title: Overexpression of the rice Osmyb4 gene increases chilling and freezing tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana plants.
abstract: The expression of the gene Osmyb4, detected at low level in rice (Oryza sativa) coleoptiles grown for 3 days at 29 degrees C, is strongly induced by treatments at 4 degrees C. At sublethal temperatures of 10 and 15 degrees C, its expression in rice seedlings is already evident, but this effect cannot be vicariated by other stresses or ABA treatment. We demonstrate by transient expression that Myb4 transactivates the PAL2, ScD9 SAD and COR15a cold-inducible promoters. The Osmyb4 function in vivo is demonstrated overexpressing its cDNA in Arabidopsis thaliana plants (ecotype Wassilewskija) under the control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter. Myb4 overexpressing plants show a significant increased cold and freezing tolerance, measured as membrane or Photosystem II (PSII) stability and as whole plant tolerance. Finally, in Osmyb4 transgenic plants, the expression of genes participating in different cold-induced pathways is affected, suggesting that Myb4 represents a master switch in cold tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Strutturale e Funzionale, Università dell'Insubria, via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Candida
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vannini
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Locatelli
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bracale
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marsoni
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osnato
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mattana
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baldoni
authors.forename: Immacolata
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Coraggio
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003080:Cold Temperature; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors