Expression of apoplastically secreted tobacco osmotin in cotton confers drought tolerance |
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Authors: | Vilas Parkhi Vinod Kumar Ganesan Sunilkumar LeAnne M Campbell Narendra K Singh Keerti S Rathore |
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Institution: | (1) Institute for Plant Genomics & Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2123, USA;(2) Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2474, USA;(3) Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Sciences Building, Auburn, AL 36849-5407, USA |
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Abstract: | Osmotin or osmotin-like proteins have been shown to be induced in several plant species in response to various types of biotic
and abiotic challenges. The protein is generally believed to be involved in protecting the plant against these stresses. Although
some understanding of the possible mechanism underlying the defense function of osmotin against biotic stresses is beginning
to emerge, its role in abiotic stress response is far from clear. We have transformed cotton plants with a tobacco-osmotin
gene, lacking the sequence encoding its 20 amino acid-long, C-terminal vacuolar-sorting motif, under the control of CaMV 35S
promoter. Apoplastic secretion of the recombinant protein was confirmed and the plants were evaluated for their ability to
tolerate drought conditions. Under polyethylene glycol-mediated water stress, the osmotin-expressing seedlings showed better
growth performance. The transformants showed a slower rate of wilting during drought and faster recovery following the termination
of dry conditions in a greenhouse setting. During drought, the leaves from transgenic plants had higher relative water content
and proline levels, while showing reduced H2O2 levels, lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage. Importantly, following a series of dry periods, the osmotin transformants
performed better in terms of most growth and developmental parameters tested. Most relevant, the fiber yield of transgenic
plants did not suffer as much as that of their non-transgenic counterparts under drought conditions. The results provide direct
support for a protective role of osmotin in cotton plants experiencing water stress and suggest a possible way to achieve
tolerance to drought conditions by means of genetic engineering.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
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Keywords: | Abiotic stress Cotton Drought Osmotin Transgenic |
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