AUTHOR=Guan Huirui , Liu Xin , Niu Fei , Zhao Qianqian , Fan Na , Cao Duo , Meng Dian , He Wei , Guo Bin , Wei Yahui , Fu Yanping 

TITLE=OoNAC72, a NAC-Type Oxytropis ochrocephala Transcription Factor, Conferring Enhanced Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.00890

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2019.00890

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>The NAC proteins form one of the largest families of plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) and play essential roles in developmental processes and stress responses. In this study, we characterized a NAC domain transcription factor, <italic>OoNAC72</italic>, from a legume <italic>Oxytropis ochrocephala</italic>. OoNAC72 was proved to be localized in the nuclei in tobacco lower epidermal cells and had transcriptional activation activity in yeast, confirming its transcription activity. <italic>OoNAC72</italic> expression could be induced by drought, salinity and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in <italic>O. ochrocephala</italic> seedlings. Furthermore, over-expression of <italic>OoNAC72</italic> driven by CaMV35S promoter in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> resulted in ABA hypersensitivity and enhanced tolerance to drought and salt stresses during seed germination and post-germinative growth periods. In addition, over-expression of <italic>OoNAC72</italic> enhanced the expression of stress-responsive genes such as <italic>RD29A</italic>, <italic>RD29B</italic>, <italic>RD26</italic>, <italic>LEA14</italic>, <italic>ANACOR19</italic>, <italic>ZAT10</italic>, <italic>PP2CA</italic>, and <italic>NCED3</italic>. These results highlight the important regulatory role of <italic>OoNAC72</italic> in multiple abiotic stress tolerance, and may provide an underlying reason for the spread of <italic>O. ochrocephala</italic>.</p>