Abstract
WRKY transcription factors play central roles in developmental processes and stress responses of wheat. Most WRKY proteins of the same group (Group III) have a similar function in abiotic stress responses in plants. TaWRKY46, a member of Group III, was up-regulated by PEG treatment. TaWRKY46-GFP fusion proteins localize to the nucleus in wheat mesophyll protoplasts. Overexpression of TaWRKY46 enhanced osmotic stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants, which was mainly demonstrated by transgenic Arabidopsis plants forming higher germination rate and longer root length on 1/2 Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing mannitol. Furthermore, the expression of several stress-related genes (P5CS1, RD29B, DREB2A, ABF3, CBF2, and CBF3) was significantly increased in TaWRKY46-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis plants after mannitol treatment. Taken together, these findings proposed that TaWRKY46 possesses vital functions in improving drought tolerance through ABA-dependent and ABA-independent pathways when plants are exposed to adverse osmotic conditions. TaWRKY46 can be taken as a candidate gene for transgenic breeding against osmotic stress in wheat. It can further complement and improve the information of the WRKY family members of Group III.
Highlights
Drought is one of the most hazardous environmental abiotic stressors, which adversely influences the growth and development of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) [1,2]
Our results showed that overexpression of TaWRKY46 promoted the germination rate and boosted the root growth in TaWRKY46-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants under osmotic stress
TaWRKY46 was assigned to Group III, due to the existence of one WRKY domain and a C2HC zinc finger motif (Figure 1D)
Summary
Drought is one of the most hazardous environmental abiotic stressors, which adversely influences the growth and development of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) [1,2]. Recent studies have emphasized the involvement of TaWRKY TFs in various biotic and abiotic stress responses and plant growth and development processes, such as pathogen defense [20], high salt stress [21,22], extreme temperature [23,24], drought stress [21,22,25,26] and senescence [15]. The WRKY members of Group III have been identified as participants in abiotic stress responses in plants. Whether or not the wheat WRKY members of Group III play a role in abiotic stress responses is still unclear. Overexpression of TaWRKY46 induced stress-related genes in transgenic Arabidopsis plants, which suggested that TaWRKY46 played an important role in enhancing osmotic tolerance through ABA-dependent and ABA-independent pathways. This study provides more information for further investigation into the underlying mechanisms of TaWRKY genes that are involved in osmotic-related regulatory networks
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