Cloning and characterization of a novel Gladiolus hybridus AFP family gene (GhAFP-like) related to corm dormancy

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 471; no. 1; pp. 198 - 204
• Main Authors: Wu, Jian, Seng, Shanshan, Carianopol, Carina, Sui, Juanjuan, Yang, Qiuyan, Zhang, Fengqin, Jiang, Huiru, He, Junna, Yi, Mingfang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 26-02-2016
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; ABSCISIC ACID; Abscisic Acid - metabolism; AFP family; AFP-like; ARABIDOPSIS; Arabidopsis - physiology; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; AUXINS; Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors - metabolism; binding proteins; CLONING; Cloning, Molecular; Corm dormancy; corms; ELONGATION; gene expression regulation; gene overexpression; GENES; GERMINATION; Germination - physiology; Gladiolus; Gladiolus hybridus; Iridaceae - physiology; ORGANS; Phosphoprotein Phosphatases - metabolism; Plant Dormancy - physiology; Plant Tubers; POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION; PROTEINS; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; root growth; ROOTS; seed dormancy; SEEDS; signal transduction; AFP family; AFP-like; Corm dormancy; Gladiolus hybridus
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.01.146

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important phytohormone controlling seed dormancy. AFPs (ABA INSENSITIVE FIVE BINDING PROTEINS) are reported to be negative regulators of the ABA signaling pathway. The involvement of AFPs in dormant vegetative organs remains poorly understood. Here, we isolated and characterized a novel AFP family member from Gladiolus dormant cormels, GhAFP-like, containing three conserved domains of the AFP family. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that GhAFP-like was expressed in dormant organs and its expression was down-regulated along with corm storage. GhAFP-like was verified to be a nuclear-localized protein. Overexpressing GhAFP-like in Arabidopsis thaliana not only showed weaker seed dormancy with insensitivity to ABA, but also changed the expression of some ABA related genes. In addition, a primary root elongation assay showed GhAFP-like may involve in auxin signaling response. The results in this study indicate that GhAFP-like acts as a negative regulator in ABA signaling and is related to dormancy.
•GhAFP-like is expessed in dormant corm.•Overexpressing GhAFP-like showed early germination and insensitivity to ABA.•Overexpressing GhAFP-like changed ABI5 downstream genes expression.