Rice Transcription Factor OsWRKY55 Is Involved in the Drought Response and Regulation of Plant Growth

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to respond to biotic and abiotic stresses and regulate plant growth and development. However, the molecular mechanisms of WRKY TFs involved in drought stress and regulating plant height in rice remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that transgenic rice lines overexpressing OsWRKY55 (OsWRKY55-OE) exhibited reduced drought resistance. The OsWRKY55-OE lines showed faster water loss and greater accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide radical (O2−·) compared to wild-type (WT) plants under drought conditions. OsWRKY55 was expressed in various tissues and was induced by drought and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. Through yeast two-hybrid assays, we found that OsWRKY55 interacted with four mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that could be induced by drought, including OsMPK7, OsMPK9, OsMPK20-1, and OsMPK20-4. The activation effects of the four OsMPKs on OsWRKY55 transcriptional activity were demonstrated by a GAL4-dependent chimeric transactivation assay in rice protoplasts. Furthermore, OsWRKY55 was able to reduce plant height under normal conditions by decreasing the cell size. In addition, based on a dual luciferase reporter assay, OsWRKY55 was shown to bind to the promoter of OsAP2-39 through a yeast one-hybrid assay and positively regulate OsAP2-39 expression. These results suggest that OsWRKY55 plays a critical role in responses to drought stress and the regulation of plant height in rice, further providing valuable information for crop improvement.