Characterization of Peanut Germin-Like Proteins, AhGLPs in Plant Development and Defense

Abstract

BackgroundGermin-like superfamily members are ubiquitously expressed in various plant species and play important roles in plant development and defense. Although several GLPs have been identified in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), their roles in development and defense remain unknown. In this research, we study the spatiotemporal expression of AhGLPs in peanut and their functions in plant defense.ResultsWe have identified three new AhGLP members (AhGLP3b, AhGLP5b and AhGLP7b) that have distinct but very closely related DNA sequences. The spatial and temporal expression profiles revealed that each peanut GLP gene has its distinct expression pattern in various tissues and developmental stages. This suggests that these genes all have their distinct roles in peanut development. Subcellular location analysis demonstrated that AhGLP2 and 5 undergo a protein transport process after synthesis. The expression of all AhGLPs increased in responding to Aspergillus flavus infection, suggesting AhGLPs' ubiquitous roles in defense to A. flavus. Each AhGLP gene had its unique response to various abiotic stresses (including salt, H2O2 stress and wound), biotic stresses (including leaf spot, mosaic and rust) and plant hormone stimulations (including SA and ABA treatments). These results indicate that AhGLPs have their distinct roles in plant defense. Moreover, in vivo study of AhGLP transgenic Arabidopsis showed that both AhGLP2 and 3 had salt tolerance, which made transgenic Arabidopsis grow well under 100 mM NaCl stress.ConclusionsFor the first time, our study analyzes the AhGLP gene expression profiles in peanut and reveals their roles under various stresses. These results provide an insight into the developmental and defensive roles of GLP gene family in peanut.

The effects of putrescine are partly overlapping with osmotic stress processes in wheat

“…While, germin-like superfamily members are ubiquitously expressed in various plant species and play important roles in plant development and defence. Germine-like protein genes have been reported to have its unique response to various abiotic stresses (including salt, H2O2 stress and wound), biotic stresses and plant hormone stimulations (including salicylic acid and abscisic acid treatments) in peanuts [47].…”

Versatility of germin-like proteins in their sequences, expressions, and functions

“…During TDZ-mediated shoot primordium differentiation along with other regulatory changes, three germin/GLP genes (Os03g58980, Os08g09010, and Os08g09000) were upregulated (Chakrabarty et al 2010). In peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), three different GLPs (AhGLP3, AhGLP4, and AhGLP5) were expressed highly in leaves, whereas AhGLP6 and AhGLP7 had a very low level of expression in that tissue (Wang et al 2013). In stem tissues of peanut, the expression of AhGLP1 was highest at mRNA level whereas the lowest mRNA expression was detected in case of AhGLP4 and AhGLP7.…”

Sunflower germin-like protein HaGLP1 promotes ROS accumulation and enhances protection against fungal pathogens in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

“…Furthermore, germins and GLPs participate in defence against a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens, including Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Blumeria graminis, Verticillium longisporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Magnaporthe oryzae, and Aspergillus flavus (Godfrey et al 2007;Davidson et al 2009;Knecht et al 2010;Wang et al 2012Wang et al , 2013.…”