Overexpression of a maize sulfite oxidase gene in tobacco enhances tolerance to sulfite stress via sulfite oxidation and CAT-mediated H2O2 scavenging

Functional mononuclear molybdenum enzymes: challenges and triumphs in molecular cloning, expression, and isolation

Mononuclear molybdenum enzymes catalyze a variety of reactions that are essential in the cycling of nitrogen, carbon, arsenic, and sulfur. For decades, the structure and function of these crucial enzymes have been investigated to develop a fundamental knowledge for this vast family of enzymes and the chemistries they carry out. Therefore, obtaining abundant quantities of active enzyme is necessary for exploring this family's biochemical capability. This mini-review summarizes the methods for overexpressing mononuclear molybdenum enzymes in the context of the challenges encountered in the process. Effective methods for molybdenum cofactor synthesis and incorporation, optimization of expression conditions, improving isolation of active vs. inactive enzyme, incorporation of additional prosthetic groups, and inclusion of redox enzyme maturation protein chaperones are discussed in relation to the current molybdenum enzyme literature. This article summarizes the heterologous and homologous expression studies providing underlying patterns and potential future directions.

The Arabidopsis APR2 positively regulates cadmium tolerance through glutathione-dependent pathway

Cadmium (Cd) is a dangerous environmental pollutant with high toxicity to plants. The adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate reductase 2 (APR2) is the dominant APRs in Arabidopsis and plays an important role in reductive sulfate assimilation pathway. However, whether the involvement of plant APRs in Cd stress response is largely unclear. Herein, we report that APR2 functions in Cd accumulation and tolerance in Arabidopsis. The transcript levels of APR2 were markedly induced by Cd exposure. Transgenic plants overexpressing APR2 improved Cd tolerance, whereas knockout of APR2 reduced Cd tolerance. APR2-overexpressing plants with increased Cd accumulation and tolerance showed higher glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatin (PC) levels than the wild type and apr2 mutant plants, but lower H₂O₂ and TBARS contents upon Cd exposure. Moreover, exogenous GSH application effectively rescued Cd hypersensitivity in APR2-knockout plants. Further analysis showed that buthionine sulfoximine (BSO, an inhibitor of GSH synthesis) treatment completely eliminated the enhanced Cd tolerance phenotypes of APR2-overexpressing plants, implying that APR2-mediated enhanced Cd tolerance is GSH dependent. In addition, over-expression of the APR2 led to elevated expressions of the GSH/PC synthesis-related genes under Cd stress. Taken together, our results indicated that APR2 regulated Cd accumulation and tolerance possibly through modulating GSH-dependent antioxidant capability and Cd-chelation machinery in Arabidopsis. APR2 could be exploited for engineering heavy metal-tolerant plants in phytoremediation.

The Maize Class-I SUMO Conjugating Enzyme ZmSCE1d Is Involved in Drought Stress Response

Post-translational modification of cellular proteins by sumoylation plays a vital role in stress responses of plants. However, the mechanisms underlying the sumoylation’s involvement in stress responses in crop species remain largely unknown. Herein, a maize class-I SUMO conjugating enzyme gene (ZmSCE1d) was identified, whose expression was upregulated upon drought stress. Over-expression of ZmSCE1d in transgenic Arabidopsis plants increased SUMO conjugates and improved drought tolerance. The ZmSCE1d-transgenic plants showed higher antioxidant enzyme activities, but lower reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation upon drought stress. Furthermore, transcripts of several drought-responsive genes were significantly elevated, as revealed by qPCR in the transgenic lines. Taken together, these data have demonstrated that ZmSCE1d overexpression improved drought tolerance likely by regulating sumoylation levels, antioxidant capability, and drought-responsive gene expression in transgenic plants. This study may facilitate our understanding of the mechanisms underlying SCE-mediated sumoylation under drought stress and accelerate genetic improvement of crop plants tolerant to drought stress by manipulating the SUMO system.

Overexpression of MdIAA9 confers high tolerance to osmotic stress in transgenic tobacco

Auxin is a plant hormone that takes part in a series of developmental and physiological processes. There are three major gene families that play a role in the early response of auxin and auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) is one of these. Although the genomic organization and function of Aux/IAA genes have been recognized in reference plants there have only been a few focused studies conducted with non-model crop plants, especially in the woody perennial species. We conducted a genomic census and expression analysis of Aux/IAA genes in the cultivated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.). The Aux/IAA gene family of the apple genome was identified and analyzed in this study. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MdIAAs could be categorized into nine subfamilies and that these MdIAA proteins contained four whole or partially conserved domains of the MdIAA family. The spatio-specific expression profiles showed that most of the MdIAAs were preferentially expressed in specific tissues. Some of these genes were significantly induced by treatments with one or more abiotic stresses. The overexpression of MdIAA9 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants significantly increased their tolerance to osmotic stresses. Our cumulative data supports the interactions between abiotic stresses and plant hormones and provides a theoretical basis for the mechanism of Aux/IAA and drought resistance in apples.

Identification of a 119-bp Promoter of the Maize Sulfite Oxidase Gene (ZmSO) That Confers High-Level Gene Expression and ABA or Drought Inducibility in Transgenic Plants

Drought adversely affects crop growth and yields. The cloning and characterization of drought- or abscisic acid (ABA)-inducible promoters is of great significance for their utilization in the genetic improvement of crop resistance. Our previous studies have shown that maize sulfite oxidase (SO) has a sulfite-oxidizing function and is involved in the drought stress response. However, the promoter of the maize SO gene has not yet been characterized. In this study, the promoter (ZmSOPro, 1194 bp upstream region of the translation initiation site) was isolated from the maize genome. The in-silico analysis of the ZmSOPro promoter identified several cis-elements responsive to the phytohormone ABA and drought stress such as ABA-responsive element (ABRE) and MYB binding site (MBS), besides a number of core cis-acting elements, such as TATA-box and CAAT-box. A 5′ RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) assay identified an adenine residue as the transcription start site of the ZmSO. The ZmSOPro activity was detected by β-glucuronidase (GUS) staining at nearly all developmental stages and in most plant organs, except for the roots in transgenic Arabidopsis. Moreover, its activity was significantly induced by ABA and drought stress. The 5′-deletion mutant analysis of the ZmSOPro in tobacco plants revealed that a 119-bp fragment in the ZmSOPro (upstream of the transcription start site) is a minimal region, which is required for its high-level expression. Moreover, the minimal ZmSOPro was significantly activated by ABA or drought stress in transgenic plants. Further mutant analysis indicated that the MBS element in the minimal ZmSOPro region (119 bp upstream of the transcription start site) is responsible for ABA and drought-stress induced expression. These results improve our understanding of the transcriptional regulation mechanism of the ZmSO gene, and the characterized 119-bp promoter fragment could be an ideal candidate for drought-tolerant gene engineering in both monocot and dicot crops.

The effect of desulfurization on the postharvest quality and sulfite metabolism in pulp of sulfitated "Feizixiao" Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruits

The residual sulfite caused by sulfur fumigation (SF) is a hazard to health and influenced the export trade of litchi. Desulfurization (DS) is a valid chemical method to reduce the residual sulfite. However, the effect of DS on fumigated litchi has not been studied at physiological and molecular level. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of DS (SF plus 3% desulfurizer) on the postharvest quality, sulfite residue, and the sulfite metabolism in sulfitated "Feizixiao" litchi during the 4°C storage. Results indicated that the DS promoted the color recovery of sulfitated litchi and achieved an effect similar to SF on controlling rot and browning. DS recovered the water content and respiration rate of sulfitated litchi pericarp. Thus, DS improves commodity properties of sulfitated litchi. Moreover, DS greatly reduced sulfite residue especially in pulp and ensured the edible safety of sulfitated litchi. The activities of sulfite oxidase, sulfite reductase, serine acetyltransferase, and O-acetylserine(thiol) lyase in pulp increased after SF but fell down after DS while the expressions of their encoding genes decreased after SF but then rallied after DS. These results indicated the key role of these enzymes in sulfite metabolism after SF and DS changed the sulfite metabolism at both enzymatic and transcriptional level. It could be concluded that DS used in this study was an effective method for improving the color recovery and ensuring the edible safety of sulfitated litchi by not only chemical reaction but also both of enzymatic and transcriptional regulation.

Overexpression of a maize SUMO conjugating enzyme gene (ZmSCE1e) increases Sumoylation levels and enhances salt and drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco

As an essential regulatory process of post-translational modifications, Sumoylation has been shown to play a central role in stress responses in higher plants. However, the mechanisms underlying the involvement of the Sumoylation in stress responses in crops are largely unknown. In this study, a putative SUMO conjugating enzyme ortholog from Zea mays (ZmSCE1e) was isolated. Sequence alignments and phylogenetic analysis showed that ZmSCE1e possesses a central active domain similar to known SCE1 proteins, but is the cereal-specific isoform.The transcript levels of ZmSCE1e were markedly up-regulated by salt or drought stress. Over-expression of ZmSCE1e in tobacco plants increased levels of SUMO conjugates and enhanced their tolerances to salt and drought stresses. ZmSCE1e-transgenic plants showed higher activities of key antioxidant enzymes but lower hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulations under salt or drought stress. Furthermore, expression of several stress defense genes was significantly elevated as revealed by qPCR in the ZmSCE1e-transgenic lines. Together, these data have demonstrated that ZmSCE1e improved salt and drought tolerance likely by modulating Sumoylation levels, antioxidant capability, and stress defense gene expression in transgenic plants. This study may facilitate our understanding of the biological roles of SCE-mediated Sumoylation under stress conditions in higher plants and accelerate genetic improvement of crop plants tolerant to environmental stresses.

The maize bHLH transcription factor bHLH105 confers manganese tolerance in transgenic tobacco

Manganese (Mn) toxicity is an important limiting factor for crop production in acidic soils. The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are involved in a variety of physiological processes. However, whether the bHLHs are involved in excess Mn stress response is largely unknown. Here, we report the functional characterization of ZmbHLH105 isolated from maize (Zea mays). The transcript levels of ZmbHLH105 were higher in leaves, and were markedly up-regulated under excess Mn stress in maize. ZmbHLH105 was localized in the nucleus with transactivation activity. Ectopic expression of ZmbHLH105 enhanced Mn tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. ZmbHLH105-overexpressing (OE) plants showed improved excess Mn tolerance in transgenic tobacco. The stress-tolerant phenotypes of these OE tobacco lines were accompanied by increases of key antioxidant enzyme activities, but decreases of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulations. Importantly, the OE plants had less increases than the wild-type in toxic Mn accumulation. Moreover, the transcript levels of Mn/Fe-related transporters in the OE lines displayed remarkable decreases compared with the wild-type under Mn stress, suggesting that ZmbHLH105 reduced Mn accumulation in plants largely by repressing expression of Mn/Fe-regulated transporter genes. Taken together, these results indicate that ZmbHLH105 confers improved Mn stress tolerance possibly by regulating antioxidant machinery-mediated ROS scavenging and expression of Mn/Fe-related transporters in plants. ZmbHLH105 could be exploited for developing drought-tolerant maize varieties.

The Maize Sulfite Reductase Is Involved in Cold and Oxidative Stress Responses

Sulfite reductase (SiR) functions in sulfate assimilation pathway. However, whether it is involved in stress response in crops is largely unknown. Here, the SiR ortholog from Zea mays (ZmSiR) was characterized. The recombinant ZmSiR protein was purified from E. coli. It exhibited sulfite-dependent activity and had strong affinity for sulfite. ZmSiR transcripts were markedly up-regulated by cold and methyl viologen (MV) treatments. Overexpression of ZmSiR complemented growth retardation phenotype of Arabidopsis atsir mutant. ZmSiR-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants were tolerant to severe SO₂ stress and rescued the susceptible phenotype of the atsir. ZmSiR knock-down transgenic maize plants with 60% residual transcripts were more susceptible to cold or oxidative stress than wild-type. The severe damage phenotypes of the ZmSiR-compromised maize plants were accompanied by increases of sulfite and H₂O₂ accumulations, but less amounts of GSH. The qPCR analysis revealed that there was significantly altered expression of several key sulfur metabolism-related genes in ZmSiR-impaired maize lines under cold or MV stress. Particularly, ZmAPR2 expression was significantly elevated, suggesting that toxic sulfite accumulation in ZmSiR-impaired plants could be attributable to the reduced SiR coupled to increased ZmAPR2 expression. Together, our results indicate that ZmSiR is involved in cold and oxidative stress tolerance possibly by modulating sulfite reduction, GSH-dependent H₂O₂ scavenging, and sulfur-metabolism related gene expression. ZmSiR could be exploited for engineering environmental stress-tolerant varieties in molecular breeding of maize.

