An Alfin-like gene from Atriplex hortensis enhances salt and drought tolerance and abscisic acid response in transgenic Arabidopsis

Abstract

Alfin-like (AL) is a small plant-specific gene family with prominent roles in root growth and abiotic stress response. Here, we aimed to identify novel stress tolerance AL genes from the stress-tolerant species Atriplex hortensis. Totally, we isolated four AhAL genes, all encoding nuclear-localized proteins with cis-element-binding and transrepression activities. Constitutive expression of AhAL1 in Arabidopsis facilitated plants to survive under saline condition, while expressing anyone of the other three AhAL genes led to salt-hypersensitive response, indicating functional divergence of AhAL family. AhAL1 also conferred enhanced drought tolerance, as judged from enhanced survival, improved growth, decreased malonaldehyde (MDA) content and reduced water loss in AhAL1-expressing plants compared to WT. In addition, abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated stomatal closure and inhibition of seed germination and primary root elongation were enhanced in AhAL1-transgenic plants. Further analysis demonstrated that AhAL1 could bind to promoter regions of GRF7, DREB1C and several group-A PP2C genes and repress their expression. Correspondingly, the expression levels of positive stress regulator genes DREB1A, DREB2A and three ABFs were all increased in AhAL1-expressing plants. Based on these results, AhAL1 was identified as a novel candidate gene for improving abiotic stress tolerance of crop plants.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Salt Tolerance in Tomato (Var. Ailsa Craig): Responses of Physiological and Transcriptional Changes in RBOH’s and ABA Biosynthesis and Signalling Genes

“…Altogether, these reports suggested that the upregulation of ABA-signalling related genes in tomato seedlings regulated various downstream mechanisms involving the accumulation of osmolytes, osmotic adjustments and maintaining a turgor potential that could help the plant to survive under the 12 days long salt tress (Figure 12). Our results are consistent with the previous reports regarding the ABA-accumulation and signalling under the osmotic or salt stress [97,98].…”

Evolution and conservation of polycomb repressive complex 1 core components and putative associated factors in the green lineage

“…The AL protein is involved in many developmental processes, such as enhancement of MsPRP2 expression in alfalfa roots and contributes to salt tolerance [83]. In Arabidopsis , both AL1 and AL5 can bind to the promoter regions of target genes and suppress multiple negative factors to confer abiotic stress tolerance [84, 85]. Arabidopsis AL6 is implicated in regulating the expression of root hair elongation-related transcripts on phosphate starvation; furthermore, this process is due to its PHD domain that can bind to H3K4me3, which is an epigenetic regulation strategy for low phosphate availability [86, 87].…”

Potential function of CbuSPL and gene encoding its interacting protein during flowering in Catalpa bungei

“…For further insight, we screened the yeast hybridization library for CbuSPL9 in buds. Many flowering-related proteins were detected, for example, the GATA-related proteins [54][55][56][57], bHLH48 [58], FLA [59], and PHD finger protein ALFIN-LIKE [60]. Furthermore, a high mobility group (HMG) protein, CbuHMGA, was identified to interact directly with CbuSPL9.…”