Overexpression of MdVQ37 reduces drought tolerance by altering leaf anatomy and SA homeostasis in transgenic apple

Drought stress is an environmental factor that seriously threatens plant growth, development and yield. VQ proteins are transcriptional regulators that have been reported to be involved in plant growth, development and the responses to biotic and abiotic stressors. However, the relationship between VQ proteins and drought stress has not been well documented in plants. In this study, overexpressing the apple VQ motif-containing protein (MdVQ37) gene in apple plants markedly reduced the tolerance to drought. Physiological and biochemical studies further demonstrated lower enzymatic activities and decreased photosynthetic capacity in transgenic lines compared with wild-type (WT) plants under drought stress. Ultrastructural analysis of leaves showed that the leaves and palisade tissues from the transgenic lines were significantly thinner than those from WT plants. Salicylic acid (SA) analysis indicated that overexpression of MdVQ37 increased the accumulation of 2,5-DHBA by up-regulating the expression of the SA catabolic gene, which ultimately resulted to a significant reduction in endogenous SA content and the disruption of the SA-dependent signaling pathway under drought stress. Applying SA partially increased the survival rate of the transgenic lines under drought stress. These results demonstrate that the regulatory function of apple MdVQ37 is implicated in drought stress, through a change in leaf development and SA homeostasis. This study provides novel insight into understanding the multiple functions of VQ proteins.