TaCIPK29, a CBL-interacting protein kinase gene from wheat, confers salt stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 7; p. e69881
• Main Authors: Deng, Xiaomin, Hu, Wei, Wei, Shuya, Zhou, Shiyi, Zhang, Fan, Han, Jiapeng, Chen, Lihong, Li, Yin, Feng, Jialu, Fang, Bin, Luo, Qingchen, Li, Shasha, Liu, Yunyi, Yang, Guangxiao, He, Guangyuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 29-07-2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Abscisic acid; Abscisic Acid - pharmacology; Arabidopsis; Biology; Biophysics; Calcineurin; Calcium; Catalase; Catalase - metabolism; Cations; Ethylenes - pharmacology; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects; Genetic engineering; Germination; Homeostasis; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; Injury prevention; International cooperation; Kinases; Laboratories; Life sciences; Metabolism; Methyl viologen; Molecular modelling; Nicotiana - drug effects; Nicotiana - genetics; Nicotiana - metabolism; Oryza; Overexpression; Oxidative stress; Oxygen; Paraquat - pharmacology; Peroxidase; Phaseolus vulgaris; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants, Genetically Modified - drug effects; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Plants, Genetically Modified - metabolism; Protein kinase; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Salinity; Salinity tolerance; Salt tolerance; Salts; Seedlings; Signal transduction; Sodium chloride; Sodium Chloride - pharmacology; Tobacco; Transcription; Transgenic plants; Trends; Triticum - drug effects; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - metabolism; Wheat; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069881

Calcineurin B-like protein-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) have been found to be responsive to abiotic stress. However, their precise functions and the related molecular mechanisms in abiotic stress tolerance are not completely understood, especially in wheat. In the present study, TaCIPK29 was identified as a new member of CIPK gene family in wheat. TaCIPK29 transcript increased after NaCl, cold, methyl viologen (MV), abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene treatments. Over-expression of TaCIPK29 in tobacco resulted in increased salt tolerance, which was demonstrated by higher germination rates, longer root lengths and better growth status of transgenic tobacco plants compared to controls when both were treated with salt stress. Physiological measurements indicated that transgenic tobacco seedlings retained high K(+)/Na(+) ratios and Ca(2+) content by up-regulating some transporter genes expression and also possessed lower H2O2 levels and reduced membrane injury by increasing the expression and activities of catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) under salt stress. Moreover, transgenic lines conferred tolerance to oxidative stress by increasing the activity and expression of CAT. Finally, TaCIPK29 was located throughout cells and it preferentially interacted with TaCBL2, TaCBL3, NtCBL2, NtCBL3 and NtCAT1. Taken together, our results showed that TaCIPK29 functions as a positive factor under salt stress and is involved in regulating cations and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis.