Molecular cloning and characterization of S-adenosylmethionine synthetase gene from Lycoris radiata

Genome-wide identification of SAMS gene family in Cucurbitaceae and the role of ClSAMS1 in watermelon tolerance to abiotic stress

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is widely involved in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress response. SAM synthetase (SAMS) is the key enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of SAM from methionine and ATP. However, the SAMS gene family has not been identified and their functions have not been characterized in most Cucurbitaceae plants. Here, a total of 30 SAMS genes were identified in nine Cucurbitaceae species and they were categorized into 3 subfamilies. Physicochemical properties and gene structure analysis showed that the SAMS protein members are tightly conserved. Further analysis of the cis-regulatory elements (CREs) of SAMS genes' promoter implied their potential roles in stress tolerance. To further understand the molecular functions of SAMS genes, watermelon SAMSs (ClSAMSs) were chosen to analyze the expression patterns in different tissues and under various abiotic stress and hormone responses. Among the investigated genes, ClSAMS1 expression was observed in all tissues and found to be up-regulated by abiotic stresses including salt, cold and drought treatments as well as exogenous hormone treatments including ETH, SA, MeJA and ABA. Furthermore, knockdown of ClSAMS1 via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) decreased SAM contents in watermelon seedings. The pTRSV2-ClSAMS1 plants showed reduced susceptibility to drought, cold and NaCl stress, indicating a positive role of ClSAMS1 in abiotic stresses tolerance. Those results provided candidate SAMS genes to regulate plant resistance against abiotic stresses in Cucurbitaceae plants.

Heterologous expression and characterization of a thermoalkaliphilic SAM-synthetase from giant leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala subsp glabrata)

The cDNA encoding S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) synthetase was isolated from giant leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata) root tissue mRNA. Transcriptome data and 5'-RLM-RACE were used to obtain the transcript sequence and clone into the T₇-expression vector pEt14b. N-terminal Histidine-tagged recombinant protein was expressed highly in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized by activity assays. A straightforward method using isocratic reverse-phase HPLC analysis (mobile phase: 0.02M o-phosphoric acid) of enzyme assays determined optimal enzyme activity at pH 10.0, 55 °C and 200 mM KCl. In addition to thermophilic activity, giant leucaena SAM-synthetase remains highly active in solutions containing up to 4 M KCl and accepts Na⁺ to some extent as a substitute for K⁺, a known required cofactor for SAM-synthetases. The enzyme followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics (K_m = 1.82 mM, K_cat = 1.17 s^-1, V_max 243.9 μM. min^-1) and was not inhibited by spermidine, spermine or nicotianamine. Giant leucaena SAM-synthetase is a highly tolerant enzyme to extreme conditions, suggesting further studies on plant SAM-synthetases.

Gibberellin mediates spermidine-induced salt tolerance and the expression of GT-3b in cucumber

Numerous studies have demonstrated that spermidine (Spd) plays a critical role in salt tolerance in plants, but the associated mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of gibberellin (GA) in Spd-induced salt tolerance and the expression of GT-3b transcription factor in cucumber. The results showed that exogenous Spd significantly increased the salt tolerance of cucumber plants, while its effects were compromised in the presence of methylglyoxal bis-guanylhydrazone (MGBG), an inhibitor of Spd biosynthesis. Interestingly, the expression of GT-3b was significantly induced by Spd under salt stress, and the promoter sequence of GT-3b was predicted to contain cis-acting regulatory elements that could respond to phytohormones, such as GA, salicylic acid (SA), and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). The application of GA3, SA and MeJA as foliar spray could induce the expression of GT-3b. In addition, exogenous Spd dramatically increased the expression of genes related to GA biosynthesis, the activity of gibberellin oxidase, and the accumulation of GA3, whereas these effects were attenuated in the MGBG-treated plants. Furthermore, the application of GA3 increased GT-3b expression and salt tolerance, whereas these effects were blocked when the plants were treated with paclobutrazol (PAZ), a GA biosynthesis inhibitor. Similarly, the Spd-induced salt tolerance was compromised in the PAZ-treated plants. Our results suggest that GA mediates Spd-induced salt tolerance and the expression of GT-3b in cucumber. These results provide a new perspective for understanding the molecular mechanism of Spd-regulated salt tolerance in plants.

Insights into the SAM Synthetase Gene Family and Its Roles in Tomato Seedlings under Abiotic Stresses and Hormone Treatments

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) is a key enzyme involved in many important biological processes, such as ethylene and polyamine biosynthesis, transmethylation, and transsulfuration. Here, the SAM synthetase (SAMS) gene family was studied in ten different plants (Arabidopsis, tomato, eggplant, sunflower, Medicago truncatula, soybean, rice, barley, Triticum urartu and sorghum) with respect to its physical structure, physicochemical characteristics, and post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications. Additionally, the expression patterns of SAMS genes in tomato were analyzed based on a real-time quantitative PCR assay and an analysis of a public expression dataset. SAMS genes of monocots were more conserved according to the results of a phylogenetic analysis and the prediction of phosphorylation and glycosylation patterns. SAMS genes showed differential expression in response to abiotic stresses and exogenous hormone treatments. Solyc01g101060 was especially expressed in fruit and root tissues, while Solyc09g008280 was expressed in leaves. Additionally, our results revealed that exogenous BR and ABA treatments strongly reduced the expression of tomato SAMS genes. Our research provides new insights and clues about the role of SAMS genes. In particular, these results can inform future functional analyses aimed at revealing the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of SAMS genes in plants.

