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Cloning, characterization and functional analysis of the role MhNCED3, a gene encoding 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase in Malus hupehensis Rehd., plays in plant tolerance to osmotic and Cd2+ stresses

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Abstract

Aims

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in the stress tolerance of seedlings and 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is considered to be the rate-limiting enzyme involved in ABA biosynthesis. However, the genes encoding NCED in M. hupehensis Rehd. have not been reported.

Methods

In this study, a gene encoding NCED, MhNCED3, was isolated from the roots of M. hupehensis Rehd. Its functions were investigated in M. hupehensis Rehd. seedlings and transgenic Arabidopsis lines under various abiotic stresses.

Results

The expression of MhNCED3 in M. hupehensis Rehd. roots was differentially induced by dehydration, chilling, salt and cadmium stresses and ABA biosynthesis was highly correlated with MhNCED3 expression. Ectopic expression of MhNCED3 successfully complemented the phenotypic defects of the 129B08/nced3 mutant. Furthermore, overexpression of MhNCED3, when it was transformed into the wild type (WT) seedling resulted in enhanced tolerance to osmotic and cadmium stresses compared to the normal WT seedling. The transgenic lines displayed higher rates of seed germination, improved growth and developmental status, reduced water loss/oxidative damage, lowered apoptosis rates and increased ABA accumulation. Furthermore, the higher antioxidant enzyme activities detected in the transgenic lines were probably responsible for the decrease in oxidative damage and apoptosis rates.

Conclusions

Overall, MhNCED3 played a significant role in enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stresses through the regulation of endogenous ABA biosynthesis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant Nos. 31171923 and 31372016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an, Shandong, 271018, People’s Republic of China

    Weiwei Zhang, Hongqiang Yang, Shuzhen You, Yuting Xu, Kun Ran & Shulei Fan

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  1. Weiwei Zhang
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  2. Hongqiang Yang
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  3. Shuzhen You
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  4. Yuting Xu
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  5. Kun Ran
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Correspondence to Hongqiang Yang.

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Zhang, W., Yang, H., You, S. et al. Cloning, characterization and functional analysis of the role MhNCED3, a gene encoding 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase in Malus hupehensis Rehd., plays in plant tolerance to osmotic and Cd2+ stresses. Plant Soil 381, 143–160 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2120-y

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