This technology provides a composition and kit for enhancing drought stress resistance, containing the homeobox-family ABA-responsive transcription factor CaHAT1 protein (SEQ ID NO: 2) isolated from the Nokgwang pepper cultivar, as well as a method for increasing plant drought tolerance by enhancing the expression or activity of this protein.
As desertification and water scarcity place significant burdens on agriculture and the environment, there is a growing need for crops that can thrive with less water. While it is known that plants unable to produce or respond to ABA are vulnerable to stress, the development of resistant plants using individual proteins involved in ABA response has been limited. In particular, there has been a lack of useful crop-derived genes at the transcription factor level that directly activate downstream gene expression in response to ABA signals.
This technology leverages the fact that CaHAT1 acts as a positive regulator of ABA signaling. It is configured to include the protein encoded by the gene of SEQ ID NO: 1 in a composition or to produce transgenic pepper and Arabidopsis plants with increased expression levels. Applicable to open-field pepper cultivation where irrigation is difficult, the development of drought-tolerant vegetable varieties for semi-arid regions, and the breeding of plants for greening arid areas, it allows for the creation of crops that reduce transpiration and maintain growth during drought by regulating the expression of a single transcription factor.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for research on drought and salt tolerance signaling through protein stabilization regulation in chili peppers.
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