AUTHOR=Kumar Manoj , Yusuf Mohd Aslam , Yadav Pooja , Narayan Shiv , Kumar Manoj 

TITLE=Overexpression of Chickpea Defensin Gene Confers Tolerance to Water-Deficit Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.00290

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2019.00290

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Plant defensins are mainly known for their antifungal activity. However, limited information is available regarding their function in abiotic stresses. In this study, a defensin gene, <italic>Ca-AFP</italic>, from <italic>Cicer arietinum</italic>, commonly known as chickpea, was cloned and transformed in <italic>Arabidopsis thaliana</italic> for its functional characterization under simulated water-deficit conditions. Under simulated water-deficit conditions (mannitol and polyethylene glycol-6000 induced), the transgenic <italic>A. thaliana</italic> plants had higher accumulation of the <italic>Ca-AFP</italic> transcript compared to that under non-stress condition and showed higher germination rate, root length, and biomass than the wild-type (WT) plants. To get further insights into the role of <italic>Ca-AFP</italic> in conferring tolerance to water-deficit stress, we determined various physiological parameters and found significant reduction in the transpiration rate and stomatal conductance whereas the net photosynthesis and water use efficiency was increased in the transgenic plants compared to that in the WT plants under water deficit conditions. The transgenic plants showed enhanced superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase activities, had higher proline, chlorophyll, and relative water content, and exhibited reduced ion leakage and malondialdehyde content under water-deficit conditions. Overall, our results indicate that overexpression of <italic>Ca-AFP</italic> could be an efficient approach for conferring tolerance to water-deficit stress in plants.</p>