Open AccessMa RAP 2‐4, a waterlogging‐responsive ERF from Mentha, regulates bidirectional sugar transporter At SWEET 10 to modulate stress response in Arabidopsis
Author(s) -
Phukan Ujjal J.,
Jeena Gajendra Singh,
Tripathi Vineeta,
Shukla Rakesh Kumar
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12762
Subject(s) - jasmonic acid , biology , arabidopsis , waterlogging (archaeology) , transcription factor , wrky protein domain , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , botany , gene , mutant , ecology , wetland
Summary As waterlogging and successive events severely influence growth and development of economically important plants, we attempted to characterize the role of a waterlogging‐responsive group I (A‐6) ethylene response factor (Ma RAP 2‐4) from Mentha arvensis . Waterlogging, ethylene and methyl jasmonate rapidly induced the expression of Ma RAP 2‐4 . Ma RAP 2‐4 interacted with multiple cis ‐elements like dehydration response elements ( DRE 1/2), anoxia/jasmonic acid response element ( JARE ) and GCC box showing its involvement in multiple responses. Ma RAP 2‐4 localizes in the nucleus and acts as a transcriptional activator. Truncation and internal deletion identified a 20 amino acids potential transactivation domain ( PLPSSVDAKLEAICQSLAIN ) in Ma RAP 2‐4. Ma RAP 2‐4 transgenic Arabidopsis showed enhanced waterlogging and subsequent oxidative stress tolerance. Microarray analysis revealed that within up‐regulated genes 483, 212 and 132 promoters carry either single or multiple copies of DRE , JARE and GCC cis ‐element/s, respectively. Within these promoters, a large section belongs to carbohydrate metabolism/transport, including many SWEET transporters. Further analysis showed Ma RAP 2‐4 specifically targets two positions in At SWEEET 10 promoter carrying DRE and/or GCC box that might regulate carbohydrate availability and waterlogging tolerance. These results demonstrate that Ma RAP 2‐4 is a positive regulator of waterlogging tolerance, and as energy‐consuming processes such as carbohydrate biosynthesis are reduced under waterlogging‐induced hypoxia, sugar transport through SWEET s may be the primary option to make sugar available to the required tissue.