought stress remains largely unexplored. Here, we identified the SbEPF12 gene from sorghum, of which gene expression was significantly induced under the drought stress. The heterologous gene expression of SbEPF12 confers its tolerance to drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Compared to the wild-type (WT), SbEPF12-overexpression (SbEPF12-OE) lines exhibited reduced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased antioxidant enzyme capability under drought stress. Furthermore, SbEPF12-OE lines demonstrated lower stomatal density and higher leaf surface temperature, indicating a reduced rate of water loss. Collectively, these findings suggest that SbEPF12 may positively regulate drought tolerance, highlighting its potential as a target for developing drought-resistant crops and as an important candidate gene for the molecular breeding of crops resistant to abiotic stress.