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Isolation and functional analysis of MxCS3: a gene encoding a citrate synthase in Malus xiaojinensis, with functions in tolerance to iron stress and abnormal flower in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

Iron (Fe) is one of the essential micronutrients required by all plants. Citric acid is considered as the chelate substance in the long distance transport of Fe. In this study, a gene encoding putative citrate synthase was isolated from Malus xiaojinensis and designated as MxCS3. The MxCS3 gene encoded a protein of 235 amino acid residues with a theoretical isoelectric point of 9.47 and a predicted molecular mass of 26.3 kDa. Subcellular localization study revealed that MxCS3 is preferentially localized in mitochondrion and cytoplasmic membrane. The expression of MxCS3 was enriched in leaf, phloem, and root, which was highly affected by Fe stress, indoleacetic acid and abscisic acid treatment in M. xiaojinensis seedlings. When MxCS3 was transferred into Arabidopsis thaliana, it improved Fe stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Increased expression of MxCS3 in transgenic A. thaliana also led to increased fresh weight, root length, CS activity, and the contents of chlorophyll, citrate acid, Fe and Zn, especially when dealt with Fe stress. More importantly, we firstly found that ectopic expression of MxCS3 resulted in abnormal flowers in transgenic Arabidopsis.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31301757), Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (C2015015), Academic Backbone Project of Northeast Agricultural University (15XG06), Scientific Research Fund of Heilongjiang Provincial Education Department (12541004), Heilongjiang Postdoctoral Science Foundation (LBH-Q16020), the Open Project of Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture (neauhc201602) and the Science and Technology Innovation Project for Undergraduate of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Horticultural Crops (Northeast Region), Ministry of Agriculture (NEAU-HC-UNDS-201606). The authors are grateful Dr. Wei Liu for the English correction of the paper.

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

    Deguo Han, Yufang Wang, Zhaoyuan Zhang, Qianqian Pu, Haibin Ding, Jiaxin Han, Tingting Fan, Xue Bai & Guohui Yang

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  1. Deguo Han
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  2. Yufang Wang
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Correspondence to Deguo Han or Guohui Yang.

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Han, D., Wang, Y., Zhang, Z. et al. Isolation and functional analysis of MxCS3: a gene encoding a citrate synthase in Malus xiaojinensis, with functions in tolerance to iron stress and abnormal flower in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana . Plant Growth Regul 82, 479–489 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-017-0274-3

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