Abstract:
Drought stress is a significant threat to agricultural yields, and the frequency and intensity of
drought events are projected to rise in the coming years as a consequence of global climate
change. Particularly, in short-duration crops like Vigna radiata (mungbean), which is a legume
kharif crop cultivated in Asia, drought severely affects the morpho-physiological, biochemical,
and molecular functioning of the plants. Phosphorus is important in root development and
nutrient absorption. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria have various functions. PIP genes
assist with water transportation in drought conditions. The current investigation involved the
in-silico characterization of plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) in Vigna radiata. A total
of 13 VrPIP genes have been identified in Vigna radiata. All these 13 VrPIP are categorized
into two distinct subgroups much like how they were previously defined in Arabidopsis thaliana
which are disturbed evenly across 9 out of 11 chromosomes. These genes contain a common
asparagine-proline-alanine (NPA) domain and the conservation of eight conserved motif blocks
was also analyzed. Through in-silico analysis, various cis-elements and functional variations
were identified, including promoter-associated, development-related, abiotic stress-responsive,
light-responsive, and hormone-responsive elements. A significant number of proteins were
found to be involved in water transport based on gene ontology annotations. Plasma membrane
intrinsic proteins were localized to the plasma membrane. Assessments showed that VrPIP
proteins interact with other proteins, thereby regulating signaling cascades. VrPIP10 gene was
checked for drought stress with phosphorus and PGPR treatments. The expression profiling
results indicate significant variation in PIP10 gene expression under phosphorus, PGPR, and
drought conditions. This variation occurs during early, flowering, and rewatering stages in both
NCM-13 and MSPS-119. PIPs are early responsive genes with high fold change observed in
both varieties during the early stage. Expression decreases during flowering and rewatering due
to phosphorus and PGPR application. These treatments have synergistic effects and enhance
crop resilience. The expression analysis demonstrates that MSPS-119 performs better than
NCM-13. Integrating these findings into mung bean cultivation, especially in drought-prone
areas, can improve yields and promote sustainable agriculture.
