Improvement of Salt Tolerance in Tobacco via Overexpression of TaFBA1 Gene from Wheat

The F-box protein is a major subunit of the Skp1-Cullin-F-box (SCF) complex. The team of Zhongxian Zhao from Shandong Agricultural University had previously isolated an F-box gene from wheat, TaFBA1. The team now aims to know if overexpression of TaFBA1 in tobacco plants can improve its salt stress tolerance.

The transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing TaFBA1 exhibited increases in germination rate, root elongation, and biomass accumulation under salt stress. Improvements in the photosynthetic rate and related parameters were also found in the transgenic plants. These suggest that overexpression of TaFBA1 can improve salt stress tolerance.

Furthermore, the transgenics also displayed less membrane damage, higher antioxidant enzyme activity, and less accumulation of ROS under salt stress. The transgenic plants also had lower Na⁺ content and higher K⁺ content than WT plants in leaves and roots.

This shows that the enhancement of plant salt stress tolerance may be associated with an improvement in antioxidative competition.

For more on the study, read the article in Plant Science.