Plant MYB transcription factors control diverse biological processes, such as differentiation, development and abiotic stress responses. In this study, we characterized BplMYB46, an MYB gene from Betula platyphylla (birch) that is involved in both abiotic stress tolerance and secondary wall biosynthesis. BplMYB46 can act as a transcriptional activator in yeast and tobacco. We generated transgen...

Peanut is an important oilseed and food legume cultivated as a rain-fed crop in semi-arid tropics. Drought and high salinity are the major abiotic stresses limiting the peanut productivity in this region. Development of drought and salt tolerant peanut varieties with improved yield potential using biotechnological approach is highly desirable to improve the peanut productivity in marginal geogr...

Accumulation of free L-proline (Pro) is a typical stress response incited by osmotic injuries in plants and microorganisms. Although the protective role of Pro in osmotic stress is not well understood, it is thought to function as compatible osmolyte or as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we show that, in Arabidopsis thaliana, Pro biosynthesis can be activated by incompatible ...

Real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) expression analysis is a powerful analytical technique, but reliable results depend on the use of stable reference genes for proper normalization. This study proposed to test the expression stability of 13 candidate reference genes in Setaria viridis, a monocot species recently proposed as a new C4 model plant. Gene expression stability of these genes was assayed across ...

Drought is the major environmental stress that limits cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production worldwide. LOS5/ABA3 (LOS5) encodes a molybdenum co-factor and is essential for activating aldehyde oxidase, which is involved in abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis. In this study, a LOS5 cDNA of Arabidopsis thaliana was overexpressed in cotton cultivar Zhongmiansuo35 (Z35) by Agrobacterium tumefaciens...

Wild species often show more tolerance to environmental stress factors than their cultivated counterparts. An early responsive-to-dehydration gene was cloned from a drought- and salt-tolerant wild tomato Solanum pennellii (SpERD15). SpERD15 transcript accumulated differentially in different organs, and was remarkably induced by dehydration, salinity, cold and treatment with plant growth regulat...

Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, and low temperature have drastic effects on plant growth and development. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating biochemical and physiological changes in response to stresses are not well understood. Protein kinases are major signal transduction factors among the reported molecular mechanisms mediating acclimation to environmental changes. Prote...