Sustained low abscisic acid levels increase seedling vigor under cold stress in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Stress-induced abscisic acid (ABA) is mainly catabolized by ABA 8′-hydroxylase (ABA8ox), which also strictly regulates endogenous ABA levels. Although three members of the ABA8ox gene family are conserved in rice, it is not clear which stressors induce expression of these genes. Here, we found that OsABA8ox1 was induced by cold stress within 24 h and that OsABA8ox2 and OsABA8ox3 were not. In contrast, OsABA8ox2 and OsABA8ox3 were ABA-inducible, but OsABA8ox1 was not. OsABA8ox1, OsABA8ox2 and OsABA8ox3 restored germination of a cyp707a1/a2/a3 triple mutant of Arabidopsis to rates comparable to those of the wild type, indicating that OsABA8ox1, OsABA8ox2 and OsABA8ox3 function as ABA-catabolic genes in vivo. Transgenic rice lines overexpressing OsABA8ox1 showed decreased levels of ABA and increased seedling vigor at 15 °C. These results indicate that sustained low levels of ABA lead to increased seedling vigor during cold stress. On the other hand, excessively low endogenous ABA levels caused reduced drought and cold tolerance, although some of the transgenic rice lines expressing OsABA8ox1 at moderate levels did not show these harmful effects. Adequate regulation of endogenous ABA levels is thought to be crucial for maintaining seedling vigor under cold stress and for cold and drought tolerance in rice.