Overexpression of AmRosea1 Gene Confers Drought and Salt Tolerance in Rice

Abstract

Ectopic expression of the MYB transcription factor of AmROSEA1 from <i>Antirrhinum majus</i> has been reported to change anthocyanin and other metabolites in several species. In this study, we found that overexpression of <i>AmRosea1</i> significantly improved the tolerance of transgenic rice to drought and salinity stresses. Transcriptome analysis revealed that a considerable number of stress-related genes were affected by exogenous <i>AmRosea1</i> during both drought and salinity stress treatments. These affected genes are involved in stress signal transduction, the hormone signal pathway, ion homeostasis and the enzymes that remove peroxides. This work suggests that the <i>AmRosea1</i> gene is a potential candidate for genetic engineering of crops.