title: Overexpression of a Triticum aestivum Calreticulin gene (TaCRT1) Improves Salinity Tolerance in Tobacco.
abstract: Calreticulin (CRT) is a highly conserved and abundant multifunctional protein that is encoded by a small gene family and is often associated with abiotic/biotic stress responses in plants. However, the roles played by this protein in salt stress responses in wheat (Triticum aestivum) remain obscure. In this study, three TaCRT genes were identified in wheat and named TaCRT1, TaCRT2 and TaCRT3-1 based on their sequence characteristics and their high homology to other known CRT genes. Quantitative real-time PCR expression data revealed that these three genes exhibit different expression patterns in different tissues and are strongly induced under salt stress in wheat. The calcium-binding properties of the purified recombinant TaCRT1 protein were determined using a PIPES/Arsenazo III analysis. TaCRT1 gene overexpression in Nicotiana tabacum decreased salt stress damage in transgenic tobacco plants. Physiological measurements indicated that transgenic tobacco plants showed higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) than non-transgenic tobacco under normal growth conditions. Interestingly, overexpression of the entire TaCRT1 gene or of partial TaCRT1 segments resulted in significantly higher tolerance to salt stress in transgenic plants compared with their WT counterparts, thus revealing the essential role of the C-domain of TaCRT1 in countering salt stress in plants.
authors.affiliation: Guizhou Rapeseed Institute, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, China; Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics Center and National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: College of Crop Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yun Hai
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics Center and National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China; Qufu Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Qufu, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics Center and National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics Center and National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Wenqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Guizhou Rapeseed Institute, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, China.
authors.forename: Lintao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics Center and National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Hancheng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Crop Genomics and Bioinformatics Center and National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhengqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D037282:Calreticulin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D009928:Organ Specificity; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D054712:Salinity; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014908:Triticum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D037282:Calreticulin; D010940:Plant Proteins; D002374:Catalase; D009195:Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase