Maize Autophagy-Related Protein ZmATG3 Confers Tolerance to Multiple Abiotic Stresses

Maize Autophagy-Related Protein ZmATG3 Confers Tolerance to Multiple Abiotic Stresses

Abiotic stresses pose a major increasing problem for the cultivation of maize. Autophagy plays a vital role in recycling and re-utilizing nutrients and adapting to stress. However, the role of autophagy in the response to abiotic stress in maize has not yet been investigated. Here, <i>ZmATG3&l...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mengli Liu, Li Ma, Yao Tang, Wangjing Yang, Yuying Yang, Jing Xi, Xuan Wang, Wanchao Zhu, Jiquan Xue, Xinghua Zhang, Shutu Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-06-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
autophagy
<i>ZmATG3</i>
abiotic stress
maize
Arabidopsis
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/12/1637
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Summary:Abiotic stresses pose a major increasing problem for the cultivation of maize. Autophagy plays a vital role in recycling and re-utilizing nutrients and adapting to stress. However, the role of autophagy in the response to abiotic stress in maize has not yet been investigated. Here, <i>ZmATG3</i>, which is essential for ATG8-PE conjugation, was isolated from the maize inbred line B73. The ATG3 sequence was conserved, including the C-terminal domains with HPC and FLKF motifs and the catalytic domain in different species. The promoter of the <i>ZmATG3</i> gene contained a number of elements involved in responses to environmental stresses or hormones. Heterologous expression of <i>ZmATG3</i> in yeast promoted the growth of strain under salt, mannitol, and low-nitrogen stress. The expression of <i>ZmATG3</i> could be altered by various types of abiotic stress (200 mM NaCl, 200 mM mannitol, low N) and exogenous hormones (500 µM ABA). GUS staining analysis of <i>ZmATG3</i>-GUS transgenic Arabidopsis revealed that <i>GUS</i> gene activity increased after abiotic treatment. <i>ZmATG3</i>-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants had higher osmotic and salinity stress tolerance than wild-type plants. Overexpression of <i>ZmATG3</i> up-regulated the expression of other <i>AtATGs</i> (<i>AtATG3</i>, <i>AtATG5,</i> and <i>AtATG8b</i>) under NaCl, mannitol and LN stress. These findings demonstrate that overexpression of <i>ZmATG3</i> can improve tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses.
ISSN:2223-7747

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