Improvement of drought tolerance in white clover (Trifolium repens) by transgenic expression of a transcription factor gene WXP1
Qingzhen Jiang A , Ji-Yi Zhang B , Xiulin Guo A C , Mohamed Bedair B , Lloyd Sumner B , Joseph Bouton A and Zeng-Yu Wang A DA Forage Improvement Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA.
B Plant Biology Division, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA.
C Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050051, China.
D Corresponding author. Email: zywang@noble.org
Functional Plant Biology 37(2) 157-165 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP09177
Submitted: 17 July 2009 Accepted: 26 September 2009 Published: 3 February 2010
Abstract
White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important pasture legume in many regions of the world. A commercial cultivar of white clover (cv. Patriot) was transformed with a Medicago truncatula L. transcription factor gene, WXP1, and a reporter gene, β-glucuronidase (GUS). The WXP1 gene and the GUS gene were placed under control of the Arabidopsis CER6 promoter. GUS staining and cross-section analysis revealed the CER6 promoter directed constitutive expression in leaves and epidermis preferential expression in petioles of white clover. Independent transgenic WXP1 lines, empty vector and wild-type controls were subjected to drought stress treatment. The plants were characterised by measuring several physiological parameters including gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, relative water content and leaf water potential. The WXP1 transgenic lines had higher net photosynthetic rates, higher efficiency of PSII, higher relative water content and leaf water potential under drought-stressed conditions. Consistent with the results from physiological analyses, the transgenic white clover plants carrying WXP1 showed improved tolerance to drought stress.
Additional keyword: chlorophyll fluorescence, gas exchange, promoter, relative water content, transgenic plant, water potential.
Acknowledgements
The work was supported by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. The authors thank Rhonda Walker and Jackie Kelly for critical reading of the manuscript.
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