Membrane localized thaumatin-like protein from tea (CsTLP) enhanced seed yield and the plant survival under drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry Vol. 163; pp. 36 - 44
• Main Authors: Muoki, Richard Chalo, Paul, Asosii, Kaachra, Anish, Kumar, Sanjay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.06.2021
• Subjects: Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Drought stress; Droughts; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Pathogenesis-related; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants, Genetically Modified - metabolism; Seeds - metabolism; Stress, Physiological; Subcellular localization; Tea; Thaumatin-like protein; Drought stress; Pathogenesis-related; Gene expression; Thaumatin-like protein; Subcellular localization
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2021.03.012

Thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs) are pathogenesis-related (PR5) proteins, which are induced in response to various biotic and abiotic stresses. The present work was carried out to clone TLP of Camellia sinensis (CsTLP) and to evaluate the response of transgenic lines of Arabidopsis constitutively expressing CsTLP under drought conditions. Data showed that transgenic lines exhibited lower relative electrolyte leakage and higher water retention capacity as compared to the wild-type (WT) plants under drought stress. In addition, results with confocal microscopy showed CsTLP + GFP fusion protein to be localized in the cell membrane which moved to the intercellular spaces under prolonged drought stress. Expression of CsTLP enhanced seed yield and the plant survival in transgenic lines as compared to the WT plants under drought stress. Results suggested the importance of CsTLP in improving drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. •Thaumatin like protein from tea (CsTLP) was cloned from tea and characterized.•Constitutive expression of CsTLP increases drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.•Transgenic lines exhibited enhanced seed yield and the plant survival and under drought stress.