Overexpression of a pearl millet WRKY transcription factor gene, PgWRKY74, in Arabidopsis retards shoot growth under dehydration and salinity-stressed conditions

    Qazi, M and Gupta, S K and Takano, T and Tsugama, D (2024) Overexpression of a pearl millet WRKY transcription factor gene, PgWRKY74, in Arabidopsis retards shoot growth under dehydration and salinity-stressed conditions. Biotechnology Letters. pp. 1-10. ISSN 0141-5492

    [img] PDF - Published Version
    Available under License ["licenses_description_cc_attribution" not defined].
    Download (1MB)

    Abstract

    Pearl millet (Cenchrus americanus) is a cereal crop that can tolerate high temperatures, drought, and low-fertility conditions where other crops lose productivity. However, genes regulating this ability are largely unknown. Transcription factors (TFs) regulate transcription of their target genes, regulate downstream biological processes, and thus are candidates for regulators of such tolerance of pearl millet. PgWRKY74 encodes a group IIc WRKY TF in pearl millet and is downregulated by drought. PgWRKY74 may have a role in drought tolerance. The objective of this study was to gain insights into the physiological and biochemical functions of PgWRKY74. Yeast one-hybrid and gel shift assays were performed to examine transcriptional activation potential and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-binding ability, respectively. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing PgWRKY74-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion gene were generated and tested for growth and stress-responsive gene expression under mannitol and NaCl-stressed conditions. A construct with PgWRKY74 enabled yeast reporter cells to survive on test media in the yeast one-hybrid assays. The electrophoretic mobility of DNA with putative WRKY TF-binding motifs was lower in the presence of a recombinant PgWRKY74 protein than its absence. The PgWRKY74-GFP-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibited smaller rosette areas than did wild-type plants under mannitol-stressed and NaCl-stressed conditions, and exhibited weaker expression of RD29B, which is induced by the stress-related phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), under the mannitol-stressed condition. PgWRKY74 have transcriptional activation potential and DNA-binding ability, and can negatively regulate plant responses to mannitol and NaCl stresses, possibly by decreasing ABA levels or ABA sensitivity.

    Item Type: Article
    Divisions: Research Program : Asia
    CRP: UNSPECIFIED
    Uncontrolled Keywords: Arabidopsis, Dehydration, Pearl millet, Salinity, Transcription factor, WRKY
    Subjects: Mandate crops > Millets > Pearl Millet
    Depositing User: Mr Nagaraju T
    Date Deposited: 22 Aug 2024 05:27
    Last Modified: 22 Aug 2024 05:27
    URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/12786
    Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10529-0...
    Projects: Moonshot Research and Development Program for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
    Funders: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
    Acknowledgement: We are grateful to ICRISAT for providing the pearl millet seeds for this study. This study was supported by JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) KAKENHI Grant [grant number JP 19KK0155], and by Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Moonshot Research and Development Program for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (funding agency: Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution) [grant number JPJ009237].
    Links:
    View Statistics

    Actions (login required)

    View Item View Item
    Altmetric
    OAR@ICRISAT is powered by EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. More information and software credits.