Chemical Biology to improve plant tolerance to drought

Authors

  • Jorge Lozano Juste Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular de Plantas IBMCP-UPV-CSIC

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/enbio.17.192.2025.22865

Keywords:

drought, plants, abscisic acid (ABA), structure, chemical compounds, design

Abstract

ccording to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), drought is the main factor causing agricultural production losses. In fact, more than 34 % of crop and livestock production losses are due to drought, with a global cost to the sector of 37 billion dollars. Abscisic acid (ABA) is a key plant hormone that coordinates the activation of adaptive responses aimed at protecting plants from stress. To exert its function, ABA binds to its PYR/PYL receptors, triggering a reprogramming of plant growth that enhances water-use eciency, allowing survival during periods of drought. In this work, we used a chemical biology approach to develop chemical compounds that increase plant drought resistance by targeting ABA receptors. After screening millions of chemical molecules, we identified a compound capable of activating ABA receptors. However, its activity was very low. Guided by structural studies, we designed a custom receptor (CsPYL15m) optimized to be activated by this new compound. In a second step, we synthesized an improved version of the compound, named iSB09, which eciently activates the engineered receptor. Applying iSB09 to transgenic plants expressing the optimized receptor (CsPYL15m) significantly increased their drought tolerance. Foliar spray application of iSB09 allows plants to withstand extended periods without irrigation, providing a promising technology to address drought-related challenges in agriculture.

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References

Referencias:

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: Lozano-Juste J, et al., 2023. Structure-guided

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Published

2026-01-24

Dimensions

PlumX

How to Cite

Chemical Biology to improve plant tolerance to drought. (2026). Encuentros En La Biología, 17(192), 25-27. https://doi.org/10.24310/enbio.17.192.2025.22865