title: Characterization of a novel plantain Asr gene, MpAsr, that is regulated in response to infection of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense and abiotic stresses.
abstract: Asr (abscisic acid, stress, ripening induced) genes are typically upregulated by a wide range of factors, including drought, cold, salt, abscisic acid (ABA) and injury; in addition to plant responses to developmental and environmental signals. We isolated an Asr gene, MpAsr, from a suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) cDNA library of cold induced plantain (Musa paradisiaca) leaves. MpAsr expression was upregulated in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense infected plantain leaves, peels and roots, suggesting that MpAsr plays a role in plantain pathogen response. In addition, a 581-bp putative promoter region of MpAsr was isolated via genome walking and cis-elements involved in abiotic stress and pathogen-related responses were detected in this same region. Furthermore, the MpAsr promoter demonstrated positive activity and inducibility in tobacco under F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense infection and ABA, cold, dehydration and high salt concentration treatments. Interestingly, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing MpAsr exhibited higher drought tolerance, but showed no significant decreased sensitivity to F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense. These results suggest that MpAsr might be involved in plant responses to both abiotic stress and pathogen attack.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and The Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jin-Ran
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Dong-Ru
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jin-Fa
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D055864:Droughts; D005670:Fusarium / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010943:Plantago / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger