Abstract
The growth and development of plants under drought stress depends mainly on the expression levels of various genes and modification of proteins. To clarify the molecular mechanism of drought-tolerance of plants, suppression subtractive hybridisation cDNA libraries were screened to identify drought-stress-responsive unigenes in Grimmia pilifera, and a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase gene, GpDSR7, was identified among the 240 responsive unigenes. GpDSR7 expression was induced by various abiotic stresses, particularly by drought. GpDSR7 displayed E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro and was exclusively localised on the ER membrane in Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts. GpDSR7-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed a high water content and survival ratio under drought stress. Moreover, the expression levels of some marker genes involved in drought stress were higher in the transgenic plants than in wild-type plants. These results suggest that GpDSR7, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is involved in tolerance to drought stress at the protein modification level.
Highlights
Plants are consistently exposed to various abiotic stresses during their life cycle, and they have evolved unique defence responses for survival [1]
GpSDR7 production was induced by various abiotic stresses, and its overexpression conferred drought tolerance to Arabidopsis transgenic plants. These results suggest that GpDSR7 encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase that plays essential roles in regulating the response to drought tolerance through protein modification
GpDSR7 accumulation was not obviously affected by low temperature. These results suggest that GpDSR7 is involved in the response to drought stress of G. pilifera
Summary
Plants are consistently exposed to various abiotic stresses during their life cycle, and they have evolved unique defence responses for survival [1]. Drought is a major abiotic stress that seriously affects plant growth and development; it is responsible for marked reductions in crop yield [2]. Elucidating the mechanism that regulates drought resistance is important for understanding the balance between plant development and resistance, as well as providing guidance for agricultural improvement. When subjected to drought stress, plants adapt by triggering a network of signalling events [3] and altering the expression of a large number of genes involved in biochemical, cellular, and physiological processes [4]. One category comprises genes that function mainly in protecting plants against drought stress (functional proteins).
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