<i>OsMLP423</i> Is a Positive Regulator of Tolerance to Drought and Salt Stresses in Rice
Zhanmei Zhou,
Jiangbo Fan,
Jia Zhang,
Yanmei Yang,
Yifan Zhang,
Xiaofei Zan,
Xiaohong Li,
Jiale Wan,
Xiaoling Gao,
Rongjun Chen,
Zhengjian Huang,
Zhengjun Xu,
Lihua Li
Affiliations
Zhanmei Zhou
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jiangbo Fan
Chongqing Army Characteristic Medical Center, Chongqing 400000, China
Jia Zhang
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yanmei Yang
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yifan Zhang
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiaofei Zan
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiaohong Li
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jiale Wan
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiaoling Gao
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Rongjun Chen
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Zhengjian Huang
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Zhengjun Xu
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Lihua Li
Crop Ecophysiology and Cultivation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Rice Research Institute of Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the main food crops for human survival, and its yield is often restricted by abiotic stresses. Drought and soil salinity are among the most damaging abiotic stresses affecting today’s agriculture. Given the importance of abscisic acid (ABA) in plant growth and abiotic stress responses, it is very important to identify new genes involved in ABA signal transduction. We screened a drought-inducing gene containing about 158 amino acid residues from the transcriptome library of rice exposed to drought treatment, and we found ABA-related cis-acting elements and multiple drought-stress-related cis-acting elements in its promoter sequence. The results of real-time PCR showed that OsMLP423 was strongly induced by drought and salt stresses. The physiological and biochemical phenotype analysis of transgenic plants confirmed that overexpression of OsMLP423 enhanced the tolerance to drought and salt stresses in rice. The expression of OsMLP423-GFP fusion protein indicated that OsMLP423 was located in both the cell membrane system and nucleus. Compared with the wild type, the overexpressed OsMLP423 showed enhanced sensitivity to ABA. Physiological analyses showed that the overexpression of OsMLP423 may regulate the water loss efficiency and ABA-responsive gene expression of rice plants under drought and salt stresses, and it reduces membrane damage and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. These results indicate that OsMLP423 is a positive regulator of drought and salinity tolerance in rice, governing the tolerance of rice to abiotic stresses through an ABA-dependent pathway. Therefore, this study provides a new insight into the physiological and molecular mechanisms of OsMLP423-mediated ABA signal transduction participating in drought and salt stresses.
