| Summary: | High salinity and drought seriously limit the production of many crops worldwide, including apple (<i>Malus x. domestica</i> Borkh). Members of the <i>bZIP</i> family of transcription factors play important roles in abiotic stress in various plants, but there have been few studies in perennial tree species. In our previous study, we conducted a genome-wide survey of <i>bZIP</i> family transcription factor genes in apple. Here, we focused on one of these genes, <i>MdbZIP26</i>, which is induced by high salinity, drought, and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). The <i>MdbZIP26</i> promoter contains several apparent cis-acting elements associated with abiotic stress response, such as ABRE/G-box, DRE, GT1, and GMSCAM4. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of <i>MdbZIP26</i> were consistent with a role in abiotic stress response. <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> plants expressing <i>MdbZIP26</i> showed enhanced tolerance to dehydration and salinity, and this was associated with altered expression of ABA/stress-regulated genes. Considered together, these results suggest that <i>MdbZIP26</i> plays a role in the resistance of drought and high salinity stress in apple via ABA-mediated signaling.
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