Development of Compounds That Enhance Drought Tolerance in Plants

August 5, 2026

Researchers at the RIKEN CSRS, in collaboration with Tohoku University, Kyushu University, the University of Milan (Italy), Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, the Astrobiology Center, Nagoya University, Kumamoto University, Shizuoka University, Okayama University, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the University of Münster (Germany), identified NS5806, an inhibitor of a potassium ion (K⁺) channel that promotes stomatal opening, and successfully synthesized its derivative, UA49.

Stomata, microscopic pores on the surface of plant leaves, regulate gas exchange and transpiration. Under drought conditions, stomata close to minimize water loss. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of droughts, there is growing demand for plant growth regulators (biostimulants) that enhance drought tolerance in crop plants.
The researchers demonstrated that spraying plants with NS5806 or UA49 suppresses stomatal opening by inducing stomatal closure, thereby improving drought stress tolerance. It was also demonstrated that the K⁺ channel plays a role in generating calcium (Ca²⁺) signals that are essential for plant responses to environmental stimuli.

These findings provide promising new compounds for improving plant drought tolerance and are expected to contribute to sustainable agricultural production.

 

Original article

Nature Communications　DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-75894-w

K. Sato, K. Suzuki, S. Saito, T. Kakei, M. Kato, M. Yazaki, Y. Kawai, M. Arisawa, N. Isaka, T. Yamaguchi, M. Grenzi, L. Luoni, M. Kono, Y. Hayashi, T. Kinoshita, F. Aziz, K. Bashir, M. Seki, A. Kamimura, T. Higaki, J. Takeuchi, Y. Todoroki, H. Yin, F. Rubio, J. Kudla, S. Munemasa, Y. Murata, M. Tsujii, Y. Ishimaru, A. Costa, N. Uozumi,

"Synthetic ion channel inhibitors enhance plant drought tolerance".

Contact

Motoaki Seki
Team Director
Plant Genomic Network Research Team