1. StCaM2, a calcium binding protein, alleviates negative effects of salinity and drought stress in tobacco.
- Author
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Raina M, Kumar A, Yadav N, Kumari S, Yusuf MA, Mustafiz A, and Kumar D
- Subjects
- Antioxidants metabolism, Calcium-Binding Proteins genetics, Calmodulin genetics, Calmodulin metabolism, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant drug effects, Genome, Plant, Germination drug effects, Germination genetics, Ions, Membranes, Photosynthesis drug effects, Plant Growth Regulators pharmacology, Plant Proteins genetics, Plants, Genetically Modified, Proline metabolism, RNA, Messenger genetics, RNA, Messenger metabolism, Reactive Oxygen Species metabolism, Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid genetics, Seedlings drug effects, Seedlings genetics, Seedlings growth & development, Nicotiana enzymology, Nicotiana growth & development, Transcription Factors metabolism, Water metabolism, Calcium-Binding Proteins metabolism, Droughts, Plant Proteins metabolism, Salinity, Solanum tuberosum metabolism, Stress, Physiological drug effects, Stress, Physiological genetics, Nicotiana genetics, Nicotiana physiology
- Abstract
Key Message: Overexpression of StCaM2 in tobacco promotes plant growth and confers increased salinity and drought tolerance by enhancing the photosynthetic efficiency, ROS scavenging, and recovery from membrane injury. Calmodulins (CaMs) are important Ca
2+ sensors that interact with effector proteins and drive a network of signal transduction pathways involved in regulating the growth and developmental pattern of plants under stress. Herein, using in silico analysis, we identified 17 CaM isoforms (StCaM) in potato. Expression profiling revealed different temporal and spatial expression patterns of these genes, which were modulated under abiotic stress. Among the identified StCaM genes, StCaM2 was found to have the largest number of abiotic stress responsive promoter elements. In addition, StCaM2 was upregulated in response to some of the selected abiotic stress in potato tissues. Overexpression of StCaM2 in transgenic tobacco plants enhanced their tolerance to salinity and drought stress. Accumulation of reactive oxygen species was remarkably decreased in transgenic lines compared to that in wild type plants. Chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis suggested better performance of photosystem II in transgenic plants under stress compared to that in wild type plants. The increase in salinity stress tolerance in StCaM2-overexpressing plants was also associated with a favorable K+ /Na+ ratio. The enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses correlated with the increase in the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes in transgenic tobacco plants. Overall, our results suggest that StCaM2 can be a novel candidate for conferring salt and drought tolerance in plants.- Published
- 2021
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