ZmWRKY79 promoted the expression of the ABA biosynthetic gene AAO3. (A) qRT-PCR analysis of AtAAO3 gene expression in ZmWRKY79-OEs (OE-8 and OE-10) and WT Arabidopsis plants with 20% PEG6000 treatment for 0, 24, and 48 h. Atactin was used as the endogenous control gene, and the expression level was normalized to the untreated WT (0 h). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (LSD test, p < 0.05). (B) qRT-PCR analysis of five ZmAAO3 homologous genes in maize protoplast with transient overexpression of ZmWRKY79. UG means the empty vector control. Ef1a was used as the endogenous control. Asterisks indicate significant difference compared to the control (UG) (Student’s t-test, ** p < 0.01). Error bars indicate SE (n = 3).