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AOBPreview originally published online on February 1, 2007
Annals of Botany 2007 99(3):439-450; doi:10.1093/aob/mcl285
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

A Wheat (Triticum aestivum) Protein Phosphatase 2A Catalytic Subunit Gene Provides Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Tobacco

Chongyi Xu, Ruilian Jing*, Xinguo Mao, Xiaoyun Jia and Xiaoping Chang

The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm & Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

* For correspondence. E-mail jingrl{at}caas.net.cn

Received: 29 September 2006    Returned for revision: 24 October 2006    Accepted: 21 November 2006    Published electronically: 1 February 2007

Background and Aims: Multiple copies of genes encoding the catalytic subunit (c) of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) are commonly found in plants. For some of these genes, expression is up-regulated under water stress. The aim of this study was to investigate expression and characterization of TaPP2Ac-1 from Triticum aestivum, and to evaluate the effects of TaPP2Ac-1 on Nicotiana benthamiana in response to water stress.

Methods TaPP2Ac-1: cDNA was isolated from wheat by in silico identification and RT-PCR amplification. Transcript levels of TaPP2Ac-1 were examined in wheat responding to water deficit. Copy numbers of TaPP2Ac-1 in wheat genomes and subcellular localization in onion epidermal cells were studied. Enzyme properties of the recombinant TaPP2Ac-1 protein were determined. In addition, studies were carried out in tobacco plants with pCAPE2-TaPP2Ac-1 under water-deficit conditions.

Key Results TaPP2Ac-1: cDNA was cloned from wheat. Transcript levels of TaPP2Ac-1 in wheat seedlings were up-regulated under drought condition. One copy for this TaPP2Ac-1 was present in each of the three wheat genomes. TaPP2Ac-1 fused with GFP was located in the nucleus and cytoplasm of onion epidermis cells. The recombinant TaPP2Ac-1 gene was over-expressed in Escherichia coli and encoded a functional serine/threonine phosphatase. Transgenic tobacco plants over-expressing TaPP2Ac-1 exhibited stronger drought tolerance than non-transgenic tobacco plants.

Conclusions: Tobacco plants with pCAPE2-TaPP2Ac-1 appeared to be resistant to water deficit, as shown by their higher capacity to maintain leaf relative water content, leaf cell-membrane stability index, water-retention ability and water use efficiency under water stress. The results suggest that the physiological role of TaPP2Ac-1 is related to drought stress response, possibly through its involvement in drought-responding signal transduction pathways.

Key words: Triticum aestivum, protein phosphatase, TaPP2Ac-1, Nicotiana benthamiana, gene expression, drought tolerance, physiological responses


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