Freezing Stress Tolerance Research Articles

植物体の細胞レベルにおける凍結ストレス耐性獲得機構(平成17年度 第51回低温低物工学会研究報告)

植物体の細胞レベルにおける凍結ストレス耐性獲得機構(平成17年度 第51回低温低物工学会研究報告)

Overexpression of a Mei (Prunus mume) CBF gene confers tolerance to freezing and oxidative stress in Arabidopsis

Mei (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is an important ornamental plant in China, but low temperature severely restricts its application in North China. The C-repeat binding factor/Dehydration responsive element binding factors (CBF/DREB1) pathway has important roles in plant responses to cold stress. However, knowledge on the function of CBF/DREB1 genes from Mei and its regulatory roles in freezing and other abiotic stresses is limited. Three PmhCBF genes, designated as PmhCBFa, PmhCBFb and PmhCBFc respectively, were isolated and characterized from Prunus mume ‘Huahudie’. Gene expression analysis revealed that PmhCBFa and PmhCBFb were more induced than PmhCBFc by cold stress, and other stress treatments including H2O2, Mannitol, NaCl and Abscisic Acid also induced the expressions of PmhCBFa/b/c at a relatively lower level. Compared to PmhCBFa and PmhCBFb, PmhCBFc appeared to be more triggered by H2O2 and showed broad regulation potential in all the abiotic stresses. Overexpression of PmhCBFc in Arabidopsis improved freezing and oxidative stress tolerance, and reduced the inhibition of PSII, but delayed development and flowering. The superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.11.1.6) and peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7) activities were also elevated in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants during freezing-thawing cycles. Our results suggested that PmhCBFc responded to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and functioned in freezing tolerance by enhancing the capacities for ROS scavenging.

Transcriptome Analysis of Spartina pectinata in Response to Freezing Stress.

Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), a perennial C4 grass native to the North American prairie, has several distinctive characteristics that potentially make it a model crop for production in stressful environments. However, little is known about the transcriptome dynamics of prairie cordgrass despite its unique freezing stress tolerance. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to explore the transcriptome dynamics of prairie cordgrass in response to freezing stress at -5°C for 5 min and 30 min. We used a RNA-sequencing method to assemble the S. pectinata leaf transcriptome and performed gene-expression profiling of the transcripts under freezing treatment. Six differentially expressed gene (DEG) groups were categorized from the profiling. In addition, two major consecutive orders of gene expression were observed in response to freezing; the first being the acute up-regulation of genes involved in plasma membrane modification, calcium-mediated signaling, proteasome-related proteins, and transcription regulators (e.g., MYB and WRKY). The follow-up and second response was of genes involved in encoding the putative anti-freezing protein and the previously known DNA and cell-damage-repair proteins. Moreover, we identified the genes involved in epigenetic regulation and circadian-clock expression. Our results indicate that freezing response in S. pectinata reflects dynamic changes in rapid-time duration, as well as in metabolic, transcriptional, post-translational, and epigenetic regulation.

Intracellular Ca(2+) and K(+) concentration in Brassica oleracea leaf induces differential expression of transporter and stress-related genes.

BackgroundOne of the most important members of the genus Brassica, cabbage, requires a relatively high level of calcium for normal growth (Plant Cell Environ 7: 397–405, 1984; Plant Physiol 60: 854–856, 1977). Localized Ca2+ deficiency in cabbage leaves causes tip-burn, bringing about serious economic losses (Euphytica 9:203–208, 1960; Ann Bot 43:363–372, 1979; Sci Hortic 14:131–138, 1981). Although it has been known that the occurrence of tip-burn is related to Ca2+ deficiency, there is limited information on the underlying mechanisms of tip-burn or the relationship between Ca2+ and tip-burn incidence. To obtain more information on the genetic control of tip-burn symptoms, we focused on the identification of genes differentially expressed in response to increasing intracellular Ca2+ and K+ concentrations in B. oleracea lines derived from tip-burn susceptible, tip-burn resistant cabbages (B. oleracea var. capitata), and kale (B. oleracea var. acephala).ResultsWe compared the levels of major macronutrient cations, including Ca2+ and K+, in three leaf segments, the leaf apex (LA), middle of leaf (LM), and leaf base (LB), of tip-burn susceptible, tip-burn resistant cabbages, and kale. Ca2+ and K+ concentrations were highest in kale, followed by tip-burn resistant and then tip-burn susceptible cabbages. These cations generally accumulated to a greater extent in the LB than in the LA. Transcriptome analysis identified 58,096 loci as putative non-redundant genes in the three leaf segments of the three B. oleracea lines and showed significant changes in expression of 27,876 loci based on Ca2+ and K+ levels. Among these, 1844 loci were identified as tip-burn related phenotype-specific genes. Tip-burn resistant cabbage and kale-specific genes were largely related to stress and transport activity based on GO annotation. Tip-burn resistant cabbage and kale plants showed phenotypes clearly indicative of heat-shock, freezing, and drought stress tolerance compared to tip-burn susceptible cabbages, demonstrating a correlation between intracellular Ca2+ and K+ concentrations and tolerance of abiotic stress with differential gene expression. We selected 165 genes that were up- or down-regulated in response to increasing Ca2+ and K+ concentrations in the three leaf segments of the three plant lines. Gene ontology enrichment analysis indicated that these genes participated in regulatory metabolic processes or stress responses.ConclusionsOur results indicate that the genes involved in regulatory metabolic processes or stress responses were differentially expressed in response to increasing Ca2+ and K+ concentrations in the B. oleracea leaf. Our transcriptome data and the genes identified may serve as a starting point for understanding the mechanisms underlying essential macronutrient deficiencies in plants, as well as the features of tip-burn in cabbage and other Brassica species.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2512-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification of a drought responsive gene encoding a nuclear protein involved in drought and freezing stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

Plants have developed adaptive strategies to survive under different abiotic stressors. To identify new components involved in abiotic stress tolerance, we screened unannotated expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and evaluated their cold or drought response in Arabidopsis. We identified a drought response gene (DRG) encoding a 39.5-kDa polypeptide. This protein was expressed specifically in siliques and was induced by drought stress in most tissues. When a DRG-GFP construct was introduced into Arabidopsis protoplasts, GFP signals were detected only in the nucleus. The drg mutant plant was more sensitive to mannitol-induced osmotic stress in agar plates and to drought or freezing stress in soil than the wild-type. Activating the DRG restored the normal sensitivity of drg mutants to abiotic stressors. No differences in drought or freezing tolerance were observed between the wild-type and transgenic plants overexpressing the DRG. When DRG was expressed in a cold-sensitive Escherichia coli strain BX04, the transformed bacteria grew faster than the untransformed BXO4 cells under cold stress. These results demonstrate that DRG is a nuclear protein induced by abiotic stresses and it is required for drought and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Overexpression of Arabidopsis NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (AtNTRC) confers freezing and cold shock tolerance to plants

Overexpression of AtNTRC (AtNTRCOE) in Arabidopsis thaliana led to a freezing and cold stress tolerance, whereas a knockout mutant (atntrc) showed a stress-sensitive phenotype. Biochemical analyses showed that the recombinant AtNTRC proteins exhibited a cryoprotective activity for malate dehydrogenase and lactic dehydrogenase. Furthermore, conclusive evidence of its interaction with nucleic acids in vitro is provided here on the basis of gel shift and electron microscopy analysis. Recombinant AtNTRC efficiently protected RNA and DNA from RNase A and metal catalyzed oxidation damage, respectively. The C-terminal thioredoxin domain is required for the nucleic acid–protein complex formation. From these results, it can be hypothesized that AtNTRC, which is known to be an electron donor of peroxiredoxin, contributes the stability of macromolecules under cold stress.

Anthocyanin biosynthesis for cold and freezing stress tolerance and desirable color in Brassica rapa.

