水稻多逆境诱导基因OsMsr4的克隆与表达分析

为深入了解水稻逆境反应的分子机理和发现新的耐逆相关功能基因,采用Affymetrix水稻表达芯片分析超级稻两优培九母本培矮64S(Oryza sativa L.)不同生长发育时期、不同组织器官全基因组在低温、干旱、高温逆境胁迫下的表达水平,筛选出多个多因子诱导高表达特异基因(待另文发表).OsMsr4是其中一个在多种逆境条件,各生长发育时期与组织器官,其表达量均显著上调的基因,用实时定量PCR方法对其表达水平进行了进一步的分析,所得结果与基因芯片结果基本吻合.用 PCR方法扩增获得长为550 bp全长基因序列,其编码的144个氨基酸残基形成Cys2His2型双锌指结构蛋白,并且锌指结构的α-螺旋区含有植物锌指蛋白特定的保守序列QALGGH.因此,OsMsr4有可能是TFⅢA型锌指蛋白,作为转录因子参与各种环境胁迫应答反应,调控多个逆境相关基因表达.     

Overexpression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">OsiSAP8</Emphasis>, a member of stress associated protein (SAP) gene family of rice confers tolerance to salt,drought and cold stress in transgenic tobacco and rice

We describe here the isolation and characterization of OsiSAP8, a member of stress Associated protein (SAP) gene family from rice characterized by the presence of A20 and AN1 type Zinc finger domains. OsiSAP8 is a multiple stress inducible gene, induced by various stresses, namely heat, cold, salt, desiccation, submergence, wounding, heavy metals as well as stress hormone Abscisic acid. OsiSAP8 protein fused to GFP was localized towards the periphery of the cells in the epidermal cells of infiltrated Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Yeast two hybrid analysis revealed that A20 and AN1 type zinc-finger domains of OsiSAP8 interact with each other. Overexpression of the gene in both transgenic tobacco and rice conferred tolerance to salt, drought and cold stress at seed germination/seedling stage as reflected by percentage of germination and gain in fresh weight after stress recovery. Transgenic rice plants were tolerant to salt and drought during anthesis stage without any yield penalty as compared to unstressed transgenic plants. OsiSAP8 is deposited in the Genbank with the Accession number AY345599.     

水稻受盐抑制基因OsZFP1的转基因分析

OsZFP1(水稻锌指蛋白1)基因编码的蛋白含有3个推测的Cys2/Cys2-型锌指结构域,它的表达受盐胁迫负调控。构建了以35S为启动子的OsZFP1基因的植物表达载体,并将其转入拟南芥(ArabidopsisthalianaL.)植物和水稻(OryzasativaL.)愈伤组织中以过量表达OsZFP1基因。转基因的拟南芥植株和水稻愈伤组织对盐处理的敏感性都比野生型要高。这一结果表明OsZFP1基因可能编码一种负调控蛋白,它可能抑制某些盐诱导基因的表达。在ABA处理下,转基因拟南芥植株比野生型植株抽苔晚,说明OsZFP1基因的作用可能受ABA调节。     

Rice <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">ZFP15</Emphasis> Gene Encoding for a Novel C2H2-type Zinc Finger Protein Lacking DLN box,is Regulated by Spike Development but not by Abiotic Stresses

A novel C2H2-type zinc finger protein gene, ZFP15, was cloned from rice by RT-PCR approach. The ZFP15 gene encodes a protein of 144 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 15 kDa. The ZFP15 protein comprises two C2H2-type zinc finger domains, a putative nuclear localization signal (NLS) at its N-terminus but the DLN-box identified in all reported plant C2H2-type zinc finger proteins was not found. A homology search revealed that ZFP15 gene was localized within a cluster of C2H2-type zinc finger genes in BAC clone OJ1754_E06 mapped on chromosome 3. All three members in the cluster encoded proteins showed high identities in amino acids and might contribute to a co-regulation. The RT-PCR assay revealed that ZFP15 mRNA was not regulated by cold, salt, drought and ABA stresses, though CRT/DRE and ABRE elements were found in the promoter region of ZFP15 gene. The expression profiling also showed that ZFP15 mRNA was expressed with a lower level in leaves and roots, but not detected in stems. Besides, ZFP15 was shown to accumulate much more in flowering spike than in immature spike. Thus, ZFP15, as the first characterized C2H2-type zinc finger protein in rice, might play a regulatory role on rice spike development.     

水稻受盐抑制基因OsZFP1的转基因分析

OsZFP1(水稻锌指蛋白1)基因编码的蛋白含有3个推测的Cys2/Cys2-型锌指结构域,它的表达受盐胁迫负调控.构建了以35S为启动子的OsZFP1基因的植物表达载体,并将其转入拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana L.)植物和水稻(Oryza sativa L.)愈伤组织中以过量表达OsZFP1基因.转基因的拟南芥植株和水稻愈伤组织对盐处理的敏感性都比野生型要高.这一结果表明OsZFP1基因可能编码一种负调控蛋白,它可能抑制某些盐诱导基因的表达.在ABA处理下,转基因拟南芥植株比野生型植株抽苔晚,说明OsZFP1基因的作用可能受ABA调节.     

水稻C2H2型锌指蛋白基因RZF71的克隆与表达分析

利用生物信息学和RT-PCR方法从水稻幼苗组织中分离了1个新的C2H2型锌指蛋白基因RZF71, 该基因编码一条250个氨基酸残基的多肽, 含有两个典型的C2H2型锌指结构。半定量RT-PCR分析表明: RZF71在根、茎、叶和幼穗中呈组成性表达, 在根中的表达丰度略高; 在高盐和PEG6000胁迫的水稻幼苗组织中, RZF71的表达显著增强, 但低温和ABA处理对该基因的表达量影响不大。农杆菌介导的洋葱表皮细胞GFP瞬时表达实验表明: RZF71定位于细胞核内。讨论了RZF71可能作为一个转录调控因子在水稻耐高盐和渗透胁迫中的作用。     

Over-expression of a single Ca2+-dependent protein kinase confers both cold and salt/drought tolerance on rice plants

A rice gene encoding a calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK), OsCDPK7, was induced by cold and salt stresses. To elucidate the physiological function of OsCDPK7, we generated transgenic rice plants with altered levels of the protein. The extent of tolerance to cold and salt/drought stresses of these plants correlated well with the level of OsCDPK7 expression. Therefore, OsCDPK7 was shown to be a positive regulator commonly involved in the tolerance to both stresses in rice. Over-expression of OsCDPK7 enhanced induction of some stress-responsive genes in response to salinity/drought, but not to cold. Thus, it was suggested that the downstream pathways leading to the cold and salt/drought tolerance are different from each other. It seems likely that at least two distinct pathways commonly use a single CDPK, maintaining the signalling specificity through unknown post-translational regulation mechanisms. These results demonstrate that simple manipulation of CDPK activity has great potential with regard to plant improvement.     

Increased tolerance of rice to cold, drought and oxidative stresses mediated by the overexpression of a gene that encodes the zinc finger protein ZFP245

ZFP245 is a cold- and drought-responsive gene that encodes a zinc finger protein in rice. The ZFP245 protein localizes in the nucleus and exhibits trans-activation activity. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing ZFP245 were generated and found to display high tolerance to cold and drought stresses. The transgenic plants did not exhibit growth retardation, but showed growth sensitivity against exogenous abscisic acid, increased free proline levels and elevated expression of rice pyrroline-5-carboxylatesynthetase and proline transporter genes under stress conditions. Overproduction of ZFP245 enhanced the activities of reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzymes under stress conditions and increased the tolerance of rice seedlings to oxidative stress. Our data suggest that ZFP245 may contribute to the tolerance of rice plants to cold and drought stresses by regulating proline levels and reactive oxygen species-scavenging activities, and therefore may be useful for developing transgenic crops with enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress.     

新疆无苞芥锌指蛋白基因的克隆及表达分析

利用同源克隆法从新疆无苞芥中克隆获得1个锌指蛋白基因(OpZFP)。序列分析表明,OpZFP基因的开放阅读框为684bp,推测编码含227个氨基酸的蛋白质。生物信息学分析显示,OpZFP蛋白含有1个典型的C2H2型锌指结构,在C端含有一个可能具有转录抑制功能的EAR结构域。系统进化树分析表明OpZFP编码产物与拟南芥AtZFP1、琴叶拟南芥AlZFP1的进化关系较近。分离了OpZFP基因2 095bp的启动子序列,发现该启动子与拟南芥AtZFP1基因的启动子序列只有84.4%的相似性,启动子分析表明二者存在多处不同的顺式作用元件。半定量RT-PCR分析表明,OpZFP在根、茎、叶、花和果荚中均有表达,在根中的表达量最高。OpZFP基因受高盐、干旱和低温等胁迫的诱导表达,表明该蛋白涉及多种胁迫相关的信号传导途径。     

Identification and expression analysis of hypoxia stress inducible CCCH-type zinc finger protein genes in rice

Flooding is one of the threatening abiotic stresses in recent global warming. In order to understand flooding-caused low oxygen stress response at molecular level, microarray-linked isolation of the hypoxia inducible genes were conducted. Seventeen genes that were up-regulated by the factor of more than 3 fold, were confirmed as hypoxia inducible. Among them, a CCCH-type zinc finger protein gene, OsCCCH-Zn-1, was further characterized due to its novelty as a hypoxia-inducible zinc finger gene as well as its significant induction by hypoxia stress. OsCCCH-Zn-1 was also up-regulated by submergence, ABA and drought stresses. In the normal growth condition, OsCCCH-Zn-1 was expressed in the flag leaf sheath, highest internode and developing seeds. In rice, at least 12 CCCH-type zinc finger protein genes were retrieved by in silico analysis. Among these, we found that the zinc finger genes OsCCCH-Zn-1, -2, -6 were induced by hypoxia stress.     

