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Expression of an alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) ethylene response factor gene MsERF8 in tobacco plants enhances resistance to salinity

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Abstract

Ethylene response factors (ERF) play crucial roles in plant development and response to stresses. Here, a novel cDNA fragment (MsERF8) encoding an ERF protein with an AP2 domain was isolated and characterized from alfalfa. The MsERF8 cDNA has an open reading frame of 603 bp and encodes a nuclear protein of 201 amino acids. Q-RT-PCR analysis revealed that MsERF8 was strongly enriched in roots and leaves compared with stems, flower buds and flowers of mature alfalfa plants. Bioinformatic analysis of the MsERF8 promoter indicated a number of elements associated with stress-related responses, and MsERF8 transcripts in alfalfa seedlings were induced by NaCl, PEG6000, Al2(SO4)3 and five different hormones. Expression of MsERF8 in transgenic tobacco plants resulted in higher tolerance to salinity than with non-transgenic plants. This data shows that MsERF8 is a gene which prevents or alleviates salinity damage and has strong potential to impart salt tolerance to other crop plants.

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Abbreviations

IAA:

Indole-3-acetic acid

ABA:

Abscisic acid

GA:

Gibberellin acid

SA:

Salicylic acid

Eth:

Ethrel

MeJA:

Methyl jasmonate

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 30871819) and the earmarked fund for Modern Agro-industry Technology Research System (No. CARS-35).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Chen & Yan Sun

  2. Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Chen, Qingchuan Yang, Junmei Kang, Wang Ding & Tiejun Zhang

  3. Saskatoon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Cresc, Saskatoon, SK, S7N0X2, Canada

    Margaret Gruber

  4. Department of Grassland Science, Animal Science and Technology College, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, 625014, People’s Republic of China

    Tingting Chen & Xinquan Zhang

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  1. Tingting Chen
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  2. Qingchuan Yang
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Correspondence to Yan Sun.

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Chen, T., Yang, Q., Gruber, M. et al. Expression of an alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) ethylene response factor gene MsERF8 in tobacco plants enhances resistance to salinity. Mol Biol Rep 39, 6067–6075 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-011-1421-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-011-1421-y

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