Comparative transcriptomic analysis and functional characterization reveals that the class III peroxidase gene TaPRX-2A regulates drought stress tolerance in transgenic wheat

Abstract

Drought is a major abiotic stress that reduces crop yields and quality worldwide. Although some genes involved in the response to drought stress have been identified, a more in-depth understanding of the mechanisms underlying wheat tolerance to drought is needed for the control of drought tolerance. Here, we evaluated the drought tolerance of 15 wheat cultivars and measured their physiological–biochemical parameters. Our data showed that the drought tolerance of the resistant wheat cultivars was significantly higher than that of drought-sensitive cultivars, which was associated with a greater antioxidant capacity of the former. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that different mechanisms of drought tolerance exist between the wheat cultivars Ziyou 5 and Liangxing 66. Transcriptomic analysis also revealed a large number of DEGs, including those involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, phytohormone signalling, phenolamides and antioxidants. qRT–PCR was performed, and the results showed that the expression levels of TaPRX-2A were significantly different among the various wheat cultivars under drought stress. Further study revealed that overexpression of TaPRX-2A enhanced tolerance to drought stress through the maintenance of increased antioxidase activities and reductions in ROS contents. Overexpression of TaPRX-2A also increased the expression levels of stress-related genes and ABA-related genes. Taken together, our findings show that flavonoids, phytohormones, phenolamides and antioxidants are involved in the plant response to drought stress and that TaPRX-2A is a positive regulator of this response. Our study provides insights into tolerance mechanisms and highlights the potential of TaPRX-2A overexpression in enhancing drought tolerance in crop improvement programmes.

Integrated analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics of garden asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) under drought stress

“…Under drought stress, the ROS content in plants increases significantly, leading to oxidative damage to cells [ 5 ]. POD, SOD, and CAT are essential in the maintenance of cellular ROS homeostasis [ 9 ]. The results of the present study showed that POD, SOD, and CAT activities in both asparagus varieties under drought stress increased significantly.…”

“…Drought stress disrupts the balance of ROS metabolism in plants and triggers oxidative stress reactions [ 5 ]. Catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are essential in ROS scavenging [ 9 ]. In plants, nonenzymatic defense antioxidants, such as ascorbic acid and glutathione, effectively and efficiently scavenge ROS and enhance redox sensing and signaling [ 10 ].…”

Progress in the Application of Fluorescent Probes in Oral Tumor Diseases

“…Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are enzymes that act as antioxidants [30] . To understand how Prxs function in cancer, Lee et al [31] used the DCF-DA fluorescence probe to detect the impact of Prxs on ROS levels in Ca9.22 and OSCC cell lines.…”

The Role of Drought and Temperature Stress in the Regulation of Flowering Time in Annuals and Perennials

“…In Arabidopsis, drought-escape-induced early flowering is associated with the phloem tissue transport of the florigen FT protein from the leaves to the shoot apical meristems [62]. Biochemically, it is manifested in the high expression of some drought resistance genes that positively increase the content of amino acids and sugars in plants (such as proline and trehalose), the enhanced activity of antioxidant-related enzymes, and inhibition of the activity of enzymes involved in degradation pathways to ensure that normal metabolic homeostasis is maintained under drought stress condition [63]. ROS, including superoxide radicals (O 2 − ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and hydroxyl radicals (OH − ), regulate plant growth and development at lower concentrations [64,65].…”