AUTHOR=Wang Jiping , Li Runzhi , Mao Xinguo , Jing Ruilian 

TITLE=Functional Analysis and Marker Development of TaCRT-D Gene in Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.01557

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2017.01557

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Calreticulin (CRT), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized Ca<sup>2+</sup>-binding/buffering protein, is highly conserved and extensively expressed in animal and plant cells. To understand the function of CRTs in wheat (<italic>Triticum aestivum</italic> L.), particularly their roles in stress tolerance, we cloned the full-length genomic sequence of the <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> isoform from D genome of common hexaploid wheat, and characterized its function by transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> system. <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> exhibited different expression patterns in wheat seedling under different abiotic stresses. Transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> plants overexpressing ORF of <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> displayed more tolerance to drought, cold, salt, mannitol, and other abiotic stresses at both seed germination and seedling stages, compared with the wild-type controls. Furthermore, DNA polymorphism analysis and gene mapping were employed to develop the functional markers of this gene for marker-assistant selection in wheat breeding program. One SNP, S440 (T→C) was detected at the <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> locus by genotyping a wheat recombinant inbred line (RIL) population (114 lines) developed from Opata 85 × W7984. The <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> was then fine mapped between markers <italic>Xgwm645</italic> and <italic>Xgwm664</italic> on chromosome 3DL, corresponding to genetic distances of 3.5 and 4.4 cM, respectively, using the RIL population and Chinese Spring nulli-tetrasomic lines. Finally, the genome-specific and allele-specific markers were developed for the <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> gene. These findings indicate that <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> function importantly in plant stress responses, providing a gene target for genetic engineering to increase plant stress tolerance and the functional markers of <italic>TaCRT-D</italic> for marker-assistant selection in wheat breeding.</p>