title: Overexpression of the Arabidopsis 14-3-3 protein GF14 lambda in cotton leads to a "stay-green" phenotype and improves stress tolerance under moderate drought conditions.
abstract: The Arabidopsis gene GF14 lambda that encodes a 14-3-3 protein was introduced into cotton plants to explore the physiological roles that GF14 lambda might play in plants. The expression level of GF14 lambda under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter varied in transgenic cotton plants, and lines that expressed GF14 lambda demonstrated a "stay-green" phenotype and improved water-stress tolerance. These lines wilted less and maintained higher photosynthesis than segregated non-transgenic control plants under water-deficit conditions. Stomatal conductance appears to be the major factor for the observed higher photosynthetic rates under water-deficit conditions. The stomatal aperture of transgenic plants might be regulated by GF14 lambda through some transporters such as H(+)-ATPase whose activities are controlled by their interaction with 14-3-3 proteins. However, since 14-3-3 proteins interact with numerous proteins in plant cells, many metabolic processes could be affected by the GF14 lambda overexpression. Whatever the mechanisms, the traits observed in the GF14 lambda-expressing cotton plants are beneficial to crops under certain water-deficit conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
authors.forename: Juqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Cixin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhehui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Holaday
authors.forename: Randy D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003681:Dehydration / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004190:Disasters; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D003368:Gossypium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D006180:Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; C117576:AFT1 protein, Arabidopsis; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C087620:GF14 protein, Arabidopsis; D015534:Trans-Activators; D006180:Proton-Translocating ATPases