ThHSFA1 Confers Salt Stress Tolerance through Modulation of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavenging by Directly Regulating <i>ThWRKY4</i>
Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) play critical roles in several types of environmental stresses. However, the detailed regulatory mechanisms in response to salt stress are still largely unknown. In this study, we examined the salt-induced transcriptional responses of <i>ThHSFA1</i>...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/9/5048 |
| Summary: | Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) play critical roles in several types of environmental stresses. However, the detailed regulatory mechanisms in response to salt stress are still largely unknown. In this study, we examined the salt-induced transcriptional responses of <i>ThHSFA1</i>-<i>ThWRKY4</i> in <i>Tamarix</i> <i>hispida</i> and their functions and regulatory mechanisms in salt tolerance. ThHSFA1 protein acts as an upstream regulator that can directly activate <i>ThWRKY4</i> expression by binding to the heat shock element (HSE) of the <i>ThWRKY4</i> promoter using yeast one-hybrid (Y1H), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and dual-luciferase reporter assays. <i>ThHSFA1</i> and <i>ThWRKY4</i> expression was significantly induced by salt stress and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment in the roots and leaves of <i>T</i>. <i>hispida</i>. ThHSFA1 is a nuclear-localized protein with transactivation activity at the <i>C</i>-terminus. Compared to nontransgenic plants, transgenic plants overexpressing <i>ThHSFA1</i> displayed enhanced salt tolerance and exhibited reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and increased antioxidant enzyme activity levels under salt stress. Therefore, we further concluded that <i>ThHSFA1</i> mediated the regulation of <i>ThWRKY4</i> in response to salt stress in <i>T</i>. <i>hispida</i>. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |