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Acta Agronomica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (12): 3198-3210.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2025.54052

• CROP GENETICS & BREEDING · GERMPLASM RESOURCES · MOLECULAR GENETICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Cloning of the VQ4 gene and preliminary analysis of its role in salt tolerance in Coix lacryma-jobi L.

WANG Yu-Jiao1,WANG Yong-Le1,TIAN Chang-Jiu1,YU Chun-Wang1,LYU Jia-Bin2,ZHU Jia-Bao1,*   

  1. 1 Institute of Industrial Crops, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230001, Anhui, China; 2 School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, Anhui, China
  • Received:2025-04-27 Revised:2025-09-10 Accepted:2025-09-10 Online:2025-12-12 Published:2025-09-24
  • Contact: 朱加保, E-mail: 13955611798@139.com E-mail:wangyujiao0207@163.com
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (3240151950).

Abstract:

VQ proteins, a plant-specific protein family characterized by a conserved VQ domain, have garnered considerable attention due to their critical roles in abiotic stress responses as well as plant growth and development. In this study, the Coix lacryma-jobi L. cultivar ‘Wanyi 2’ was used as the experimental material. A combination of bioinformatics analysis, quantitative real-time PCR, subcellular localization, and yeast two-hybrid assays was employed to characterize the molecular properties of ClVQ4. Its function in salt stress response was further investigated through heterologous expression in yeast and genetic transformation in Arabidopsis thaliana. The results revealed that ClVQ4 contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 594 bp, encoding a 197-amino-acid protein predicted to be an unstable, hydrophilic protein with an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.43. Cis-acting element analysis of the ClVQ4 promoter identified multiple hormone- and stress-responsive elements. The expression of ClVQ4 was induced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and abscisic acid (ABA), and significantly upregulated under salt stress. Subcellular localization and yeast two-hybrid assays showed that ClVQ4 is mainly localized in the nucleus and cell membrane, interacts with Coix WRKY30, and can form heterodimers with other VQ proteins. Under NaCl treatment, the yeast strain expressing ClVQ4 exhibited enhanced survival. Furthermore, overexpression of ClVQ4 in Arabidopsis resulted in higher germination and survival rates and longer root lengths compared to the wild type (WT) under salt stress. Additionally, transgenic lines exhibited significantly higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (POD, SOD, and CAT) and significantly lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content than WT, suggesting a positive regulatory role of ClVQ4 in salt stress tolerance.

Key words: Coix lacryma-jobi L., ClVQ4, gene cloning, subcellular localization, salt tolerance

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