Transcription factor OsAP21 gene increases salt/drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Mol Biol Rep. 2013 Feb;40(2):1743-52. doi: 10.1007/s11033-012-2228-1. Epub 2012 Oct 29.

Abstract

Transcription factors play vital roles in stress signal transduction and gene expression modulation during plant growth and development. Sequence analysis showed that OsAP21 contained an AP2/ERF domain of 57 amino acids. By comparison of deduced amino acid sequences of AP2/ERF-related proteins, we deduced that OsAP21 is a transcription factor gene, which belonging to rice AP2/ERF family CBF/DREB subfamily. Further, we report that transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing the OsAP21 gene exhibited stronger growth than wild type plants under salt/drought stress. Analysis of RT-PCR for RD29B gene implied that OsAP21 over-expressed plants had a higher expression level of RD29B gene than wild type plants, and drought and salt treatments could enlarge these differences. Collectively, our results indicate that OsAP21 may play an important role in the response of transgenic Arabidopsis plants to salt/drought stresses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abscisic Acid / pharmacology
  • Abscisic Acid / physiology
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Arabidopsis / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis / physiology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism
  • Droughts
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Genes, Plant*
  • Molecular Sequence Annotation
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oryza / genetics*
  • Phylogeny
  • Plant Growth Regulators / pharmacology
  • Plant Growth Regulators / physiology
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / genetics
  • Plants, Genetically Modified / physiology
  • Proline / metabolism
  • Salt Tolerance*
  • Seedlings / genetics
  • Seedlings / physiology
  • Sodium Chloride / metabolism
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / genetics*

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Plant Growth Regulators
  • Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances
  • Transcription Factors
  • Sodium Chloride
  • Abscisic Acid
  • Proline