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The rice Osmyb4 gene enhances tolerance to frost and improves germination under unfavourable conditions in transgenic barley plants

  • Plant Genetics ∙ Original Paper
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Abstract

The Osmyb4 rice gene, coding for a transcription factor, proved to be efficient against different abiotic stresses as a trans(cis)gene in several plant species, although the effectiveness was dependent on the host genomic background. Eight barley transgenic lines carrying the rice Osmyb4 gene under the control of the Arabidopsis cold inducible promoter cor15a were produced to test the efficiency of this gene in barley. After a preliminary test, the best performing lines were subjected to freezing at −11°C and −12°C. Frost tolerance was assessed measured the Fv/Fm parameter widely used to indicate the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II photochemistry in the dark adapted state. Three transgenic lines showed significantly increased tolerance. These selected lines were further studied under a complex stress applying cold and hypoxia at germinating stage. In these conditions the three selected transgenic lines outperformed the wild type barley in terms of germination vigour. The transgenic plants also showed a significant modification of their metabolism under cold/hypoxia conditions as demonstrated through the assessment of the activity of key enzymes involved in anoxic stress response. None of the transgenic lines showed dwarfism, just a slight retarded growth. These results provide evidence that the cold dependent expression of Osmyb4 can efficiently improved frost tolerance and germination vigour at low temperature without deleterious effect on plant growth.

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Abbreviations

GP:

Golden Promise

RWC:

Relative water content

CSVT:

Complex stressing vigour test

AMY:

Alpha-amylase

ASAT:

Aspartate aminotransferase

LDH:

Lactate dehydrogenase

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Pagani for her assistance, T. Berzy for his help in the CSVT experiments, A. Novák for her help in the statistical analysis and Dr. H.H. Stainbiss for fundamental suggestions on barley transformation protocol. This work was supported by the Hungarian Research Fund OTKA (Grant Nos. CNK 80781 and K75528) and by a CNR-MTA bilateral project (2007–2009) and by the National Development Agency grant TÁMOP-4.2.2/B-10/1-2010-0025.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 2462, Martonvásár, Brunszvik u. 2, Hungary

    Alexandra Soltész, Attila Vágújfalvi & Gábor Galiba

  2. CRA-Genomics Research Centre, 29017, Fiorenzuola d’Arda (PC), Via S. Protaso 302, Italy

    Fulvia Rizza, Luigi Cattivelli & Cristina Crosatti

  3. Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Pécs, 7624, Pécs, Ifjúság útja 6, Hungary

    Ildikó Kerepesi

  4. Research Institute of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, University of Pannonia, 8200, Veszprém, Egyetem u. 10, Hungary

    Gábor Galiba

  5. Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, CNR, Via Bassini 15, 20133, Milano, Italy

    Immacolata Coraggio

Authors
  1. Alexandra Soltész
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  2. Attila Vágújfalvi
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  3. Fulvia Rizza
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  4. Ildikó Kerepesi
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  5. Gábor Galiba
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  6. Luigi Cattivelli
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  7. Immacolata Coraggio
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  8. Cristina Crosatti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Attila Vágújfalvi.

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Soltész, A., Vágújfalvi, A., Rizza, F. et al. The rice Osmyb4 gene enhances tolerance to frost and improves germination under unfavourable conditions in transgenic barley plants. J Appl Genetics 53, 133–143 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-011-0081-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-011-0081-x

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