Overexpression of Jatropha curcas ERFVII2 Transcription Factor Confers Low Oxygen Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis by Modulating Expression of Metabolic Enzymes and Multiple Stress-Responsive Genes

Enhancing crop tolerance to waterlogging is critical for improving food and biofuel security. In waterlogged soils, roots are exposed to a low oxygen environment. The group VII ethylene response factors (ERFVIIs) were recently identified as key regulators of plant low oxygen response. Oxygen-dependent N-end rule pathways can regulate the stability of ERFVIIs. This study aims to characterize the function of the Jatropha curcas ERFVIIs and the impact of N-terminal modification that stabilized the protein toward low oxygen response. This study revealed that all three JcERFVII proteins are substrates of the N-end rule pathway. Overexpression of JcERFVII2 conferred tolerance to low oxygen stress in Arabidopsis. In contrast, the constitutive overexpression of stabilized JcERFVII2 reduced low oxygen tolerance. RNA-seq was performed to elucidate the functional roles of JcERFVII2 and the impact of its N-terminal modification. Overexpression of both wildtype and stabilized JcERFVII2 constitutively upregulated the plant core hypoxia-responsive genes. Besides, overexpression of the stabilized JcERFVII2 further upregulated various genes controlling fermentative metabolic processes, oxidative stress, and pathogen responses under aerobic conditions. In summary, JcERFVII2 is an N-end rule regulated waterlogging-responsive transcription factor that modulates the expression of multiple stress-responsive genes; therefore, it is a potential candidate for molecular breeding of multiple stress-tolerant crops.