Isolation and characterization of S-Adenosylmethionine synthase gene from cucumber and responsive to abiotic stress

S-adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS) catalyzes methionine and ATP to generate S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). In plants, accumulating SAMS genes have been characterized and the majority of them are reported to participate in development and stress response. In this study, two putative SAMS genes (CsSAMS1 and CsSAMS2) were identified in cucumber (Cucumis Sativus L.). They displayed 95% similarity and had a high identity with their homologous of Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum. The qRT-PCR test showed that CsSAMS1 was predominantly expressed in stem, male flower, and young fruit, whereas CsSAMS2 was preferentially accumulated in stem and female flower. And they displayed differential expression profiles under stimuli, including NaCl, ABA, SA, MeJA, drought and low temperature. To elucidate the function of cucumber SAMS, the full-length CDS of CsSAMS1 was cloned, and prokaryotic expression system and transgenic materials were constructed. Expressing CsSAMS1 in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) improved the growth of the engineered strain under salt stress. Overexpression of CsSAMS1 significantly increased MDA content, H2O2 content, and POD activity in transgenic lines under non-stress condition. Under salt stress, however, the MDA content of transgenic lines was lower than that of the wild type, the H2O2 content remained high, the polyamine and ACC synthesis in transgenic lines exhibited a CsSAMS1-expressed dependent way. Taken together, our results suggested that both CsSAMS1 and CsSAMS2 were involved in plant development and stress response, and a proper increase of expression level of CsSAMS1 in plants is benificial to improving salt tolerance.

A viral protein promotes host SAMS1 activity and ethylene production for the benefit of virus infection

Ethylene plays critical roles in plant development and biotic stress response, but the mechanism of ethylene in host antiviral response remains unclear. Here, we report that Rice dwarf virus (RDV) triggers ethylene production by stimulating the activity of S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthetase (SAMS), a key component of the ethylene synthesis pathway, resulting in elevated susceptibility to RDV. RDV-encoded Pns11 protein specifically interacted with OsSAMS1 to enhance its enzymatic activity, leading to higher ethylene levels in both RDV-infected and Pns11-overexpressing rice. Consistent with a counter-defense role for ethylene, Pns11-overexpressing rice, as well as those overexpressing OsSAMS1, were substantially more susceptible to RDV infection, and a similar effect was observed in rice plants treated with an ethylene precursor. Conversely, OsSAMS1-knockout mutants, as well as an osein2 mutant defective in ethylene signaling, resisted RDV infection more robustly. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism which RDV manipulates ethylene biosynthesis in the host plants to achieve efficient infection.

Rice provides food for billions of people all over the world, but diseases caused by plant-infecting viruses cause serious risks to the production of rice. As a result, there is an urgent demand for developing new and impactful ways to help defend rice plants from harmful viruses. Toward this goal, it will be important to better understand how viruses actually cause diseases in plants.

Plants make chemicals known as hormones to control their own development, and hormone production is often disturbed when viruses infect rice plants. Many viruses cause infected plants to make more of a gaseous hormone called ethylene, which benefits the viruses. Yet, it is still not known how virus infection induces the production of more ethylene.

Zhao, Hong et al. have exposed rice plants to infection with a virus called rice dwarf virus. Infected plants made more ethylene than normal, which did indeed help the virus to infect. Further experiments then showed that an enzyme that makes one of the building blocks needed to produce ethylene became more active after infection with this virus. Next, Zhao, Hong et al. engineered rice plants to make more or less of this building block – which is known as S-adenosyl-L-methionine or SAM for short. Plants with too much SAM were less able to defend themselves against the virus, while plants that lacked SAM were better able to fight off viral infection.

Zhao, Hong et al. suggest that engineering rice plants to make less of the SAM-producing enzyme could make them more resistant to viruses. Further work will also be needed to find out why ethylene benefits viral infection, and to confirm whether ethylene also performs similar roles when rice is infected with other viruses.

