水稻含有B-box锌指结构域的OsBBX25蛋白参与植物对非生物胁迫的响应

锌指蛋白在调控植物生长发育和应对逆境过程中发挥着重要作用.为进一步研究锌指类蛋白参与植物非生物胁迫响应的分子机制,对水稻(Oryza sativa)中一个编码含有B-box锌指结构域蛋白的OsBBX25基因进行了功能分析.OsBBX25受盐、干旱和ABA诱导表达.异源表达OsBBX25的转基因拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)与野生型相比对盐和干旱的耐受性增强,且盐胁迫条件下转基因植物中KIN1、RD29A和COR15的表达上调,干旱胁迫下KIN1、RD29A和RD22的表达上调.外源施加ABA时,转基因植物的萌发率与野生型之间没有明显差异.OsBBX25可能作为转录调控的辅助因子调节胁迫应答相关基因的表达,进而参与植物对非生物胁迫的响应.     

水稻miR169o及其靶基因OsNF-YAs对缺水胁迫的早期表达模式

Micro RNAs(mi RNAs)是一类小的非编码RNA,在植物逆境胁迫应答中发挥重要的调控作用。mi R169可受干旱胁迫诱导表达,而过表达mi R169则可以增强植物对干旱的耐受性。然而,mi R169及其靶基因NF-YAs在水稻干旱胁迫条件下的表达动态至今尚不清楚。对水稻进行不同时间缺水处理,用q RT-PCR法定量测定了水稻根、茎、叶组织中mi R169o及其靶基因表达的动态变化。结果表明,随着缺水处理时间的增加,水稻不同组织中mi R169o表达量总体上有升高趋势;而靶基因(NF-YA1、NFYA2和NF-YA3)表达模式基本与mi R169o的表达模式相反,但并不全部对应。推测在水稻干旱胁迫早期反应中,mi R169o可能主要调控了部分特定靶基因的表达。此外,mi R169o在水稻根、茎、叶组织中的表达和丰度存在着明显的差异,具有组织特异性。     

水稻OsSHAT1和OsRSR1应答激素及逆境胁迫的表达特性

旨在研究AP2家族类因子是否参与逆境胁迫应答过程。通过序列比对发现,水稻OsSHAT1和OsRSR1蛋白序列一致性达41.92%,表明OsSHAT1和OsRSR1是同源性较高的AP2家族因子;且OsSHAT1和OsRSR1基因启动子序列都包含有ABRE、DRE、MYB、MYC、WRKY、GCC-box和ERE等应答不同胁迫及激素信号的元件。基因表达分析表明,OsSHAT1受低温、NaCl、ABA、ACC抑制,受干旱诱导表达;而Os RSR1受低温、干旱、ABA、ACC抑制,受NaCl诱导表达。推测OsSHAT1和OsRSR1可能通过不同的转录调控方式影响耐逆相关基因的表达,进而调节水稻不同的逆境胁迫反应。     

水稻乙烯受体类似物基因的克隆及其表达特性

乙烯在植物的生长发育以及对逆境的反应中起着重要作用. 乙烯受体基因在拟南芥、 烟草和番茄等双子叶植物中已有一些研究, 但到目前为止还没有见到关于单子叶植物乙烯受体研究的报道. 我们从水稻中克隆了一个乙烯受体基因OSPK2, 发现它所编码的蛋白与双子叶植物的乙烯受体有所不同. OSPK2的N端较长, 其后是3个跨膜区、一个GAF结构域、一个推测的激酶结构域和接受器结构域. 虽然大多数的结构域都是保守的, 但预期的磷酸化位点His和磷酸基团接受位点Asp在OSPK2中分别被Gln和Asn取代. 这一事实说明, OSPK2可能不是以组氨酸激酶的磷酸转移方式进行作用, 而是以其他的机制, 如具有丝/苏激酶的活性. 应用RT-PCR方法对不同条件下OSPK2基因的表达进行了研究, 结果表明, OSPK2受伤害和PEG处理诱导, 但盐及ABA处理对其没有显著影响. OSPK2基因的差异表达可能反映了它在介导不同非生物逆境反应中的作用, 这与我们以前关于烟草乙烯受体的研究结果是一致的.     

水稻逆境响应基因OsMsr15的表达分析与克隆

应用Affymetrix水稻表达芯片,分析了苗期和孕穗期的培矮64S水稻基因在高温、干旱和低温逆境处理条件下的表达模式,发现多个与逆境反应相关基因.其中,OsMsr15(Oryza sativa L.multiple stresses responsivegene 15)受高温、干旱和低温胁迫诱导,表达水平均显著上调.实时定量PCR分析结果与芯片数据基本吻合.序列分析表明,该基因无内含子,ORF(open reading frame)全长为717 bp,编码一个由238个氨基酸残基组成、具有典型C2H2结构域的锌指蛋白,推测相对分子质量约为2.46 kD,pI值约为8.90,蛋白分子的氨基端和羧基端分别存在一个推测的核定位信号B-box和EAR(ERF-associated amphiphilic repression)基序.对OsMsr15可能的启动子区域进行分析,发现多种与逆境诱导相关的调控元件.该基因编码的蛋白在不同物种中存在高度相似性,显示OsMsr15基因可能作为一个保守的耐逆基因,参与植物的多种耐逆反应过程.     

