Improved Drought and Salt Tolerance in TransgenicNicotiana benthamianaby Overexpressing SugarcaneScSEC14pGene

Plant phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are involved in several cellular processes such as lipid metabolism, signal transduction, osmotic regulation, protein transport and stress response. In this study, the effects of sugarcanePITPgeneScSEC14p(accession no. MH899751) on drought and salt tolerance of transgenicNicotiana benthamianawere evaluated along with the underlying mechanisms. The results showed thatScSEC14pgene effectively improved drought and salt tolerance of transgenic lines ofN. benthamiana, as indicated by the increased germination rate and superoxide dismutase levels, as well as the decreased malondialdehyde level. In addition, the enhanced tolerance was closely related to the upregulation of stress-related genes and key genes in phosphatidylinositol pathway. It is revealed that the overexpression ofScSEC14pgene resulted in improved drought and salt tolerance of transgenic tobacco and also elucidated the underlying regulation mechanism byScSEC14pin sugarcane.

Automated summary

Overexpression of the ScSEC14p gene effectively enhances the drought and salt tolerance of transgenic tobacco, which is closely related to the upregulation of stress-related genes and key genes in the phosphatidylinositol pathway.