The GDSL lipase CpGLIP1 from Chimonanthus praecox improves drought and cold tolerance in Arabidopsis and poplar

Different types of abiotic stress significantly affect plant growth and crop production even though plants have evolved complex responses to mitigate their effects. Some studies have shown that the GDSL (Gly-Asp-Ser-Leu) lipase proteins regulate the adaptation of plants to abiotic stresses. However, the functions of most GDSL lipases still remain unexplored in plants. To our knowledge, this study is the first to identify the GDSL lipase (GLIP) gene CpGLIP1 in Chimonanthus praecox, which is a hardy and important deciduous aromatic shrub that is native to China. CpGLIP1 was highly expressed in the young leaves and the sprout stage of flowers when there were easily damaged parts of C. praecox. Treatments of drought, cold, jasmonic acid, and gibberellic acid significantly increased the level of expression of CpGLIP1. Additionally, a β-glucuronidase histochemical analysis showed that the CpGLIP1 promoter activity was tissue-specific, and the inducibility of the CpGLIP1 promoter was consistent with the pattern of gene expression. Moreover, the overexpression of CpGLIP1 in Arabidopsis thaliana and poplar (Populus tremula×Populus alba) plants resulted in higher rates of growth and survival and better physiological indices than the wild-type (WT) plants after drought and cold treatment, which indicated that overexpression of CpGLIP1 improved tolerance to drought and cold. In addition, 22 upstream regulatory proteins were screened using a yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) system, and SRG (senescence-related gene) and HARBI1 (harbinger transposase derived 1) proteins were verified to bind the promoter region of CpGLIP1 gene, which suggests that their function is to enhance their regulation in drought and cold response by CpGLIP1. These findings comprehensively demonstrate the function of GDSL lipase in C. praecox. It also provides effective references to elucidate the potential molecular regulatory mechanism of GDSL lipases and provide candidate genes to improve the tolerance of crops, such as drought and cold stress, in future research. [Display omitted] •The GDSL lipase gene CpGLIP1 was significantly induced by drought and cold stress.•Overexpression of CpGLIP1 improved tolerance to drought and cold in Arabidopsis and poplar.•The SRG and HARBI1 proteins were verified to bind the promoter region of CpGLIP1.