揭示植物细胞死亡和抗性分子机制
来源:《自然—生物技术》 时间:2015/09/16

 

 

中科院上海生科院植物生理生态研究所何祖华团队在世界上率先从模式生物拟南芥中克隆了参与抗病抗高温的数量性状基因(QTL),揭示了这是一个可以促进生长发育,并具有提高水分利用率、抗旱和抗病等优良性状的基因。相关研究成果817日在线发表于《自然—生物技术》

近年来,持续高温已造成我国农业生产的严重损失,因此发掘抗逆基因资源具有重要战略意义。但由于抗逆性状的增强往往伴随植物生长不正常,因此之前很少有作物既抗逆又高产的成功例子。

何祖华课题组经过长期攻关,发现类受体激酶ERECTAER)是一个抗病耐极端高温(40℃)的主效QTL位点。研究表明,ER基因表达水平的提高可以大大提高转基因植物的抗热性,同时还增强了植物水分利用效率和抗旱性,并且植株会变大。“研究证明ER通过一种新的细胞保护机制调控逆境下的细胞死亡。”何祖华表示。

夏季高温导致水稻结实率下降、番茄枯死。该研究团队发现该基因无论是在水稻还是番茄中都具有相同的抗高温功能。研究人员发现缺失同源基因OsER1的水稻在高温下结实率降低,而不同番茄品种的同源基因SlER表达水平存在明显差异,表达水平高的品种抗高温能力较强,这说明ER基因在植物进化上具有功能保守性。田间试验表明转基因水稻和番茄也可以显著提高在高温下的结实率和成活率。(来源:中国科学报 黄辛)

 

Overexpression of receptor-like kinase ERECTA improves thermotolerance in rice and tomato

 

Abstract  The detrimental effects of global warming on crop productivity threaten to reduce the world's food supply. Although plant responses to changes in temperature have been studied, genetic modification of crops to improve thermotolerance has had little success to date. Here we demonstrate that overexpression of the Arabidopsis thaliana receptor-like kinase ERECTA (ER) in Arabidopsis, rice and tomato confers thermotolerance independent of water loss and that Arabidopsis er mutants are hypersensitive to heat. A loss-of-function mutation of a rice ER homolog and reduced expression of a tomato ER allele decreased thermotolerance of both species. Transgenic tomato and rice lines overexpressing Arabidopsis ER showed improved heat tolerance in the greenhouse and in field tests at multiple locations in China during several seasons. Moreover, ER-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis, tomato and rice plants had increased biomass. Our findings could contribute to engineering or breeding thermotolerant crops with no growth penalty.

 

原文链接:http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nbt.3321.html

 

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