title: Overexpression of Muscadinia rotundifolia CBF2 gene enhances biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.
abstract: C-repeat-binding factor dehydration-responsive element-binding factor 1C (CBF2/DREB1C) gene encodes a small family of transcriptional activator that has been described as playing an important role in freezing tolerance and cold acclimation of plants. We here report that CBF2 gene also plays an important role in the early response to the pathogen infection of grapevine downy mildew disease. The expression level of CBF2 increased dramatically and reached a peak at 7 h after infection in immune grapevine Muscadinia rotundifolia 'Noble', which was much faster than moderate resistant Vitis amurensis 'PI1288' and susceptible Vitis vinifera 'Cabernet Sauvignon'. Muscadinia rotundifolia MrCBF2 exhibited amino acid domains characteristic of Vitis CBF2 proteins with unique features including rich serine repeats and slight differences in NLS, DSAWRL, and AP2 domains. The MrCBF2 gene was introduced to Arabidopsis 'COL0' which are susceptible to downy mildew pathogen. The transgenic lines showed an increased resistance to downy mildew disease and more accumulation of SA as well as higher expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes (AtPR1, AtPR4, and AtPR5) as a consequence of MrCBF2 overexpression. Besides, constitutive expression of MrCBF2 enhanced phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA)-independent drought tolerance of transgenic plants. Freezing tolerance of transgenic lines was also enhanced accompanied with an increase in the expression of the cold-regulated genes AtCOR, AtCOR15A, AtKIN1, AtRD29A, and AtSuSy. In addition, the development of MrCBF2-overexpressing plants was seen to be altered and resulted in growth retardation, dwarfism, late flowering, and prone rosette leaves, which may be because of an increase in the gene expression of partial DELLA proteins and DDF1.
authors.affiliation: Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.|Horticultural Sciences Department and the Graduate Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Horticultural Sciences Department and the Graduate Program in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Folta
authors.affiliation: Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
authors.forename: Yifan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
authors.forename: Wenming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9872-7598
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Center for Viticulture and Enology, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China. zhangyali@cau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003080:Cold Temperature; D060467:Disease Resistance; D055864:Droughts; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017343:Genes, Plant; D019697:Onions / Q000166:cytology; D044742:Peronospora / Q000502:physiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000378:metabolism; D027843:Vitis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: CBF2; Cold; Downy mildew; Drought; Morphology; Muscadinia rotundifolia