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Expression of the chickpea CarNAC3 gene enhances salinity and drought tolerance in transgenic poplars

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Abstract

CarNAC3 contains 285 amino acids and a conserved NAC domain. NAC genes, including NAM, ATAF1, ATAF2, and CUC2, are members of one of the largest transcription factor families in plants. CarNAC3, a member of the NAP group, plays an important role in plant development and responses to abiotic stresses. In this study, CarNAC3 was transformed into hybrid poplar plants (Populus deltoides × P. euramericana ‘Nanlin895’) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens. PCR analysis confirmed integration of the introduced T-DNA into the target genome. Reverse transcription PCR confirmed the transformation, and Southern and northern blotting verified the transgene copy number and gene expression, respectively. Fourteen lines of positive transformants were transplanted into a greenhouse to verify their drought and salt tolerances. Under normal conditions, transgenic poplar plants were shorter than the wild-type, but under drought and salt stresses, they maintained their normal rooting and stem growth rates, while those of the wild-type plants were suppressed. Under stress conditions, CarNAC3 expression caused increases in proline and photosynthetic pigment levels and in antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, the expression of CarNAC3 lowered malondialdehyde concentrations compared with the wild-type control. Overall, our results indicated that the CarNAC3 transgene enhanced drought and salt tolerance in transgenic poplar plants.

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Abbreviations

6-BA:

N-6-benzyladenine

AS:

Acetosyringone

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NPTII :

Neomycin phosphotransferase

ORF:

Open reading frame

POD:

Guaiacol peroxidase

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

TDZ:

Thidiazuron

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Hao Ma (Nanjing Agricultural University, China) for providing the CarNAC3 plasmid and Prof. Mohammad Reza Mofid (Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran) for his technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China (2014DFG32440), the National 863 Program of China (No. 2013AA102703), the National Science Foundation of China (No. 31170561), the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and the Program for Innovative Research Team at the University of Educational Department and Jiangsu Province, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Ali Movahedi, Jiaxin Zhang, Pinhong Gao, Yang Yang, Like Wang, Tongming Yin & Qiang Zhuge

  2. Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute, Central Region of Iran, Isfahan (ABRICI), Najafabad Road, 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran

    Saeid Kadkhodaei & Mortaza Ebrahimi

  3. The Cooperative Innovation Center of Southern Modern Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Qiang Zhuge

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  1. Ali Movahedi
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  2. Jiaxin Zhang
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  4. Yang Yang
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  5. Like Wang
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  9. Qiang Zhuge
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Correspondence to Qiang Zhuge.

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Movahedi, A., Zhang, J., Gao, P. et al. Expression of the chickpea CarNAC3 gene enhances salinity and drought tolerance in transgenic poplars. Plant Cell Tiss Organ Cult 120, 141–154 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-014-0588-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-014-0588-z

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