Overexpression of AtERF019 delays plant growth and senescence, and improves drought tolerance in Arabidopsis

The transcription factor superfamily, APETALA2/ethylene response factor, is involved in plant growth and development, as well as in environmental stress responses. Here, an uncharacterized gene of this family, AtERF019, was studied in Arabidopsis thaliana under abiotic stress situations. Arabidopsis...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental botany 2017-01, Vol.68 (3), p.673-685
Main Authors: Scarpeci, Telma E., Frea, Vanesa S., Zanor, María I., Valle, Estela M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - growth & development
Arabidopsis - physiology
Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics
Arabidopsis Proteins - physiology
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins - physiology
Droughts
Gene Expression
Proteomics
RESEARCH PAPER
Stress, Physiological
Transcription Factors - genetics
Transcription Factors - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The transcription factor superfamily, APETALA2/ethylene response factor, is involved in plant growth and development, as well as in environmental stress responses. Here, an uncharacterized gene of this family, AtERF019, was studied in Arabidopsis thaliana under abiotic stress situations. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing AtERF019 showed a delay in flowering time of 7 days and a delay in senescence of 2 weeks when comparison with wild type plants. These plants also showed increased tolerance to water deficiency that could be explained by a lower transpiration rate, owing to their smaller stomata aperture and lower cuticle and cell wall permeability. Furthermore, using a bottom-up proteomic approach, proteins produced in response to stress, namely branched-chain-amino-acid aminotransferase 3 (BCAT3) and the zinc finger transcription factor oxidative stress 2, were only identified in plants overexpressing AtERF019. Additionally, a BCAT3 mutant was more sensitive to water-deficit stress than wild type plants. Predicted gene targets of AtERF019 were oxidative stress 2 and genes related to cell wall metabolism. These data suggest that AtERF019 could play a primary role in plant growth and development that causes an increased tolerance to water deprivation, so strengthening their chances of reproductive success.
ISSN:0022-0957
1460-2431
DOI:10.1093/jxb/erw429