The small GTPases of Rop/Rho family is central regulators of important cellular processes in plants. Tobacco small G protein gene NtRop1 has been isolated; however, its roles in stress responses were unknown. In the present study, the genomic sequence of NtRop1 was cloned, which has seven exons and six introns, similar to the Rop gene structure from Arabidopsis. The NtRop1 gene was constitutively expressed in the different organs whereas the other six Rop genes from tobacco had differential expression patterns. The expression of the NtRop1 gene was moderately induced by methyl viologen, NaCl, and ACC treatments, but slightly inhibited by ABA treatment, with no significant induction by NAA treatment. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the NtRop1 showed increased salt sensitivity as can be seen from the reduced root growth and elevated relative electrolyte leakage. The hydrogen peroxide production was also promoted in the NtRop1-trangenic plants in comparison with wild type plants. These results imply that the NtRop1 may confer salt sensitivity through activation of H2O2 production during plant response to salt stress.
CAO YangRong1,2, LI ZhiGang1,2, CHEN Tao1,2, ZHANG ZhiGang1, ZHANG JinSong1 & CHEN ShouYi1 1 National Key Lab of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
MYB proteins play important roles in eukaryotic organisms. In plants, the R1R2R3-type MYB proteins function in cell cycle control. However, whether the R2R3-type MYB protein is also involved in the cell division process remains unknown. Here, we report that an R2R3-type transcription factor gene, AtMYB59, is involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression and root growth. The AtMYB59 protein is localized in the nuclei of onion epidermal cells and has transactivation activity. Expression of AtMYB59 in yeast cells suppresses cell proliferation, and the transfor- mants have more nuclei and higher anenpioid DNA content with longer cells. Mutation in the conserved domain of AtMYB59 abolishes its effects on yeast cell growth. In synchronized Arabidopsis cell suspensions, the AtMYB59 gene is specifically expressed in the S phase during cell cycle progression. Expression and promoter-GUS analysis reveals that the AtMYB59 gene is abundantly expressed in roots. Transgenic plants overexpressing AtMYB59 have shorter roots compared with wild-type plants （Arabidopsis accession Col-0）, and around half of the mitotic cells in root tips are at metaphase. Conversely, the null mutant myb59-1 has longer roots and fewer mitotic cells at metaphase than Col, suggesting that AtMYB59 may inhibit root growth by extending the metaphase of mitotic cells. AtMYB59 regulates many downstream genes, including the CYCB1;1 gene, probably through binding to MYB-responsive elements. These results support a role forAtMYB59 in cell cycle regulation and plant root growth.
Tocopherols synthesized exclusively by photosynthetic organisms are major antioxidants in biomembranes.In plants,tocopherol cyclase(TC/VTE1) catalyzes the conversion of 2,3-dimethyl-5-phytyl-1,4-benzoquinone(DMPBQ) to γ-tocopherol.In the present study,OsVTE1,which encodes a rice tocopherol cyclase ortholog,was cloned and characterized.OsVTE1 was induced significantly by abiotic stresses such as high salt,H2O2,drought,cold and by the plant hormones ABA and salicylic acid.The tissue-specific expression pattern and OsVTE1-promoter GUS activity assay showed that OsVTE1 was mainly expressed in the leaf,and also could be detected in the root,stem and panicle.Compared with control plants,transgenic plants with OsVTE1 RNA interference(OsVTE1-RNAi) were more sensitive to salt stress whereas,in contrast,transgenic plants overexpressing OsVTE1(OsVTE1-OX) showed higher tolerance to salt stress.The DAB in vivo staining showed that OsVTE1-OX plants accumulated less H2O2 than did control plants.
