Journal Article

Transcription factor TaNF-YB2 interacts with partners TaNF-YA7/YC7 and transcriptionally activates distinct stress-defensive genes to modulate drought tolerance in T. Aestivum

Lv, Li-Hua, Xiao, Kai, Yao, Yan-Rong, Fu, Xiao-Xin, Zhang, Li-Hua, Zheng, Meng-Jing, Zhao, Ying-Jia, Ma, Chun-Ying, Zhang, Jing-Ting

2024

Overview

Background Drought stress limits significantly the crop productivity. However, plants have evolved various strategies to cope with the drought conditions by adopting complex molecular, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms. Members of the nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) transcription factor (TF) family constitute one of the largest TF classes and are involved in plant responses to abiotic stresses. Results TaNF-YB2 , a NY-YB subfamily gene in T. aestivum , was characterized in this study focusing on its role in mediating plant adaptation to drought stress. Yeast two-hybrid (Y-2 H), biomolecular fluoresence complementation (BiFC), and Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays indicated that TaNF-YB2 interacts with the NF-YA member TaNF-YA7 and NF-YC family member TaNF-YC7, which constitutes a heterotrimer TaNF-YB2/TaNF-YA7/TaNF-YC7. The TaNF-YB2 transcripts are induced in roots and aerial tissues upon drought signaling; GUS histochemical staining analysis demonstrated the roles of cis -regulatory elements ABRE and MYB situated in TaNF-YB2 promoter to contribute to target gene response to drought. Transgene analysis on TaNF-YB2 confirmed its functions in regulating drought adaptation via modulating stomata movement, osmolyte biosynthesis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. TaNF-YB2 possessed the abilities in transcriptionally activating TaP5CS2 , the P5CS family gene involving proline biosynthesis and TaSOD1 , TaCAT5 , and TaPOD5 , the genes encoding antioxidant enzymes. Positive correlations were found between yield and the TaNF-YB2 transcripts in a core panel constituting 45 wheat cultivars under drought condition, in which two types of major haplotypes including TaNF-YB2-Hap1 and -Hap2 were included, with the former conferring more TaNF-YB2 transcripts and stronger plant drought tolerance. Conclusions TaNF-YB2 is transcriptional response to drought stress. It is an essential regulator in mediating plant drought adaptation by modulating the physiological processes associated with stomatal movement, osmolyte biosynthesis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, depending on its role in transcriptionally regulating stress response genes. Our research deepens the understanding of plant drought stress underlying NF-Y TF family and provides gene resource in efforts for molecular breeding the drought-tolerant cultivars in T. aestivum .

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Abiotic stress / Abiotic stress tolerance in plants / Abscisic acid / Adaptation / Adaptation, Physiological - genetics / Agriculture / Antioxidants / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biosynthesis / Botanical research / Breeding / Canada / Cellular stress response / China / Complementation / Crop production / Cultivars / Drought / Drought Resistance / drought tolerance / Droughts / Environmental aspects / Enzymes / Evolution / family / Flowers & plants / Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Genes / Genes, Plant / Genetic aspects / Genetic resources / Genomes / Haplotypes / Hardiness / Homeostasis / Immunoprecipitation / Life Sciences / Localization / Nuclear factor-YB gene / Oxygen / Phylogenetics / Physiological aspects / Physiological effects / Physiology / plant adaptation / Plant breeding / Plant genetics / Plant growth / Plant Proteins - genetics / Plant Proteins - metabolism / Plant Sciences / Plant tolerance / Plants / Polyethylene glycol / precipitin tests / Proline / Protein interaction; transcriptional activation / Proteins / Reactive oxygen species / Regulatory sequences / Signal transduction / Starvation / Stomata / stomatal movement / stress response / Stress, Physiological - genetics / Stress-associated physiological parameter / subfamily / transcription (genetics) / Transcription factors / Transcription Factors - genetics / Transcription Factors - metabolism / Transgene analysis / Transgenes / Tree Biology / Triticum - genetics / Triticum - metabolism / Triticum - physiology / two hybrid system techniques / water stress / Wheat / Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) / Yeast