Abstract
Small peptides and proteins play critical regulatory roles in plant development and environmental stress responses; however, only a few of these molecules have been identified and characterized to date because of their poor annotation and other experimental challenges. Here, we present that rice (Oryza sativa L.) OsS1Fa1, a small 76-amino acid protein, confers drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. OsS1Fa1 was highly expressed in leaf, culm, and root tissues of rice seedlings during vegetative growth and was significantly induced under drought stress. OsS1Fa1 overexpression in Arabidopsis induced the expression of selected drought-responsive genes and enhanced the survival rate of transgenic lines under drought. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 protected the OsS1Fa1 protein from degradation. Together, our data indicate that the small protein OsS1Fa1 is induced by drought and is post-translationally regulated, and the ectopic expression of OsS1Fa1 protects plants from drought stress.
Highlights
Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, cold, and heat induce biochemical and molecular changes that affect plant growth and crop yields [1,2]
There are no more than five S1Fa-like protein families in several plant species, including rice (Oryza sativa L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and Arabidopsis, 126 S1Fa-like protein families have been identified in Arachis duranensis, and genes encoding the S1Fa proteins belonging to these 126 families are more highly expressed in roots and etiolated seedlings than in green leaves, similar to spinach S1Fa [14]
We provide evidence showing that the rice small protein OsS1Fa1, a homolog of spinach S1Fa, participates in plant survival under drought, and its stability is regulated by the ubiquitination pathway
Summary
Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, cold, and heat induce biochemical and molecular changes that affect plant growth and crop yields [1,2]. There are no more than five S1Fa-like protein families in several plant species, including rice (Oryza sativa L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), and Arabidopsis, 126 S1Fa-like protein families have been identified in Arachis duranensis, and genes encoding the S1Fa proteins belonging to these 126 families are more highly expressed in roots and etiolated seedlings than in green leaves, similar to spinach S1Fa [14]. These findings suggest that S1Fa plays important roles in plant growth and development, including in responses to environmental stress. We provide evidence showing that the rice small protein OsS1Fa1, a homolog of spinach S1Fa, participates in plant survival under drought, and its stability is regulated by the ubiquitination pathway
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