Comparative proteomic analysis of gamma-aminobutyric acid responses in hypoxia-treated and untreated melon roots.

Hypoxia is one of the main environmental stresses that accounts for decreasing crop yield. To further investigate the mechanisms whereby exogenous GABA alleviates hypoxia injury to melon seedlings, a comparative proteomic analysis was performed using roots subjected to normal aeration and hypoxia conditions with or without GABA (5mM). The results indicated that protein spots on gels after hypoxia and hypoxia+GABA treatment were significantly changed. Three "matched sets" were analyzed from four treatments, and 13 protein spots with large significant differences in expression were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. Exogenous GABA treatment enhanced the expression of protein in cytosolic phosphoglycerate kinase 1, exaA2 gene product, dnaJ and myb-like DNA-binding domain-containing proteins, as well as elongation factor-1 alpha and hypothetical proteins in hypoxia-induced roots. However, the hypoxia+GABA treated roots had a significantly lower expression of proteins including malate dehydrogenase, nucleoside diphosphate kinase, disease resistance-like protein, disulfide isomerase, actin, ferrodoxin NADP oxidoreductase, glutathione transferase, netting associated peroxidase. This paper describes the effect of GABA on melon plants under hypoxia-induced stress using proteomics, and supports the alleviating function of GABA in melon plants grown under hypoxic conditions.