Expression of Pennisetum glaucum Eukaryotic Translational Initiation Factor 4A (PgeIF4A) Confers Improved Drought, Salinity, and Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Groundnut

Abstract

Eukaryotic translational initiation factor 4A belong to family of helicases, involved in multifunctional activities during stress and non-stress conditions. The eIF4A gene was isolated and cloned from semi-arid cereal crop of Pennisetum glaucum. In present study, the PgeIF4A gene was expressed under the regulation of stress inducible Arabidopsis rd29A promoter in groundnut (cv JL-24) with bar as a selectable marker. The de-embryonated cotyledons were infected with Agrobacterium tumefaciens (LBA4404) carrying rd29A:PgeIF4A construct and generated high frequency of multiple shoots in phosphinothricin medium. Twenty- four T0 plants showed integration of both nos-bar and rd29A-PgeIF4A gene cassettes in genome with expected amplification products of 429 and 654 bps, respectively. Transgene copy number integration was observed in five T0 transgenic plants through Southern blot analysis. Predicted Mendelian ratio of segregation (3:1) was noted in transgenic plants at T1 generation. The T2 homozygous lines (L1-5, L8-2, and L16-2) expressing PgeIF4A gene were exhibited superior growth performance with respect to phenotypic parameters like shoot length, tap root length, and lateral root formation under simulated drought and salinity stresses compared to the wild type. In addition, the chlorophyll retention was found to be higher in these plants compared to the control plants. The quantitative real time—PCR results confirmed higher expression of PgeIF4A gene in L1-5, L8-3, and L16-2 plants imposed with drought/salt stress. Further, the salt stress tolerance was associated with increase in oxidative stress markers, such as superoxide dismutase accumulation, reactive oxygen species scavenging, and membrane stability in transgenic plants. Taken together our results confirmed that the PgeIF4A gene expressing transgenic groundnut plants exhibited better adaptation to stress conditions.

Proteomics Revealed Distinct Responses to Salinity between the Halophytes Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort and Salicornia brachiata (Roxb)

“…Our results showed that eIF4A was up accumulated in S. brachiata at the lower dosage and down accumulated at higher dosage. The involvement of eIF4A genes in abiotic stress tolerance has been reported for several plant species like tobacco [68], rice [69], pea [70,71], and groundnut [72]. A transgenic approach highlighted the role of eIF4A genes in abiotic stress tolerance highlighted a reduced accumulation of sodium as primary mechanism [68,73].…”

A genome‐wide genetic association study reveals SNPs significantly associated with environmental variables and specific leaf area in European beech

“…Eukaryotic translational initiation factor 4A (intronic SNP associated with SLA) belongs to the family of helicases. They can stimulate stress‐induced pathways and have been shown to increase stress tolerance in groundnut (Santosh Rama Bhadra Rao et al, 2017; Tuteja et al, 2014). Finally, ubiquitin carboxyl‐terminal hydrolases (intronic SNP associated with SLA) were found to be needed for the period maintenance of the circadian clock during high temperatures in Arabidopsis (Hayama et al, 2019).…”

Protein Changes in Shade and Sun Haberlea rhodopensis Leaves during Dehydration at Optimal and Low Temperatures

“…The sncRNAs suppress the RNA helicase activity of IF-4A [ 91 ]. Overexpression of IF-4A results in an increased tolerance against various abiotic stresses [ 92 ], especially drought stress [ 93 ]. Since both oxidative stress and the loss of cellular water content affect the structure of RNAs, affecting RNA helicases also has a high potential in developing stress-resilient crops [ 94 ].…”