title: GmWRKY27 interacts with GmMYB174 to reduce expression of GmNAC29 for stress tolerance in soybean plants.
abstract: Soybean (Glycine max) is an important crop for oil and protein resources worldwide. The molecular mechanism of the abiotic stress response in soybean is largely unclear. We previously identified multiple stress-responsive WRKY genes from soybean. Here, we further characterized the roles of one of these genes, GmWRKY27, in abiotic stress tolerance using a transgenic hairy root assay. GmWRKY27 expression was increased by various abiotic stresses. Over-expression and RNAi analysis demonstrated that GmWRKY27 improves salt and drought tolerance in transgenic soybean hairy roots. Measurement of physiological parameters, including reactive oxygen species and proline contents, supported this conclusion. GmWRKY27 inhibits expression of a downstream gene GmNAC29 by binding to the W-boxes in its promoter region. The GmNAC29 is a negative factor of stress tolerance as indicated by the performance of transgenic hairy roots under stress. GmWRKY27 interacts with GmMYB174, which also suppresses GmNAC29 expression and enhances drought stress tolerance. The GmWRKY27 and GmMYB174 may have evolved to bind to neighbouring cis elements in the GmNAC29 promoter to co-reduce promoter activity and gene expression. Our study discloses a valuable mechanism in soybean for regulation of the stress response by two associated transcription factors. Manipulation of these genes should facilitate improvements in stress tolerance in soybean and other crops.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Hao-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Tian
authors.initials: QT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Institute of Crop Tillage and Cultivation, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Wan-Ke
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Institute of Crop Tillage and Cultivation, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Ying-Dong
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Crop Tillage and Cultivation, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Cai
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Soybean Research Institute, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 368 Xuefu Road, Harbin, 150086, China.
authors.forename: Xin-Lei
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Soybean Research Institute, Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 368 Xuefu Road, Harbin, 150086, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Qun
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Man
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Song
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Shou-Yi
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D017343:Genes, Plant; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: root; soybean; stress tolerance; transcription factor