title: Melatonin induces the transcripts of CBF/DREB1s and their involvement in both abiotic and biotic stresses in Arabidopsis.
abstract: Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a naturally occurring small molecule that acts as an important secondary messenger in plant stress responses. However, the mechanism underlying the melatonin-mediated signaling pathway in plant stress responses has not been established. C-repeat-binding factors (CBFs)/Drought response element Binding 1 factors (DREB1s) encode transcription factors that play important roles in plant stress responses. This study has determined that endogenous melatonin and transcripts level of CBFs (AtCBF1, AtCBF2, and AtCBF3) in Arabidopsis leaves were significantly induced by salt, drought, and cold stresses and by pathogen Pseudomonas syringe pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 infection. Moreover, both exogenous melatonin treatment and overexpression of CBFs conferred enhanced resistance to both abiotic and biotic stresses in Arabidopsis. Notably, AtCBFs and exogenous melatonin treatment positively regulated the mRNA expression of several stress-responsive genes (COR15A, RD22, and KIN1) and accumulation of soluble sugars content such as sucrose in Arabidopsis under control and stress conditions. Additionally, exogenous sucrose also conferred improved resistance to both abiotic and biotic stresses in Arabidopsis. Taken together, this study indicates that AtCBFs confer enhanced resistance to both abiotic and biotic stresses, and AtCBF-mediated signaling pathway and sugar accumulation may be involved in melatonin-mediated stress response in Arabidopsis, at least partially.
authors.affiliation: Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yongqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Dun-Xian
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Russel J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.affiliation: Hainan Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Tropical Bioresources, College of Agriculture, Hainan University, Haikou, China.
authors.forename: Chaozu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D055864:Droughts; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D008550:Melatonin
keywords: Arabidopsis; CBF/DREB1s; abiotic and biotic stresses; melatonin; transcription factor