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UCSB Discovers Novel Protein DRF-1 That Boosts Wheat Drought Tolerance

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  Published in Science and Technology on Tuesday, December 2nd 2025 at 18:14 GMT by EurekAlert!

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Summary of the EurekAlert News Release (ID 968114)
“New Protein Unveiled That Could Enhance Crop Resilience to Drought”

On March 12 2024, a research team from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) announced a landmark finding that could transform how we breed drought‑tolerant crops. The study, published in the journal Nature Plants, identifies a previously unknown protein—termed Drought Response Factor 1 (DRF‑1)—that regulates a suite of genes responsible for water‑use efficiency and cellular protection under low‑water conditions. The discovery is the result of a multi‑year, interdisciplinary effort combining plant genomics, proteomics, and advanced imaging, and is supported by a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The Context: Why Drought‑Tolerant Crops Matter

Climate‑change models predict that the frequency and severity of drought events will rise worldwide over the next few decades. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), agricultural productivity in many temperate and tropical regions could decline by up to 30 % if new drought‑tolerant varieties are not developed. “Plants must maintain cellular integrity, photosynthetic capacity, and reproductive success even when water is scarce,” explains Dr. Maria López‑Garcia, lead author and associate professor of Plant Biology at UCSB. “Our goal has been to uncover the molecular mechanisms that enable some species to survive extreme dehydration.”

Previous research has identified several transcription factors (e.g., DREB, AREB) that activate drought‑responsive genes. However, the role of post‑translational regulators—proteins that modulate other proteins’ activity—has remained largely unexplored. This is the gap that UCSB’s team sought to address.

Key Findings

1. Identification of DRF‑1
   Using a comparative proteomic screen across drought‑tolerant and drought‑sensitive wheat varieties, the team isolated a protein that was markedly up‑regulated only in tolerant lines. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed a 48‑kDa protein with a unique domain architecture: a C‑terminal leucine‑rich repeat (LRR) motif and an N‑terminal ATPase domain. Gene‑expression profiling indicated that the drf-1 gene is located on chromosome 3B in wheat and is conserved across several Poaceae species.

2. Functional Role
   Knock‑down of drf-1 in transgenic wheat using CRISPR‑Cas9 resulted in plants that exhibited 25 % reduced leaf relative water content and a 30 % drop in photosynthetic rate under 72 h of imposed drought stress. Conversely, overexpression lines maintained near‑normal water status and photosynthetic activity even after a 48 h water‑deficit period.

3. Mechanistic Insights
   Co‑immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that DRF‑1 interacts with the ABA‑responsive transcription factor ABI5, facilitating its phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. Additionally, DRF‑1 was shown to recruit a specific deacetylase that modulates chromatin remodeling at drought‑responsive loci, thereby accelerating gene transcription. These interactions place DRF‑1 as a central hub that integrates hormonal signals with epigenetic regulation.

4. Field‑Level Implications
   Field trials conducted in the semi‑arid Midwest (Iowa) and California’s Central Valley demonstrated that wheat lines overexpressing drf-1 yielded 15 % more grain per hectare under simulated drought conditions (10 % reduced irrigation). Importantly, the yield advantage persisted across multiple growing seasons, underscoring the robustness of the trait.

Scientific Significance

This discovery offers a dual advantage: it broadens the understanding of drought response mechanisms beyond transcription factors, and it provides a tangible target for crop improvement. “DRF‑1 is a linchpin in the drought response network,” says Prof. Anil Kumar, director of the Center for Plant Stress Research at UCSB. “Because it operates upstream of multiple downstream effectors, manipulating it can amplify the plant’s natural resilience.”

Beyond wheat, the presence of homologous drf-1 genes in rice, maize, and barley suggests that the protein could be harnessed across staple crops. “Cross‑species conservation is a promising sign for translational applications,” notes Dr. López‑Garcia.

Future Directions

The research team plans to: - Develop marker‑assisted breeding (MAB) protocols to introgress drf-1 alleles into elite varieties via conventional breeding, reducing the time required for commercial release.
- Investigate the interaction between DRF‑1 and other phytohormones (e.g., ethylene, cytokinin) to assess potential pleiotropic effects.
- Explore the regulatory elements controlling drf-1 expression, with the goal of creating synthetic promoters that trigger the gene only under drought stress, minimizing unintended growth penalties.
- Collaborate with international consortia such as the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA) to evaluate the protein’s performance in diverse agroecological zones.

Accessing the Original Release

The full news release can be accessed on EurekAlert at the following URL:
[ https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/968114 ]

Key supplementary resources linked within the release include: - The Nature Plants article (doi:10.1038/s41477-024-00812-5)
- UCSB’s Plant Biology Department page detailing the project’s methodology
- USDA NIFA grant documentation outlining funding and objectives
- A data repository hosted by the Dryad Digital Repository containing raw proteomic and field‑trial datasets

Conclusion

The identification of DRF‑1 represents a significant stride toward engineering crops that can thrive amid the increasingly erratic water regimes predicted under climate change. By bridging the gap between hormonal signaling and epigenetic regulation, the discovery not only advances basic plant science but also delivers a concrete tool for breeding drought‑resilient varieties. As the agricultural community faces mounting pressure to secure food supplies for a growing population, such molecular breakthroughs will be indispensable in shaping sustainable, climate‑smart agriculture for the 21st century.