A Member of the 14-3-3 Gene Family in Brachypodium distachyon, BdGF14d, Confers Salt Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

Abstract

Plant 14-3-3 proteins are involved in diverse biological processes, but for the model monocotyledonous species, Brachypodium distachyon, their roles in abiotic stress tolerance are not well understood. In this study, a total of eight Bd14-3-3 genes were identified from B. distachyon and these were designated respectively as BdGF14a–BdGF14g. The qRT-PCR analyses of 3-month-old plants of B. distachyon showed that these genes were all expressed in the stems, leaves, and spikelets. By contrast, most of the plants had relatively lower transcriptional levels in their roots, except for the BdGF14g gene. The different expression profiles of the Bd14-3-3s under various stress treatments, and the diverse interaction patterns between Bd14-3-3s and BdAREB/ABFs, suggested that these gene products probably had a range of functions in the stress responses. The NaCl-induced Bd14-3-3 gene, BdGF14d, was selected for overexpression in tobacco. BdGF14d was found to be localized throughout the cell and it conferred enhanced tolerance to salt in the transgenic plants. Lowered contents of malondialdehyde, H2O2, and Na+, and lower relative electronic conductance (Rec%), yet greater activities of catalase and peroxidase, were observed in the overexpressing plants. Higher photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency were measured in the transgenic lines. Following abscisic acid (ABA) or NaCl treatment, stomatal aperture in leaves of the BdGF14d-overexpression plants was significantly lower than in leaves of the wild type (WT) controls. The stress-related marker genes involved in the ABA signaling pathway, the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging system, and the ion transporters were all up-regulated in the BdGF14d-overexpressing plants as compared with WT. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the Bd14-3-3 genes play important roles in abiotic stress tolerance. The ABA signaling pathway, the ROS-scavenging system, and ion transporters were all involved in enhancing the tolerance to salt stress in the BdGF14d-overexpression plants.

Genome-Wide Analysis of CCA1-Like Proteins in Soybean and Functional Characterization of GmMYB138a

“…Consistent with previous reports that CCA1-like gene expression is affected by cold, heat, osmotic, salt and oxidative stresses [ 49 , 50 ], the expression of GmMYB138a was significantly increased by cold, drought and salt stresses (5.20, 2.30 and 3.86 folds changes, respectively) ( Figure 8 ), implying that GmMYB138a possibly functions as a modulator of stress-induced signaling pathways. Likewise, the expression patterns of GmSGF14l were also clearly increased when subjected to drought and salinity stresses ( Figure 8 B,C), which are in agreement with previous reports that GsGF14o expression was greatly induced by drought stress [ 51 ], while BdGF14d confers salt tolerance in transgenic tobacco plants [ 52 ]. The similarity in response to drought and salt stress supported that signaling pathway activated by drought and salt are largely overlapping in plants [ 53 ].…”

Genome-Wide Analysis of the GRF Family Reveals Their Involvement in Abiotic Stress Response in Cassava

“…In 1992, the first plant 14–3–3 protein was characterized from maize [ 8 ]. Then, 14–3–3 proteins were identified in various species, including eight from rice ( Oryza sativa ) [ 9 , 10 ], 13 from Arabidopsis thaliana [ 2 , 11 , 12 ], 18 from soybean ( Glycine soja ) [ 13 ], 31 from cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum ) [ 14 ], nine from common bean [ 15 ], twelve from tomato [ 16 ], 14 from Populus trichocarpa [ 17 ], 21 from Brassica rapa [ 18 ], eight from Brachypodium distachyon [ 19 ], and 25 from banana [ 6 ]. Further studies demonstrated that GRF proteins played a crucial role in the regulation of plant growth and development in various species.…”

“…BdGF genes showed induction after abiotic stresses or hormone treatments in B. distachyon and overexpression of BdGF14a improved plant tolerance to drought stress [ 28 ]. Overexpression of BdGF14d increased plant tolerance to salt stress by regulating ABA pathway, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging system, and ions transports [ 19 ]. CRPK1 phosphorylated 14–3–3 proteins, leading to 14–3–3 proteins transfer from cytosol to nucleus, destabilization of CBF proteins, and regulation of cold response in Arabidopsis [ 29 ].…”

Identification of peach growth regulating-factors and their expression under UVB

“…This shows that there are differences in how GRFs participate in these two signaling pathways. There is much evidence indicating the role of GRFs in various biological processes through interacting with different clients, such as hormone pathways, stomatal behavior, reactive oxygen species balance, and ion transport [61][62][63][64][65]. In Arabidopsis and maize, UVB radiation inhibits leaf growth by decreasing the expression of GRFs [29,30,56].…”