Over-expression of SINAL7 increases biomass and drought tolerance, and also delays senescence in Arabidopsis

PERALTA, D.A.; ARAYA, A.; GOMEZ CASATI, D.F.; BUSI, M.V.

JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2018 vol. 283 p. 11 - 21

0168-1656

The seven in absentia like 7 gene (At5g37890, SINAL7) fromArabidopsis thaliana encodes a RING finger protein belonging to the SINAsuperfamily that possesses E3 ubiquitin-ligase activity. SINAL7 has the abilityto selfubiquitinate and to mono-ubiquitinate glyceraldehyde-3-P dehydrogenase 1(GAPC1), suggesting a role for both proteins in a hypothetical signalingpathway in Arabidopsis. In this study, the in vivo effects of SINAL7 on plant physiologywere examined by over-expressing SINAL7 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants.Phenotypic and gene expression analyses suggest the involvement of SINAL7 inthe regulation of several vegetative parameters, essentially those that affectthe aerial parts of the plants. Over-expression of SINAL7 resulted in anincrease in the concentrations of hexoses and sucrose, with a concommitantincrease in plant biomass, articularly in the number of rosette leaves and stemthickness. Interestingly, using the CAB1 (chlorophyll ab binding protein 1) geneas a marker revealed a delay in the onset of senescence. Transgenic plants alsodisplayed a remarkable level of drought resistance, indicating the complexityof the response to SINAL7 over-expression.