赤霉素调节植物对非生物逆境的耐性

赤霉素（GAs）是一类重要的植物激素,调控植物生长发育的诸多方面．最近的研究表明,GA也参与对生物与非生物胁迫的响应,然而GA参与非生物胁迫响应的遗传学证据及其机制有待于进一步研究．本实验室前期研究证明,水稻EullfELONGATEDUPPERMOSTINTERNODE）通过一个新的生化途径降解体内的活性赤霉素分子,并参与调控水稻对病原菌的基础抗病性．本研究发现,euil突变体对盐胁迫能力降低,而超表达EUll基因的水稻和拟南芥耐盐性显著提高．进一步研究发现,积累高含量赤霉素的水稻euil突变体对脱落酸（ABA）的敏感性下降,而赤霉素缺失的EUll超表达转基因水稻和拟南芥均改变了对于ABA的敏感性．EUll基因的转录受逆境诱导,其功能缺失与超表达调控了逆境标志基因的表达．综上推测,GA可能是通过影响ABA的信号途径从而改变了植物对非生物胁迫的响应．     

应用基因表达芯片分析水稻高温胁迫相关基因

非生物逆境,如低温、高温、干旱通常会严重影响到农作物的生长及产量,其中高温胁迫则是造成植物伤害的主要原因之一.为深入了解水稻高温胁迫反应的分子机理,发现新的耐高温相关功能基因,为水稻生物工程育种提供候选材料,采用Affymetrix水稻表达芯片分析了超级稻两优培九母本培矮64S(Oryza sativa L.)在高温逆境胁迫下,孕穗期、抽穗开花期的叶片全基因组表达谱,得到大量高温诱导表达基因.应用实时定量PCR方法对其中一部分基因的表达水平进一步分析,所得结果与基因芯片结果基本吻合,证明芯片分析数据是可靠的,为下一步耐高温相关基因的克隆、功能分析等研究提供了基础.     

一个水稻多逆境响应基因OsMsr3克隆与表达分析

为深入探讨水稻对逆境的反应机理并寻找新的植物耐逆基因,采用Affymetrix水稻表达芯片(含51279个转录本)分析了培矮64S全基因组在不同逆境(高温、干旱、低温)胁迫下、不同生育时期叶片和穗中的表达谱,从中筛选出一个受多种逆境诱导表达的基因OsMsr3(Oryza sativa L.multiple stresses responsive gene3,GenBank登陆号为 FJ383169).定量实时PCR分析结果进一步证实了此基因在逆境条件下的诱导表达模式.用 RT-PCR方法扩增获得了包含其完整开放阅读框的cDNA克隆,序列分析表明,其ORF大小为480 bp,编码一个具有160个氨基酸残基的低分子量热激蛋白,推测分子量约为18.0 kD;pI约为6.8.对其编码的蛋白质进行分析,发现其羧基端存在一个HSP20的蛋白保守结构域,与其他植物中的低分子量热激蛋白的相似性介于33.7%～97.5%.对其可能的启动子序列分析,发现6类与逆境反应有关的顺式作用元件.推测该基因在逆境反应中起着重要的作用,进一步的研究正在进行中.     

水稻多逆境诱导基因OsMsr4的克隆与表达分析

为深入了解水稻逆境反应的分子机理和发现新的耐逆相关功能基因,采用Affymetrix水稻表达芯片分析超级稻两优培九母本培矮64S(Oryza sativa L.)不同生长发育时期、不同组织器官全基因组在低温、干旱、高温逆境胁迫下的表达水平,筛选出多个多因子诱导高表达特异基因(待另文发表).OsMsr4是其中一个在多种逆境条件,各生长发育时期与组织器官,其表达量均显著上调的基因,用实时定量PCR方法对其表达水平进行了进一步的分析,所得结果与基因芯片结果基本吻合.用 PCR方法扩增获得长为550 bp全长基因序列,其编码的144个氨基酸残基形成Cys2His2型双锌指结构蛋白,并且锌指结构的α-螺旋区含有植物锌指蛋白特定的保守序列QALGGH.因此,OsMsr4有可能是TFⅢA型锌指蛋白,作为转录因子参与各种环境胁迫应答反应,调控多个逆境相关基因表达.     

