Overexpression of a homopeptide repeat-containing bHLH protein gene (OrbHLH001) from Dongxiang Wild Rice confers freezing and salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.
Dongxiang Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon) is the northernmost wild rice in the world known to date and has extremely high cold tolerance and many other adversity-resistant properties. To identify the genes responsible for the high stress tolerance, we isolated and characterized a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein gene OrbHLH001 from Dongxiang Wild Rice. The gene encodes an ICE1-like protein containing multiple homopeptide repeats. Expression of OrbHLH001 is induced by salt stress and is predominant in the shoots of wild rice seedlings. Overexpression of OrbHLH001 enhanced the tolerance to freezing and salt stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis. Examination of the expression of cold-responsive genes in transgenic Arabidopsis showed that the function of OrbHLH001 differs from that of ICE1 and is independent of a CBF/DREB1 cold-response pathway.
Li
Fei
F
Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, P. R. China.
Guo
Siyi
S
Zhao
Yuan
Y
Chen
Dazhou
D
Chong
Kang
K
Xu
Yunyuan
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005615:Freezing; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D055051:Salt-Tolerant Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D018749:RNA, Plant; D012965:Sodium Chloride