AnDREB5.1, a A5 group DREB gene from desert shrub Ammopiptanthus nanus, confers osmotic and cold stress tolerances in transgenic tobacco

Abstract

The Dehydration‐Responsive Element Binding (DREB) subfamily of transcription factors plays crucial roles in plant abiotic stress response. Ammopiptanthus nanus (A. nanus) is an eremophyte exhibiting remarkable tolerance to environmental stress and DREB proteins may contribute to its tolerance to water deficit and low‐temperature stress. In the present study, an A. nanus DREB A5 group transcription factor gene, AnDREB5.1, was isolated and characterized in terms of structure and function in abiotic stress tolerance. AnDREB5.1 protein is distributed in the nucleus, possesses transactivation capacity, and is capable of binding to DRE core cis‐acting element. The transcription of AnDREB5.1 was induced under osmotic and cold stress. Tobacco seedlings overexpressing AnDREB5.1 displayed higher tolerance to cold stress, osmotic stress, and oxidative stress compared to wild‐type tobacco (WT). Under osmotic and cold stress, overexpression of AnDREB5.1 increased antioxidant enzyme activity in tobacco leaves, inhibiting excessive elevation of ROS levels. Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that overexpression of AnDREB5.1 raised the tolerance of transgenic tobacco seedlings to abiotic stress by regulating multiple genes, including antioxidant enzymes, transcription factors, and stress‐tolerant related functional genes like NtCOR413 and NtLEA14. This study provides new evidence for understanding the potential roles of the DREB A5 subgroup members in plants.

Advances in Endangered Plant Research: Ammopiptanthus’s Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stressors

“…Upon the overexpression of the dehydration-responsive element-binding protein 5.1 (AnDREB5.1) in Nicotiana tabacum, the resulting transgenic lines demonstrated a robust enhancement in their antioxidative defense systems. The elevated expression of AnDREB5.1 has been observed to modulate the transcription of additional genes implicated in stress responses [74]. The overexpression of the AmNAC24 gene enhances the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thereby reducing the excessive accumulation of ROS [75].…”

“…Research has shown that this gene is also induced in response to low temperature, drought, and salt stress [6]. These evolved defense mechanisms and protective enzyme systems contribute to the survival and propagation of Ammopiptanthus under drought conditions [6,9,69,[73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80]. In-depth studies of these functional genes not only help protect Ammopiptanthus and ecosystem recovery but also provide the opportunity to explore resistance traits in other plant species and even develop genetically modified plants to cope with environmental stresses such as drought [6,9,69,[73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80].…”

AP2/ERF transcription factors enriched in the drought-response transcriptome of the Thar desert treeProsopis cinerariashow higher copy number and greater DNA-binding affinity than orthologs in drought-sensitive species

“…Overexpression of DREB46 from Populus trichocarpa led to several drought-tolerance traits, including the scavenging capacity of Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhancing root growth (Geng et al 2023). AnDREB5 gene isolated from a desert plant Ammopiptanthus nanus conferred drought and cold tolerance in transgenic tobacco (Zhu et al 2024). Despite these individual findings, the differences in DREB and ERF proteins between DT and DS plant species have yet to be explored in detail.…”