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

ARAYA, ALEJANDRO; BUSI, MARÍA V.; PERALTA, DIEGO A.; GOMEZ-CASATI, DIEGO F.

JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2018 vol. 283 p. 11 - 21

0168-1656

The seven in absentia like 7 gene (At5g37890,SINAL7) from Arabidopsisthaliana encodes a RING fingerprotein belonging to the SINA superfamily that possesses E3 ubiquitin-ligase activity. SINAL7 has the ability to self-ubiquitinate and to mono-ubiquitinate GAPC1, suggesting a role for both proteins in a hypothetical signaling pathway in Arabidopsis. In this study, the in vivo effects of SINAL7 on plant physiology were examined by over-expressing SINAL7 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Phenotypic and gene expressionanalyses suggest the involvement of SINAL7 in the regulation of several vegetativeparameters, essentially those thataffect the aerial partsof the plants. Over-expression of SINAL7resultedin an increase in theconcentrations of hexoses and sucrose, with aconcommitant increase in plant biomass, particularly in the number of rosetteleaves and stem thickness. Interestingly, using the CAB1 (chlorophyll ab binding protein 1) gene as a marker revealed a delay in the onset of senescence. Transgenic plantsalso displayed a remarkable levelof drought resistance, indicating the complexity of the response toSINAL7 over-expression.