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Expression of the citrus CsTIP2;1 gene improves tobacco plant growth, antioxidant capacity and physiological adaptation under stress conditions

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Abstract

Main conclusion

Overexpression of the citrus CsTIP2;1 improves plant growth and tolerance to salt and drought stresses by enhancing cell expansion, H 2 O 2 detoxification and stomatal conductance.

Tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) are a subfamily of aquaporins, belonging to the major intrinsic protein family. In a previous study, we have shown that a citrus TIP isoform, CsTIP2;1, is highly expressed in leaves and also transcriptionally regulated in leaves and roots by salt and drought stresses and infection by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’, the causal agent of the Huanglongbing disease, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of the flow of water and nutrients required during both normal growth and stress conditions. Here, we show that the overexpression of CsTIP2;1 in transgenic tobacco increases plant growth under optimal and water- and salt-stress conditions and also significantly improves the leaf water and oxidative status, photosynthetic capacity, transpiration rate and water use efficiency of plants subjected to a progressive soil drying. These results correlated with the enhanced mesophyll cell expansion, midrib aquiferous parenchyma abundance, H2O2 detoxification and stomatal conductance observed in the transgenic plants. Taken together, our results indicate that CsTIP2;1 plays an active role in regulating the water and oxidative status required for plant growth and adaptation to stressful environmental conditions and may be potentially useful for engineering stress tolerance in citrus and other crop plants.

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Abbreviations

DAB:

3,3′-Diaminobenzidine

MIP:

Major intrinsic protein

RWC:

Relative water content

WT:

Wild type

WUE:

Water use efficiency

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by research grants from Embrapa (Macroprograma 2), CNPq (Brasília, Brazil) and FAPESP (São Paulo, Brazil). We gratefully acknowledge the Ph.D. Degree scholarship to C.P.S. Martins by CAPES (Brasília, Brazil).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil

    Cristina P. S. Martins, Diana M. Neves, Luciana C. Cidade, Delmira C. Silva, Alex-Alan F. Almeida & Marcio G. C. Costa

  2. Instituto Federal da Bahia, Ilhéus, BA, 45650-000, Brazil

    Amanda F. S. Mendes

  3. Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura, Cruz das Almas, BA, 44380-000, Brazil

    Mauricio A. Coelho-Filho, Abelmon S. Gesteira & Walter S. Soares-Filho

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  1. Cristina P. S. Martins
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  3. Luciana C. Cidade
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  4. Amanda F. S. Mendes
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Correspondence to Marcio G. C. Costa.

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Martins, C.P.S., Neves, D.M., Cidade, L.C. et al. Expression of the citrus CsTIP2;1 gene improves tobacco plant growth, antioxidant capacity and physiological adaptation under stress conditions. Planta 245, 951–963 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-017-2653-4

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