IbNIEL-mediated degradation of IbNAC087 regulates jasmonic acid-dependent salt and drought tolerance in sweet potato

Sweet potato(Ipomoea batatas[L.]Lam.)is a crucial staple and bioenergy crop.Its abiotic stress tolerance holds significant importance in fully utilizing marginal lands.Transcriptional processes regulate abiotic stress responses,yet the molecular regulatory mechanisms in sweet potato remain unclear.In this study,a NAC(NAM,ATAF1/2,and CUC2)transcription factor,IbNAC087,was identified,which is commonly upregulated in salt-and drought-tolerant germplasms.Overexpression of IbNAC087 increased salt and drought tolerance by increasing jasmonic acid(JA)accumulation and activating reactive oxygen species(ROS)scavenging,whereas silencing this gene resulted in opposite phenotypes.JA-rich IbNAC087-OE(overexpression)plants exhibited more stomatal closure than wild-type(WT)and IbNAC087-Ri plants under NaCl,polyethylene glycol,and methyl jasmonate treatments.IbNAC087 functions as a nuclear transcriptional activator and directly activates the expression of the key JA biosynthesisrelated genes lipoxygenase(IbLOX)and allene oxide synthase(IbAOS).Moreover,IbNAC087 physically interacted with a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase NAC087-INTERACTING E3 LIGASE(IbNIEL),negatively regulating salt and drought tolerance in sweet potato.IbNIEL ubiquitinated IbNAC087 to promote 26S proteasome degradation,which weakened its activation on IbLOX and IbAOS.The findings provide insights into the mechanism underlying the IbNIEL-IbNAC087 module regulation of JA-dependent salt and drought response in sweet potato and provide candidate genes for improving abiotic stress tolerance in crops.

A novel aldo-keto reductase gene, IbAKR, from sweet potato confers higher tolerance to cadmium stress in tobacco

High concentrations of Cd can inhibit growth and reduce the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus in plants. In several plant species, aldo-keto reductases(AKRs) have been shown to enhance tolerance to various abiotic stresses by scavenging cytotoxic aldehydes;however, few AKRs have been reported to enhance Cd stress tolerance. In this study, the gene Ib AKR was isolated from sweet potato. The relative expression levels of Ib AKR increased significantly(approximately 3-fold) after exposure to 200 mmol$L–1 Cd Cl2 or 10 mmol$L–1 H2 O2. A subcellular localization assay showed that Ib AKR is predominantly located in the nucleus and cytoplasm.Ib AKR-overexpressing tobacco plants showed higher tolerance to Cd stress than wild-type(WT). Transgenic lines showed a significant ability to scavenge malondialdehyde(MDA) and methylglyoxal(MG). In addition,proline content and superoxide dismutase activity were significantly higher and H2 O2 levels were significantly lower in the transgenic plants than in the WT. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the reactive oxygen species(ROS) scavenging genes encoding guaiacol peroxidase(GPX), ascorbate peroxidase(APX), monodehydroascorbate reductase(MDHAR) and peroxidase(POD) were significantly upregulated in transgenic plants compared to WT under Cd stress. These findings suggest that overexpressing Ib AKR enhances tolerance to Cd stress via the scavenging of cytotoxic aldehydes and the activation of the ROS scavenging system.