We isolated a DREB orthologue, MtDREB1C, from Medicago truncatula. Its deduced protein contains an AP2 domain of 57 amino acids. Yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that MtDREB1C specifically bound to the dehydration-responsive element (DRE) and activated the expression of HIS3 and LacZ reporter genes. In a transcriptional activation assay, coexpression of the MtDREB1C cDNA resulted in much higher (21.2 times) transactivation of the LacZ reporter gene than experiments performed without MtDREB1C. Transformation of Medicago revealed that overexpression of MtDREB1C suppressed shoot growth, and enhanced the freezing tolerance of M. truncatula. The MtDREB1C gene was transformed into China Rose (Rosa chinensis Jacq.) driven by Arabidopsis rd29A promoter. Southern-blot analysis showed that the target gene was integrated into the genome of a surviving transgenic rose plant. Northern-blot analysis illustrated that robust expression of MtDREB1C was only activated under stress conditions, and the expressed MtDREB1C mRNA reached maximum accumulation 10 h following freezing treatment. The performance of the transgenic line under freezing stress was superior to untransformed controls. This transgenic plant continued to grow, flowered under unstressed conditions, and was phenotypically normal. These facts indicate that the MtDREB1C gene, isolated from Medicago truncatula and driven by the Arabidopsis rd29A promoter, enhanced freezing tolerance in transgenic China Rose significantly without any obvious morphological or developmental abnormality.

We isolated a DREB homologue gene, MtDREB2A, from Medicago truncatula. Its deduced protein contains an AP2 domain of 59 amino acids. The expression of MtDREB2A was significantly induced in roots by salt and drought treatments. Using megaprimer PCR, we deleted a Ser/ Thr-rich coding region between residues 142 and 190, and transformed MtDREB2A to a constitutive form, namely, MtDREB2a. Yeast one-hybrid assay revealed that both MtDREB2A and MtDREB2a specifically bound to the dehydration-responsive element (DRE) and activated the expression of the reporter genes of HIS3 and LacZ. Analysis of transcription activities of the proteins in yeast indicated that MtDREB2a could activate the expression of reporter gene, whereas MtDREB2A could not. Overexpression of MtDREB2a in transgenic M. truncatula resulted in significant dwarfed seedling. These results suggested that MtDREB2A functioned specially in response to salt and drought stresses in M. truncatula and that deletion of the Ser/Thr-rich region between residues 142 and 190 activated the transcriptional activation ability of MtDREB2A.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the fourth most important crop worldwide. Potato virus A (PVA) is one of the most harmful viruses infecting potatoes. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the responses to PVA infection in potato at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels are not well understood. In this study, we performed both mRNA and small RNA sequencing in potato leaves to identify the genes and miRNAs involved in the response to PVA infection. A total of 2,062 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 201 miRNAs (DEMs) were identified, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG analysis revealed that these DEGs were involved in the transduction of pathogen signals, transcriptional reprogramming, induction of hormone signaling, activation of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, and changes in secondary metabolism. Small RNA sequencing revealed 58 miRNA-mRNA interactions related to PVA infection. Some of the miRNAs (stu-miR482d-3p, stu-miR397-5p, etc) which target PR genes showed negative correlations between the DEMs and DEGs. Eight of the DEGs and three DEMs with their target genes were further validated by quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR). Overall, this study provides a transcriptome-wide insight into the molecular basis of resistance to PVA infection in potato leaves and potenital candidate genes for improving resistance cultivars.

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Here we describe a rapid and efficient PCR-mediated ligation protocol for constructing a plant RNA interference vector to express long hairpin RNA (hpRNA). In the protocol, four oligonucleotide primers were used and three rounds of PCRs performed. The product of the first PCR was used as a megaprimer for the second PCR to generate a chimeric molecule with a gene-specific sequence and a spacer spliced together. The chimeric product could be used as another megaprimer for the third PCR to ligate another gene-specific sequence to the other end of the spacer, but in the reverse orientation. Thus, within a few days, two gene-specific sequences could be ligated to a spacer in the antisense and sense orientations using the PCR-mediated ligation method, without reliance on restriction cleavage and DNA ligation. The ligated product could be inserted into the plant expression vector for plant transformation. The transcribed RNA formed hpRNA constructs containing sense/antisense arms for specific gene targeting. Overexpression of hpRNA constructed by a Medicago truncatula xyloglucan endotransglycosylase gene retarded the growth of transgenic M. truncatula roots.

Megaprimer-based methodology has been widely applied in site-directed mutagenesis, but rarely used in gene splicing. In this article, we describe a modification of the megaprimer PCR method, which can efficiently create and amplify a specific ligated chimeric gene segment in a PCR reaction and under a common PCR program that is widely used by researchers. More importantly, this modified method for splicing two or more gene fragments together revealed the mechanism of the megaprimer PCR method, by elucidating the key factor in the megaprimer-based protocol. In this method, the denatured megaprimer divided into two strands. One strand was used as template DNA to regenerate megaprimer and the other strand was used as an oligonucleotide primer to create a ligated chimeric gene product. In this article, we detail the modified megaprimer protocol for creating and amplifying these chimeric gene products, including a specific protocol for large chimeric gene products. We also provide additional tips to increase specificity and efficiency of the protocols. In conclusion, the improved megaprimer PCR protocol is a simple, broadly applicable protocol for splicing two different gene fragments together without relying on restriction sites.

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