title: Functional and transcriptome analysis reveals an acclimatization strategy for abiotic stress tolerance mediated by Arabidopsis NF-YA family members.
abstract: Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric complex formed by NF-YA/NF-YB/NF-YC subunits that binds to the CCAAT-box in eukaryotic promoters. In contrast to other organisms, in which a single gene encodes each subunit, in plants gene families of over 10 members encode each of the subunits. Here we report that five members of the Arabidopsis thaliana NF-YA family are strongly induced by several stress conditions via transcriptional and miR169-related post-transcriptional mechanisms. Overexpression of NF-YA2, 7 and 10 resulted in dwarf late-senescent plants with enhanced tolerance to several types of abiotic stress. These phenotypes are related to alterations in sucrose/starch balance and cell elongation observed in NF-YA overexpressing plants. The use of transcriptomic analysis of transgenic plants that express miR169-resistant versions of NF-YA2, 3, 7, and 10 under an estradiol inducible system, as well as a dominant-repressor version of NF-YA2 revealed a set of genes, whose promoters are enriched in NF-Y binding sites (CCAAT-box) and that may be directly regulated by the NF-Y complex. This analysis also suggests that NF-YAs could participate in modulating gene regulation through positive and negative mechanisms. We propose a model in which the increase in NF-YA transcript levels in response to abiotic stress is part of an adaptive response to adverse environmental conditions in which a reduction in plant growth rate plays a key role.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Nacional de Genómica para la Biodiversidad (LANGEBIO), Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Leyva-González
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ibarra-Laclette
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz-Ramírez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Herrera-Estrella
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000235:genetics*; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010641:Phenotype; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D036226:Seedlings / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D059467:Transcriptome; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor; D035683:MicroRNAs; C000591833:NF-YA2 protein, Arabidopsis; D010710:Phosphates; D021122:Protein Subunits