Overexpression of the Maize Sulfite Oxidase Increases Sulfate and GSH Levels and Enhances Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco

Sulfite oxidase (SO) plays a pivotal role in sulfite metabolism. In our previous study, sulfite-oxidizing function of the SO from Zea mays (ZmSO) was characterized. To date, the knowledge of ZmSO's involvement in abiotic stress response is scarce. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of ZmSO in drought stress. The transcript levels of ZmSO were relatively high in leaves and immature embryos of maize plants, and were up-regulated markedly by PEG-induced water stress. Overexpression of ZmSO improved drought tolerance in tobacco. ZmSO-overexpressing transgenic plants showed higher sulfate and glutathione (GSH) levels but lower hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents under drought stress, indicating that ZmSO confers drought tolerance by enhancing GSH-dependent antioxidant system that scavenged ROS and reduced membrane injury. In addition, the transgenic plants exhibited more increased stomatal response than the wild-type (WT) to water deficit. Interestingly, application of exogenous GSH effectively alleviated growth inhibition in both WT and transgenic plants under drought conditions. qPCR analysis revealed that the expression of several sulfur metabolism-related genes was significantly elevated in the ZmSO-overexpressing lines. Taken together, these results imply that ZmSO confers enhanced drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco plants possibly through affecting stomatal regulation, GSH-dependent antioxidant system, and sulfur metabolism-related gene expression. ZmSO could be exploited for developing drought-tolerant maize varieties in molecular breeding.

Comparative Physiological and Molecular Analyses of Two Contrasting Flue-Cured Tobacco Genotypes under Progressive Drought Stress

Drought is a major environmental factor that limits crop growth and productivity. Flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is one of the most important commercial crops worldwide and its productivity is vulnerable to drought. However, comparative analyses of physiological, biochemical and gene expression changes in flue-cured tobacco varieties differing in drought tolerance under long-term drought stress are scarce. In this study, drought stress responses of two flue-cured tobacco varieties, LJ851 and JX6007, were comparatively studied at the physiological and transcriptional levels. After exposing to progressive drought stress, the drought-tolerant LJ851 showed less growth inhibition and chlorophyll reduction than the drought-sensitive JX6007. Moreover, higher antioxidant enzyme activities and lower levels of H2O2, Malondialdehyde (MDA), and electrolyte leakage after drought stress were found in LJ851 when compared with JX6007. Further analysis showed that LJ851 plants had much less reductions than the JX6007 in the net photosynthesis rate and stomatal conductance during drought stress; indicating that LJ851 had better photosynthetic performance than JX6007 during drought. In addition, transcriptional expression analysis revealed that LJ851 exhibited significantly increased transcripts of several categories of drought-responsive genes in leaves and roots under drought conditions. Together, these results indicated that LJ851 was more drought-tolerant than JX6007 as evidenced by better photosynthetic performance, more powerful antioxidant system, and higher expression of stress defense genes during drought stress. This study will be valuable for the development of novel flue-cured tobacco varieties with improved drought tolerance by exploitation of natural genetic variations in the future.

Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants: Role of Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Ionomics

Heavy metal contamination of soil and water causing toxicity/stress has become one important constraint to crop productivity and quality. This situation has further worsened by the increasing population growth and inherent food demand. It has been reported in several studies that counterbalancing toxicity due to heavy metal requires complex mechanisms at molecular, biochemical, physiological, cellular, tissue, and whole plant level, which might manifest in terms of improved crop productivity. Recent advances in various disciplines of biological sciences such as metabolomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc., have assisted in the characterization of metabolites, transcription factors, and stress-inducible proteins involved in heavy metal tolerance, which in turn can be utilized for generating heavy metal-tolerant crops. This review summarizes various tolerance strategies of plants under heavy metal toxicity covering the role of metabolites (metabolomics), trace elements (ionomics), transcription factors (transcriptomics), various stress-inducible proteins (proteomics) as well as the role of plant hormones. We also provide a glance of some strategies adopted by metal-accumulating plants, also known as "metallophytes."

