title: Overexpression of a Harpin-encoding gene hrf1 in rice enhances drought tolerance.
abstract: Harpin proteins are well known as eliciters that induce multiple responses in plants, such as systemic acquired resistance, hypersensitive response, enhancement of growth, resistance to the green peach aphid, and tolerance to drought. Overexpression of Harpin-encoding genes enhances plant resistance to diseases in tobacco, rice, rape, and cotton; however, it is not yet known whether the expression of Harpin-encoding genes in vivo improves plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. The results of this study showed that overexpression of a Harpin-encoding gene hrf1 in rice increased drought tolerance through abscisic acid (ABA) signalling. hrf1- overexpression induces an increase in ABA content and promotes stomatal closure in rice. The hrf1 transgenic rice lines exhibited a significant increase in water retention ability, levels of free proline and soluble sugars, tolerance to oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species-scavenging ability, and expression levels of four stress-related genes, OsLEA3-1, OsP5CS, Mn-SOD, and NM_001074345, under drought stress. The study confirmed that hrf1 conferred enhanced tolerance to drought stress on transgenic crops. These results suggest that Harpins may offer new opportunities for generating drought resistance in other crops.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Monitoring and Management of Plant Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Department of Plant Pathology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Wenqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhidan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xuewen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Fengquan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism / Q000235:genetics; D055864:Droughts; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D009068:Movement; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D054046:Plant Stomata / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011392:Proline / Q000378:metabolism; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012995:Solubility; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010940:Plant Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014867:Water; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D011392:Proline