Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Dong, Yan
• Wang, Congpeng
• Han, Xiao
• Tang, Sha
• Liu, Sha
• Xia, Xinli
• Yin, Weilun

Titel

A novel bHLH transcription factor PebHLH35 from Populus euphratica confers drought tolerance through regulating stomatal development, photosynthesis and growth in Arabidopsis

Ist Teil von

• Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 2014-07, Vol.450 (1), p.453-458

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •PebHLH35 is firstly cloned from Populus euphratica and characterized its functions.•PebHLH35 is important for earlier seedling establishment and vegetative growth.•PebHLH35 enhances tolerance to drought by regulating growth.•PebHLH35 enhances tolerance to drought by regulating stomatal development.•PebHLH35 enhances tolerance to drought by regulating photosynthesis and transpiration. Plant basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) are involved in a variety of physiological processes including the regulation of plant responses to various abiotic stresses. However, few drought-responsive bHLH family members in Populus have been reported. In this study, a novel bHLH gene (PebHLH35) was cloned from Populus euphratica. Expression analysis in P. euphratica revealed that PebHLH35 was induced by drought and abscisic acid. Subcellular localization studies using a PebHLH35-GFP fusion showed that the protein was localized to the nucleus. Ectopic overexpression of PebHLH35 in Arabidopsis resulted in a longer primary root, more leaves, and a greater leaf area under well-watered conditions compared with vector control plants. Notably, PebHLH35 overexpression lines showed enhanced tolerance to water-deficit stress. This finding was supported by anatomical and physiological analyses, which revealed a reduced stomatal density, stomatal aperture, transpiration rate, and water loss, and a higher chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate. Our results suggest that PebHLH35 functions as a positive regulator of drought stress responses by regulating stomatal density, stomatal aperture, photosynthesis and growth.