Functional Analysis of FveTCP5 Gene in Fragaria vesca under Salt Stress

doi:10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2026-0311

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective TCP transcription factors play important roles in plant stress responses. This study aims to characterize the function of the FveTCP5 gene in Fragaria vesca under salt stress, thereby providing genetic resources for breeding new salt-tolerant strawberry varieties. Method Using woodland strawberry ‘Ruegen’ as the experimental material, we cloned FveTCP5 and analyzed its physicochemical properties, structural characteristics, and phylogenetic relationships via bioinformatics approaches. The expression pattern of FveTCP5 in different tissues of woodland strawberry was determined by RT-qPCR. An overexpression vector of FveTCP5 was constructed, and transgenic Arabidopsis lines were obtained through floral dip transformation. These transgenic lines were treated with 150 mmol/L NaCl, and relevant physiological indices as well as the expression levels of salt stress-responsive genes were measured to validate salt tolerance function. Result The full-length CDS of FveTCP5 is 1 131 bp, encoding 376 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FveTCP5 is closely related to TCP5 proteins from other Rosaceae species. RT-qPCR revealed that FveTCP5 was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues of woodland strawberry, with the highest transcript level in leaves. Under NaCl treatment, Arabidopsis lines overexpressing FveTCP5 exhibited significantly higher green cotyledon rates and root lengths than wild-type plants. Physiological measurements indicated that, compared with wild-type, transgenic plants had significantly reduced malondialdehyde content and significantly increased levels of chlorophyll, proline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT). Moreover, the expression of salt stress-responsive genes, including AtSOS1, AtSOS2, AtNHX1, AtHKT1, AtCOR15A, and AtRD29A, were upregulated in the transgenic lines. Conclusion Overexpression of FveTCP5 enhances salt tolerance in A. thaliana by promoting the expression of salt stress-responsive genes, suggesting that FveTCP5 plays an important role in the salt stress response of strawberry.

Key words: strawberry, TCP5, salt stress, bioinformatics analysis, transgenic Arabidopsis, gene expression, physiological and biochemical indices, functional analysis

DONG Xiang-xiang, MIAO Bai-ling, CHEN Juan-juan, ZHANG Kun-peng, LI Liang-jie, ZHOU Hou-cheng, ZHU Qing-song. Functional Analysis of FveTCP5 Gene in Fragaria vesca under Salt Stress[J]. Biotechnology Bulletin, 2026, 42(10): 169-176.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 Phylogenetic analysis of TCP5 proteins in different species

Fig. 2 Expression pattern analysis of FveTCP5Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences at P<0.05. The same below

Fig. 3 PCR identification (A) and gene expression analysis (B) of FveTCP5-overexpressing A. thaliana1: Wild type A. thaliana; 2-4: three transgenic lines. WT: Wild type A. thaliana; OE1-3: three transgenic lines. The same below

Fig. 4 Analysis of salt tolerance phenotype of transgenic A. thaliana

Fig. 5 Determination of physiological indices of transgenic A. thaliana under salt stress

Fig. 6 Expression analysis of salt stress-response genes in transgenic A. thaliana

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