Negative regulation of abscisic acid signaling by the Brassica oleracea ABI1 ortholog

ABI1 (ABA Insensitive 1) is an important component of the core regulatory network in early ABA (Abscisic acid) signaling. Here, we investigated the functions of an ABI1 ortholog in Brassica oleracea (BolABI1). The expression of BolABI1 was dramatically induced by drought, and constitutive expression of BolABI1 confers ABA insensitivity upon the wild-type. Subcellular localization and phosphatase assays reveal that BolABI1 is predominantly localized in the nucleus and harbors phosphatase activity. Furthermore, BolABI1 interacts with a homolog of OST1 (OPEN STOMATA 1) in B. oleracea (BolOST1) and can dephosphorylate ABI5 (ABA Insensitive 5) in vitro. Overall, these results suggest that BolABI1 is a functional PP2C-type protein phosphatase that is involved in the negative modulation of the ABA signaling pathway.