Triticum aestivum WRAB18 functions in plastids and confers abiotic stress tolerance when overexpressed in Escherichia coli and Nicotiania benthamiana

Characterization of wheat Wrab18 gene promoter and expression analysis under abiotic stress

BACKGROUND

Promoters play key roles in plant gene expression in complex and varied natural environments. The type and amount of cis-acting elements in the promoter sequence tend to indicate the response of genes to induction factors. WRAB18 is a group III member of the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein family that performs multiple functions in plant stress physiology. To elucidate the particularly biological effects of WRAB18 on stress, exploration of its promoter sequence is necessary.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, the full-length and promoter sequences of Wrab18 were isolated from the Zhengyin 1 cultivar of Triticum aestivum. The gene sequences and cis-acting elements in the promoter were analyzed using the Plant Promoter Database and bioinformatics methods. The results showed that Wrab18 possessed one intron with 100 bp, the promoter sequence contained various stress-related cis-acting elements, and the functionality of the promoter was checked using green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker protein expression by transient assay in Nicotiana benthamiana. Furthermore, based on promoter prediction analysis, quantitative real-time fluorescent PCR results confirmed the response of gene expression levels to stress factors.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the promoter sequence of Wrab18 plays a role in plant stress responses, contains multiple cis-acting elements, and provides insights into the role of WRAB18 in plant resilience to stress. This study has guiding significance for further studies of gene function and mechanism of action, and lays a theoretical foundation for improving wheat quality.

Subcellular Localization of Seed-Expressed LEA_4 Proteins Reveals Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation for LEA9 and for LEA48 Homo- and LEA42-LEA48 Heterodimers

LEA proteins are involved in plant stress tolerance. In Arabidopsis, the LEA_4 Pfam group is the biggest group with the majority of its members being expressed in dry seeds. To assess subcellular localization in vivo, we investigated 11 seed-expressed LEA_4 proteins in embryos dissected from dry seeds expressing LEA_4 fusion proteins under its native promoters with the Venus fluorescent protein (proLEA_4::LEA_4:Venus). LEA_4 proteins were shown to be localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, nucleus, mitochondria, and plastids. LEA9, in addition to the nucleus, was also found in cytoplasmic condensates in dry seeds dependent on cellular hydration level. Most investigated LEA_4 proteins were detected in 4-d-old seedlings. In addition, we assessed bioinformatic tools for predicting subcellular localization and promoter motifs of 11 seed-expressed LEA_4 proteins. Ratiometric bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays showed that LEA7, LEA29, and LEA48 form homodimers while heterodimers were formed between LEA7-LEA29 and LEA42-LEA48 in tobacco leaves. Interestingly, LEA48 homodimers and LEA42-LEA48 heterodimers formed droplets structures with liquid-like behavior. These structures, along with LEA9 cytoplasmic condensates, may have been formed through liquid-liquid phase separation. These findings suggest possible important roles of LLPS for LEA protein functions.

OsLEA1a overexpression enhances tolerance to diverse abiotic stresses by inhibiting cell membrane damage and enhancing ROS scavenging capacity in transgenic rice

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are involved in diverse abiotic stresses tolerance in many different organisms. Our previous studies have shown that the heterologous expression of OsLEA1a interfered with the resistance of Escherichia coli to abiotic stresses. However, in the present study, based on growth status and physiological indices of rice plant, the overexpression of OsLEA1a in rice conferred increased resistance to abiotic stresses compared with the wild-type (WT) plants. Before applying abiotic stresses, there were no significant differences in physiological indices of rice seedlings. After NaCl, sorbitol, CuSO4 and H2O2 stresses, the transgenic lines had lower relative electrical conductivity, malondialdehyde and lipid peroxidation, greater the contents of proline, soluble sugar and glutathione, and higher the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase than the WT plants. The results indicate that the OsLEA1a gene is involved in the protective response of plants to various abiotic stresses by inhibiting cell membrane damage and enhancing reactive oxygen species scavenging capacity. It was speculated that post-translational modification causes OsLEA1a functional differences in E. coli and rice. The present study shows that OsLEA1a could be a useful candidate gene for engineering abiotic stress tolerance in cultivated plants.