Flavonoids are divided into several structural classes, including anthocyanins, which provide flower and leaf colors and other derivatives that play diverse roles in plant development and interactions with the environment. This study characterized four anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) genes of Brassica rapa, a structural gene of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway, and investigated their association with pigment formation, cold and freezing tolerance in B. rapa. Sequences of these genes were analyzed and compared with similar gene sequences from other species, and a high degree of homology with their respective functions was found. Organ-specific expression analysis revealed that these genes were only expressed in the colored portion of leaves of different lines of B. rapa. Conversely, B. rapa anthocyanidin synthase (BrANS) genes also showed responses to cold and freezing stress treatment in B. rapa. BrANSs were also shown to be regulated by two transcription factors, BrMYB2-2 and BrTT8, contrasting with anthocyanin accumulation and cold stress. Thus, the above results suggest the association of these genes with anthocyanin biosynthesis and cold and freezing stress tolerance and might be useful resources for development of cold-resistant Brassica crops with desirable colors as well.

Identification and expression analysis of cold and freezing stress responsive genes of Brassica oleracea

Cold and freezing stress is a major environmental constraint to the production of Brassica crops. Enhancement of tolerance by exploiting cold and freezing tolerance related genes offers the most efficient approach to address this problem. Cold-induced transcriptional profiling is a promising approach to the identification of potential genes related to cold and freezing stress tolerance. In this study, 99 highly expressed genes were identified from a whole genome microarray dataset of Brassica rapa. Blast search analysis of the Brassica oleracea database revealed the corresponding homologous genes. To validate their expression, pre-selected cold tolerant and susceptible cabbage lines were analyzed. Out of 99 BoCRGs, 43 were differentially expressed in response to varying degrees of cold and freezing stress in the contrasting cabbage lines. Among the differentially expressed genes, 18 were highly up-regulated in the tolerant lines, which is consistent with their microarray expression. Additionally, 12 BoCRGs were expressed differentially after cold stress treatment in two contrasting cabbage lines, and BoCRG54, 56, 59, 62, 70, 72 and 99 were predicted to be involved in cold regulatory pathways. Taken together, the cold-responsive genes identified in this study provide additional direction for elucidating the regulatory network of low temperature stress tolerance and developing cold and freezing stress resistant Brassica crops.

Characterization of dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) genes and their association with cold and freezing stress in Brassica rapa

Flavonoids including anthocyanins provide flower and leaf colors, as well as other derivatives that play diverse roles in plant development and interactions with the environment. Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) is part of an important step in the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway of anthocyanins. This study characterized 12 DFR genes of Brassica rapa and investigated their association with anthocyanin coloration, as well as cold and freezing stress in several genotypes of B. rapa. Comparison of sequences of these genes with DFR gene sequences from other species revealed a high degree of homology. Constitutive expression of the genes in several pigmented and non-pigmented lines of B. rapa demonstrated correlation with anthocyanin accumulation for BrDFR8 and 9. Conversely, BrDFR2, 4, 8 and 9 only showed very high responses to cold stress in pigmented B. rapa samples. BrDFR1, 3, 5, 6 and 10 responded to cold and freezing stress treatments, regardless of pigmentation. BrDFRs were also shown to be regulated by two transcription factors, BrMYB2-2 and BrTT8, contrasting with anthocyanin accumulation and cold and freezing stress. Thus, the above results suggest that these genes are associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis and cold and freezing stress tolerance and might be useful resources for development of cold and/or freezing stress resistant Brassica crops with desirable colors as well. These findings may also facilitate exploration of the molecular mechanism that regulates anthocyanin biosynthesis and its response to abiotic stresses.

Abscisic acid-induced rearrangement of intracellular structures associated with freezing and desiccation stress tolerance in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

The plant growth regulator abscisic acid (ABA) is known to be involved in triggering responses to various environmental stresses such as freezing and desiccation in angiosperms, but little is known about its role in basal land plants, especially in liverworts, representing the earliest land plant lineage. We show here that survival rate after freezing and desiccation of Marchantia polymorpha gemmalings was increased by pretreatment with ABA in the presence of increasing concentrations of sucrose. ABA treatment increased accumulation of soluble sugars in gemmalings, and sugar accumulation was further increased by addition of sucrose to the culture medium. ABA treatment of gemmalings also induced accumulation of transcripts for proteins with similarity to late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, which accumulate in association with acquisition of desiccation tolerance in maturing seeds. Observation by light and electron microscopy indicated that the ABA treatment caused fragmentation of vacuoles with increased cytosolic volume, which was more prominent in the presence of a high concentration of external sucrose. ABA treatment also increased the density of chloroplast distribution and remarkably enlarged their volume. These results demonstrate that ABA induces drastic physiological changes in liverwort cells for stress tolerance, accompanied by accumulation of protectants against dehydration and rearrangement and morphological alterations of cellular organelles.

Transcriptional and metabolomic analysis of Ascophyllum nodosum mediated freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

BackgroundWe have previously shown that lipophilic components (LPC) of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) improved freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the mechanism(s) of this induced freezing stress tolerance is largely unknown. Here, we investigated LPC induced changes in the transcriptome and metabolome of A. thaliana undergoing freezing stress.ResultsGene expression studies revealed that the accumulation of proline was mediated by an increase in the expression of the proline synthesis genes P5CS1 and P5CS2 and a marginal reduction in the expression of the proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) gene. Moreover, LPC application significantly increased the concentration of total soluble sugars in the cytosol in response to freezing stress. Arabidopsis sfr4 mutant plants, defective in the accumulation of free sugars, treated with LPC, exhibited freezing sensitivity similar to that of untreated controls. The 1H NMR metabolite profile of LPC-treated Arabidopsis plants exposed to freezing stress revealed a spectrum dominated by chemical shifts (δ) representing soluble sugars, sugar alcohols, organic acids and lipophilic components like fatty acids, as compared to control plants. Additionally, 2D NMR spectra suggested an increase in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids in LPC treated plants under freezing stress. These results were supported by global transcriptome analysis. Transcriptome analysis revealed that LPC treatment altered the expression of 1113 genes (5%) in comparison with untreated plants. A total of 463 genes (2%) were up regulated while 650 genes (3%) were down regulated.ConclusionTaken together, the results of the experiments presented in this paper provide evidence to support LPC mediated freezing tolerance enhancement through a combination of the priming of plants for the increased accumulation of osmoprotectants and alteration of cellular fatty acid composition.

Heterologous expression of the Arabidopsis DREB1A/CBF3 gene enhances drought and freezing tolerance in transgenic Lolium perenne plants

The dehydration-responsive element binding proteins (DREB1)/C-repeat (CRT) binding factors (CBF) function as transcription factors and play an important role in agricultural biotechnology and molecular biology studies of drought and freezing stress tolerance. We generated transgenic Lolium perenne plants containing the PCR-cloned ArabidopsisDREB1A/CBF3 gene (AtDREB1A/CBF3) to study the function of this gene construct in drought and freezing tolerance in a species of turfgrass. Compared to the control, AtDREB1A/CBF3 transgenic L. perenne plants showed enhanced drought and freezing stress tolerance. The activities of the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were higher in transgenic plants than in the non-transgenic plant control. These results demonstrate that the expression of the AtDREB1A/CBF3 gene in transgenic L. perenne plants enhanced drought and freezing tolerance and that the increased stress tolerance was associated with the increased activities of antioxidant enzymes. These results are relevant to stress biology and biotechnology studies of turfgrass.

Evolutionarily Conserved Regulatory Mechanisms of Abscisic Acid Signaling in Land Plants: Characterization of ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE1-Like Type 2C Protein Phosphatase in the Liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

Abscisic acid (ABA) is postulated to be a ubiquitous hormone that plays a central role in seed development and responses to environmental stresses of vascular plants. However, in liverworts (Marchantiophyta), which represent the oldest extant lineage of land plants, the role of ABA has been least emphasized; thus, very little information is available on the molecular mechanisms underlying ABA responses. In this study, we isolated and characterized MpABI1, an ortholog of ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE1 (ABI1), from the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. The MpABI1 cDNA encoded a 568-amino acid protein consisting of the carboxy-terminal protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) domain and a novel amino-terminal regulatory domain. The MpABI1 transcript was detected in the gametophyte, and its expression level was increased by exogenous ABA treatment in the gemma, whose growth was strongly inhibited by ABA. Experiments using green fluorescent protein fusion constructs indicated that MpABI1 was mainly localized in the nucleus and that its nuclear localization was directed by the amino-terminal domain. Transient overexpression of MpABI1 in M. polymorpha and Physcomitrella patens cells resulted in suppression of ABA-induced expression of the wheat Em promoter fused to the beta -glucuronidase gene. Transgenic P. patens expressing MpABI1 and its mutant construct, MpABI1-d2, lacking the amino-terminal domain, had reduced freezing and osmotic stress tolerance, and associated with reduced accumulation of ABA-induced late embryogenesis abundant-like boiling-soluble proteins. Furthermore, ABA-induced morphological changes leading to brood cells were not prominent in these transgenic plants. These results suggest that MpABI1 is a negative regulator of ABA signaling, providing unequivocal molecular evidence of PP2C-mediated ABA response mechanisms functioning in liverworts.

GhDREB1 enhances abiotic stress tolerance, delays GA‐mediated development and represses cytokinin signalling in transgenic Arabidopsis

Plants vary significantly in their ability to tolerate low temperatures. The CBF/DREB1 cold response pathway has been identified in many plant species and plays a pivotal role in low temperature tolerance. Here, we show that GhDREB1 is a functional homologue and elevates the freezing, salt and osmotic stress tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis. The constitutive expression of GhDREB1 in Arabidopsis caused dwarfism and late flowering phenotypes, which could be rescued by exogenous application of GA(3). Endogenous bioactive GA contents were significantly lower in GhDREB1 overexpressing Arabidopsis than in wild-type plants. RT-PCR analyses revealed that the transcript levels of the GA synthase genes were higher in transgenics than in wild-type plants, whereas the GA deactivating genes were lower. Flowering related genes in different regulatory pathways were also affected by GhDREB1, which may account for the flowering delay phenotype. Moreover, the GhDREB1 overexpressing Arabidopsis exhibited decreased sensitivity to cytokinin (CK) which is associated with repression of expression of type-B and type-A ARRs, two key components in the CK-signalling pathway.

Metabolic Pathways Involved in Cold Acclimation Identified by Integrated Analysis of Metabolites and Transcripts Regulated by DREB1A and DREB2A

DREB1A/CBF3 and DREB2A are transcription factors that specifically interact with a cis-acting dehydration-responsive element (DRE), which is involved in cold- and dehydration-responsive gene expression in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Overexpression of DREB1A improves stress tolerance to both freezing and dehydration in transgenic plants. In contrast, overexpression of an active form of DREB2A results in significant stress tolerance to dehydration but only slight tolerance to freezing in transgenic plants. The downstream gene products for DREB1A and DREB2A are reported to have similar putative functions, but downstream genes encoding enzymes for carbohydrate metabolism are very different between DREB1A and DREB2A. We demonstrate that under cold and dehydration conditions, the expression of many genes encoding starch-degrading enzymes, sucrose metabolism enzymes, and sugar alcohol synthases changes dynamically; consequently, many kinds of monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, and sugar alcohols accumulate in Arabidopsis. We also show that DREB1A overexpression can cause almost the same changes in these metabolic processes and that these changes seem to improve freezing and dehydration stress tolerance in transgenic plants. In contrast, DREB2A overexpression did not increase the level of any of these metabolites in transgenic plants. Strong freezing stress tolerance of the transgenic plants overexpressing DREB1A may depend on accumulation of these metabolites.

