Ectopic expression of glycosyltransferase UGT 76E11 increases flavonoid accumulation and enhances abiotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

• Published in: Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany) Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 10 - 19
• Main Authors: Li, Qin, Yu, Hui‐Min, Meng, Xia‐Fei, Lin, Ji‐Shan, Li, Yan‐Jie, Hou, Bing‐Kai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-01-2018
• ISSN: 1435-8603; 1438-8677
• DOI: 10.1111/plb.12627

Abstract
Although plant glycosyltransferases are thought to play important roles in growth and interaction with the environment, little is known about their physiological roles for most members of the plant glycosyltransferase family.
We cloned and characterised an
Arabidopsis
glycosyltransferase gene,
UGT76E11
. Its
in vivo
physiological effects on flavonoid accumulation and plant tolerance to abiotic stresses were investigated.
The
UGT76E11
gene was up‐regulated in transcription expression under stress conditions of salinity, drought and H
2
O
2
treatment. Transgenic plants ectopically overexpressing
UGT76E11
showed substantially enhanced tolerance to salinity and drought at germination and during post‐germination growth. Enzyme activity of UGT76E11 to glucosylate quercetin and other flavonoids was confirmed. Ectopic expression of
UGT76E11
resulted in significantly increased flavonoid content in transgenic plants compared to wild type, suggesting a contribution of UGT76E11 to modulation of flavonoid metabolism. Consistent with this result, several biosynthesis genes in the flavonoid pathway were clearly up‐regulated in transgenic plants. Furthermore, overexpression of
UGT76E11
also enhanced the scavenging capacity for ROS and increased expression levels of a number of stress‐related genes.
Based on these results, we suggest that the glycosyltransferase
UGT76E11
plays an important role in modulating flavonoid metabolism and enhancing plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Our findings might allow use of glycosyltransferase
UGT76E11
in crop improvement, towards both enhanced stress tolerance and increased flavonoid accumulation.