Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Molecular characterization of Brassica napus NAC domain transcriptional activators induced in response to biotic and abiotic stress

  • Published:
Plant Molecular Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Subtractive expressed sequence tag analysis and screening of cDNA libraries derived from Brassica napus leaves subjected to mechanical wounding, flea beetle feeding or cold temperatures revealed eight genes encoding NAC-domain transcription factors. The genes were found to be differentially regulated in response to biotic and abiotic stresses including wounding, insect feeding, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum infection, cold shock and dehydration. Five BnNAC proteins were orthologous to Arabidopsis thaliana ATAF1 or ATAF2 and gave rise to developmental abnormalities similar to the A. thaliana nam and cuc mutants when expressed ectopically in A. thaliana. Transgenic lines expressing BnNAC14, exhibited large leaves, thickened stems and hyper-developed lateral root systems similar to that observed with A. thaliana NAC1, but also were delayed in bolting and lacked an apical dominant tap root. Several of the BnNAC proteins were capable of activating gene expression in yeast and recognized an element within the CaMV35S promoter. A yeast two-hybrid screen revealed that BnNAC14 interacted with other select BnNAC proteins in vitro and identified an additional BnNAC gene, BnNAC485. The protein interaction and transcriptional activation domains were mapped by deletion analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aida, M., Ishida, T., Fukaki, H., Fujisawa, H. and Tasaka, M. 1997. Genes involved in organ separation in Arabidopsis: an analysis of the cup-shaped cotyledon mutant. Plant Cell 9: 841–857.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aida, M., Ishida, T. and Tasaka, M. 1999. Shoot apical meristem and cotyledon formation during Arabidopsis embryogenesis: interaction among the CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON and SHOOT MERISTEMLESS genes. Development 126: 1563–1570.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, B., Zambryski, P., Staskawicz, B. and Dinesh-Kumar, S.P. 1997. Signaling in plant-microbe interactions. Science 276: 726–733.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, I.T. and Preston, C.A. 1999. The eco-physiological complexity of plant responses to insect herbivores. Planta 208: 137–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, W. and Singh, K.B. 1999. The auxin, hydrogen peroxide and salicylic acid induced expression of the Arabidopsis GST6 promoter is mediated in part by an ocs element. Plant J. 19: 667–677.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clough, S.J. and Bent, A.F. 1998. Floral dip: a simplified method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 16: 735–743.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cokol, M., Nair, R. and Rost B. 2000. Finding nuclear localization signals. EMBO Rep. 1: 411–415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collinge, M. and Boller, T. 2001. Differential induction of two potato genes, Stprx2 and StNAC, in response to infection by Phytophthora infestans and to wounding. Plant Mol. Biol. 46: 521–529.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dicke, M. and Van Poecke, R.M.P. 2002. Signalling in plant-insect interactions: signal transduction in direct and indirect defence. In: D. Scheel and C. Wasternack (Eds) Frontiers in Molecular Biology: Plant Signal Transduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 289–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duval, M., Hsieh, T.F., Kim, S.Y. and Thomas, T.L. 2002. Molecular characterization of AtNAM: a member of the Arabidopsis NAC domain superfamily. Plant Mol. Biol. 50: 237–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greve, K., La Cour, T., Jensen, M.K., Poulsen, F.M. and Skriver, K. 2003. Interactions between plant RING-H2 and plant-specific NAC (NAM/ATAF1/2/CUC2) proteins: RING-H2 molecular specificity and cellular localization. Biochem J. 371: 97–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammond-Kosack, K.E. and Jones, J.D.G. 1996. Resistance genedependent plant defense responses. Plant Cell 8: 1773–1791.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hegedus, D.D., Gruber, M.Y., Braun, L. and Khachatourians, G.G. 2002. Genetic engineering and resistance to insects. In: G. Khachatourians, A. McHughen, R. Scorza, W-K. Nip and Y.H. Hui (Eds.) Transgenic Plants and Crops, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 249–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermsmeier, D., Schittko, U. and Baldwin, I.T. 2001. Molecular interactions between the specialist herbivore Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) and its natural host Nicotiana attenuata. I. Large-scale changes in the accumulation of growth-and defense-relatedpPlant mRNAs. Plant Physiol. 125: 683–700.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ishida, T., Aida, M., Takada, S. and Tasaka, M. 2000. Involvement of CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON genes in gynoecium and ovule development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Physiol. 41: 60–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin, H. and Martin, C. 1999. Multifunctionality and diversity within the plant MYB-gene family. Plant Mol. Biol. 41: 577–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, P.F., Sterneck, E. and Williams, S.C. 1993. Activation domains of transcriptional regulatory proteins. J. Nutr. Biochem. 4: 386–398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, R., Rimmer, R., Yu, M., Sharpe, A. G., Séguin-Swartz, G., Lydiate, D. and Hegedus, D.D. 2003. Two Brassica napus polygalacturonase inhibitory protein genes are expressed at different levels in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Planta 217: 299–308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, A. and Baldwin, I.T. 2002. Plant responses to insect herbivory: the emerging molecular analysis. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 53: 299–328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kikuchi, K., Ueguchi-Tanaka, M., Yoshida, K.T., Nagato, Y., Matsusoka, M. and Hirano, H.Y. 2000. Molecular analysis of the NAC gene family in rice. Mol. Gen. Genet. 262: 1047–1051.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhlmann, M., Horvay, K., Strathmann, A., Heinekamp, T., Fischer, U., Bottner, S. and Droge-Laser, W. 2003. The α-helical D1 domain of the tobacco bZIP transcription factor BZI-1 interacts with the ankyrin-repeat protein ANK1 and is important for BZI-1 function, both in auxin signaling and pathogen response. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 8786–8794.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rechsteiner, M. and Rogers, S.W. 1996. PEST sequences and regulation by proteolysis. Trends Biochem. Sci. 21: 267–271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ren, T., Qu, F. and Morris, T.J. 2000. HRT gene function requires interaction between a NAC protein and viral capsid protein to confer resistance to turnip crinkle virus. Plant Cell 12: 1917–1926.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reymond, P., Weber, H., Damond, M. and Farmer, E.E. 2000. Differential gene expression in response to mechanical wounding and insect feeding in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 12: 707–720.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robatzek, S. and Somssich, I.E. 2001. A new member of the Arabidopsis WRKY transcription factor family, AtWRKY6, is associated with both senescence-and defence-related processes. Plant J. 28: 123–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sablowski, R.W. and Meyerowitz, E.M. 1998. A homolog of NO APICAL MERISTEM is an immediate target of the floral homeotic genes APETALA3/PISTILLATA. Cell 92: 93–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schenk, P.M., Kazan, K., Wilson, I., Anderson, J.P., Richmond, T., Somerville, S.C. and Manners, J.M. 2000. Coordinated plant defense responses in Arabidopsis revealed by microarray analysis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 11655–11660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh, K.B., Foley, R.C. and Onate-Sanchez, L. 2002. Transcription factors in plant defense and stress responses. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 5: 430–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Souer, E., van Houwelingen, A., Kloos, D., Mol, J. and Koes, R. 1996. The no apical meristem gene of Petunia is required for pattern formation in embryos and flowers and is expressed at meristem and primordia boundaries. Cell 85: 159–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Souer, E., van Houwelingen, A., Bliek, M., Kloos, D., Mol, J. and Koes, R. 1998. Co-suppression of nam and homologous genes leads to a reduction in axillary meristem formation and increased leaf and stem size in Petunia: a possible role for NAC domain genes in plant development. Flowering Newsl. 26: 36–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonehouse, R. 2002. The Transactivation Properties and Intracellular Localization Patterns of Arabidopsis TGA Factors. M.Sc. thesis, University of Saskatchewan.

