Characterization of grape C-repeat-binding factor 2 and B-box-type zinc finger protein in transgenic Arabidopsis plants under stress conditions.

Simultaneous induction of multiple stress tolerance by single-gene transfer is a powerful strategy to engineer crop plants to improve tolerance to environmental stress under field condition. The possibility of enhancement of multiple stress tolerance by four grape transcription factors that enhance low-temperature tolerance (VvCBF2, VvCBF4, VvCBFL, and VvZFPL) were analyzed using the Arabidopsis plants overexpressing these factors. Consequently, two of the four proteins, VvCBF2 and VvZFPL, were found to confer tolerance to cold, drought, and salinity stresses in Arabidopsis plants, but not to heat stress. Photosynthesis-related genes were down-regulated in both CBF2- and ZFPL-overexpressing plants, resulting in plant growth retardation. On the other hand, the overexpression of VvCBF2 activated the transcription of CBL-interacting protein kinase 7, a serine/threonine kinase involved in cold response, in Arabidopsis plants. Our study provides that one of grape CBF family, VvCBF2, and one of B-box ZFP family, VvZFPL, confer multiple stress tolerance to plants.