Expression of Sucrose Transporters from<i> Vitis vinifera </i>Confer High Yield and Enhances Drought Resistance in Arabidopsis

• Main Authors: Yumeng Cai, Jing Yan, Wenrui Tu, Zhefang Deng, Wenjie Dong, Han Gao, Jinxu Xu, Nan Zhang, Ling Yin, Qingyong Meng, Yali Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: <i>Vitis vinifera</i>; VvSUC; overexpression; Arabidopsis; srong phenotype; high production
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/7/2624
• ISSN: 1661-6596; 1422-0067

Sucrose is the predominant form of sugar transported from photosynthetic (source) to non-photosynthetic (sink) organs in higher plants relying on the transporting function of sucrose transporters (SUTs or SUCs). Many SUTs have been identified and characterized in both monocots and dicots. However, the function of sucrose transporters (SUTs or SUCs) from<i> Vitis </i>is not clear. As the world’s most planted grape species, <i>Vitis vinifera </i>owns three sucrose transport activity verified SUTs. In this study, we constructed three kinds of <i>VvSUC (Vitis vinifera SUC)</i>-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis. <i>VvSUC</i>-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis was cultured on sucrose-supplemented medium. <i>VvSUC11</i>- and <i>VvSUC12</i>-overexpressing lines had similar thrived growth phenotypes, whereas the size and number of leaves and roots from<i> VvSUC27</i>-overexpressing lines were reduced compared with that of WT. When plants were cultured in soil, all SUT transgenic seedlings produced more number of leaves and siliques, resulting in higher yield (38.6% for <i>VvSUC12</i>-transformants) than that of WT. Besides, <i>VvSUC27</i>-transformants and <i>VvSUC11</i>-transformants enhanced drought resistance in Arabidopsis, providing a promising target for crop improvement