XXXX Raf-Like Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Gene Raf43 Is Required for Tolerance to Multiple Abiotic Stresses.

@entity2656 @entity5568 @entity3785 @entity6453 @entity2271 @entity958 @entity14348 @entity281 @entity14261 @entity52039 @entity4202 @entity44547
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are critical signaling modules that mediate the transduction of extracellular stimuli into intracellular response. A relatively large number of MAPKKKs have been identified in a variety of plant genomes but only a few of them have been studied for their biological function. In the present study, we identified an @entity958 Raf-like MAPKKK gene Raf43 and studied its function in biotic and abiotic stress response using a T-DNA insertion mutant raf43-1 and two Raf43-overexpressing lines Raf43-OE#1 and Raf43-OE#13. Expression of Raf43 was induced by multiple abiotic and biotic stresses including treatments with drought, @entity2656 and oxidative stress or defense signaling molecule @entity3785 and @entity281 with necrotrophic fungal pathogen @entity14261 . Seed germination and seedling root growth of raf43-1 were significantly inhibited on MS medium containing @entity2656 , @entity4202 , @entity5568 or @entity6453 (MV) while seed germination and seedling root growth of the Raf43-OE#1 and Raf43-OE#13 lines was similar to wild type Col-0 under the above stress conditions. Soil-grown raf43-1 plants exhibited reduced tolerance to MV, drought and salt stress. @entity2271 inhibited significantly seed germination and seedling root growth of the raf43-1 line but had no effect on the two Raf43-overexpressing lines. Expression of stress-responsive @entity52039 and @entity44547 genes was significantly down-regulated in raf43-1 plants. However, the raf43-1 and Raf43-overexpressing plants showed similar disease phenotype to the wild type plants after @entity281 with @entity14261 or @entity14348 . Our results demonstrate that Raf43, encoding for a Raf-like MAPKKK, is required for tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in @entity958 .
