title: Induced over-expression of AtDREB2A CA improves drought tolerance in sugarcane.
abstract: Drought is one of the most challenging agricultural issues limiting sustainable sugarcane production and, in some cases, yield losses caused by drought are nearly 50%. DREB proteins play vital regulatory roles in abiotic stress responses in plants. The transcription factor DREB2A interacts with a cis-acting DRE sequence to activate the expression of downstream genes that are involved in drought-, salt- and heat-stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of stress-inducible over-expression of AtDREB2A CA on gene expression, leaf water potential (ΨL), relative water content (RWC), sucrose content and gas exchanges of sugarcane plants submitted to a four-days water deficit treatment in a rhizotron-grown root system. The plants were also phenotyped by scanning the roots and measuring morphological parameters of the shoot. The stress-inducible expression of AtDREB2A CA in transgenic sugarcane led to the up-regulation of genes involved in plant response to drought stress. The transgenic plants maintained higher RWC and ΨL over 4 days after withholding water and had higher photosynthetic rates until the 3rd day of water-deficit. Induced expression of AtDREB2A CA in sugarcane increased sucrose levels and improved bud sprouting of the transgenic plants. Our results indicate that induced expression of AtDREB2A CA in sugarcane enhanced its drought tolerance without biomass penalty.
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil; Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafaela Ribeiro
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bárbara Andrade Dias Brito
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: da Cunha
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Polyana Kelly
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Thereza Bazzo
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jean Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Alekcevetch
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antônio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chalfun
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (CENARGEN), Brasilia, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alan Carvalho
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil; Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mizoi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi-Shinozaki
authors.affiliation: Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Soybean, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Josirley de Fátima Corrêa
authors.initials: Jde F
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Antônio Ferreira
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.affiliation: Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Soybean, Londrina, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre Lima
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Nepomuceno
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adilson Kenji
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Genetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Embrapa Agroenergy (CNPAE), Brasília, DF, Brazil. Electronic address: hugo.molinari@embrapa.br.
authors.forename: Hugo Bruno Correa
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Molinari
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D055864:Droughts; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018526:Plant Transpiration; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D031786:Saccharum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C114579:DREB2A protein, Arabidopsis; D014157:Transcription Factors; D013395:Sucrose
keywords: Abiotic stress; AtDREB2A CA; Saccharum spp.; Transcription factor; ZmRab17 promoter