Lipophilic components of the brown seaweed, Ascophyllum nodosum, enhance freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Extracts of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum enhance plant tolerance against environmental stresses such as drought, salinity, and frost. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this improved stress tolerance and the nature of the bioactive compounds present in the seaweed extracts that elicits stress tolerance remain largely unknown. We investigated the effect of A. nodosum extracts and its organic sub-fractions on freezing tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana. Ascophyllum nodosum extracts and its lipophilic fraction significantly increased tolerance to freezing temperatures in in vitro and in vivo assays. Untreated plants exhibited severe chlorosis, tissue damage, and failed to recover from freezing treatments while the extract-treated plants recovered from freezing temperature of -7.5 degrees C in in vitro and -5.5 degrees C in in vivo assays. Electrolyte leakage measurements revealed that the LT(50) value was lowered by 3 degrees C while cell viability staining demonstrated a 30-40% reduction in area of damaged tissue in extract treated plants as compared to water controls. Moreover, histological observations of leaf sections revealed that extracts have a significant effect on maintaining membrane integrity during freezing stress. Treated plants exhibited 70% less chlorophyll damage during freezing recovery as compared to the controls, and this correlated with reduced expression of the chlorphyllase genes AtCHL1 and AtCHL2. Further, the A. nodosum extract treatment modulated the expression of the cold response genes, COR15A, RD29A, and CBF3, resulting in enhanced tolerance to freezing temperatures. More than 2.6-fold increase in expression of RD29A, 1.8-fold increase of CBF3 and two-fold increase in the transcript level of COR15A was observed in plants treated with lipophilic fraction of A. nodosum at -2 degrees C. Taken together, the results suggest that chemical components in A. nodosum extracts protect membrane integrity and affect the expression of stress response genes leading to freezing stress tolerance in A. thaliana.

RcDhn5, a cold acclimation‐responsive dehydrin from Rhododendron catawbiense rescues enzyme activity from dehydration effects in vitro and enhances freezing tolerance in RcDhn5‐overexpressing Arabidopsis plants

Dehydrins (DHNs) are typically induced in response to abiotic stresses that impose cellular dehydration. As extracellular freezing results in cellular dehydration, accumulation of DHNs and development of desiccation tolerance are believed to be key components of the cold acclimation (CA) process. The present study shows that RcDhn5, one of the DHNs from Rhododendron catawbiense leaf tissues, encodes an acidic, SK(2) type DHN and is upregulated during seasonal CA and downregulated during spring deacclimation (DA). Data from in vitro partial water loss assays indicate that purified RcDhn5 protects enzyme activity against a dehydration treatment and that this protection is comparable with acidic SK(n) DHNs from other species. To investigate the contribution of RcDhn5 to freezing tolerance (FT), Arabidopsis plants overexpressing RcDhn5 under the control of 35S promoter were generated. Transgenic plants exhibited improved 'constitutive' FT compared with the control plants. Furthermore, a small but significant improvement in FT of RcDhn5-overexpressing plants was observed after 12 h of CA; however, this gained acclimation capacity was not sustained after a 6-day CA. Transcript profiles of cold-regulated native Arabidopsis DHNs (COR47, ERD10 and ERD14) during a CA time-course suggests that the apparent lack of improvement in cold-acclimated FT of RcDhn5-overexpressing plants over that of wild-type controls after a 6-day CA might have been because of the dilution of the effect of RcDhn5 overproduction by a strong CA-induced expression of native Arabidopsis DHNs. This study provides evidence that RcDhn5 contributes to freezing stress tolerance and that this could be, in part, because of its dehydration stress-protective ability.

Rice DREB1B promoter shows distinct stress-specific responses, and the overexpression of cDNA in tobacco confers improved abiotic and biotic stress tolerance

CBF/DREB (C-repeat binding factor/dehydration responsive element binding factor) family of transcription factors in plants is reported to be associated with regulation of gene expression under stress conditions. Here, we report the functional characterization of a DREB transcription factor, DREB1B gene from rice (Oryza sativa ssp. indica). The OsDREB1B gene was differentially regulated at the transcriptional level by osmotic stress, oxidative stress, salicylic acid, ABA, and cold. A 745 bp promoter region of OsDREB1B cDNA was fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene and introduced via Agrobacterium tumifaciens into the genome of Arabidopsis. Histochemical analysis of GUS expression in T(2) transgenic Arabidopsis plants indicated that OsDREB1B shows stress-specific induction pattern in response to a variety of stresses like mannitol, NaCl, PEG, methyl viologen, cold, ABA, and salicylic acid. Leaf-order-dependent induction pattern of the promoter was observed in response to both cold and ABA stresses. Further, OsDREB1B cDNA was introduced into tobacco plants under the control of CaMV35S promoter to investigate the role of DREB1B product in plant stress response. Transgenic tobacco plants have shown improved seed germination, root growth, membrane stability, and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-pycrilhydrazil hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity under inhibitory concentrations of mannitol. Importantly, transgenic plants accumulated higher fresh weight under long-term osmotic stress, and also have shown retention of more water than the wild type during drought stress. Overexpression of OsDREB1B in tobacco also improved the oxidative and freezing stress tolerance of transgenic plants. In addition, tobacco plants constitutively expressing OsDREB1B have shown decreased sensitivity to tobacco streak virus infection. Constitutive expression of OsDREB1B in tobacco also induced the expression of PR genes in transgenic plants. The data obtained provide strong in vivo evidence that OsDREB1B is involved in both abiotic and biotic stress responses, and confers broad-spectrum stress tolerance to transgenic plants.

Expression of insect (Microdera puntipennis dzungarica) antifreeze protein MpAFP149 confers the cold tolerance to transgenic tobacco

To elucidate the function of antifreeze protein from Microdera puntipennis dzhungarica for freezing stress tolerance in plant, the construct of MpAFP149 gene with the signal peptide sequence responsible for secreting the native MpAFP149 into the apoplast space under control of a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter was introduced into tobacco by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. The observation of immunogold localization by TEM (transmission electron microscope) showed that the heterologous MpAFP149 protein was mainly distributed on the cell wall in apoplast of the transgenic tobacco plant. T1 generation transgenic tobacco plants displayed a more frost resistant phenotype and kept the lower ion leakage ratio and MDA (malondialdehyde) content in the leaves compared with wild-type ones at -1 degrees C for 3 days. The results showed that MpAFP149 provided protection and conferred cold tolerance to transgenic tobacco plant during freezing stress.

Transcriptional activation of Cor/Lea genes and increase in abiotic stress tolerance through expression of a wheat DREB2 homolog in transgenic tobacco

Wdreb2, previously isolated as a DREB2 homolog, is expressed in wheat seedlings under abiotic stresses, such as cold, drought, and high salinity, and following treatment with exogenous ABA. In the present study, we generated transgenic tobacco plants expressing Wdreb2 to clarify roles of Wdreb2 in stress tolerance and the direct trans-activation of Cor/Lea genes by WDREB2. Wdreb2 expression significantly improved freezing and osmotic stress tolerance in tobacco plants. Several putative stress- and ABA-responsive cis-elements were found in the 5' upstream regions of four wheat Cor/Lea genes, Wdhn13, Wrab17, Wrab18, and Wrab19. The expression level of a gusA reporter gene under control of Cor/Lea promoter sequences was enhanced by cold, drought and ABA treatment in transgenic tobacco plants. Moreover, the gusA expression level was markedly enhanced by Wdreb2 expression under nonstressful conditions. These results clearly indicate that WDREB2 acts as a transcription factor and positively regulates Wdhn13, Wrab17, Wrab18, and Wrab19 in the development of multiple abiotic stress tolerance in wheat.