Transcription Factor GmERF105 Negatively Regulates Salt Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Abstract The Ethylene Response Factor (ERF) transcription factor is a subfamily of the AP2/ERF family that is instrumental in mediating plant responses to diverse abiotic stressors. Herein, we present the isolation and characterization of theGmERF105 gene from Williams 82 (W82), which is rapidly induced by salt, drought, and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments in soybean. The GmERF105 protein, which contains an AP2 domain, localizes to the nucleus and retains transcriptional activation activity. Furthermore, GmERF105 selectively binds to the GCC-box. Notably, overexpression of GmERF105 in Arabidopsis under salt stress resulted in reduced seed germination rate, fresh weight, and antioxidant enzyme activity; while sodium ion content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content were elevated in comparison to the wild type. Furthermore, the GmERF105 transgenic plants displayed suppressed expression of stress response marker genes, including KIN1, LEA14, NCED3, RD29A, and COR15A/B, under salt treatment. Our findings suggest that GmERF105 can act as a negative regulator in plant salt tolerance pathways by affecting ROS scavenging systems.