Ectopic expression of NnPER1, a Nelumbo nucifera 1-cysteine peroxiredoxin antioxidant, enhances seed longevity and stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Seed longevity, the maintenance of viability during storage, is a major factor for conservation of genetic resources and biodiversity. Seed longevity is an important trait of agriculture crop and is impaired by reactive oxygen species (ROS) during seed desiccation, storage and germination (C. R. Biol., 331, 2008 and 796). Seeds possess a wide range of systems (protection, detoxification, repair) allowing them to survive during storage and to preserve a high germination ability. In many plants, 1-cys peroxiredoxin (1-Cys Prx, also named PER1) is a seed-specific antioxidant which eliminates ROS with cysteine residues. Here we identified and characterized a seed-specific PER1 protein from seeds of sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.). Purified NnPER1 protein protects DNA against the cleavage by ROS in the mixed-function oxidation system. The transcription and protein accumulation of NnPER1 increased during seed desiccation and imbibition and under abiotic stress treatment. Ectopic expression of NnPER1 in Arabidopsis enhanced the seed germination ability after controlled deterioration treatment (CDT), indicating that NnPER1 improves seed longevity of transgenic plants. Consistent with the function of NnPER1 on detoxifying ROS, we found that the level of ROS release and lipid peroxidation was strikingly lower in transgenic seeds compared to wild-type with or without CDT. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis seeds ectopic-expressing NnPER1 displayed enhanced tolerance to high temperature and abscisic acid (ABA), indicating that NnPER1 may participate in the thermotolerance and ABA signaling pathway.