黄花棘豆脱水素OoY_2K_4的鉴定及表达分析

该研究以黄花棘豆cDNA为模板,采用同源克隆法,从黄花棘豆转录组数据库中克隆获得1个响应逆境胁迫的胚胎发育晚期丰富蛋白基因,命名为OoY_2K_4;OoY_2K_4基因ORF为786bp,编码261个氨基酸,含有2个保守的Y片段和4个K片段,为典型的Y_2K_4类脱水蛋白亚家族成员;OoY_2K_4蛋白不具有跨膜结构域,不存在信号肽,亲水性极强,含有1个糖基化位点和17个磷酸化位点;亚细胞定位显示,OoY_2K_4蛋白定位于细胞质中。多序列比对发现,OoY_2K_4蛋白与其他物种第二组LEA蛋白(脱水素)序列高度保守;进化树分析显示,该序列与三叶草、蒺藜苜蓿和紫花苜蓿相似度最高,亲缘关系最近。采用qRT-PCR对OoY_2K_4基因在干旱、高盐、低温以及脱落酸、乙烯、赤霉素处理下的表达分析显示,干旱和高盐胁迫可显著诱导OoY_2K_4基因表达,而低温胁迫下基本无变化;激素处理均可诱导OoY_2K_4基因高效表达,其中脱落酸诱导下OoY_2K_4基因表达最显著。研究推测,OoY_2K_4基因可能通过依赖ABA的信号途径参与黄花棘豆对干旱和高盐逆境胁迫的应答反应。     

GsSRK, a G-type lectin S-receptor-like serine/threonine protein kinase,is a positive regulator of plant tolerance to salt stress

Receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) play vital roles in sensing outside signals, yet little is known about RLKs functions and roles in stress signal perception and transduction in plants, especially in wild soybean. Through the microarray analysis, GsSRK was identified as an alkaline (NaHCO₃)-responsive gene, and was subsequently isolated from Glycine soja by homologous cloning. GsSRK encodes a 93.22 kDa protein with a highly conserved serine/threonine protein kinase catalytic domain, a G-type lectin region, and an S-locus region. Real-time PCR results showed that the expression levels of GsSRK were largely induced by ABA, salt, and drought stresses. Over expression of GsSRK in Arabidopsis promoted seed germination, as well as primary root and rosette leaf growth during the early stages of salt stress. Compared to the wild type Arabidopsis, GsSRK overexpressors exhibited enhanced salt tolerance and higher yields under salt stress, with higher chlorophyll content, lower ion leakage, higher plant height, and more siliques at the adult developmental stage. Our studies suggest that GsSRK plays a crucial role in plant response to salt stress.     

Genome-Wide Bisulphite Sequencing Uncovered the Contribution of DNA Methylation to Rice Short-Term Drought Memory Formation

Rice is the important crop for more than half of the world population. However, drought can have a devastating impact on rice growth and reduce yield drastically. Understanding the response of rice to drought stress is especially important for crop breeding. Previously we found that rice enhanced its tolerance to drought stresses via stress memory mechanisms. Numerous memory genes were identified to play important roles in the process. DNA methylation was reported to mediate tolerance via regulating gene expression and enhances the survival rate of rice encountering drought stress. However, how DNA methylation involved in stress memory is still not clear. In this study, genome-wide bisulphite sequencing at a single base resolution methylome profiling level was performed and analyzed in rice cultivar under recurrent drought stresses and recovery treatments. We found that rice drought stress memory-related differentially methylated regions (DMRs) showed dynamic and distinct patterns. The drought-memory DMRs may regulate Transposable elements and gene expression to cope with short-term repeated drought stresses. Our findings of drought-memory DMRs can explain mechanisms of rice drought stress memory in a new perspective on global methylome details. Using epigenetic markers to breed drought-resistant rice would become a feasible way in the future research.

     

Overexpression of OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 enhances drought and salt tolerance in rice

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) play an important role in plant stress tolerance. We previously reported that expression of OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 could be enhanced by heat shock treatment and/or other abiotic stresses. In this paper, stress tolerance assays of transgenic rice plants overexpressing OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 have been carried out. Both OsHsp17.0-OE and OsHsp23.7-OE transgenic lines demonstrated higher germination ability compared to wild-type (WT) plants when subjected to mannitol and NaCl. Phenotypic analysis showed that transgenic rice lines displayed a higher tolerance to drought and salt stress compared to WT plants. In addition, transgenic rice lines showed significantly lower REC, lower MDA content and higher free proline content than WT under drought and salt stresses. These results suggest that OsHsp17.0 and OsHsp23.7 play an important role in rice acclimation to salt and drought stresses and are useful for engineering drought and salt tolerance rice.     

