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Overexpression of the Jatropha curcas JcERF1 gene coding an AP2/ERF-Type transcription factor increases tolerance to salt in transgenic tobacco

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Abstract

The JcERF1 gene, which is related to the ERF family (ethylene responsive factor coding genes), was isolated and characterized from the oil tree Jatropha curcas. The JcERF1 protein contains conserved an AP2/EREBP DNA-binding domain of 58 amino acid residues. The JcERF1 gene could be induced by abscisic acid, high salinity, hormones, and osmotic stress, suggesting that JcERF1 is regulated by certain components of the stress-signaling pathway. The full-length and C-terminus of JcERF1 driven by the GAL4 promoter functioned effectively as a transactivator in yeast, while its N-terminus was completely inactive. Transient expression analysis using a JcERF1-mGFP fusion gene in onion epidermal cells revealed that the JcERF1 protein is targeted to the nucleus. Transgenic tobacco plants carrying CaMV35S::JcERF1 fragments were shown to be much more salt tolerant compared to wild-type plants. Our results indicate that JcERF1 is a new member of the ERF transcription factors family that may play an important role in tolerance to environmental stress.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

abscisic acid

3-AT:

3-amino-1,2,4-aminotriazole

CaMV:

cauliflower mosaic virus

DREB:

dehydrationresponsive element-binding factor

EREBP:

ethylene-responsive element-binding protein

ERF:

ethylene-responsive factor

LB:

Luria-Bertani medium

MDA:

malondialdehyde

mGFP:

modified green fluorescent protein

MS:

Murashige-Skoog medium

NLS:

nuclear localization signal

OE:

overexpression of JcERF1 in tobacco

ORF:

open reading frame

PEG:

polyethylene glycol

RACE:

rapid amplification of cDNA end

RT-PCR:

reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

SD:

synthetic dropout

TF:

transcription factor

WT:

wild-type

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, P. R. China

    Hua Yang, Chuan Yu, Jun Yan, Xuehua Wang, Fang Chen, Yun Zhao & Wei Wei

Authors
  1. Hua Yang
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  2. Chuan Yu
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  3. Jun Yan
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  4. Xuehua Wang
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  5. Fang Chen
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  6. Yun Zhao
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  7. Wei Wei
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Correspondence to Wei Wei.

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Published in Russian in Biokhimiya, 2014, Vol. 79, No. 11, pp. 1505–1517.

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Yang, H., Yu, C., Yan, J. et al. Overexpression of the Jatropha curcas JcERF1 gene coding an AP2/ERF-Type transcription factor increases tolerance to salt in transgenic tobacco. Biochemistry Moscow 79, 1226–1236 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0006297914110108

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0006297914110108

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