The 14-3-3 Protein BdGF14a Increases the Transcriptional Regulation Activity of BdbZIP62 to Confer Drought and Salt Resistance in Tobacco
Yang Zhang,
Yuan He,
Hongyan Zhao,
Yan Wang,
Chunlai Wu,
Yuanzeng Zhao,
Hongna Xue,
Qidi Zhu,
Jinlong Zhang,
Xingqi Ou
Affiliations
Yang Zhang
Henan Institute of Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Xinxiang 453003, China
Yuan He
The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Hongyan Zhao
The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Yan Wang
The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Chunlai Wu
The Genetic Engineering International Cooperation Base of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Yuanzeng Zhao
Henan Institute of Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, Xinxiang 453003, China
Hongna Xue
Henan Institute of Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Xinxiang 453003, China
Qidi Zhu
Henan Institute of Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Xinxiang 453003, China
Jinlong Zhang
Henan Institute of Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Xinxiang 453003, China
Xingqi Ou
Henan Institute of Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Xinxiang 453003, China
BdGF14a, a 14-3-3 gene from Brachypodium distachyon, induced by salt, H2O2, and abscisic acid (ABA), improved tolerance to drought and salt in tobacco, with a higher survival rate and longer roots under these stresses. Additionally, physiological index analyses showed that the heterologous expression of BdGF14a induced higher expression levels of antioxidant enzymes and their activities, leading to lighter DAB and NBT staining, denoting decreased H2O2 content. Additionally, the lower MDA content and ion leakage indicated enhanced cell membrane stability. Moreover, exogenous ABA resulted in shorter roots and a lower stomatal aperture in BdGF14a transgenic plants. BdGF14a interacted with NtABF2 and regulated the expression of stress-related genes. However, adding an ABA biosynthesis inhibitor suppressed most of these changes. Furthermore, similar salt and drought resistance phenotypes and physiological indicators were characterized in tobacco plants expressing BdbZIP62, an ABRE/ABF that interacts with BdGF14a. And Y1H and LUC assays showed that BdGF14a could enhance the transcription regulation activity of NtABF2 and BdbZIP62, targeting NtNECD1 by binding to the ABRE cis-element. Thus, BdGF14a confers resistance to drought and salinity through interaction with BdbZIP62 and enhances its transcriptional regulation activity via an ABA-mediated signaling pathway. Therefore, this work offers novel target genes for breeding salt- and drought-tolerant plants.
