Dehydration-responsive element binding (DREB) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in the regulation of plant resistance to environmental stresses and can specifically bind to dehydration-responsive element/C-repeat element (DRE/CRT) proteins (G/ACCGAC) and activate expression of many stress-inducible genes. Here, we cloned and characterized a novel gene (AaDREB1) encoding the DREB1 transcription factor from the cold-tolerant plant Adonis amurensis. Quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR results indicated that AaDREB1 expression was induced by salt, drought, cold stress, and abscisic acid application. A yeast one-hybrid assay demonstrated that AaDREB1 encodes a transcription activator and specifically binds to DRE/CRT. Furthermore, transgenic Arabidopsis and rice harboring AaDREB1 showed enhanced tolerance to salt, drought, and low temperature. These results indicated that AaDREB1 might be useful in genetic engineering to improve plant stress tolerance.
Keywords: AaDREB1; Adonis amurensis; abiotic stress tolerance; transgenic plant.