Increased cuticular wax accumulation and enhanced drought tolerance in transgenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa) by overexpression of a transcription factor gene
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33584/rps.12.2006.3024Abstract
Plant cuticular waxes play an important role in protecting aerial organs from damage caused by multiple environmental stresses such as drought, cold, UV radiation, pathogen infection, and insect attack. We characterized a novel AP2 domain-containing transcription factor gene, designated WXP1, from the model legume plant Medicago truncatula. The gene is able to activate wax production and confer drought tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa). The predicted protein of WXP1 has 371 aa; it is one of the longest peptides of all the single AP2 domain proteins in M. truncatula. Transcript level of WXP1 is inducible by cold, ABA and drought treatment in shoot tissues. Overexpression of WXP1 under the control of CaMV35S promoter led to a significant increase in cuticular wax loading on leaves of transgenic alfalfa. Transgenic leaves showed reduced water loss and chlorophyll leaching. Transgenic alfalfa plants with increased cuticular waxes showed enhanced drought tolerance demonstrated by delayed wilting after watering was ceased and quicker and better recovery when the dehydrated plants were re-watered.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Rights granted to the New Zealand Grassland Association through this agreement are non-exclusive. You are free to publish the work(s) elsewhere and no ownership is assumed by the NZGA when storing or curating an electronic version of the work(s). The author(s) will receive no monetary return from the Association for the use of material contained in the manuscript. If I am one of several co-authors, I hereby confirm that I am authorized by my co-authors to grant this Licence as their agent on their behalf. For the avoidance of doubt, this includes the rights to supply the article in electronic and online forms and systems.