Functional analysis of a wheat group 3 late embryogenesis abundant protein (TdLEA3) in Arabidopsis thaliana under abiotic and biotic stresses

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are highly hydrophilic and thermostable proteins that could be induced by abiotic stresses in plants. Previously, we have isolated a group 3 LEA gene TdLEA3 in wheat. The data show that TdLEA3 was largely disordered under fully hydrated conditions and was able to prevent the inactivation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) under stress treatments. In the present work, we further investigate the role of TdLEA3 by analyzing its expression pattern under abiotic stress conditions in two contrasting wheat genotypes and by overexpressing it in Arabidopsis thaliana. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed higher tolerance levels to salt and oxidative stress compared to the wild type plants. Meanwhile, there was significant increase in antioxidants, catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) accumulation, increased root length and significant reduction in oxidants, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the leaves of transgenic lines under stress conditions. Accordingly, Q-PCR results indicate that the higher levels of expression of different ROS scavenging genes (AtP5CS, AtCAT, AtPOD and AtSOD) and abiotic stress related genes (RAB18 and RD29B) were detected in transgenic lines. In addition, they showed increased resistance to fungal infections caused by Fusarium graminearum, Botrytis cinerea and Aspergillus niger. Finally, Q-PCR results for biotic stress related genes (PR1, PDF1.2, LOX3 and VSP2) showed differential expression in transgenic TdLEA3 lines. All these results strongly reinforce the interest of TdLEA3 in plant adaptation to various stresses.

Early Stage Adaptation of a Mesophilic Green Alga to Antarctica: Systematic Increases in Abundance of Enzymes and LEA Proteins

It is known that adaptive evolution in permanently cold environments drives cold adaptation in enzymes. However, how the relatively high enzyme activities were achieved in cold environments prior to cold adaptation of enzymes is unclear. Here we report that an Antarctic strain of Chlorella vulgaris, called NJ-7, acquired the capability to grow at near 0 °C temperatures and greatly enhanced freezing tolerance after systematic increases in abundance of enzymes/proteins and positive selection of certain genes. Having diverged from the temperate strain UTEX259 of the same species 2.5 (1.1-4.1) to 2.6 (1.0-4.5) Ma, NJ-7 retained the basic mesophilic characteristics and genome structures. Nitrate reductases in the two strains are highly similar in amino acid sequence and optimal temperature, but the NJ-7 one showed significantly higher abundance and activity. Quantitative proteomic analyses indicated that several cryoprotective proteins (LEA), many enzymes involved in carbon metabolism and a large number of other enzymes/proteins, were more abundant in NJ-7 than in UTEX259. Like nitrate reductase, most of these enzymes were not upregulated in response to cold stress. Thus, compensation of low specific activities by increased enzyme abundance appears to be an important strategy for early stage cold adaptation to Antarctica, but such enzymes are mostly not involved in cold acclimation upon transfer from favorable temperatures to near 0 °C temperatures.

Structural Plasticity of Intrinsically Disordered LEA Proteins from Xerophyta schlechteri Provides Protection In Vitro and In Vivo

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are essential to the ability of resurrection plants and orthodox seeds to protect the subcellular milieu against irreversible damage associated with desiccation. In this work, we investigated the structure and function of six LEA proteins expressed during desiccation in the monocot resurrection species Xerophyta schlechteri (XsLEAs). In silico analyses suggested that XsLEAs are hydrophilic proteins with variable intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) properties. Circular dichroism (CD) analysis indicated that these proteins are mostly unstructured in water but acquire secondary structure in hydrophobic solution, suggesting that structural dynamics may play a role in their function in the subcellular environment. The protective property of XsLEAs was demonstrated by their ability to preserve the activity of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) against desiccation, heat and oxidative stress, as well as growth of Escherichia coli upon exposure to osmotic and salt stress. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that XsLEA recombinant proteins are differentially distributed in the cytoplasm, membranes and nucleus of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Interestingly, a LEA_1 family protein (XsLEA1-8), showing the highest disorder-to-order propensity and protective ability in vitro and in vivo, was also able to enhance salt and drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Together, our results suggest that the structural plasticity of XsLEAs is essential for their protective activity to avoid damage of various subcellular components caused by water deficit stress. XsLEA1-8 constitutes a potential model protein for engineering structural stability in vitro and improvement of water-deficit stress tolerance in plants.

Drought and heat stress-related proteins: an update about their functional relevance in imparting stress tolerance in agricultural crops

We describe here the recent developments about the involvement of diverse stress-related proteins in sensing, signaling, and defending the cells in plants in response to drought or/and heat stress. In the current era of global climate drift, plant growth and productivity are often limited by various environmental stresses, especially drought and heat. Adaptation to abiotic stress is a multigenic process involving maintenance of homeostasis for proper survival under adverse environment. It has been widely observed that a series of proteins respond to heat and drought conditions at both transcriptional and translational levels. The proteins are involved in various signaling events, act as key transcriptional activators and saviors of plants under extreme environments. A detailed insight about the functional aspects of diverse stress-responsive proteins may assist in unraveling various stress resilience mechanisms in plants. Furthermore, by identifying the metabolic proteins associated with drought and heat tolerance, tolerant varieties can be produced through transgenic/recombinant technologies. A large number of regulatory and functional stress-associated proteins are reported to participate in response to heat and drought stresses, such as protein kinases, phosphatases, transcription factors, and late embryogenesis abundant proteins, dehydrins, osmotins, and heat shock proteins, which may be similar or unique to stress treatments. Few studies have revealed that cellular response to combined drought and heat stresses is distinctive, compared to their individual treatments. In this review, we would mainly focus on the new developments about various stress sensors and receptors, transcription factors, chaperones, and stress-associated proteins involved in drought or/and heat stresses, and their possible role in augmenting stress tolerance in crops.

Overexpression of OsLea14-A improves the tolerance of rice and increases Hg accumulation under diverse stresses

The group 5 LEA (late embryogenesis abundant) proteins are an atypical LEA protein group, which is associated with resistance to multiple stresses. In this study, OsLea14-A gene was isolated from Oryza sativa L., which encodes a 5C LEA protein with 151 amino acids. The qPCR analysis showed that OsLea14-A expressed in all tissues and organs at all times. The expression of OsLea14-A in the panicles of plumping stage were dramatically increased. The heterologous expression of OsLea14-A in Escherichia coli improved its growth performance under salinity, desiccation, high temperature, and freeze-thaw stresses. The purified OsLea14-A protein can protect LDH activity from freeze-thaw-, heat-, and desiccation-induced inactivation. The overexpression of OsLea14-A in rice improved tolerance to dehydration, high salinity, CuSO₄, and HgCl₂, but excluding K₂Cr₂O₇. The analysis of metal contents showed that the accumulation of OsLea14-A protein in transgenic rice could increase the accumulation of Hg, but could not increase the accumulation of Na, Cr, and Cu after HgCl₂, NaCl, K₂Cr₂O₇, and CuSO₄ treatment, respectively. These results suggested that OsLea14-A conferred multiple stress tolerance and Hg accumulation, which made it a possible gene in genetic improvement for plants to acclimatize itself to multiple stresses and remediate Hg-contaminated soil.

A Grapevine-Inducible Gene Vv-α-gal/SIP Confers Salt and Desiccation Tolerance in Escherichia coli and Tobacco at Germinative Stage

Grapevine is an important fruit crop cultivated worldwide. Previously, we have reported the characterization of a salt stress-inducible gene Vv-α-gal/SIP isolated from the tolerant grapevine cultivar Razegui. In this study, we performed functional studies in both Escherichia coli and tobacco systems to gain more insights in the role of the Vv-α-gal/SIP gene. Our data revealed that the recombinant E. coli cells harboring the pET24b+ expression vector with the Vv-α-gal/SIP showed higher tolerance to desiccation and salinity compared to E. coli cells harboring the vector alone. In addition, the transgenic tobacco plants expressing the Vv-α-gal/SIP gene exhibited a higher percentage of seed germination and better growth under salt stress than the wild-type (WT) tobacco seedlings. This stress mitigation might be related to the putative function of this gene, which is thought to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism regulation. Collectively, these results suggest that Vv-α-gal/SIP is potentially a candidate gene for engineering drought and salt tolerance in cultivated plants.

Overexpression of CsLEA11, a Y3SK2-type dehydrin gene from cucumber (Cucumis sativus), enhances tolerance to heat and cold in Escherichia coli

As the group II LEA (late embryogenesis abundant) proteins, dehydrins (DHNs) play an important role in plant growth and development, as well as in response to abiotic or biotic stress challenges. In this study, a DHN gene named CsLEA11 was identified and characterized from Cucumis sativus. Sequence analysis of CsLEA11 showed that it is a Y₃SK₂-type DHN protein rich in hydrophilic amino acids. Expression analyses revealed that the transcription of CsLEA11 could be significantly induced by heat and cold stress. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 and isopropy-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) was used to induce recombinant E. coli to express CsLEA11 gene. Overexpression of CsLEA11 in E. coli enhanced cell viability and conferred tolerance to heat and cold stress. Furthermore, CsLEA11 protein could protect the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) under heat stress. Taken together, our data demonstrate that CsLEA11 might function in tolerance of cucumber to heat and cold stress.