The Arabidopsis LYST INTERACTING PROTEIN 5 Acts in Regulating Abscisic Acid Signaling and Drought Response

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are unique endosomes containing vesicles in the lumens and play essential roles in many eukaryotic cellular processes. The Arabidopsis LYST INTERACTING PROTEIN 5 (LIP5), a positive regulator of MVB biogenesis, has critical roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, whether the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling is involved in LIP5-mediated stress response is largely unknown. Here, we report that LIP5 functions in regulating ABA signaling and drought response in Arabidopsis. Analyses of a LIP5 promoter-β-glucuronidase (GUS) construct revealed substantial GUS activity in whole seedlings. The expression of LIP5 was induced by ABA and drought, and overexpression of LIP5 led to ABA hypersensitivity, enhanced stomatal closure, reduced water loss, and, therefore, increased drought tolerance. On the contrary, LIP5 knockdown mutants showed ABA-insensitive phenotypes and reduced drought tolerance; suggesting that LIP5 acts in regulating ABA response. Further analysis using a fluorescent dye revealed that ABA and water stress induced cell endocytosis or vesicle trafficking in a largely LIP5-dependent manner. Furthermore, expression of several drought- or ABA-inducible marker genes was significantly down-regulated in the lip5 mutant seedlings. Collectively, our data suggest that LIP5 positively regulates drought tolerance through ABA-mediated cell signaling.

Impairment of Sulfite Reductase Decreases Oxidative Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

As an essential enzyme in the sulfate assimilation reductive pathway, sulfite reductase (SiR) plays important roles in diverse metabolic processes such as sulfur homeostasis and cysteine metabolism. However, whether plant SiR is involved in oxidative stress response is largely unknown. Here, we show that SiR functions in methyl viologen (MV)-induced oxidative stress in Arabidopsis. The transcript levels of SiR were higher in leaves, immature siliques, and roots and were markedly and rapidly up-regulated by MV exposure. The SiR knock-down transgenic lines had about 60% residual transcripts and were more susceptible than wild-type when exposed to oxidative stress. The severe damage phenotypes of the SiR-impaired lines were accompanied by increases of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), and sulfite accumulations, but less amounts of glutathione (GSH). Interestingly, application of exogenous GSH effectively rescued corresponding MV hypersensitivity in SiR-impaired plants. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that there was significantly increased expression of several sulfite metabolism-related genes in SiR-impaired lines. Noticeably, enhanced transcripts of the three APR genes were quite evident in SiR-impaired plants; suggesting that the increased sulfite in the SiR-impaired plants could be a result of the reduced SiR coupled to enhanced APR expression during oxidative stress. Together, our results indicate that SiR is involved in oxidative stress tolerance possibly by maintaining sulfite homeostasis, regulating GSH levels, and modulating sulfite metabolism-related gene expression in Arabidopsis. SiR could be exploited for engineering environmental stress-tolerant plants in molecular breeding of crops.

Sulfite-stress induced functional and structural changes in the complexes of photosystems I and II in a cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

Excess sulfite is well known to have toxic effects on photosynthetic activities and growth in plants, however, so far, the behavior of the photosynthetic apparatus during sulfite-stress has not been characterized as to the responsible proteins or genes. Here, the effects of sulfite on photosystem complexes were investigated in a cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, a possible model organism of chloroplasts. Culturing of the cells for 24 h in the presence of 10 mM sulfite retarded cell growth of the wild type, concomitantly with synthesis of Chl and phycobilisome repressed. The excess sulfite simultaneously repressed photosynthesis by more than 90%, owing largely to structural destabilization and resultant inactivation of the PSII complex, which seemed to consequently retard the cell growth. Notably, the PsbO protein, one of the subunits that construct the water-splitting system of PSII, was retained at a considerable level, and disruption of the psbO gene led to higher sensitivity of photosynthesis and growth to sulfite. Meanwhile, the PSI complex showed monomerization of its trimeric configuration with little effect on the activity. The structural alterations of these PS complexes depended on light. Our data provide evidence for quantitative decreases in the photosystem complex(es) including their antenna(e), structural alterations of the PSI and PSII complexes that would modulate their functions, and a crucial role of psbO in PSII protection, in Synechococcus cells during sulfite-stress. We suggest that the reconstruction of the photosystem complexes is beneficial to cell survival.

