A Novel Isoprene Synthase from the Monocot Tree (Arecaceae) Confers Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis.

The capacity to emit isoprene, among other stresses, protects plants from drought, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this trait are only partly understood. The Arecaceae (palms) constitute a very interesting model system to test the involvement of isoprene in enhancing drought tolerance, as their high isoprene emissions may have contributed to make them hyperdominant in neotropical dry forests, characterized by recurrent and extended periods of drought stress. In this study we isolated and functionally characterized a novel , the gene responsible for isoprene biosynthesis, from , a palm from seasonally dry tropical forests. When overexpressed in the non-emitter , conferred significant levels of isoprene emission, together with enhanced tolerance to water limitation throughout plant growth and development, from germination to maturity. overexpressors displayed higher germination, cotyledon/leaf greening, water usage efficiency, and survival than WT Arabidopsis under various types of water limitation. This increased drought tolerance was accompanied by a marked transcriptional up-regulation of both ABA-dependent and ABA-independent key drought response genes. Taken together, these results demonstrate the capacity of to enhance drought tolerance in Arabidopsis and suggest that isoprene emission could have evolved in Arecaceae as an adaptive mechanism against drought.