  • Stotz, H.U., Pittendrigh, B.R., Kroymann, J., Weniger, K., Fritsche, J., Bauke, A. and Mitchell-Olds, T. 2000. Induced plant defense responses against chewing insects. Ethylene signaling reduces resistance of Arabidopsis against Egyptian cotton worm but not diamondback moth. Plant Physiol. 124: 1007–1018.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stowe, K.A., Marquis, R.J., Hochwender, C.G. and Simms, E.L. 2000. The evolutionary ecology of tolerance to consumer damage. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 31: 565–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, S.Y. and Agrawal, A.A. 1999. The ecology and evolution of plant tolerance to herbivory. Trends Ecol. Evol. 14: 179–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Takada, S., Hibara, K., Ishida, T. and Tasaka, M. 2001. The CUPSHAPED COTYLEDON1 gene of Arabidopsis regulates shoot apical meristem formation. Development 128: 1127–1135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tamai, H., Iwabuchi, M. and Meshi, T. 2002. Arabidopsis GARP transcriptional activators interact with the Pro-rich activation domain shared by G-box-binding bZIP factors. Plant Cell. Physiol. 43: 99–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thain, J.F., Doherty, H.M., Bowles, D.J. and Wildon, D.C. 1990. Oligosaccharides that induce proteinase inhibitor activity in tomato plants cause depolarization of tomato leaf cells. Plant Cell Environ. 13: 569–574.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walling, L.L. 2000. The myriad plant responses to herbivores. J. Plant Growth Regul. 19: 195–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Q., Sanz-Burgos, A.P., Guo, H., Garcia, J.A. and Gutierrez, C. 1999. GRAB proteins, novel members of the NAC domain family, isolated by their interaction with a geminivirus protein. Plant Mol. Biol. 39: 647–656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Q., Frugis, G., Colgan, D. and Chua, N.H. 2000. Arabidopsis NAC1 transduces auxin signal downstream of TIR1 to promote lateral root development. Genes Dev. 14: 3024–3036.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie, Q., Guo, H.S., Dallman, G., Fang, S., Weissman, A.M. and Chua, N.H. 2002. SINAT5 promotes ubiquitin-related degradation of NAC1 to attenuate auxin signals. Nature 419: 167–170.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Genetics Section, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 107 Science Place, Saskatoon, S7N 0X2, Canada

    Dwayne Hegedus, Min Yu, Doug Baldwin, Margaret Gruber, Andrew Sharpe, Isobel Parkin, Steve Whitwill & Derek Lydiate

Authors
  1. Dwayne Hegedus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Min Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Doug Baldwin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Margaret Gruber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Andrew Sharpe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Isobel Parkin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Steve Whitwill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Derek Lydiate
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dwayne Hegedus.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hegedus, D., Yu, M., Baldwin, D. et al. Molecular characterization of Brassica napus NAC domain transcriptional activators induced in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Plant Mol Biol 53, 383–397 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLAN.0000006944.61384.11

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLAN.0000006944.61384.11

Search

Navigation