The growth and development of maize roots are closely related to drought tolerance. In order to clarify the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance between different maize (Zea mays L.) varieties at the protein level, the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) quantitative proteomics were used for the comparative analysis of protein expression in the seedling roots of the drought-tolerant Chang 7-2 and drought-sensitive TS141 maize varieties under 20% polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG 6000)-simulated drought stress. We identified a total of 7723 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), 1243 were significantly differentially expressed in Chang 7-2 following drought stress, 572 of which were up-regulated and 671 were down-regulated; 419 DEPs were identified in TS141, 172 of which were up-regulated and 247 were down-regulated. In Chang 7-2, the DEPs were associated with ribosome pathway, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism. In TS141, the DEPs were associated with metabolic pathway, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway, and starch and sucrose metabolism. Compared with TS141, the higher drought tolerance of Chang 7-2 root system was attributed to a stronger water retention capacity; the synergistic effect of antioxidant enzymes; the strengthen cell wall; the osmotic stabilization of plasma membrane proteins; the effectiveness of recycling amino acid; and an improvement in the degree of lignification. The common mechanisms of the drought stress response between the two varieties included: The promotion of enzymes in the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway; cross-protection against the toxicity of aldehydes and ammonia; maintenance of the cell membrane stability. Based on the proteome sequencing information, the coding region sequences of eight DEP-related genes were analyzed at the mRNA level by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The findings of this study can inform the future breeding of drought-tolerant maize varieties.
Keywords: drought stress; iTRAQ; maize; physiological response; proteomic analysis; qRT-PCR; root system.