A transposable element in a NAC gene is associated with drought tolerance in maize seedlings

Drought represents a major constraint on maize production worldwide. Understanding the genetic basis for natural variation in drought tolerance of maize may facilitate efforts to improve this trait in cultivated germplasm. Here, using a genome-wide association study, we show that a miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE) inserted in the promoter of a NAC gene (ZmNAC111) is significantly associated with natural variation in maize drought tolerance. The 82-bp MITE represses ZmNAC111 expression via RNA-directed DNA methylation and H3K9 dimethylation when heterologously expressed in Arabidopsis. Increasing ZmNAC111 expression in transgenic maize enhances drought tolerance at the seedling stage,…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 31471505, 2012CB114302
• CA
  Chinese Academy of Sciences

  Award: XDA08010206
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China
• IO
  Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences