Overexpression of rice OsLEA5 relieves the deterioration in seed quality caused by high-temperature stress

Abstract

Late embryogenesis abundant protein (LEA) genes are widely conserved in seed plant species and form a multigene family. While some LEAs are known to respond to environmental stresses, the function of many LEAs is unknown. OsLEA5 (Lea14A) interacts with a regulator of the endosperm storage production, FLO2, suggesting that OsLEA5 may be involved in endosperm quality control. RNAi knockdown line of OsLEA5 showed decreased seed weight. Transformant lines overexpressing OsLEA5 exhibited improved quality and seed weight of mature seeds when they were developed under high-temperature conditions, while seed quality strongly declined in wild-type plants exposed to hightemperature stress. These findings indicate that OsLEA5 contributes to suppressing the deterioration of seed quality when developed under high-temperature conditions.

Transcriptome, proteome and functional characterization reveals salt stress tolerance mechanisms in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

“…Two significant DEGs, Gh_D11G0978 and Gh_D10G0907 , were obtained by summarizing the annotation and function of the target genes and comparing the differential expression fold under salt stress and the control, and the homologous genes were found to be significantly salt tolerant in other species. The Gh_D11G0978 homolog LEA is involved in the regulation of embryonic development under osmotic stress and is found in a variety of crops including maize and wheat ( Jia et al., 2014 ; Miyazaki et al., 2021 ). Gh_D10G0907 , a GGPS family gene encoding glycerol-glucoside phosphate synthase that synthesizes glycerol-3-phosphate and adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-glucose into glycerol-glucoside phosphate, is a known salt-tolerant gene in algae and microorganisms ( Takashima et al., 2020 ; Klähn et al., 2021 ).…”

“…Overexpression of LEA14 in sweet potato embryonic healing tissues increases tolerance to salt stress through enhanced lignification ( Park et al., 2010 ). In addition, OsLEA5 in rice enhances resistance to a variety of abiotic stresses ( Miyazaki et al., 2021 ). Overall, LEA proteins are closely associated with resistance to a variety of abiotic stresses and can increase plant resistance to drought and salt tolerance.…”

Identification and expression analysis of LEA gene family members in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

“…Late embryogenesis abundant proteins are instrumental in seed development in higher plants, and its expression can be considered as a clear indication of seed maturation [13,14]. Some LEA proteins are crucial for seed longevity, desiccation tolerance, and endosperm quality control [15][16][17][18]. For example, the weight, size, and fatty acid content of Arabidopsis seeds overexpressing LuLEA1 are reduced [19].…”

Transcriptional networks revealed late embryogenesis abundant genes regulating drought mitigation in aromatic Keteki Joha rice

“…LEA proteins act as osmoprotectants, membrane stabilizers, antioxidants and molecular chaperones, indicating their response to drought stress (Bremer et al, 2017; Candat et al, 2014; Saha et al, 2016). The overexpression of LEA5 (Miyazaki et al, 2021) and LEA3‐1 (Xiao et al, 2007) in rice has been shown to enhance the resilience to drought compared to the wild type. In Arabidopsis , the efficacy of LEA overexpression in regulating drought stress involves several factors: improved photosynthesis rate, increased sucrose deposition, reduced lipid oxidation, minimized membrane deformation and upregulated fatty acid synthesis (Liang et al, 2019).…”