The grapevine VvWRKY2 gene enhances salt and osmotic stress tolerance in transgenic Nicotiana tabacum

Our study aims to assess the implication of WRKY transcription factor in the molecular mechanisms of grapevine adaptation to salt and water stresses. In this respect, a full-length VvWRKY2 cDNA, isolated from a Vitis vinifera grape berry cDNA library, was constitutively over-expressed in Nicotiana tabacum seedlings. Our results showed that transgenic tobacco plants exhibited higher seed germination rates and better growth, under both salt and osmotic stress treatments, when compared to wild type plants. Furthermore, our analyses demonstrated that, under stress conditions, transgenic plants accumulated more osmolytes, such as soluble sugars and free proline, while no changes were observed regarding electrolyte leakage, H2O2, and malondialdehyde contents. The improvement of osmotic adjustment may be an important mechanism underlying the role of VvWRKY2 in promoting tolerance and adaptation to abiotic stresses. Principal component analysis of our results highlighted a clear partition of plant response to stress. On the other hand, we observed a significant adaptation behaviour response for transgenic lines under stress. Taken together, all our findings suggest that over-expression of VvWRKY2 gene has a compelling role in abiotic stress tolerance and, therefore, would provide a useful strategy to promote abiotic stress tolerance in grape via molecular-assisted breeding and/or new biotechnology tools.