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A R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene in common wheat (namely TaMYBsm1) involved in enhancement of drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

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Abstract

We isolated the TaMYBsm1 genes, encoding R2R3-type MYB proteins in common wheat, aimed to uncover the possible molecular mechanisms related to drought response. The TaMYBsm1 genes, TaMYBsm1-A, TaMYBsm1-B and TaMYBsm1-D, were isolated and analyzed from the common wheat cultivar Shimai 15. Their expression patterns under PEG 6000 and mannitol were monitored by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and β-glucuronidase (Gus) assay. The function of TaMYBsm1-D under drought stress in transgenic Arabidopsis plants was investigated, and the germination rate, water loss rate, as well as the proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were compared with that in wild type (WT) plants. The expression of three downstream genes (DREB2A, P5CS1 and RD29A) in TaMYBsm1-D transgenic plants was analyzed. The R2R3-MYB domains of the MYBsm1 proteins were highly conserved in plants. In addition, the TaMYBsm1 proteins were targeted to the nucleus and contained transcriptional activation domains (TADs). Gus assay and semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the TaMYBsm1 genes were up-regulated when the wheat was treated by PEG and mannitol. Compared with WT plants, the germination rates were much higher, but the water loss rates were much lower in TaMYBsm1-D overexpression plants. TaMYBsm1-D transgenic plants showed distinct higher proline contents but a lower MDA content than the WT plants. The three downstream genes were highly expressed in TaMYBsm1-D transgenic plants. We concluded from these results that TaMYBsm1 genes play an important role in plant drought stress tolerance through up-regulation of DREB2A, P5CS1 and RD29A. The increase of proline content and decrease of MDA content may also be involved in the drought response.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Shijiazhuang Science and Technology Pillar Program (No. 12149402A) and Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. C2014106075).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shijiazhuang Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, No. 479 Shengli North Street, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050041, China

    Meng-jun Li, Ya-qing Li, Zhan-liang Shi, Nan Zhang & Jin-kao Guo

  2. College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, 050024, China

    Yu Qiao & Cai-li Bi

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  1. Meng-jun Li
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  2. Yu Qiao
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  3. Ya-qing Li
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  4. Zhan-liang Shi
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  5. Nan Zhang
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  6. Cai-li Bi
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  7. Jin-kao Guo
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Correspondence to Jin-kao Guo.

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Meng-jun Li and Yu Qiao are co-first authors.

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Li, Mj., Qiao, Y., Li, Yq. et al. A R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene in common wheat (namely TaMYBsm1) involved in enhancement of drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis . J Plant Res 129, 1097–1107 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-016-0857-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-016-0857-5

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