[Objective] This study aimed to evaluate the application potential of wheat MYB protein-encoding gene TaPIMP1 in the breeding of drought-tolerant wheat germplasm. [Method] The homozygous transgenic lines with TaPIMP1 gene which is driven by ubiquitin promoter and their recipient Yangmai 158 were cultivated under simulated drought condition. Then, seed germination, seedling growth, and some biochemical parameters associated with abiotic stress of the three cultivars were an- alyzed. [Result] In the medium containing 20% PEG6000, the expression level of TaPIMP1 gene in all the three wheat cultivars changed greatly within the first 24 h; the seed germination rate, the lengths of coleoptile and radical of two transgenic lines B64 and B208 were significantly higher than those of control Yangmai 158. In the medium containing 10%-20% PEG6000, the leaf relative water content and sol- uble sugar contents of two TaPIMP1 transgenic lines were significantly higher than those in control. In the medium containing 15%-20% PEG6000, the MDA content of two transgenic lines was significantly lower than that of the control. [Conclusion] The drought tolerance of the two transgenic lines has been improved obviously com- pared with Yangmai 158, so the TaPIMP1 gene can be introduced to develop new drought-tolerant wheat cultivars.
