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Overexpression of MxFRO6, a FRO gene from Malus xiaojinensis, increases iron and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

Iron (Fe) is one of the essential micronutrients required by all plants. In this study, a FRO gene was cloned from the iron-efficient genotype Malus xiaojinensis and named as MxFRO6. The MxFRO6 gene was 2238 bp in length, and the MxFRO6 protein contained 745 amino acids with a theoretical isoelectric point of 6.79, a predicted protein with a theoretical molecular mass of 82.71 kDa, and an overall average hydrophilicity coefficient of 0.413. Subcellular localization results showed that MxFRO6 protein was localized to the cell membrane. The expression level of MxFRO6 was higher in the new leaves and roots, which was markedly affected by salt treat, low-iron treat, and high-iron treat. When MxFRO6 was introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana, it greatly increased the iron and salt tolerance in transgenic plant. Increased expression of MxFRO6 in transgenic A. thaliana also resulted in higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT), and higher contents of proline and chlorophyll, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content was lower, especially in response to iron and salt stress. We argued that MxFRO6 is a new member of the FRO genes, and it may function as a regulator in response to iron stress and salt stress in plants.

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Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (32172521), Postdoctoral Scientific Research Development Fund of Heilongjiang Province, China (LBH-Q16020), the Natural Science Fund Joint Guidance Project of Heilongjiang Province (LH2019C031), and SIPT Program for Undergraduates of Northeast Agricultural University.

National Natural Science Foundation of China,32172521,Deguo HAN,Heilongjiang Provincial Postdoctoral Science Foundation,LBH-Q16020,Deguo HAN,the Natural Science Fund Joint Guidance Project of Heilongjiang Province,LH2019C031,Wenhui Li,SIPT Program for Undergraduates of Northeast Agricultural University

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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/National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Development and Utilization of Small Fruits in Cold Regions/College of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China

    Yingmei Li, Jiliang Zhong, Pengfei Huang, Bangtao Shao, Wenhui Li, Liping Xie, Meina Han & Deguo Han

  2. Horticulture Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150040, China

    Wanda Liu & Yu Wang

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  1. Yingmei Li
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  2. Jiliang Zhong
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  5. Wenhui Li
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Correspondence to Wenhui Li or Deguo Han.

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Li, Y., Zhong, J., Huang, P. et al. Overexpression of MxFRO6, a FRO gene from Malus xiaojinensis, increases iron and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. In Vitro Cell.Dev.Biol.-Plant 58, 189–199 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-022-10256-x

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