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Ectopic expression of the Vigna eylindrica ferritin gene enhanced heat tolerance in transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

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Abstract

The Ferritins are the iron storage proteins which regulate intracellular iron content via the absorption and release of iron, and related to plant oxidative stress and pathogens. However, the possible role of FER in heat stress responses remains unknown. In this study, the black rice (Vigna eylindrica) ferritin gene, VeFER, was cloned and integrated into the genome of wheat cultivar ZY9507 via biolistic transformation. Expression analysis of T3 transgenic plants subjected to heat treatment showed significantly increased VeFER expression in the transgenic lines as compared to the untransformed plants. The MDA content of the transgenic lines was significantly lower than that in the cultivar. Further, the transgenic lines had similar relative electrical conductivities to the heat resistant variety TAM107, but were significantly lower than the untransformed control cultivar and the heat-sensitive variety CS. These results indicate that the VeFER gene plays a crucial role in improving the heat tolerance of transgenic wheat plants, likely by promoting the thermal stability of cell membranes.

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Abbreviations

VeFER :

Vigna eylindrica ferritin gene

ZY9507:

Zhongyou9507

CS:

Chinese Spring

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

qRT-PCR:

quantitative real time PCR

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcription PCR

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Transgenic Program of China (2011ZX08002001) and National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2009CB118300).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

      Yanjie Zhao, Xiaoyan Shui, Xueping Wang, Qiling Hou, Baoyun Li, Zhongfu Ni, Qixin Sun & Rongqi Liang

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    1. Yanjie Zhao
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    2. Xiaoyan Shui
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    3. Xueping Wang
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    Correspondence to Qixin Sun or Rongqi Liang.

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    The authors declared that this study “Ectopic Expression of the Vigna eylindrica FER Gene Enhanced Heat Tolerance in Transgenic Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)” have not been submitted for publication elsewhere. It is also declared that all authors have contributed significantly to the work and that all authors are in agreement with the content of the manuscript. The authors do not have any possible conflict of interest.

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    Yanjie Zhao and Xiaoyan Shui have contributed equally to this work.

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    Zhao, Y., Shui, X., Wang, X. et al. Ectopic expression of the Vigna eylindrica ferritin gene enhanced heat tolerance in transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Euphytica 209, 23–30 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-015-1573-2

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