TY - JOUR

T1 - Enhanced abiotic stress tolerance of vicia faba l. Plants heterologously expressing the pr10a gene from potato

AU - Desouky, Abeer F.

AU - Hanafy, Ahmed H.

AU - Stützel, Hartmut

AU - Jacobsen, Hans Jörg

AU - Pao, Yi Chen

AU - Hanafy, Moemen S.

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by the Research-Group Linkage Programme of Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) foundation between the Leibniz University Hannover and National Research Centre (NRC). M.S.H. was the PI of this program in collaboration with H.S.

PY - 2021/1

Y1 - 2021/1

N2 - Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are known to play relevant roles in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we characterize the response of transgenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants encoding a PR10a gene from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to salinity and drought. The transgene was under the mannopine synthetase (pMAS) promoter. PR10a-overexpressing faba bean plants showed better growth than the wild-type plants after 14 days of drought stress and 30 days of salt stress under hydroponic growth conditions. After re-moving the stress, the PR10a-plants returned to a normal state, while the wild-type plants could not be restored. Most importantly, there was no phenotypic difference between transgenic and non-transgenic faba bean plants under well-watered conditions. Evaluation of physiological parameters during salt stress showed lower Na+-content in the leaves of the transgenic plants, which would reduce the toxic effect. In addition, PR10a-plants were able to maintain vegetative growth and experienced fewer photosystem changes under both stresses and a lower level of osmotic stress injury under salt stress compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that the PR10a gene from potato plays an important role in abiotic stress tolerance, probably by activation of stress-related physiological processes.

AB - Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins are known to play relevant roles in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present study, we characterize the response of transgenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants encoding a PR10a gene from potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) to salinity and drought. The transgene was under the mannopine synthetase (pMAS) promoter. PR10a-overexpressing faba bean plants showed better growth than the wild-type plants after 14 days of drought stress and 30 days of salt stress under hydroponic growth conditions. After re-moving the stress, the PR10a-plants returned to a normal state, while the wild-type plants could not be restored. Most importantly, there was no phenotypic difference between transgenic and non-transgenic faba bean plants under well-watered conditions. Evaluation of physiological parameters during salt stress showed lower Na+-content in the leaves of the transgenic plants, which would reduce the toxic effect. In addition, PR10a-plants were able to maintain vegetative growth and experienced fewer photosystem changes under both stresses and a lower level of osmotic stress injury under salt stress compared to wild-type plants. Taken together, our findings suggest that the PR10a gene from potato plays an important role in abiotic stress tolerance, probably by activation of stress-related physiological processes.

KW - Abiotic stress

KW - Gas exchange

KW - Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins

KW - Transgenic plant

KW - Vicia faba L

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100122349&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/plants10010173

DO - 10.3390/plants10010173

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85100122349

VL - 10

SP - 1

EP - 20

JO - Plants

JF - Plants

SN - 2223-7747

IS - 1

M1 - 173

ER -