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Overexpression of Populus tomentosa cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase enhances abiotic stress tolerance in tobacco plants

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Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play key roles in plants and are regulated by several ROS-scavenging enzymes. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), which catalyzes the reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water, a vital part of ROS formation, plays a significant role in higher plants. In this study, a cytosolic APX gene from Populus tomentosa, named PcAPX, was identified and characterized. Recombinant PcAPX had a calculated mass of 33.24 kD and showed high activity towards ascorbic acid (ASA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Real-time PCR analysis showed that APX mRNA expression levels were higher in leaves than roots or stems of P. tomentosa. Compared with wild-type, transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing PcAPX showed no significant difference in morphology under normal conditions. However, the transgenic plants were more resistant to drought, salt and oxidative stress conditions, as shown by decreased levels of malondialdehyde and increased levels of chlorophyll. Moreover, decreased H2O2 levels, increased ASA consumption, an increase in the NADP to NADPH ratio, and higher APX activity in the transgenic plants suggested an increased ability to eliminate ROS. These data suggest that PcAPX overexpression in transgenic tobacco plants can enhance tolerance to drought, salt and oxidative stress. Therefore, APX has a crucial role in abiotic stress tolerance in plants.

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Abbreviations

APX:

ascorbate peroxidase

ASA:

ascorbic acid

CAT:

catalase

MDASA:

monodehydroascorbate

RWC:

relative water content

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

TBA:

thiobarbituric acid

TCA:

trichloroacetic acid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Qinghua East Road No. 35, Haidian District, Beijing, China

    S. Cao, L.-H. Li, Y.-D. Liu, L. Zhang, X. Pan, Y. Li, H. Li & H. Lu

  2. National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Qinghua East Road No. 35, Haidian District, Beijing, China

    S. Cao, L.-H. Li, Y.-D. Liu, L. Zhang, X. Pan, Y. Li, H. Li & H. Lu

  3. School of Life Science, Shandong Normal University, 250000, Wenhua East Road No. 88, Lixia District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China

    X.-H. Du

Authors
  1. S. Cao
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  2. X.-H. Du
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  3. L.-H. Li
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  4. Y.-D. Liu
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  5. L. Zhang
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  6. X. Pan
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  7. Y. Li
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  8. H. Li
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  9. H. Lu
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Correspondence to H. Li.

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These authors contributed equally to this work.

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Cao, S., Du, XH., Li, LH. et al. Overexpression of Populus tomentosa cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase enhances abiotic stress tolerance in tobacco plants. Russ J Plant Physiol 64, 224–234 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443717020029

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1021443717020029

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