Overexpressing a putative aquaporin gene from wheat [Triticum aestivum], TaNIP, enhances salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

• Published in: Plant and cell physiology Vol. 51; no. 5; pp. 767 - 775
• Main Authors: Gao, Z., Hebei Normal Univ., Shijiazhuang (China), He, X, Zhao, B, Zhou, C, Liang, Y, Ge, R, Shen, Y, Huang, Z
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Oxford University Press 01.05.2010
• Subjects: Aquaporin; Aquaporins - genetics; Aquaporins - metabolism; ARABIDOPSIS; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Cloning, Molecular; GENE; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; GENES; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_24078; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_27619; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3214; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_33291; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_7951; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Plant Proteins - genetics; Plant Proteins - metabolism; PLANTAS TRANSGENICAS; PLANTE TRANSGENIQUE; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Plants, Genetically Modified - metabolism; RNA, Plant - genetics; SALT TOLERANCE; Salt-Tolerant Plants - genetics; Stress, Physiological; TaNIP; TOLERANCE AU SEL; TOLERANCIA A LA SAL; TRANSGENIC PLANTS; Triticum; Triticum - genetics; Triticum - metabolism; TRITICUM AESTIVUM; Wheat
• ISSN: 0032-0781; 1471-9053
• DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcq036

High soil salinity is a major abiotic stress in plant agriculture worldwide. Here, we report the characterization of a novel aquaporin gene TaNIP (Triticum asetivum L. nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein), which was involved in salt tolerance pathways in plants. TaNIP was identified and cloned through the gene chip expression analysis of a salt-tolerant wheat mutant RH8706-49 under salt stress. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (Q-RT-PCR) was used to detect TaNlP expression under salt, drought, cold and ABA treatment. The overexpression of TaNIP in transgenic Arabidopsis produced higher salt tolerance than wild-type plants. Localization analysis showed that TaNIP proteins tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) were localized to the cell plasma membrane. Under salt stress treatment, TaNIP-overexpressing Arabidopsis accumulated higher Ksup(+), Casup(2+) and proline contents and lower Nasup(+) level than the wild-type plants. The overexpression of TaNIP in transgenic Arabidopsis also up-regulated the expression of a number of stress-associated genes. Our results suggest that TaNIP plays an important role in salt tolerance in Arabidopsis and can also enhance plants' tolerance to other abiotic stresses.