title: Genome interrogation for novel salinity tolerant Arabidopsis mutants.
abstract: Soil salinity is becoming an increasingly large problem in agriculture. In this study, we have investigated whether a capacity to withstand salinity can be induced in the salinity sensitive plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, and whether it can be maintained in subsequent generations. To this end, we have used zinc finger artificial transcription factor (ZF-ATFs) mediated genome interrogation. Already within a relatively small collection Arabidopsis lines expressing ZF-ATFs, we found 41 lines that were tolerant to 100 mM NaCl. Furthermore, ZF-ATF encoding gene constructs rescued from the most strongly salinity tolerant lines were indeed found to act as dominant and heritable agents for salinity tolerance. Altogether, our data provide evidence that a silent capacity to withstand normally lethal levels of salinity exists in Arabidopsis and can be evoked relatively easily by in trans acting transcription factors like ZF-ATFs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology Leiden, Faculty of Science, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.|BioSolar Cells, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van Tol
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology Leiden, Faculty of Science, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinas
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Free University of Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schat
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology Leiden, Faculty of Science, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paul J J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hooykaas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology Leiden, Faculty of Science, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bert J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: van der Zaal
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D018745:Genome, Plant / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D055051:Salt-Tolerant Plants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors; D002734:Chlorophyll
keywords: artificial transcription factors; genome interrogation; salt stress; zinc fingers