Affiliation:
1. Key Laboratory of Landscaping, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Key Laboratory of Biology of Ornamental Plants in East China, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Horticulture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing 210095 China
2. Baguazhou Science and Technology Innovation Center of Modern Horticulture Industry Nanjing 210043 China
3. College of Agriculture Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing 210095 China
4. Key Laboratory of East China Urban Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Leisure Agriculture Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences Jinan 250100 China
5. College of Architecture Yantai University Yantai 264005 China
Abstract
Summary
Heat stress transcription factors (HSFs) are core regulators of plant heat stress response. Much research has focused on class A and B HSFs, leaving those of class C relatively understudied.
Here, we reported a lily (Lilium longiflorum) heat‐inducible HSFC2 homology involved in thermotolerance. LlHSFC2 was located in the nucleus and cytoplasm and exhibited a repression ability by binding heat stress element. Overexpression of LlHSFC2 in Arabidopsis, tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana), and lily, all increased the thermotolerance. Conversely, silencing of LlHSFC2 in lily reduced its thermotolerance.
LlHSFC2 could interact with itself, or interact with LlHSFA1, LlHSFA2, LlHSFA3A, and LlHSFA3B of lily, AtHSFA1e and AtHSFA2 of Arabidopsis, and NbHSFA2 of tobacco. LlHSFC2 interacted with HSFAs to accelerate their transactivation ability and act as a transcriptional coactivator. Notably, compared with the separate LlHSFA3A overexpression, co‐overexpression of LlHSFC2/LlHSFA3A further enhanced thermotolerance of transgenic plants. In addition, after suffering HS, the homologous interaction of LlHSFC2 was repressed, but its heterologous interaction with the heat‐inducible HSFAs was promoted, enabling it to exert its co‐activation effect for thermotolerance establishment and maintenance.
Taken together, we identified that LlHSFC2 plays an active role in the general balance and maintenance of heat stress response by cooperating with HSFAs, and provided an important candidate for the enhanced thermotolerance breeding of crops and horticulture plants.
Funder
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province
National Natural Science Foundation of China