Functional characterization of maize heat shock transcription factor gene ZmHsf01 in thermotolerance
Huaning Zhang,
Guoliang Li,
Dong Hu,
Yuanyuan Zhang,
Yujie Zhang,
Hongbo Shao,
Lina Zhao,
Ruiping Yang,
Xiulin Guo
Affiliations
Huaning Zhang
Plant Genetic Engineering Center of Hebei Province/Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
Guoliang Li
Plant Genetic Engineering Center of Hebei Province/Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
Dong Hu
Plant Genetic Engineering Center of Hebei Province/Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
Yuanyuan Zhang
College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Yujie Zhang
College of Agriculture and Forestry Science and Technology, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, China
Hongbo Shao
Salt-soil Agricultural Center, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in the Lower Reaches of Yangtze River Plain, Institute of Agriculture Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS), Nanjing, P.R. China
Lina Zhao
College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Ruiping Yang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Bioresources of Saline Soils, Jiangsu Synthetic Innovation Center for Coastal Bio-agriculture, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, Jiangsu, China
Xiulin Guo
Plant Genetic Engineering Center of Hebei Province/Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, China
Background Heat waves can critically influence maize crop yields. Plant heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) play a key regulating role in the heat shock (HS) signal transduction pathway. Method In this study, a homologous cloning method was used to clone HSF gene ZmHsf01 (accession number: MK888854) from young maize leaves. The transcript levels of ZmHsf01 were detected using qRT-PCR in different tissues and treated by HS, abscisic acid (ABA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), respectively, and the functions of gene ZmHsf01 were studied in transgenic yeast and Arabidopsis. Result ZmHsf01 had a coding sequence (CDS) of 1176 bp and encoded a protein consisting of 391 amino acids. The homologous analysis results showed that ZmHsf01 and SbHsfA2d had the highest protein sequence identities. Subcellular localization experiments confirmed that ZmHsf01 was localized in the nucleus. ZmHsf01 was expressed in many maize tissues. It was up-regulated by HS, and up-regulated in roots and down-regulated in leaves under ABA and H2O2treatments. ZmHsf01-overexpressing yeast cells showed increased thermotolerance. In Arabidopsis seedlings, ZmHsf01 compensated for the thermotolerance defects of mutant athsfa2, and ZmHsf01-overexpressing lines showed enhanced basal and acquired thermotolerance. When compared to wild type (WT) seedlings, ZmHsf01-overexpressing lines showed higher chlorophyll content and survival rates after HS. Heat shock protein (HSP) gene expression levels were more up-regulated in ZmHsf01-overexpressing Arabidopsis seedlings than WT seedlings. These results suggest that ZmHsf01 plays a vital role in response to HS in plant.
