Overexpression of Inositol Oxidase Enhances the Drought and High-Temperature Resistance of Wheat

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely cultivated staple food crop globally. As a primary food source for 35-40% of the world's population, the stability of its yield is directly linked to global food security. However, extreme weather events triggered by climate change have led to wheat yield reduction, making it an urgent issue to enhance wheat's stress tolerance against drought and high temperatures. In this study, we successfully isolated and cloned an inositol oxidase gene from wheat. Further research revealed that high-temperature and drought stresses significantly increased the expression level of the TaMIOXA gene in wheat leaves. A batch of overexpressing lines was obtained via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Compared with the control group, wheat plants with molecularly modified TaMIOXA overexpression exhibited stronger resistance to high temperatures and drought, with their survival rate significantly increased by 10% to 40%. This confirms that overexpression of inositol oxidase significantly enhances wheat's tolerance to drought and high temperatures.