title: A novel NAC transcription factor from Suaeda liaotungensis K. enhanced transgenic Arabidopsis drought, salt, and cold stress tolerance.
abstract: Sl NAC1 functions as a stress-responsive NAC protein involved in the abscisic acid-dependent signaling pathway and enhances transgenic Arabidopsis drought, salt, and cold stress tolerance. NAC (NAM, ATAF1, 2, CUC2) transcription factors constitute the largest families of plant-specific transcription factors, known to be involved in various growth or developmental processes and in regulation of response to environmental stresses. However, only little information regarding stress-related NAC genes is available in Suaeda liaotungensis K. In this study, we cloned a full-length NAC gene (1,011 bp) named SlNAC1 using polymerase chain reaction from Suaeda liaotungensis K. and investigated its function by overexpression in transgenic Arabidopsis. SlNAC1 contains an NAC-conserved domain. Its expression in S. liaotungensis was induced by drought, high-salt, and cold (4 °C) stresses and by abscisic acid. Subcellular localization experiments in onion epidermal cells indicated that SlNAC1 is localized in the nucleus. Yeast one-hybrid assays showed that SlNAC1 functions as a transcriptional activator. SlNAC1 transgenic Arabidopsis displayed a higher survival ratio and lower rate of water loss under drought stress; a higher germination ratio, higher survival ratio, and lower root inhibition rate under salt stress; a higher survival ratio under cold stress; and a lower germination ratio and root inhibition rate under abscisic acid treatment, compared with wild-type Arabidopsis. These results suggested that SlNAC1 functions as a stress-responsive NAC protein involved in the abscisic acid-dependent signaling pathway and may have potential applications in transgenic breeding to enhance crops' abiotic stress tolerances.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology in Liaoning Province, 1 South Liushu Street, Ganjingzi District, Dalian, 116081, Liaoning, China, lixiaolanl@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-lan
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yu-xin
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiao-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Qiu-li
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D019663:Chenopodiaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D055864:Droughts; D015870:Gene Expression; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012492:Salts; D036226:Seedlings / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012492:Salts; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000040:Abscisic Acid