Functional characterization of the MdFLZ2 gene in drought and salt stress tolerance in apple.

Yaqi Liu; Jingyi Su; Xiaowen Li; Xue Wang; Chang Li; Hanyu Dong; Wenxian Zhang; Xinrong Shi; Hongjian Cao; Long Wang; Qiangbo Liu; Xiaofei Wang; Tingting Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2026.113354

PubMed · 42546931

Functional characterization of the MdFLZ2 gene in drought and salt stress tolerance in apple.

Yaqi Liu·Jingyi Su·Xiaowen Li·Xue Wang·Chang Li·Hanyu Dong·Wenxian Zhang·Xinrong Shi·Hongjian Cao·Long Wang·Qiangbo Liu·Xiaofei Wang·Tingting Zhang

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Abstract

Drought and salt stress are significant environmental limitations that severely constrain plant growth and productivity, therefore, enhancing stress tolerance is a key goal in crop improvement. The plant-specific FCS-like zinc finger (FLZ) proteins have been identified as important regulators of stress adaptation. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide characterization of the FLZ gene family in apple and functionally characterized MdFLZ2. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that MdFLZ2 was differentially expressed across various tissues and transcriptionally induced by both drought and salt stress. Subcellular localization assays demonstrated that the MdFLZ2 protein is localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The overexpression of MdFLZ2 in apple calli, Arabidopsis and tomato conferred increased resistance to drought and salt stress. In addition, yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assays confirmed that MdFLZ2 interacted with MdSnRK1.1, and similar interactions were also detected between other MdFLZ family members and MdSnRK1.1. Collectively, our findings suggest MdFLZ2 as a positive regulator of drought and salt tolerance and highlight its potential to serve as a genetic resource for abiotic stress improvement.

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Malus Drought Resistance Plant Proteins Salt Tolerance Gene Expression Regulation, Plant Droughts Plants, Genetically Modified Genes, Plant Two-Hybrid System Techniques Stress, Physiological Arabidopsis Zinc Fingers Apple Drought stress MdFLZ2 MdSnRK1.1 Salt stress Journal Article

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Yaqi Liu, Jingyi Su, Xiaowen Li, Xue Wang, Chang Li, Hanyu Dong, Wenxian Zhang, Xinrong Shi, Hongjian Cao, Long Wang, Qiangbo Liu, Xiaofei Wang, Tingting Zhang. 2026-08-03. Functional characterization of the MdFLZ2 gene in drought and salt stress tolerance in apple.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2026.113354

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