NaCl stress induces CsSAMs gene expression in Cucumis sativus by mediating the binding of CsGT-3b to the GT-1 element within the CsSAMs promoter

MAIN CONCLUSION

The CsSAMs promoter is a salt-stress-inducible promoter containing three GT-1 elements that are sufficient for the salt-stress response. The transcription factor CsGT-3b was found to bind to the GT-1 element. The S-adenosyl-L-methionine synthase (SAMs) gene is among the functional genes induced during environmental stress. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism and upstream regulators of this salt-inducible gene in cucumber plants. Thus, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the SAMs gene by analyzing its promoter and transcription factors. In this study, we isolated and functionally analyzed a 1743-bp flanking fragment of the CsSAMs gene from Cucumis sativus. To examine promoter activity, the full-length promoter, as well as different promoter fragments, were fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and introduced into the tobacco genome. The full-length promoter displayed maximal promoter activity, whereas the P4 promoter, containing 321 bp of upstream sequence, showed no basal promoter activity. In addition, the CsSAMs promoter exhibited stress-inducible regulation rather than tissue-specific activity in transgenic tobacco. Histochemical analysis revealed strong GUS staining in leaves, stems, and roots, especially in the veins of leaves, the vascular bundle of stems, and root tip zones following NaCl stress. A transient expression assay confirmed that the 242-bp region (-1743 to -1500) was sufficient for the NaCl-stress response. Yeast one-hybrid assays further revealed interaction between the NaCl-response protein CsGT-3b and the GT-1 (GAAAAA) element within the 242-bp region. Taken together, we revealed the presence of four salt-stress-responsive elements (GT-1 cis-elements) in the CsSAMs promoter and identified a transcription factor, CsGT-3b, that specifically binds to this sequence. These results might help us better understand the intricate regulatory network of the cucumber SAMs gene.

Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of the SAMS gene during adventitious root development in IBA-induced tetraploid black locust

S-Adenosylmethionine synthetase (SAMS) catalyzes the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), a precursor for ethylene and polyamine biosynthesis. Here, we report the isolation of the 1498 bp full-length cDNA sequence encoding tetraploid black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) SAMS (TrbSAMS), which contains an open reading frame of 1179 bp encoding 392 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of TrbSAMS has more than 94% sequence identity to SAMSs from other plants, with a closer phylogenetic relationship to SAMSs from legumes than to SAMS from other plants. The TrbSAMS monomer consists of N-terminal, central, and C-terminal domains. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the TrbSAMS protein localizes mainly to in the cell membrane and cytoplasm of onion epidermal cells and Arabidopsis mesophyll cell protoplasts. Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA)-treated cuttings showed higher levels of TrbSAMS transcript than untreated control cuttings during root primordium and adventitious root formation. TrbSAMS and its downstream genes showed differential expression in shoots, leaves, bark, and roots, with the highest expression observed in bark. IBA-treated cuttings also showed higher SAMS activity than control cuttings during root primordium and adventitious root formation. These results indicate that TrbSAMS might play an important role in the regulation of IBA-induced adventitious root development in tetraploid black locust cuttings.

Heterologous expression of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase gene from Ammopiptanthus nanus confers high salt and heat tolerance to Escherichia coli

Betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) catalyzes the synthesis of glycine betaine, a regulator of osmosis, and therefore BADH is considered to play a significant role in response of plants to abiotic stresses. Here, based on the conserved residues of the deduced amino acid sequences of the homologous BADH genes, we cloned the AnBADH gene from the xerophytic leguminous plant Ammopiptanthus nanus by using reverse transcription PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The full-length cDNA is 1,868 bp long without intron, and contains an open reading frame of 1512 bp, and 3'- and 5'-untranslated regions of 294 and 62 bp. It encodes a 54.71 kDa protein of 503 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence shares high homology, conserved amino acid residues and sequence motifs crucial for the function with the BADHs in other leguminous species. The sequence of the open reading frame was used to construct a prokaryotic expression vector pET32a-AnBADH, and transform Escherichia coli. The transformants expressed the heterologous AnBADH gene under the induction of isopropyl β-D-thiogalactopyranoside, and demonstrated significant enhancement of salt and heat tolerance under the stress conditions of 700 mmol L(-1) NaCl and 55°C high temperature. This result suggests that the AnBADH gene might play a crucial role in adaption of A. nanus to the abiotic stresses, and have the potential to be applied to transgenic operations of commercially important crops for improvement of abiotic tolerance.

Heterologous expression of antifreeze protein gene AnAFP from Ammopiptanthus nanus enhances cold tolerance in Escherichia coli and tobacco

Antifreeze proteins are a class of polypeptides produced by certain animals, plants, fungi and bacteria that permit their survival under the subzero environments. Ammopiptanthus nanus is the unique evergreen broadleaf bush endemic to the Mid-Asia deserts. It survives at the west edge of the Tarim Basin from the disappearance of the ancient Mediterranean in the Tertiary Period. Its distribution region is characterized by the arid climate and extreme temperatures, where the extreme temperatures range from -30 °C to 40 °C. In the present study, the antifreeze protein gene AnAFP of A. nanus was used to transform Escherichia coli and tobacco, after bioinformatics analysis for its possible function. The transformed E. coli strain expressed the heterologous AnAFP gene under the induction of isopropyl β-D-thiogalactopyranoside, and demonstrated significant enhancement of cold tolerance. The transformed tobacco lines expressed the heterologous AnAFP gene in response to cold stress, and showed a less change of relative electrical conductivity under cold stress, and a less wilting phenotype after 16 h of -3 °C cold stress and thawing for 1h than the untransformed wild-type plants. All these results imply the potential value of the AnAFP gene to be used in genetic modification of commercially important crops for improvement of cold tolerance.