Transcription factor AtbZIP60 regulates expression of Ca2+ -dependent protein kinase genes in transgenic cells

The Arabidopsis thaliana bZIP60 (AtbZIP60) transcription factor regulates stress signaling. However, its molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this investigation, cell suspension cultures of two different plant species rice (Oryza sativa L.) and white pine (Pinus strobes L.) were transformed using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring pBI-AtZIP60. Integration of the AtbZIP60 gene into the genome of rice and white pine has been confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), southern blotting, and northern blotting analyses. Six transgenic cell lines from O. sativa and three transgenic cell lines from P. strobus were used to analyze the salt, drought, and cold tolerance conferred by the overexpression of the AtbZIP60 gene. Our results demonstrated that expression of the AtbZIP60 gene enhanced salt, drought, and cold tolerance in rice and white pine transgenic cell lines. In rice, transcription factor AtbZIP60 increased expression of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase genes OsCPK6, OsCPK9, OsCPK10, OsCPK19, OsCPK25, and OsCPK26 under treatment of salt, drought, and cold. These results demonstrated that overexpression of the AtbZIP60 gene in transgenic cell lines improved salt, drought, and cold stress tolerances by regulating expression of Ca(2+)-dependent protein kinase genes. Overexpression of the AtbZIP60 gene could be an alternative choice for engineering plant abiotic stress tolerance.