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Overexpression of MbERF12, an ERF gene from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh, increases cold and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana associated with ROS scavenging through ethylene signal transduction

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Abstract

Abiotic stress, such as drought, salt, and cold, affects normal plant growth. Ethylene response factors (ERFs) play an important role in the responses of plants to different stresses. An ERF gene was cloned from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh and named as MbERF12. A subcellular localization study proved that MbERF12 was a nucleus-localized protein. The expression level of MbERF12 was higher in stems and roots, which was markedly affected by high salinity, low temperature, and ethephon treatments. When MbERF12 was transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana, it obviously improved salt and low-temperature tolerance in transformed plants. Overexpression of MbERF12 in transformed A. thaliana also led to higher levels of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and higher contents of ethylene, chlorophyll, and proline, while the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was lower, especially when being dealt with low-temperature and high-salinity stresses. MbERF12 plays a key role in the response to salt and cold stresses in Arabidopsis by improving the scavenging ability for reactive oxygen species (ROS) through ethylene signal transduction. We proposed that MbERF12 may function as a positive regulator for abiotic stress responses and can be considered as a potential gene for improvement of cold and high-salinity tolerance in plants.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31301757), the Natural Science Fund Joint Guidance Project of Heilongjiang Province (LH2019C031; LH2020C009), the Postdoctoral Scientific Research Development Fund of Heilongjiang Province, China (LBH-Q16020), and the Young Talent Project of Northeast Agricultural University (19QC06).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China

    Deguo Han, Jiaxin Han, Tianlong Xu, Xingguo Li, Chunya Yao, Tiemei Li, Xiaohan Sun, Xinhui Wang & Guohui Yang

  2. National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Development and Utilization of Small Fruits in Cold Regions, Harbin, 150030, China

    Deguo Han, Jiaxin Han, Tianlong Xu, Xingguo Li, Chunya Yao, Tiemei Li & Guohui Yang

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  1. Deguo Han
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  2. Jiaxin Han
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  4. Xingguo Li
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  7. Xiaohan Sun
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  8. Xinhui Wang
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Correspondence to Xingguo Li or Guohui Yang.

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Editor: Yong Eui Choi

Supplementary Information

Figure S1.

Nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of MbERF12 gene. Underlines indicate conserved sequences. Black boxes indicate specific amino acids. Blue boxes indicate conserved elements. (PNG 592 kb)

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Han, D., Han, J., Xu, T. et al. Overexpression of MbERF12, an ERF gene from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh, increases cold and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana associated with ROS scavenging through ethylene signal transduction. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 57, 760–770 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-021-10199-9

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