AUTHOR=Ge Kui , Liu Xing , Li Xiaoyun , Hu Bo , Li Ling 

TITLE=Isolation of an ABA Transporter-Like 1 Gene from Arachis hypogaea That Affects ABA Import and Reduces ABA Sensitivity in Arabidopsis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.01150

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2017.01150

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Abscisic acid (ABA) transporters are essential for the transport of ABA from its sites of synthesis to its multiple sites of action within plants and are key players in plant stress responses. Despite their importance, there is limited information on ABA transporters in crop plants. In this study, we isolated and characterized an <italic>ABA transporter-like 1</italic> (<italic>AhATL1</italic>) gene from peanut (<italic>Arachis hypogaea</italic> L.) whose cognate protein, AhATL1, is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter G subfamily and localizes to the plasma membrane. The expression of both the <italic>AhATL1</italic> transcript and the corresponding protein were upregulated by water stress and treatment with exogenous ABA. Overexpression of <italic>AhATL1</italic> in ecotype Columbia (Col) Arabidopsis (<italic>AhATL1-OX</italic>) plants reduced ABA sensitivity. When <italic>AhATL1-OX</italic> and Arabidopsis Col plants were subjected to dehydration stress, the expression of <italic>9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 3</italic> (<italic>AtNCED3</italic>) and <italic>responsive to desiccation 29 A</italic> (<italic>AtRD29A</italic>) accumulated rapidly in rosette leaves of both lines. In contrast, while expression of <italic>ATP-binding cassette G 40</italic> (<italic>AtABCG40</italic>) was increased in Col rosette leaves, there was no change in expression of <italic>AtABCG40</italic> in <italic>AhATL1-OX</italic> leaves. Similarly, water loss from detached leaves of <italic>AhATL1-OX</italic> plants was more rapid than from Col leaves. Therefore, we suggest that the function of <italic>AhATL1</italic> is probably to modulate ABA sensitivity by specifically influencing ABA import into cells.</p>