Overexpression of Seagrass Nucleotide Exchange Factor Gene Enhances Heat Tolerance in Transgenic .

Nucleotide exchange factors (NEFs) play an important role in plant abiotic stress response, but their characteristics and functions in seagrass have not been studied. () is one of the most widely distributed seagrass species in China and are distributed in subtropical and temperate coastal areas. is intertidal seagrass, which often undergoes heat stress during summer when the tide ebbs. Overexpression of in results in an increase in heat tolerance. We found that ZjFes1 associates with ZjHsp70 by yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementarity (BiFC). Overexpression of leads to selective reduction of transcription and an increase in Hsp101. In conclusion, our results suggest that may be an active regulator of heat tolerance.