MeGLYI-13, a Glyoxalase I Gene in Cassava, Enhances the Tolerance of Yeast and <i>Arabidopsis</i> to Zinc and Copper Stresses
Ruimei Li,
Fenlian Tang,
Yannian Che,
Alisdair R. Fernie,
Qin Zhou,
Zhongping Ding,
Yuan Yao,
Jiao Liu,
Yajie Wang,
Xinwen Hu,
Jianchun Guo
Affiliations
Ruimei Li
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Fenlian Tang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Yannian Che
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Alisdair R. Fernie
Root Biology and Symbiosis, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Muhlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
Qin Zhou
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Zhongping Ding
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Yuan Yao
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Jiao Liu
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Yajie Wang
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Xinwen Hu
College of Tropical Crops, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Jianchun Guo
Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops, Institute of Tropical Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Although zinc and copper are the two essential nutrients necessary for plant growth, their excessive accumulation in soil not only causes environmental pollution but also seriously threatens human health and inhibits plant growth. The breeding of plants with novel zinc or copper toxicity tolerance capacities represents one strategy to address this problem. Glyoxalase I (GLYI) family genes have previously been suggested to be involved in the resistance to a wide range of abiotic stresses, including those invoked by heavy metals. Here, a MeGLYI-13 gene cloned from a cassava SC8 cultivar was characterized with regard to its potential ability in resistance to zinc or copper stresses. Sequence alignment indicated that MeGLYI-13 exhibits sequence differences between genotypes. Transient expression analysis revealed the nuclear localization of MeGLYI-13. A nuclear localization signal (NLS) was found in its C-terminal region. There are 12 Zn2+ binding sites and 14 Cu2+ binding sites predicted by the MIB tool, of which six binding sites were shared by Zn2+ and Cu2+. The overexpression of MeGLYI-13 enhanced both the zinc and copper toxicity tolerances of transformed yeast cells and Arabidopsis seedlings. Taken together, our study shows the ability of the MeGLYI-13 gene to resist zinc and copper toxicity, which provides genetic resources for the future breeding of plants resistant to zinc and copper and potentially other heavy metals.
