title: OsSGL, a Novel DUF1645 Domain-Containing Protein, Confers Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Rice andArabidopsis.
abstract: Drought is a major environmental factor that limits plant growth and crop productivity. Genetic engineering is an effective approach to improve drought tolerance in various crops, including rice (Oryza sativa). Functional characterization of relevant genes is a prerequisite when identifying candidates for such improvements. We investigated OsSGL (Oryza sativaStress tolerance and Grain Length), a novel DUF1645 domain-containing protein from rice.OsSGLwas up-regulated by multiple stresses and localized to the nucleus. Transgenic plants over-expressing or hetero-expressingOsSGLconferred significantly improved drought tolerance in transgenic rice andArabidopsis thaliana, respectively. The overexpressing plants accumulated higher levels of proline and soluble sugars but lower malondialdehyde (MDA) contents under osmotic stress. Our RNA-sequencing data demonstrated that several stress-responsive genes were significantly altered in transgenic rice plants. We unexpectedly observed that those overexpressing rice plants also had extensive root systems, perhaps due to the altered transcript levels of auxin- and cytokinin-associated genes. These results suggest that the mechanism by whichOsSGLconfers enhanced drought tolerance is due to the modulated expression of stress-responsive genes, higher accumulations of osmolytes, and enlarged root systems.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Yanchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Manling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of China National Tobacco Corporation Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Huina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Mingjuan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Lifang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Xuming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Postdoctoral Research Stations of Basic Medical Science, Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Guoqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Rice Biology, Biotechnology Institute, Zhejiang University Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Fucheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Xinjie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of China National Tobacco CorporationZhengzhou, China; Postdoctoral Research Stations of Basic Medical Science, Zhengzhou UniversityZhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Guoyun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: DUF1645 domain; OsSGL; drought tolerance; overexpression; rice; root