Involvement of NAC transcription factor SiNAC1 in a positive feedback loop via ABA biosynthesis and leaf senescence in foxtail millet

• DOI: 10.1007/s00425-017-2770-0
• Publication Date: 2017-09-04T02:52:15Z
• Authors: Tingting Ren; Jiawei Wang; Mingming Zhao; Xiaoming Gong; Shuxia Wang; Geng Wang; Chunjiang Zhou
• Keywords: Feedback, Physiological; 2. Zero hunger; 0301 basic medicine; 0303 health sciences; Time Factors; Setaria Plant; Arabidopsis; 15. Life on land; Dioxygenases; 03 medical and health sciences; Plant Growth Regulators; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Abscisic Acid; Plant Proteins; Transcription Factors

The foxtail millet NAC transcription factor NAC1, an ortholog of Arabidopsis NAP, is induced by ABA and senescence and accelerates leaf senescence by promoting ABA biosynthesis. Leaf senescence, a unique developmental stage involving macromolecule degradation and nutrient remobilization, is finely tuned and tightly controlled by different gene families. NO APICAL MERISTEM, ARABIDOPSIS ATAF1, and CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON (NAC) transcription factors have been demonstrated to be involved in the modulation of leaf senescence in many land plant species. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.), an important food and fodder crop, has been studied for its strong stress tolerance and potential to be a biofuel model plant. However, the functional roles of senescence-associated NACs in foxtail millet are still unknown. In this study, we characterized a nuclear localized NAC transcription factor, SiNAC1, which is induced by senescence and concentrated in senescent leaves in foxtail millet. SiNAC1 also positively responds to abscisic acid (ABA) treatment in foxtail millet. Moreover, SiNAC1 promotes the natural and dark-induced leaf senescence by an ABA-dependent manner in Arabidopsis thaliana. NCED2 and NCED3 are elevated by SiNAC1 overexpression, which subsequently promotes ABA biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Finally, as a homolog of AtNAP, SiNAC1 can partially rescue the delayed leaf senescence phenotype in atnap mutants. Overall, our results demonstrate that SiNAC1 functions as a positive regulator of leaf senescence and is involved in a positive feedback loop via ABA biosynthesis and leaf senescence.