Scientia Agricultura Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (2): 248-260.doi: 10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2021.02.002

• CROP GENETICS & BREEDING·GERMPLASM RESOURCES·MOLECULAR GENETICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Cloning and Functional Analysis of Salt Stress Response Gene GhPEAMT1 in Upland Cotton

WANG Na1(),ZHAO ZiBo2,GAO Qiong1,HE ShouPu1,MA ChenHui1,PENG Zhen1,2(),DU XiongMing1,2()   

  1. 1Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Anyang 455000, Henan
    2School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University/Zhengzhou Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou 450001
  • Received:2020-06-13 Accepted:2020-08-27 Online:2021-01-16 Published:2021-02-03
  • Contact: Zhen PENG,XiongMing DU E-mail:15517960172@163.com;pengzhen01@caas.cn;dxm630723@163.com

Abstract:

【Objective】Phosphoethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PEAMT) is the key enzyme in the synthesis of plant phosphocholine, which is the precursor of choline, a glycine betaine synthesis substrate that can enhance plant resistance. The biological function of GhPEAMT1 gene in response to salt stress in upland cotton was studied by cloning, expression pattern analysis and functional verification, so as to provide gene resources for breeding salt tolerant cotton varieties.【Method】According to the screening of transcriptome sequencing data, GhPEAMT1 gene was selected as a salt-tolerant candidate gene. The target gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Gene structure characteristics predict protein relative molecular mass and evolutionary relationship were analyzed by bioinformatics; Salt-tolerant cotton variety Earlistable 7 and salt-sensitive cotton genotype Nandanbadidahua were treated with 200 mmol·L -1 NaCl solution, and cotton leaves and roots were taken for fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) to analyze the expression characteristics in tissues. Subcellular location vector was constructed for transient transformation of tobacco to determine the location of protein in the cell. The gene overexpression vector was constructed, and Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed by inflorescence infection method, and the germination rate and taproot length of transgenic Arabidopsis under salt stress were analyzed. Virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology was used on Earlistable 7 to silence the target gene and the efficiency of gene silencing was verified by real-time fluorescence quantitative analysis of the cotton leaves. Then the enzyme activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in the leaves of cotton were measured. 【Result】Two homologous genes, GhPEAMT1A and GhPEAMT1D, were cloned and the CDS lengths were 1 488 bp and 1 485 bp, respectively. The phylogenetic tree showed that GhPEAMT1 had the closest genetic relationship with the Sea island cotton, and had the higher homology with Cocoa compared with other species. Under salt stress conditions, the expression levels of GhPEAMT1A gene and GhPEAMT1D gene in leaves and roots of salt-tolerant Earlistable 7 were significantly higher than that of salt-sensitive Nandanbadidahua. Subcellular localization shows that the gene is located in the cytoplasm. Overexpression of this gene for Arabidopsis thaliana found that the germination rate of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana was significantly higher than that of wild-type on MS medium of 100 and 150 mmol·L -1 NaCl. The taproot root length of transgenic Arabidopsis was significantly longer than that of wild-type on the MS medium of 50 mmol·L -1 and 100 mmol·L-1 NaCl. After treatment with 40 g·L-1 NaCl solution for 24 h, the cotton leaves with successfully silenced GhPEAMT1A and GhPEAMT1D gene were more wilting than those of CK and TRV2:00 injections. After salt stress, the TRV2::GhPEAMT1A cotton plants were reduced in catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) content in comparison with the unloaded injected cotton plants. 【Conclusion】Arabidopsis overexpression and VIGS experiments show that the GhPEAMT1 gene can respond to salt stress and play a positive regulatory role.

Key words: Upland cotton, salt stress, GhPEAMT1 gene, gene cloning, gene silencing

Table 1

Primers used in the study"

引物名称Primer name 正向引物Forward primer (5′-3′) 反向引物Reverse primer (5′-3′)
GhActin ATCCTCCGTCTTGACCTTG TGTCCGTCAGGCAACTCAT
GhPEAMT1A GCTCTAGAATGGCGGCTAACGGATTT CCGGGATCCTTAATTCTTCTTCTTCTTGGC
GhPEAMT1D GCTCTAGAATGGCGGCTAACGGATTT CGGGATCCTTAGTTCTTCTTCTTGGC
qPEAMT1A GAGCACAGGAGGAATTGCAG TTACAGAGAGGTCGTTGCCC
qPEAMT1D GAGCACAGGAGGAATTGCAG GGTCGATGCCCACAACATGA
CPEAMT1A ACGCGTCGACGCGGCTAACGGATTTGTA GTCGACTTAATTCTTCTTCTTCTTGGC
CPEAMT1D ACGCGTCGACGCGGCTAACGGATTTGTAGG GTCGACTTAGTTCTTCTTCTTGGCAAGG
VPEAMT1A GCTCTAGAATGGCGGCTAACGGATTTGT CGGGATCCATAATGCCCATTGATGGTTT
VPEAMT1D GCTCTAGATCTTGCTTTCATCAATCTGG CGGGATCCAAAGACACGCTCATAACG

