Expression of OsDREB2A transcription factor confers enhanced dehydration and salt stress tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Stress responsive transcriptional regulation is an adaptive strategy of plants that alleviates the adverse effects of environmental stresses. The ectopic overexpression of Dehydration-Responsive Element Binding transcription factors (DREBs) either in homologous or in heterologous plants improved stress tolerance indicating the DRE/DREB regulon is conserved across plants. We developed 30 transgenic T(0) rice plants overexpressing OsDREB2A which were devoid of any growth penalty or phenotypic abnormalities during stressed or non-stressed conditions. Integration of T-DNA in the rice genome and stress inducible overexpression of OsDREB2A had occurred in these transgenic lines. Functional analyses of T(1)-3 and T(1)-10 lines revealed significant tolerance to osmotic, salt and dehydration stresses during simulated stress conditions with enhanced growth performance as compared to wild type. OsDREB2A, thus, confers stress tolerance in homologous rice system that failed in the heterologous Arabidopsis system earlier.