Premium
Role of melatonin in alleviating cold stress in A rabidopsis thaliana
Author(s) -
Bajwa Vikramjit S.,
Shukla Mukund R.,
Sherif Sherif M.,
Murch Susan J.,
Saxena Praveen K.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of pineal research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1600-079X
pISSN - 0742-3098
DOI - 10.1111/jpi.12115
Subject(s) - melatonin , reactive oxygen species , abiotic stress , biology , transcription factor , antioxidant , oxidative stress , arabidopsis thaliana , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , botany , biochemistry , endocrinology , mutant
Melatonin ( N ‐acetyl‐5‐methoxytryptamine) has been implicated in abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in plants. However, information on the effects of melatonin in cold‐stress tolerance in vivo is limited. In this study, the effect of melatonin was investigated in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana challenged with a cold stress at 4⁰C for 72 and 120 hr. Melatonin‐treated plants (10 and 30 μ m ) had significantly higher fresh weight, primary root length, and shoot height compared with the nontreated plants. To aid in the understanding of the role of melatonin in alleviating cold stress, we investigated the effects of melatonin treatment on the expression of cold‐related genes. Melatonin up‐regulated the expression of C‐repeat‐binding factors ( CBF s)/Drought Response Element Binding factors ( DREB s), a cold‐responsive gene, COR 15a , a transcription factor involved in freezing and drought‐stress tolerance CAMTA 1 and transcription activators of reactive oxygen species ( ROS )‐related antioxidant genes, ZAT 10 and ZAT 12 , following cold stress. The up‐regulation of cold signaling genes by melatonin may stimulate the biosynthesis of cold‐protecting compounds and contribute to the increased growth of plants treated with exogenous melatonin under cold stress.