Plants respond to water loss by boosting calcium levels in their cells. The
calcium surge then triggers coping mechanisms to help the plant rebalance
its water budget, but the molecular machinery that plants use to send this
signal has remained unknown.

Zhen Ming Pei and Duke University colleagues Fang Yuan and James Siedow
identified OSCA1, the gene that could help develop drought resistant crops.
OSCA1 encodes a protein in the cell membrane of plant leaves and roots which
acts as a channel that allows calcium surge into the cell during drought.
The research team found that when they grew normal plants side by side with
plants with defective versions of the gene in the same pot and exposed them
to drought stress, the mutant plants experienced more wilting.

[today.duke.edu] [today.duke.edu]