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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2022, Vol. 21 Issue (11): 3114-3130    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2022.07.058
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TaNF-YB11, a gene of NF-Y transcription factor family in Triticum aestivum, confers drought tolerance on plants via modulating osmolyte accumulation and reactive oxygen species homeostasis
ZHAO Ying-jia, ZHANG Yan-yang, BAI Xin-yang, LIN Rui-ze, SHI Gui-qing, DU Ping-ping, XIAO Kai
State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, Hebei Agricultural University/College of Agronomy, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, P.R.China
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摘要  转录因子(TFs)调控多种逆境防御相关的生理过程和植物逆境响应。本研究中,作者鉴定了小麦NF-YB转录因子家族基因TaNF-YB11介导植物抵御干旱逆境能力的特征。TaNF-YB11含有NF-YB家族特有的保守结构域,该基因编码蛋白经内质网分选后靶向细胞核内。酵母双杂交分析表明,TaNF-YB11分别与NF-YA家族成员TaNF-YA2和NF-YC家族成员TaNF-YC3在蛋白水平上相互作用。这些结果表明,上述TF蛋白通过组建异源三聚体对下游基因进行转录调控。在27 h干旱条件下,根和叶中TaNF-YB11转录本数量较正常生长对照增多。此外,干旱上调的TaNF-YB11表达水平随正常恢复处理进程逐渐下调,表明该基因参与了植物对干旱逆境的响应过程。TaNF-YB11具有赋予植株抵御抗旱逆境的能力; 干旱处理下,过表达TaNF-YB11株系植株表型和生物量均高于野生型对照,这主要与该基因促进气孔关闭、增强渗透物质积累能力和改善细胞活性氧(ROS)稳态有关。调控脯氨酸生物合成P5CS家族基因TaP5CS2TaNF-YB11株系中呈上调表达模式,干旱胁迫下下调表达TaP5CS2株系脯氨酸积累量减少。与此类似,编码超氧化物歧化酶(SOD) TaSOD2和过氧化氢酶(CAT)基因TaCAT3在过表达TaNF-YB11株系中上调表达,上述细胞保护酶基因通过调节SOD和CAT活性在改善干旱处理下细胞ROS稳态中发挥重要作用。RNA-seq分析结果显示,与“细胞过程”、“环境信息处理”、“遗传信息加工”、“代谢”和“机体系统”相关的众多基因受到TaNF-YB11转录调节。本研究结果表明,TaNF-YB11通过在转录组水平上对干旱逆境响应相关的不同生物学过程基因进行调控,增强植株抵御干旱逆境的能力。综上,TaNF-YB11在介导植株抵御干旱逆境中发挥重要作用,该基因可作为小麦抗旱分子育种的重要基因资源。

Abstract  

Transcription factors (TFs) regulate diverse stress defensive-associated physiological processes and plant stress responses.  We characterized TaNF-YB11, a gene of the NF-YB TF family in Triticum aestivum, in mediating plant drought tolerance.  TaNF-YB11 harbors the conserved domains specified by its NF-YB partners and targets the nucleus after the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) assortment.  Yeast two-hybrid assay indicated the interactions of TaNF-YB11 with TaNF-YA2 and TaNF-YC3, two proteins encoded by genes in the NF-YA and NF-YC families, respectively.  These results suggested that the heterotrimer established among them further regulated downstream genes at the transcriptional level.  The transcripts of TaNF-YB11 were promoted in roots and leaves under a 27-h drought regime.  Moreover, its upregulated expression levels under drought were gradually restored following a recovery treatment, suggesting its involvement in plant drought response.  TaNF-YB11 conferred improved drought tolerance on plants; the lines overexpressing target gene displayed improved phenotype and biomass compared with wild type (WT) under drought treatments due to enhancement of stomata closing, osmolyte accumulation, and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis.  Knockdown expression of TaP5CS2, a P5CS family gene modulating proline biosynthesis that showed upregulated expression in drought-challenged TaNF-YB11 lines, alleviated proline accumulation of plants treated by drought.  Likewise, TaSOD2 and TaCAT3, two genes encoding superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) that were upregulated underlying TaNF-YB11 regulation, played critical roles in ROS homeostasis via regulating SOD and CAT activities.  RNA-seq analysis revealed that numerous genes associated with processes of ‘cellular processes’, ‘environmental information processing’, ‘genetic information processing’, ‘metabolism’, and ‘organismal systems’ modified transcription under drought underlying control of TaNF-YB11.  These results suggested that the TaNF-YB11-mediated drought response is possibly accomplished through the target gene in modifying gene transcription at the global level, which modulates complicated biological processes related to drought response.  TaNF-YB11 is essential in plant drought adaptation and a valuable target for molecular breeding of drought-tolerant cultivars in Taestivum.

Keywords:  wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)       NF-YB transcription factor         drought stress        osmolyte accumulation        reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging  
Received: 19 April 2021   Accepted: 08 July 2021
Fund: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31872869), the State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation (NCCIR2022ZZ-7), the National Key R&D Program of China (SQ2022YFD1200002), the Science and Technology Planning Project of Hebei Province, China (216Z6401G), and the Postgraduate Innovation Funding Project of Hebei Province, China (CXZZSS2021071).  
About author:  Correspondence XIAO Kai, E-mail: xiaokai@hebau.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

ZHAO Ying-jia, ZHANG Yan-yang, BAI Xin-yang, LIN Rui-ze, SHI Gui-qing, DU Ping-ping, XIAO Kai. 2022. TaNF-YB11, a gene of NF-Y transcription factor family in Triticum aestivum, confers drought tolerance on plants via modulating osmolyte accumulation and reactive oxygen species homeostasis. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 21(11): 3114-3130.

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