A Group I WRKY Gene, <i>TaWRKY133</i>, Negatively Regulates Drought Resistance in Transgenic Plants
WRKYs are one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families and play an important role in plant resistance to various stresses. TaWRKY133, a group I WRKY protein, responds to a variety of abiotic stresses, including PEG treatment. The TaWRKY133 protein is located in the nucleus of tobacco epider...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/12026 |
| Summary: | WRKYs are one of the largest transcription factor (TF) families and play an important role in plant resistance to various stresses. TaWRKY133, a group I WRKY protein, responds to a variety of abiotic stresses, including PEG treatment. The TaWRKY133 protein is located in the nucleus of tobacco epidermal cells, and both its N-terminal and C-terminal domains exhibit transcriptional activation activity. Overexpression of <i>TaWRKY133</i> reduced drought tolerance in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>, as reflected by a lower germination rate, shorter roots, higher stomatal aperture, poorer growth and lower antioxidant enzyme activities under drought treatment. Moreover, expression levels of stress-related genes (<i>DREB2A</i>, <i>RD29A</i>, <i>RD29B</i>, <i>ABF1</i>, <i>ABA2</i>, <i>ABI1</i>, <i>SOD (Cu/Zn)</i>, <i>POD1</i> and <i>CAT1</i>) were downregulated in transgenic <i>Arabidopsis</i> under drought stress. Gene silencing of <i>TaWRKY133</i> enhanced the drought tolerance of wheat, as reflected in better growth, higher antioxidant enzyme activities, and higher expression levels of stress-related genes including <i>DREB1</i>, <i>DREB3</i>, <i>ABF</i>, <i>ERF3</i>, <i>SOD (Fe)</i>, <i>POD</i>, <i>CAT</i> and <i>P5CS</i>. In conclusion, these results suggest that <i>TaWRKY133</i> might reduce drought tolerance in plants by regulating the expression of stress-related genes. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |