Abstract
Kalanchoe (K.) daigremontiana is important for studying asexual reproduction under different environmental conditions. Here, we describe a novel KdNOVEL41 (KdN41) gene that may confer drought resistance and could thereby affect K. daigremontiana development. The detected subcellular localization of a KdN41/Yellow Fluorescent Protein (YFP) fusion protein was in the nucleus and cell membrane. Drought, salt, and heat stress treatment in tobacco plants containing the KdN41 gene promoter driving β-glucuronidase (GUS) gene transcription revealed that only drought stress triggered strong GUS staining in the vascular tissues. Overexpression (OE) of the KdN41 gene conferred improved drought resistance in tobacco plants compared to wild-type and transformed with empty vector plants by inducing higher antioxidant enzyme activities, decreasing cell membrane damage, increasing abscisic acid (ABA) content, causing reinforced drought resistance related gene expression profiles. The 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) staining results also showed less relative oxygen species (ROS) content in KdN41-overexpressing tobacco leaf during drought stress. Surprisingly, by re-watering after drought stress, KdN41-overexpressing tobacco showed earlier flowering. Overall, the KdN41 gene plays roles in ROS scavenging and osmotic damage reduction to improve tobacco drought resistance, which may increase our understanding of the molecular network involved in developmental manipulation under drought stress in K. daigremontiana.
Highlights
Plant growth relies on balancing propagation and survival in a rapidly changing habitat since the plant is a stationary system that cannot escape an inhospitable environment, unlike animals[1]
We observed an interesting scenario regarding an increased number of plantlets along the K. daigremontiana leaf margin under light drought stress compared to well-watered conditions, which allowed us to study the regulatory mechanisms between development and drought resistance
Antioxidant genes enrich in K. daigremontiana leaf under drought stress
Summary
Plant growth relies on balancing propagation and survival in a rapidly changing habitat since the plant is a stationary system that cannot escape an inhospitable environment, unlike animals[1]. Many studies have indicated that cross-talk between growth and stress hormone signaling can result in developmental arrest and enhancement of plant survival, allowing propagation of the species[11,12]. We observed an interesting scenario regarding an increased number of plantlets along the K. daigremontiana leaf margin under light drought stress compared to well-watered conditions, which allowed us to study the regulatory mechanisms between development and drought resistance. Different gene expression patterns in leaves between light drought stress and well-watered plants were identified by Suppression Subtractive Hybridization (SSH) technology[16]. The expression patterns of the KdN41 gene were examined in K. daigremontiana leaves under different hormone and drought stress treatments. Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum, NT) overexpressing KdN41 were studied to evaluate the role of this gene in drought resistance
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