title: AtMYB12 regulates flavonoids accumulation and abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: In plants, transcriptional regulation is the most important tool for modulating flavonoid biosynthesis. The AtMYB12 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana has been shown to regulate the expression of key enzyme genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, leading to the increased accumulation of flavonoids. In this study, the codon-optimized AtMYB12 gene was chemically synthesized. Subcellular localization analysis in onion epidermal cells indicated that AtMYB12 was localized to the nucleus. Its overexpression significantly increased accumulation of flavonoids and enhanced salt and drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that overexpression of AtMYB12 resulted in the up-regulation of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, proline biosynthesis, stress responses and ROS scavenging under salt and drought stresses. Further analyses under salt and drought stresses showed significant increases of ABA, proline content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities, as well as significant reduction of H2O2 and malonaldehyde (MDA) content. The results demonstrate the explicit role of AtMYB12 in conferring salt and drought tolerance by increasing the levels of flavonoids and ABA in transgenic Arabidopsis. The AtMYB12 gene has the potential to be used to enhance tolerance to abiotic stresses in plants.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Breeding, Biotech Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 201106, China.
authors.forename: Feibing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China.
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Breeding, Biotech Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 201106, China.
authors.forename: Rihe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Breeding, Biotech Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 201106, China.
authors.forename: Zhenjun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Breeding, Biotech Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 201106, China. yaoqh99@163.com.
authors.forename: Quanhong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics; D055864:Droughts; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D010802:Phylogeny; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000502:physiology; D011392:Proline / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D055049:Salt Tolerance; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D005419:Flavonoids; C504539:MYB12 protein, Arabidopsis; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D011392:Proline
keywords: ABA; Arabidopsis; AtMYB12; Flavonoids; Proline; Salt and drought tolerance