Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinase in Ginger Binds with Importin-α through Its Junction Domain for Nuclear Localization, and Further Interacts with NAC Transcription Factor.

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are important sensors of Ca2+ elevations in plant cells regulating the gene expression linked with various cellular processes like stress response, growth and development, metabolism, and cytoskeleton dynamics. Ginger is an extensively used spice due to its unique flavor and immense medicinal value. The two major threats that interfere with the large scale production of ginger are the salinity and drought stress. ZoCDPK1 (Zingiber officinale Calcium-dependent protein kinase 1) is a salinity and drought-inducible CDPK gene isolated from ginger and undergoes dynamic subcellular localization during stress conditions. ZoCDPK1, with signature features of a typical Ca2+ regulated kinase, also possesses a bipartite nuclear localization sequence (NLS) in its junction domain (JD). A striking feature in ZoCDPK1 is the rare occurrence of a coupling between the NLS in JD and consensus sequences in regulatory domain. Here, we further identified its nature of nuclear localization and its interaction partners. In the homology model generated for ZoCDPK1, the regulatory domain mimics the crystal structure of the regulatory domain in Arabidopsis CDPK1. Molecular docking simulation of importin (ZoIMPα), an important protein involved in nuclear translocation, into the NLS of ZoCDPK1 was well-visualized. Furthermore, the direct interaction of ZoCDPK1 and ZoIMPα proteins was studied by the yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) system, which confirmed that junction domain (JD) is an important interaction module required for ZoCDPK1 and ZoIMPα binding. The probable interacting partners of ZoCDPK1 were also identified using Y2H experiment. Of the 10 different stress-related interacting partners identified for ZoCDPK1, NAC transcription factor (TF) needs special mention, especially in the context of ZoCDPK1 function. The interaction between ZoCDPK1 and NAC TF, in fact, corroborate with the results of gene expression and over-expression studies of ZoCDPK1. Hence ZoCDPK1 is operating through NAC TF mediated ABA-independent, cold non-responsive stress signaling pathway in ginger.

Over-expression of bael quinolone synthase in tobacco improves plant vigor under favorable conditions, drought, or salt stress.

Type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) catalyze the biosynthesis of various medicinally important secondary metabolites in plants, but their role in growth and stress response is unclear. Here, we overexpressed quinolone synthase (QNS) from bael in tobacco. QNS-overexpressing plants showed an overall increase in growth, photosynthetic efficiency and chlorophyll content compared to wild type plants. Second-generation (T2) transgenic plants grew to maturity, flowered early and set viable seeds under favorable conditions without yield penalty. An increased accumulation of flavonoids, phenols and alkaloids was associated with higher tolerance to drought and salinity stress in transgenic plants. Thus, bael QNS seems to function as a positive regulator of plant growth and stress response, and could be potentially used for engineering plants tolerant to abiotic stress.

CDPK1 from ginger promotes salinity and drought stress tolerance without yield penalty by improving growth and photosynthesis in Nicotiana tabacum.

In plants, transient changes in calcium concentrations of cytosol have been observed during stress conditions like high salt, drought, extreme temperature and mechanical disturbances. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) play important roles in relaying these calcium signatures into downstream effects. In this study, a stress-responsive CDPK gene, ZoCDPK1 was isolated from a stress cDNA generated from ginger using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLM-RACE) - PCR technique and characterized its role in stress tolerance. An important aspect seen during the analysis of the deduced protein is a rare coupling between the presence of a nuclear localization sequence in the junction domain and consensus sequence in the EF-hand loops of calmodulin-like domain. ZoCDPK1 is abundantly expressed in rhizome and is rapidly induced by high-salt stress, drought, and jasmonic acid treatment but not by low temperature stress or abscissic acid treatment. The sub-cellular localization of ZoCDPK1-GFP fusion protein was studied in transgenic tobacco epidermal cells using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Over-expression of ginger CDPK1 gene in tobacco conferred tolerance to salinity and drought stress as reflected by the high percentage of seed germination, higher relative water content, expression of stress responsive genes, higher leaf chlorophyll content, increased photosynthetic efficiency and other photosynthetic parameters. In addition, transgenic tobacco subjected to salinity/drought stress exhibited 50% more growth during stress conditions as compared to wild type plant during normal conditions. T3 transgenic plants are able to grow to maturity, flowers early and set viable seeds under continuous salinity or drought stress without yield penalty. The ZoCDPK1 up-regulated the expression levels of stress-related genes RD21A and ERD1 in tobacco plants. These results suggest that ZoCDPK1 functions in the positive regulation of the signaling pathways that are involved in the response to salinity and drought stress in ginger and it is likely operating in a DRE/CRT independent manner.