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Title: Cloning and characterization of a calcium binding EF-hand protein gene TaCab1 from wheat and its expression in response to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici and abiotic stresses

Author
item FENG, HAO - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item WANG, XIAOMIN - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item SUN, YANFEI - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item WANG, XIAOJIE - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item Chen, Xianming
item GUO, JUN - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item DUAN, YINGHUI - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item HUANG, LILI - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University
item KANG, ZHENSHENG - Northwest Agriculture And Forestry University

Submitted to: Molecular Biology Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2010
Publication Date: 11/26/2010
Citation: Feng, H., Wang, X., Sun, Y., Wang, X., Chen, X., Guo, J., Duan, Y., Huang, L., Kang, Z. 2010. Cloning and characterization of a calcium binding EF-hand protein gene TaCab1 from wheat and its expression in response to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici and abiotic stresses. Molecular Biology Reports. 38:3857-3866.

Interpretive Summary: Calcium is a ubiquitous and essential secondary messenger in eukaryotic signal transduction pathways. Calcium binding protein, as a component of pathways, plays various roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as in developmental processes in plants. In this study, a calcium binding protein gene, designated as TaCab1, was isolated and characterized from wheat leaves infected by the stripe rust pathogen using bioinformatics and molecular approaches. The TaCab1 structure was determined. The results of transient assays indicated that TaCab1 encodes a transmembrane protein. TaCab1 was highly expressed in leaves than roots and stems. Although the gene was upregulated similarly in both resistant and susceptible plants, its expression in the susceptible plants was much higher than in the resistant plants. TaCab1 was also up-regulated at different degrees after treated by phytohormones and stress stimulation factors, such as wounding, low temperature, polyethylene glycol and high salinity. These results suggest that TaCab1 is involved in the plant-pathogen recognition, symptom development, and the basal tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses through the salicylic acid signaling pathway. The finding leads to a better understanding of interactions between wheat and the stripe rust pathogen.

Technical Abstract: Calcium is a ubiquitous and essential secondary messenger in eukaryotic signal transduction pathways. Calcium binding protein, as a component of pathways, plays various roles in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as in developmental processes in plants. In this study, a calcium binding protein gene, designated as Ta-Cab1 (Triticum aestivum calcium binding EF-hand protein 1), was isolated and characterized from wheat leaves (cv. Suwon 11) infected by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici by in silico cloning and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). TaCab1 did not have an intron and was predicted to encode a 216 amino acid protein which possesses an N-terminal region with a signal peptide, a transmembrane domain, an EF-hand motif and a caleosin domain. The results of transient assays with constructs of TaCab1 with green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene indicated that TaCab1 encodes a transmembrane protein. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed that TaCab1 was highly expressed in leaves than roots and stems. Although upregulated expression profiles of TaCab1 were quite similar in both incompatible and compatible interactions, its transcript accumulation in the compatible interaction was much higher than in the incompatible interaction. The transcription of TaCab1 was also up-regulated at different degrees after treated by phytohormones [abscisic acid, benzyl adenine, ethylene, methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid (SA)] and stress stimuli [wounding, low temperature, polyethylene glycol and high salinity]. These results suggest that TaCab1 is involved in the plant-pathogen recognition, symptom development, and the basal tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses through the SA signaling pathway.