At14a-Like1 participates in membrane-associated mechanisms promoting growth during drought in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: Limited knowledge of how plants regulate their growth and metabolism in response to drought and reduced soil water potential has impeded efforts to improve stress tolerance. Increased expression of the membrane-associated protein At14a-like1 (AFL1) led to increased growth and accumulation of the osmoprotective solute proline without negative effects on unstressed plants. Conversely, inducible RNA-interference suppression of AFL1 decreased growth and proline accumulation during low water potential while having no effect on unstressed plants. AFL1 overexpression lines had reduced expression of many stress-responsive genes, suggesting AFL1 may promote growth in part by suppression of negative regulatory genes. AFL1 interacted with the endomembrane proteins protein disulfide isomerase 5 (PDI5)

SUBMITTER: Kumar MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4547278 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature