Waterlogging stress significantly affects the growth, development, and productivity of crop plants. However, manipulation of gene expression to enhance waterlogging tolerance is very limited. In this study, we identified an ethylene-responsive factor from barley, which was strongly induced by waterlogging stress. This transcription factor named HvERF2.11 was 1158 bp in length and encoded 385 amino acids, and mainly expressed in the adventitious root and seminal root. Overexpression of HvERF2.11 in Arabidopsis led to enhanced tolerance to waterlogging stress. Further analysis of the transgenic plants showed that the expression of AtSOD1, AtPOD1 and AtACO1 increased rapidly, while the same genes did not do so in non-transgenic plants, under waterlogging stress. Activities of antioxidant enzymes and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) were also significantly higher in the transgenic plants than in the non-transgenic plants under waterlogging stress. Therefore, these results indicate that HvERF2.11 plays a positive regulatory role in plant waterlogging tolerance through regulation of waterlogging-related genes, improving antioxidant and ADH enzymes activities.
Keywords: ERF transcription factors; barley; reactive oxygen species; transgenic Arabidopsis; waterlogging stress.