title: The ERF transcription factor TaERF3 promotes tolerance to salt and drought stresses in wheat.
abstract: Salinity and drought are major limiting factors of wheat (Triticum aestivum) productivity worldwide. Here, we report the function of a wheat ERF transcription factor TaERF3 in salt and drought responses and the underlying mechanism of TaERF3 function. Upon treatment with 250 mM NaCl or 20% polyethylene glycol (PEG), transcript levels of TaERF3 were rapidly induced in wheat. Using wheat cultivar Yangmai 12 as the transformation recipient, four TaERF3-overexpressing transgenic lines were generated and functionally characterized. The seedlings of the TaERF3-overexpressing transgenic lines exhibited significantly enhanced tolerance to both salt and drought stresses as compared to untransformed wheat. In the leaves of TaERF3-overexpressing lines, accumulation levels of both proline and chlorophyll were significantly increased, whereas H₂O₂ content and stomatal conductance were significantly reduced. Conversely, TaERF3-silencing wheat plants that were generated through virus-induced gene silencing method displayed more sensitivity to salt and drought stresses compared with the control plants. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analyses showed that transcript levels of ten stress-related genes were increased in TaERF3-overexpressing lines, but compromised in TaERF3-silencing wheat plants. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the TaERF3 protein could interact with the GCC-box cis-element present in the promoters of seven TaERF3-activated stress-related genes. These results indicate that TaERF3 positively regulates wheat adaptation responses to salt and drought stresses through the activation of stress-related genes and that TaERF3 is an attractive engineering target in applied efforts to improve abiotic stress tolerances in wheat and other cereals.
authors.affiliation: National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement/Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Improvement of Triticeae Crops of the Agriculture Ministry, Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China; Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Aiyun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xingguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Lipu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Zengyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D001483:Base Sequence; D055864:Droughts; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D020868:Gene Silencing / Q000187:drug effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014908:Triticum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D000040:Abscisic Acid
keywords: ERF protein TaERF3; TaERF3 overexpression; TaERF3 silencing; Triticum aestivum; salt and drought tolerance; stress-related genes