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Drought is a major limiting factor affecting grain production. Drought-tolerant crop varieties are required to ensure future grain production. Here, 5597 DEGs were identified using transcriptome data before and after drought stress in foxtail millet (Setaria italica) hybrid Zhangza 19 and its parents. A total of 607 drought-tolerant genes were screened through WGCNA, and 286 heterotic genes were screened according to the expression level. Among them, 18 genes overlapped. One gene, Seita.9G321800, encoded MYBS3 transcription factor and showed upregulated expression after drought stress. It is highly homologous with MYBS3 in maize, rice, and sorghum and was named SiMYBS3. Subcellular localization analysis showed that the SiMYBS3 protein was located in the nucleus and cytoplasm, and transactivation assay showed SiMYBS3 had transcriptional activation activity in yeast cells. Overexpression of SiMYBS3 in Arabidopsis thaliana conferred drought tolerance, insensitivity to ABA, and earlier flowering. Our results demonstrate that SiMYBS3 is a drought-related heterotic gene and it can be used for enhancing drought resistance in agricultural crop breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

GATA transcription factors (TFs) are type IV zinc-finger proteins that have roles in plant development and growth. The 27 GATA TFs identified in the Brachypodium distachyon genome in this study were unevenly distributed across all five chromosomes and classified into four subgroups. Phylogenesis-related GATAs shared similar gene structures and conserved motifs. Expression profiles showed that all BdGATA genes were expressed in leaves and most were induced by PEG treatment. BdGATA13 was predominantly expressed in leaf tissue and phylogenetically close to OsSNFL1 , AtGNC , and AtGNL. Its protein was detected in the nucleus by subcellular localization analysis. Overexpression of BdGATA13 in transgenic Arabidopsis resulted in darker green leaves, later flowering, and more importantly, enhanced drought tolerance compared to the wild type. BdGATA13 also promoted primary root development under GA treatment. These results lay a foundation for better understanding the function of GATA genes in B. distachyon and other plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...