AsTal1 from Aquilaria sinensis regulates ABA signaling-mediated seed germination and root growth in Nicotiana benthamiana

• Published in: Plant cell, tissue and organ culture tissue and organ culture, 2021-10, Vol.147 (1), p.97-106
• Main Authors: Rong, Yuqing, Li, Tiezheng, Liu, Xiao, Shi, Shepo, Wang, Xiaohui, Tu, Pengfei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abscisic acid; Aquilaria sinensis; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Chloroplasts; Enzymes; Gene expression; Genes; Germination; Life Sciences; Medicinal plants; Nicotiana benthamiana; Original Article; Pentose; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant growth; Plant Pathology; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Seed germination; Seeds; Signal transduction; Signaling; Transaldolase; Transgenic plants
• ISSN: 0167-6857; 1573-5044
• DOI: 10.1007/s11240-021-02110-6

Transaldolase, the key enzyme of the pentose-phosphate pathway, plays an important role in plant growth and defense. Seed germination is a key factor that influences the cultivation of Aquilaria sinensis , the plant source of agarwood, which is widely used as a traditional medicine, perfume and incenses. However, little is known about the function of transaldolase in abscisic acid (ABA) signaling-mediated seed germination. In the present study, the full-length AsTal1 gene was isolated and characterized from A. sinensis calli. Sublocalization analysis indicated that AsTal1 was localized in the chloroplast. In addition, phenotypic analysis indicated that AsTal1 -overexpressing Nicotiana benthamiana (OE) plants were less sensitive to ABA during seed germination and root growth than wild-type (WT) plants. Overexpression of AsTal1 regulated the expression of genes involved in ABA metabolism, biosynthesis and signal transduction under ABA treatment. In addition, expression of NbRbohA and NbRbohB was inhibited in the overexpression lines, whereas the abundance and activities of the antioxidative enzymes were higher in the transgenic plants than in the WT lines after ABA treatment. Taken together, our results indicated that AsTal1 regulates ABA signaling-mediated seed germination and root growth by regulating the expression of genes involved in the ABA signaling pathway and the enzymes responsive to ROS. Key message AsTal1 isolated from Aquilaria sinensis regulates ABA response during seed germination and root growth by regulating the expression of genes involved in the ABA signaling pathway and the enzymes responsive to ROS in Nicotiana benthamiana .