Overexpression of the Maize psbA Gene Enhances Drought Tolerance Through Regulating Antioxidant System, Photosynthetic Capability, and Stress Defense Gene Expression in Tobacco

The psbA (encoding D1 protein) plays an important role in protecting photosystem II (PSII) from oxidative damage in higher plants. In our previous study, the role of the psbA from maize (Zea mays. L) in response to SO2 stress was characterized. To date, information about the involvement of the psbA gene in drought response is scarce. Here we found that overexpression (OE) of ZmpsbA showed increased D1 protein abundance and enhanced drought stress tolerance in tobacco. The drought-tolerant phenotypes of the OE lines were accompanied by increases of key antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, and POD activities, but decreases of hydrogen peroxide, malondialdehyde, and ion leakage. Further investigation showed that the OE plants had much less reductions than the wild-type in the net photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs), and the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) during drought stress; indicating that OE of ZmpsbA may alleviate photosynthesis inhibition during drought. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that there was significantly increased expression of NtLEA5, NtERD10C, NtAREB, and NtCDPK2 in ZmpsbA-OE lines. Together, our results indicate that ZmpsbA improves drought tolerance in tobacco possibly by alleviating photosynthesis reduction, reducing reactive oxygen species accumulation and membrane damage, and modulating stress defense gene expression. ZmpsbA could be exploited for engineering drought-tolerant plants in molecular breeding of crops.

Overexpression of a tobacco J-domain protein enhances drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

DnaJ proteins constitute a DnaJ/Hsp40 family and are important regulators involved in diverse cellular functions. To date, the molecular mechanisms of DnaJ proteins involved in response to drought stress in plants are largely unknown. In this study, a putative DnaJ ortholog from Nicotiana tabacum (NtDnaJ1), which encodes a putative type-I J-protein, was isolated. The transcript levels of NtDnaJ1 were higher in aerial tissues and were markedly up-regulated by drought stress. Over-expression of NtDnaJ1 in Arabidopsis plants enhanced their tolerance to osmotic or drought stress. Quantitative determination of H2O2 accumulation has shown that H2O2 content increased in wild-type and transgenic seedlings under osmotic stress, but was significantly lower in both transgenic lines compared with the wild-type. Expression analysis of stress-responsive genes in NtDnaJ1-transgenic Arabidopsis revealed that there was significantly increased expression of genes involved in the ABA-dependent signaling pathway (AtRD20, AtRD22 and AtAREB2) and antioxidant genes (AtSOD1, AtSOD2, and AtCAT1). Collectively, these data demonstrate that NtDnaJ1 could be involved in drought stress response and its over-expression enhances drought tolerance possibly through regulating expression of stress-responsive genes. This study may facilitate our understandings of the biological roles of DnaJ protein-mediated abiotic stress in higher plants and accelerate genetic improvement of crop plants tolerant to environmental stresses.

Overexpression of a maize E3 ubiquitin ligase gene enhances drought tolerance through regulating stomatal aperture and antioxidant system in transgenic tobacco

Drought is one of the most important limiting factors in crop production. In our previous study, a putative Arabidopsis thaliana SALT- AND DROUGHT-INDUCED RING FINGER1 (AtSDIR1) homolog encoding a RING-finger protein from Zea mays (ZmRFP1) was cloned and its expression pattern and Ub E3 ligase activity were characterized. However, it is uncertain that ZmRFP1 acts as a positive regulator during drought stress. In this study, we further characterized ZmRFP1 in transgenic tobacco to investigate drought tolerance and possible function mechanisms. Overexpression of ZmRFP1 enhanced drought tolerance in tobacco. The transgenic tobacco lines had more closed stomatal pores, higher proline accumulation, but lower levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) when compared with the wild type (WT) under drought stress. Further investigation showed that ZmRFP1 transgenic plants displayed higher SOD and CAT activities, increased NtSOD and NtCAT transcript levels, and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under drought stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ZmRFP1 confers drought stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco not only by increasing the ability to retain water, but also by reducing ROS accumulation and membrane damage through enhancing the antioxidant system. ZmRFP1 might serve as a candidate gene in genetic improvement for drought tolerance engineering in cereal crop plants.

Signal regulation involved in sulfur dioxide-induced guard cell apoptosis in Hemerocallis fulva

Chronic and acute exposure to SO₂ is associated with increased risks of various damages to plants. In the present study, epidermal strip experiment was employed to investigate SO₂-induced guard cells apoptosis and the signal regulation in Hemerocallis fulva. The results showed that with the increase of treatment concentrate of SO₂ derivates (a mixture of sodium sulfite and sodium bisulfite, 3:1, mmol L⁻¹/mmol L⁻¹, 1.0-5.0 mmol L⁻¹), the physiological activity of the guard cells declined and cell death occurred. While the concentration of SO₂ derivatives exceeded 2.0 mmol L⁻¹, the percentage of cell death increased significantly (P<0.05). Typical features of apoptosis including nuclear condensation, nuclear elongation, fragmentation etc. were found. Meanwhile, concomitant presence of nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca²⁺ level increment appeared. However, SO₂-induced cell death can be effectively blocked by either of the following substances with their respective optimal concentrations: antioxidant ascorbic acid (Asc; 0.05 mmol L⁻¹) or catalase (CAT; 200 U mL⁻¹), nitric oxide (NO) scavenger 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4, 4, 5, 5- tetramethylmidiazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (c-PTIO; 0.20 mmol L⁻¹), nitrate reductase inhibitor NaN₃ (0.20 mmol L⁻¹), Ca²⁺ chelating agent EGTA (0.05 mmol L⁻¹) or plasma membrane Ca²⁺ channel blocker LaCl₃ (0.05 mmol L⁻¹). In addition to a significant decrease in cell death rate, a reduction in the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), NO and Ca²⁺ was observed. Further study showed that compared to treatment with SO₂ alone, Asc treatment led to a decrease in NO and Ca²⁺ levels and NaN₃ treatment led to a decrease in ROS and Ca²⁺ levels, but the NO and ROS levels of the LaCl₃ treatment changed little. All results suggested that NO, ROS and Ca²⁺ were involved in the apoptosis induced by SO₂ in H. fulva. The process might be related to the burst of NO or ROS, which would activate the plasma Ca²⁺ channel and result in the increase of intercellular Ca²⁺.

An engineered plant peroxisome and its application in biotechnology

Plant metabolic engineering is a promising tool for biotechnological applications. Major goals include enhancing plant fitness for an increased product yield and improving or introducing novel pathways to synthesize industrially relevant products. Plant peroxisomes are favorable targets for metabolic engineering, because they are involved in diverse functions, including primary and secondary metabolism, development, abiotic stress response, and pathogen defense. This review discusses targets for manipulating endogenous peroxisomal pathways, such as fatty acid β-oxidation, or introducing novel pathways, such as the synthesis of biodegradable polymers. Furthermore, strategies to bypass peroxisomal pathways for improved energy efficiency and detoxification of environmental pollutants are discussed. In sum, we highlight the biotechnological potential of plant peroxisomes and indicate future perspectives to exploit peroxisomes as biofactories.

The maize AAA-type protein SKD1 confers enhanced salt and drought stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco by interacting with Lyst-interacting protein 5

ATPase associated with various cellular activities (AAA) proteins are important regulators involved in diverse cellular functions. To date, the molecular mechanisms of AAA proteins involved in response to salt and drought stresses in plants are largely unknown. In this study, a putative SKD1 (suppressor of K(+) transport growth defect 1) ortholog from Zea mays (ZmSKD1), which encodes a putative AAA protein, was isolated. The transcript levels of ZmSKD1 were higher in aerial tissues and were markedly up-regulated by salt or drought stress. Over-expression of ZmSKD1 in tobacco plants enhanced their tolerances not only to salt but to drought. Moreover, reactive oxygen species accumulations in ZmSKD1 transgenic lines were relative less than those in wild-type plants during salt or PEG-induced water stress. The interaction between ZmSKD1 and NtLIP5 (Lyst-Interacting Protein 5 homolog from Nicotiana tabacum) was confirmed by both yeast two-hybrid and immuno-precipitation assays; moreover, the α-helix-rich domain in the C-terminus of ZmSKD1 was identified to be required for its interaction with NtLIP5 using truncation mutations. Collectively, these data demonstrate that ZmSKD1could be involved in salt and drought stress responses and its over-expression enhances salt or drought stress tolerance possibly through interacting with LIP5 in tobacco. This study may facilitate our understandings of the biological roles of SKD1-mediated ESCRT pathway under stress conditions in higher plants and accelerate genetic improvement of crop plants tolerant to environmental stresses.