A Novel Stress-Induced Sugarcane Gene Confers Tolerance to Drought, Salt and Oxidative Stress in Transgenic Tobacco Plants

Abstract

BackgroundDrought is a major abiotic stress that affects crop productivity worldwide. Sugarcane can withstand periods of water scarcity during the final stage of culm maturation, during which sucrose accumulation occurs. Meanwhile, prolonged periods of drought can cause severe plant losses.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn a previous study, we evaluated the transcriptome of drought-stressed plants to better understand sugarcane responses to drought. Among the up-regulated genes was Scdr1 (sugarcane drought-responsive 1). The aim of the research reported here was to characterize this gene. Scdr1 encodes a putative protein containing 248 amino acids with a large number of proline (19%) and cysteine (13%) residues. Phylogenetic analysis showed that ScDR1is in a clade with homologs from other monocotyledonous plants, separate from those of dicotyledonous plants. The expression of Scdr1 in different varieties of sugarcane plants has not shown a clear association with drought tolerance.Conclusions/SignificanceThe overexpression of Scdr1 in transgenic tobacco plants increased their tolerance to drought, salinity and oxidative stress, as demonstrated by increased photosynthesis, water content, biomass, germination rate, chlorophyll content and reduced accumulation of ROS. Physiological parameters, such as transpiration rate (E), net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and internal leaf CO2 concentration, were less affected by abiotic stresses in transgenic Scdr1 plants compared with wild-type plants. Overall, our results indicated that Scdr1 conferred tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, highlighting the potential of this gene for biotechnological applications.

Genome-wide analysis of drought induced gene expression changes in flax (Linum usitatissimum)

“…5,13 These genes are broadly classified into three main categories: (1) genes that function directly in the protection of membranes and proteins; water and ion uptake/transport, (2) regulatory genes involved in signaling cascades and transcriptional control, and (3) genes of unknown function.…”

Oligomerization, Membrane Association, and in Vivo Phosphorylation of Sugarcane UDP-glucose Pyrophosphorylase

“…Determination of Hydrogen Peroxide-The levels of hydrogen peroxide in the sugarcane internode and leaf extract were determined by the ferrous ammonium sulfate/xylenol orange method as described previously (18). The samples were measured at 560-nm absorbance and compared with standard samples of hydrogen peroxide.…”

Sugarcane biotechnology: tapping unlimited potential

“…Sugarcane genes associated with, or conferring salt, drought, and oxidative stress tolerance have been identified from sugarcane genome databases, and their functionality has been established in heterologous systems (Begcy et al 2012).…”