Receptor‐like kinase OsSIK1 improves drought and salt stress tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa) plants

Receptor‐like kinases (RLKs) play essential roles in plant growth, development and responses to environmental stresses. A putative RLK gene, OsSIK1, with extracellular leucine‐rich repeats was cloned and characterized in rice (Oryza sativa). OsSIK1 exhibits kinase activity in the presence of Mn²⁺, and the OsSIK1 kinase domain has the ability to autophosphorylate and phosphorylate myelin basic protein (MBP). OsSIK1 promoter‐GUS analysis revealed that OsSIK1 is expressed mainly in the stem and spikelet in rice. The expression of OsSIK1 is mainly induced by salt, drought and H₂O₂ treatments. Transgenic rice plants with overexpression of OsSIK1 show higher tolerance to salt and drought stresses than control plants. On the contrary, the knock‐out mutants sik1‐1 and sik1‐2, as well as RNA interference (RNAi) plants, are sensitive to drought and salt stresses. The activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase are enhanced significantly in OsSIK1‐overexpressing plants. Also, the accumulation of H₂O₂ in leaves of OsSIK1‐overexpressing plants is much less than that of the mutants, RNAi plants and control plants, as measured by 3,3′‐diamino benzidine (DAB) staining. We also show that OsSIK1 affects stomatal density in the abaxial and adaxial leaf epidermis of rice. These results indicate that OsSIK1 plays important roles in salt and drought stress tolerance in rice, through the activation of the antioxidative system.     

Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding MIZ1, a domain of unknown function protein and its role in salt and drought stress in rice

Dwindling fresh water resources and climate change poses serious threats to rice production. Roots play crucial role in sensing water gradient and directing growth of the plant towards water through a mechanism called hydrotropism. Since very little information is available on root hydrotropism in major food crops, this study was carried out to clone and characterize an ortholog of Arabidopsis MIZU-KUSSEI1 (MIZ1) from rice. Contrasting rice genotypes for drought and salt tolerance were selected based on phenotyping for root traits. Nagina 22 and CR-262-4 were identified as most tolerant and Pusa Sugandh 5 and Pusa Basmati 1121 were identified as most susceptible varieties for both drought and salt stresses. Allele mining of MIZ1 in these varieties identified a 12 bp Indel but did not show specific allelic association with stress tolerance. Analysis of allelic variation of OsMIZ1 in 3024 rice genotypes of 3K genome lines using Rice SNP-Seek database revealed 49 InDels. Alleles with the 12 bp deletions were significantly prevalent in indica group as compared to that of japonica group. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that OsMIZ1 expression levels were upregulated significantly in tolerant cv. Nagina 22 and CR-262-4 under osmotic stress, while under salt stress, it was significantly upregulated only in CR-262-4 but maintained in Nagina 22 under salt stress. However, in the roots of susceptible genotypes, OsMIZ1 expression decreased under both the stresses. These results highlight the possible involvement of OsMIZ1 in drought and salt stress tolerance in rice. Furthermore, expression studies using publically available resources showed that enhanced expression of OsMIZ1 is regulated in response to disease infections, mineral deficiency, and heavy metal stresses and is also expressed in reproductive tissues in addition to roots. These findings indicate potential involvement of MIZ1 in developmental and stress response processes in rice.     

Overexpression of the leucine‐rich receptor‐like kinase gene LRK2 increases drought tolerance and tiller number in rice

Drought represents a key limiting factor of global crop distribution. Receptor‐like kinases play major roles in plant development and defence responses against stresses such as drought. In this study, LRK2, which encodes a leucine‐rich receptor‐like kinase, was cloned and characterized and found to be localized on the plasma membrane in rice. Promoter–GUS analysis revealed strong expression in tiller buds, roots, nodes and anthers. Transgenic plants overexpressing LRK2 exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought stress due to an increased number of lateral roots compared with the wild type at the vegetative stage. Moreover, ectopic expression of LRK2 seedlings resulted in increased tiller development. Yeast two‐hybrid screening and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) indicated a possible interaction between LRK2 and elongation factor 1 alpha (OsEF1A) in vitro. These results suggest that LRK2 functions as a positive regulator of the drought stress response and tiller development via increased branch development in rice. These findings will aid our understanding of branch regulation in other grasses and support improvements in rice genetics.     

Overexpression of a TFIIIA-type zinc finger protein gene ZFP252 enhances drought and salt tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

We previously identified a salt and drought stress-responsive TFIIIA-type zinc finger protein gene ZFP252 from rice. Here we report the functional analysis of ZFP252 using gain- and loss-of-function strategies. We found that overexpression of ZFP252 in rice increased the amount of free proline and soluble sugars, elevated the expression of stress defense genes and enhanced rice tolerance to salt and drought stresses, as compared with ZFP252 antisense and non-transgenic plants. Our findings suggest that ZFP252 plays an important role in rice response to salt and drought stresses and is useful in engineering crop plants with enhanced tolerance to salt and drought stresses.