Abstract: The expression level of the protein product of TaEF-1α gene was up-regulated under drought stress condition in one of our previous study using iTRAQ technology. To further study the function of TaEF-1α gene in response to drought stress in wheat,we quantified the expression of TaEF-1α gene at the transcriptional level gene under normal and drought stress conditions, the expression level of TaEF-1α gene was knock down by using virus induced gene silencing(VIGS) technique to study its function. The results showed that the expression of TaEF-1α gene was up-regulated by drought stress. Under drought stress condition, the expression level of TaEF-1α gene and the relative water content of leaves decreased significantly and the relative conductivity and malondialdehyde(MDA) content increased significantly in knock-down-plants than wild type plants. The changes in phenotypes and physiological indices of wheat plants after drought stress and VIGS silencing TaEF-1α gene indicated that the drought-induced TaEF-1α gene expression in wheat plants was up-regulated, and the TaEF-1α gene knock-down-plants also exhibited leaf drooping earlier and more sensitive to drought stress than wild type plants. Taken together, TaEF-1α gene may play a crucial role in response to drought stress in wheat.

Key words: Wheat, Drought stress, TaEF-1 &alpha, gene, VIGS technique

CLC Number: 

• Q78

• S512.03