Open Access
ARTICLE
Development of a New Cold-Tolerant Maize (Zea mays L.) Germplasm Using the ICE1 Gene from Arabidopsis thaliana
Jing Qu1, Shuang Liu2, Peng Jiao2, Zhenzhong Jiang2, Jianbo Fei2, Shuyan Guan1,*, Yiyong Ma1,*
1 College of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, China
2 College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, 130118, China
* Corresponding Authors: Shuyan Guan. Email: ; Yiyong Ma. Email:
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2022, 91(8), 1709-1719. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2022.018854
Received 21 August 2021; Accepted 14 December 2021; Issue published 14 April 2022
Abstract
To develop cold-tolerant maize germplasms and identify the activation of INDUCER OF CRT/DRE-BINDING FACTOR EXPRESSION (
ICE1) expression in response to cold stress, RT-PCR was used to amplify the complete open reading frame sequence of the
ICE1 gene and construct the plant expression vector pCAMBIA3301-ICE1-Bar. Immature maize embryos and calli were transformed with the recombinant vector using
Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformations. From the regenerated plantlets, three T1 lines were screened and identified by PCR. A Southern blot analysis showed that a single copy of the
ICE1 gene was integrated into the maize (
Zea mays L.) genomes of the three T1 generations. Under low temperature-stress conditions (4°C), the relative conductivity levels decreased by 27.51%–31.44%, the proline concentrations increased by 12.50%–17.50%, the malondialdehyde concentrations decreased by 16.78%–18.37%, and the peroxidase activities increased by 19.60%–22.89% in the T1 lines compared with those of the control. A real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that the
ICE1 gene was ectopically expressed in the roots, stems, and leaves of the T1 lines.
ICE1 positively regulates the expression of the
CBF genes in response to cold stress. Thus, this study showed the successful transformation of maize with the
ICE1 gene, resulting in the generation of a new maize germplasm that had increased tolerance to cold stress.
Keywords
Cite This Article
Qu, J., Liu, S., Jiao, P., Jiang, Z., Fei, J. et al. (2022). Development of a New Cold-Tolerant Maize (
Zea mays L.) Germplasm Using the
ICE1 Gene from
Arabidopsis thaliana.
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, 91(8), 1709–1719. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2022.018854