Sweetpotato late embryogenesis abundant 14 (IbLEA14) gene influences lignification and increases osmotic- and salt stress-tolerance of transgenic calli.
Late embryogenesis abundant 14 (LEA14) cDNA was isolated from an EST library prepared from dehydration-treated fibrous roots of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas). Quantitative RT-PCR revealed a variety of different IbLEA14 expression patterns under various abiotic stress conditions. IbLEA14 expression was strongly induced by dehydration, NaCl and abscisic acid treatments in sweetpotato plants. Transgenic sweetpotato non-embryogenic calli harboring IbLEA14 overexpression or RNAi vectors under the control of CaMV 35S promoter were generated. Transgenic calli overexpressing IbLEA14 showed enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stress, whereas RNAi calli exhibited increased stress sensitivity. Under normal culture conditions, lignin contents increased in IbLEA14-overexpressing calli because of the increased expression of a variety of monolignol biosynthesis-related genes. Stress treatments elicited higher expression levels of the gene encoding cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase in IbLEA14-overexpressing lines than in control or RNAi lines. These results suggest that IbLEA14 might positively regulate the response to various stresses by enhancing lignification.
Environmental Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Oun-dong 52, Yusong-gu, Daejeon, 305-806, Republic of Korea.
Sung-Chul
SC
Park
Yun-Hee
YH
Kim
Jae Cheol
JC
Jeong
Cha Young
CY
Kim
Haeng-Soon
HS
Lee
Jae-Wook
JW
Bang
Sang-Soo
SS
Kwak
D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D055864:Droughts; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D027723:Ipomoea batatas / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D008031:Lignin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055049:Salt Tolerance; D012492:Salts / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012492:Salts; C066246:late embryogenesis abundant protein, plant; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D008031:Lignin; D000429:Alcohol Oxidoreductases; C018656:cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase