Overexpression of sheepgrass R1-MYB transcription factor LcMYB1 confers salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

Sheepgrass [Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.] is a dominant, rhizomatous grass that has extensive plasticity in adapting to various harsh environments. Based on data from 454 high-throughput sequencing (GS FLX) exposure to salt stress, an unknown functional MYB-related gene LcMYB1 was identified from sheepgrass. Tissue specific expression profiles showed that the LcMYB1 gene was expressed ubiquitously in different tissues, with higher expression levels observed in the rhizome and panicle. The expression of LcMYB1 was induced obviously by high salt, drought and abscisic acid and was induced slightly by cold. A fusion protein of LcMYB1 with green fluorescent protein (GFP) was localized to the nucleus, and yeast one-hybrid analysis indicated that LcMYB1 was an activator of transcriptional activity. LcMYB1-overexpressing plants were more tolerant to salt stress than WT plants. The amounts of proline and soluble sugars were higher in transgenic Arabidopsis than in WT plants under salt stress conditions. The overexpression of LcMYB1 enhanced the expression levels of P5CS1 and inhibited other salt stress response gene markers. These findings demonstrate that LcMYB1 influences the intricate salt stress response signaling networks by promoting different pathways than the classical DREB1A- and MYB2-mediated signaling pathway. Additionally, LcMYB1 is a promising gene resource for improving salinity tolerance in crops. •We identify a salt-induced LcMYB protein from sheepgrass.•LcMYB1 is induced obviously by high salt, drought and ABA stress treatments.•LcMYB1 localizes in the nucleus, and has transactivation activity.•The LcMYB1-overexpressing plants are more tolerant to salt stress than WT Plants.