Basic leucine zipper transcription factor SlbZIP1 mediates salt and drought stress tolerance in tomato

• DOI: 10.1186/s12870-018-1299-0
• Publication Date: 2018-05-08T09:21:04Z
• Authors: Mingku Zhu; Xiaoqing Meng; Jing Cai; Ge Li; Tingting Dong; Zongyun Li
• Keywords: bZIP domain; Drought Tolerance; Genetically modified tomato; WRKY protein domain

Basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors perform as crucial regulators in ABA-mediated stress response plants. Nevertheless, the functions for most bZIP family members tomato remain to be deciphered. Here we examined functional characterization of SlbZIP1 under salt and drought stresses tomato. Silencing resulted reduced expression multiple ABA biosynthesis- signal transduction-related genes transgenic In assays, SlbZIP1-RNAi plants exhibited tolerance compared with WT plants, are evaluated by physiological parameters associated responses, such decreased ABA, chlorophyll contents CAT activity, increased MDA content. addition, RNA-seq analysis revealed that levels encoding defense proteins related responses abiotic (e.g. endochitinase, peroxidases, lipid transfer proteins) biotic pathogenesis-related were downregulated suggesting plays a role regulating response. Collectively, data suggest exerts an essential through modulating pathway, may hold potential applications engineering salt- drought-tolerant cultivars.