A novel zinc-finger HIT protein with an additional PAPA-1-like region from Suaeda liaotungensis K. enhanced transgenic Arabidopsis drought and salt stresses tolerance.

Zinc-finger HIT belongs to the cross-brace zinc finger protein family and is involved in the regulation of plant defense and stress responses. In this study, we cloned a full-length zinc-finger HIT gene (1,377 bp) named SlPAPA1 using polymerase chain reaction from Suaeda liaotungensis K. and investigated its function by overexpression in transgenic Arabidopsis. SlPAPA1 contains a zinc-finger HIT domain and a Pim-1-associated protein-1 (PAP-1)-associated protein-1-like (PAPA-1-like) conserved region. Its expression in S. liaotungensis was induced by drought, high-salt, and cold (4 °C) stresses and by abscisic acid (ABA). Subcellular localization experiments in onion epidermal cells indicated that SlPAPA1 is localized in the nucleus. Yeast-one hybrid assays showed that SlPAPA1 functions as a transcriptional activator. SlPAPA1 transgenic Arabidopsis displayed a higher survival ratio and lower rate of water loss under drought stress; a higher germination ratio, higher survival ratio, and lower root inhibition rate under salt stress; and a lower germination ratio and root inhibition rate under ABA treatment, compared with wild-type Arabidopsis. These results suggested that SlPAPA1 functions as a stress-responsive zinc-finger HIT protein involved in the ABA-dependent signaling pathway and may have potential applications in transgenic breeding to enhance crops abiotic stress tolerances.