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Co-expression of PeDREB2a and KcERF Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Lotus corniculatus

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Abstract

DREB and ERF transcription factors play important roles in plant adaptation to abiotic stress. This study explores the function of co-overexpression of PeDREB2a and KcERF in transgenic Lotus corniculatus under abiotic stress. The two genes PeDREB2a and KcERF were expressed in L. corniculatus to study the effect on phenotype, physiology, and biochemical aspects of transgenic plants under drought and salt stress. The results indicated that transgenic L. corniculatus plants show better growth as compared to wild type under drought and salt conditions. Transgenic plants also showed elevated expression of stress-related genes under normal conditions, salt, and drought stress. The results revealed that co-overexpression of the two transcription factors, PeDREB2a, and KcERF, improved drought and salt tolerance in transgenic L. corniculatus.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31372361) and National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program) (Grant No. 2014CB138701).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730020, China

    Dan Wang, Wen Luo & Yanmin Wu

  2. Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Dan Wang, Wen Luo, Lihua Gao, Zhanmin Sun, Meiliang Zhou & Yanmin Wu

  3. Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 254590, Pakistan

    Muhammad Khurshid

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  1. Dan Wang
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  2. Wen Luo
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  3. Muhammad Khurshid
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  4. Lihua Gao
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  5. Zhanmin Sun
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  6. Meiliang Zhou
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  7. Yanmin Wu
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Correspondence to Meiliang Zhou or Yanmin Wu.

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344_2017_9753_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Electronic Supplementary Figure 1. Transgenic Lotus corniculatus plants obtained after Agrobacterium infection transformation. (a) Callus induction of cotyledon after Agrobacterium infection and co-culture. (b) Kanamycin resistant calli of Lotus corniculatus obtained 4 weeks after transformation and selection of infected cotyledon pieces on selection medium. (c) Shoot-inducing differentiation from resistant calli 4 weeks after transfer onto regeneration-inducing medium. (d) Regeneration bud growth big enough for transplant after 2-4 weeks. (e) Regenerated shoots were planted onto root-inducing medium. (f) Shoots/plantlet differentiation 4 weeks after transfer onto shoot elongation medium. (g) The tissue culture seedlings were transplanted into wood chips to carry out the test. (h) Transgenic plants were transplanted to pots (TIF 2361 KB)

344_2017_9753_MOESM2_ESM.tif

Supplementary Figure 2. The asexual reproduction transgenic lines were obtained after stem cutting in the sawdust. (a) The stem sections with 2-3 nodes were cut. (b) Stem cuttings in moist sawdust. (c) The new plants were obtained when adventitious roots had formed. (TIF 1262 KB)

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Wang, D., Luo, W., Khurshid, M. et al. Co-expression of PeDREB2a and KcERF Improves Drought and Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Lotus corniculatus . J Plant Growth Regul 37, 550–559 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-017-9753-z

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