Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, 830046, Urumqi, China.
Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, 830046, Urumqi, China.
Plant Physiol Biochem. 2020 Jun;151:243-254. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.03.020. Epub 2020 Mar 23.
Salt is a major abiotic stress that negatively impacts plant growth and development. Research on the mechanisms of plant salt tolerance and the breeding of salt-tolerant plants is becoming an important research field. Transcription factors are master regulators that control the expression of many target genes, helping to regulate the response of plants to adverse conditions. GRAS are plant-specific transcription factors that play various roles in plant development and stress responses. However, the function of a GRAS gene identified in Halostachys caspica, a salt-tolerant plant with important ecological value, has not been determined. In this study, we characterized a novel gene (HcSCL13) encoding a GRAS transcription factor from H. caspica. Quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR results indicated that HcSCL13 expression was induced by salt, drought and application of stress-related phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). The HcSCL13 protein was localized in the nucleus with transactivation activity at the N terminus. Heterologous overexpression of HcSCL13 enhanced plant growth and salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. With HcSCL13 overexpression, plants had enhanced growth, as well as greater chlorophyll content, fresh weight and root elongation compared to the wild type. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that HcSCL13 overexpression affected the response to light/abiotic stimulus/hormone/organic substance, plant hormone signal-related and plant growth and development genes under normal and saline stress conditions. Taken together, these results indicate that HcSCL13 genes can modulate salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis through the regulation of plant growth and the activation of gene expression.
盐是一种主要的非生物胁迫，会对植物的生长和发育产生负面影响。研究植物的耐盐机制和培育耐盐植物已成为一个重要的研究领域。转录因子是控制许多靶基因表达的主要调控因子，有助于调节植物对不利条件的反应。GRAS 是植物特异性转录因子，在植物发育和应激反应中发挥多种作用。然而，具有重要生态价值的耐盐植物盐角草中的一个 GRAS 基因的功能尚未确定。在这项研究中，我们从盐角草中鉴定了一个新的基因（HcSCL13），该基因编码一个 GRAS 转录因子。定量实时（qRT）-PCR 结果表明，HcSCL13 的表达受盐、干旱和施加应激相关植物激素脱落酸（ABA）的诱导。HcSCL13 蛋白定位于细胞核内，具有 N 端的反式激活活性。HcSCL13 的异源过表达增强了转基因拟南芥的生长和耐盐性。与野生型相比，HcSCL13 过表达的植物生长更快，叶绿素含量、鲜重和根伸长都有所增加。转录组分析显示，HcSCL13 过表达影响了在正常和盐胁迫条件下对光/非生物刺激/激素/有机物质、植物激素信号相关以及植物生长和发育基因的反应。综上所述，这些结果表明 HcSCL13 基因可以通过调节植物生长和基因表达来调节拟南芥的耐盐性。
