Open AccessOverexpression of a maize plasma membrane intrinsic protein ZmPIP1;1 confers drought and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis
Author(s) -
Lian Zhou,
Jing Zhou,
Yuhan Xiong,
Chaoxian Liu,
Jiuguang Wang,
Guoqiang Wang,
Yilin Cai
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0198639
Subject(s) - arabidopsis , reactive oxygen species , catalase , superoxide dismutase , drought tolerance , proline , abiotic stress , malondialdehyde , biology , transgene , plant physiology , botany , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , oxidative stress , mutant , amino acid
Drought and salt stress are major abiotic stress that inhibit plants growth and development, here we report a plasma membrane intrinsic protein ZmPIP1;1 from maize and identified its function in drought and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis . ZmPIP1;1 was localized to the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum in maize protoplasts. Treatment with PEG or NaCl resulted in induced expression of ZmPIP1;1 in root and leaves. Constitutive overexpression of ZmPIP1;1 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants resulted in enhanced drought and salt stress tolerance compared to wild type. A number of stress responsive genes involved in cellular osmoprotection in ZmPIP1;1 overexpression plants were up-regulated under drought or salt condition. ZmPIP1;1 overexpression plants showed higher activities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes such as catalase and superoxide dismutase, lower contents of stress-induced ROS such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde, and higher levels of proline under drought and salt stress than did wild type. ZmPIP1;1 may play a role in drought and salt stress tolerance by inducing of stress responsive genes and increasing of ROS scavenging enzymes activities, and could provide a valuable gene for further plant breeding.