An osmotin from the resurrection plant Tripogon loliiformis (TlOsm) confers tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in transgenic rice

Osmotin is a key protein associated with abiotic and biotic stress response in plants. In this study, an osmotin from the resurrection plant Tripogon loliiformis (TlOsm) was characterized and functionally analyzed under abiotic stress conditions in T. loliiformis as well as in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) and Oryza sativa (rice) plants. Real‐time PCR analysis on mixed elicitor cDNA libraries from T. loliiformis showed that TlOsm was upregulated a 1000‐fold during the early stages of osmotic stresses (cold, drought, and salinity) in both shoots and roots but downregulated in shoots during heat stress. There was no change in TlOsm gene expression in roots of heat‐stressed plants and during plant development. The plasma membrane localization of TlOsm was showed in fluorescent‐tagged TlOsm tobacco plants using confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis. Transgenic rice plants expressing TlOsm were assessed for enhanced tolerance to salinity, drought and cold stresses. Constitutively expressed TlOsm in transgenic rice plants showed increased tolerance to cold, drought and salinity stress when compared with the wild‐type and vector control counterparts. This was evidenced by maintained growth, retained higher water content and membrane integrity, and improved survival rate of TlOsm‐expressing plants. The results thus indicate the involvement of TlOsm in plant response to multiple abiotic stresses, possibly through the signaling pathway, and highlight its potential applications for engineering crops with improved tolerance to cold, drought and salinity stress.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel RING-H2 finger gene induced in response to cold and drought in the interfertile Citrus relative Poncirus trifoliata

Many genes in different organisms encode proteins with really interesting gene (RING) finger domain(s). The RING zinc finger domain is involved in a wide variety of functions in diverse organisms. A cDNA clone showing homology with RING zinc finger genes and nine-fold induction in response to cold was previously identified during a gene expression study in the interfertile Citrus relative Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. In this study, the full-length cDNA of this clone was isolated from 2-day cold-acclimated P. trifoliata by a rapid amplification of cDNA ends method using gene-specific primers. The full-length cDNA was 956 bp containing a complete open reading frame of 474 bp encoding a polypeptide of 158 amino acids. The full-length cDNA showed a high level of homology with genes encoding putative RING zinc finger proteins in plants. The deduced amino acid sequence of this gene contained a signature sequence motif for a RING zinc finger close to the C terminus of the protein. The RING zinc finger domain was significantly similar to previously characterized RING zinc finger proteins from different organisms. Additionally, it had a histidine residue at the fifth co-ordination site, indicating that this gene encodes a RING-H2 finger protein. Northern blot hybridization showed that the expression of the RING finger gene was induced in response to cold in cold-hardy P. trifoliata but not to the same extent in cold-sensitive Citrus grandis L. Osb. (pummelo). However, the gene was induced by drought stress similarly in both the species. To our knowledge, this study presents the first isolation of the full-length sequence of a RING zinc finger gene induced in response to abiotic stress in plants and the initial characterization of this gene in Citrus .     

Expression analysis of rice A20/AN1-type zinc finger genes and characterization of ZFP177 that contributes to temperature stress tolerance

The A20/AN1-type zinc finger protein family is conserved in animals and plants. Using human AWP1 protein as a query, we identified twelve A20/AN1-type zinc finger proteins in japonica rice. Most of these genes were constitutively expressed in leaves, roots, culms and spikes. Through microarray analysis, it was found that four genes (ZFP177, ZFP181, ZFP176, ZFP173), two genes (ZFP181 and ZFP176) and one gene (ZFP157) were significantly induced by cold, drought and H(2)O(2) treatments, respectively. Further expression analysis showed that ZFP177 was responsive to both cold and heat stresses, but down-regulated by salt. The subcellular localization assay indicated that ZFP177 was localized in cytoplasm in tobacco leaf and root cells. Yeast-one hybrid assay showed that ZFP177 lacked trans-activation potential in yeast cells. Overexpression of ZFP177 in tobacco conferred tolerance of transgenic plants to both low and high temperature stresses, but increased sensitivity to salt and drought stresses. Further we found expression levels of some stress-related genes were inhibited in ZFP177 transgenic plants. These results suggested that ZFP177 might play crucial but differential roles in plant responses to various abiotic stresses.