Fig. 1

The differential expression ratio of the transcriptome and proteome of the two phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferases genes GhPEAMT1A and GhPEAMT1D at 4 h and 24 h after salt stress A: Differentially expressed genes; B: Differential abundance protein. E: Earlistape 7; N: Nandanbadidahua; 4: 200 mmol·L-1 NaCl treatment for 4 h; 24: 200 mmol·L-1 NaCl treatment for 24 h. There were no biological replicates in transcriptome data, but three in proteome data"

Fig. 2

GhPEAMT1 gene cloning and analysis of conserved domain A: GhPEAMT1A clone electrophoresis; B: GhPEAMT1D clone electrophoresis; C: Analysis of conserved domain of GhPEAMT1 protein; M1: Trans2K? Plus II Marker; 1&3: Earlistable 7; 2&4: Nandanbadidahua"

Fig. 3

Amino acid sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis for gene GhPEAMT1 A: Multiple sequence alignment of GhPEAMT1. Gbar_A03G010420: Gossypium barbadense, XM_016811336; Gbar_D02G013090: Gossypium barbadense, XM_016835662; Thecc1EG012768t1: Theobroma cacao, XM_007036740; Gorai.005G132000: Gossypium raimondii, XM_012623073; Gh_A03G0803: Gossypium hirsutum, GhPEAMT1A; Gh_D02G1225: Gossypium hirsutum, GhPEAMT1D; AT1G48600: Arabidopsis thaliana, NP_973993.1; AT3G18000: Arabidopsis thaliana, NP_188427.2; LOC_Os01g47540: Oryza sativa, XM_015785333; LOC_Os01g50030: Oryza sativa, XP_015622327; Ga03G1288: Gossypium arboreum, XM_017755899; Potri.012G047400: Populus trichocarpa, XM_024582451; GRMZM2G122296: Zea mays, NP_001307897.2; The black line indicates the position of conserved domain; B: Phylogenetic analysis of GhPEAMT1; The black box indicates the target gene"

Fig. 4

Analysis of the expression characteristics of GhPEAMT1 gene in cotton tissues A: The expression of GhPEAMT1A gene in the leaves of Earlistape 7 and Nandanbadidahua; B: Expression of GhPEAMT1A gene in roots of Earlistape 7 and Nandanbadidahua; C: Expression of GhPEAMT1D gene in leaves of Earlistape 7 and Nandanbadidahua; D: GhPEAMT1D gene in early expression in roots of Earlistape 7 and Nandanbadidahua. E: Earlistape 7; N: Nandanbadidahua"

Fig. 5

GhPEAMT1A and GhPEAMT1D gene subcellular localization"

Fig. 6

Obtaining transgenic Arabidopsis A: PCR detection transgenic Arabidopsis plants GhPEAMT1A, M: Marker; 1-16: Transgenic plants; B: PCR detection transgenic Arabidopsis plants GhPEAMT1D, C: Expression and identification of GhPEAMT1 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants; WT: Wild type Arabidopsis; OE1-OE6: Transgenic Arabidopsis plants"

Fig. 7

Effect of Salt Stress on seedling growth in Arabidopsis A-D: Germination rate of Arabidopsis under NaCl treatment of 0, 50, 100 and 150 mmol·L-1; E-H: Root elongation of Arabidopsis thaliana treated with 0, 50, 100 and 150 mmol·L-1 NaCl; I: Germination rate (%) of Arabidopsis under different NaCl concentrations; J: Main root length of Arabidopsis under different NaCl concentration. *: Significant difference (P<0.05), **: Extremely significant difference (P<0.01). The same as below"

Fig. 8

GhPEAMT1 gene silencing efficiency and phenotype after salt treatment A: Silence marker gene TRV2: CLA plants; B: Analysis of GhPEAMT1 gene silencing efficiency after virus-induced gene silencing, abscissas 1-7: Strains injected with TRV2::GHPEAMT1A, TRV2::GhPEAMT1D strains; C-D: 48 h after salt stress, CK, TRV2:00, TRV2::GHPEAMT1A, TRV2::GHPEAMT1D phenotype of cotton young plants"

Fig. 9

Determination of enzyme activity after GhPEAMT1 gene silencing treatment A: The active of CAT in TRV2:00, TRV2::GHPEAMT1A cotton seedlings after 48 h of salt stress; B: The active of GPX in TRV2:00, TRV2::GHPEAMT1A cotton seedlings after 48 h of salt stress"

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