@article{Wang2025, 
author = {Yuxin Wang and Huan Zhang and Shaopei Gao and Hong Zhai and Shaozhen He and Ning Zhao and Qingchang Liu},
title = {The ABA-inducible gene IbTSJT1 positively regulates drought tolerance in transgenic sweetpotato},
year = {2025},
journal = {Journal of Integrative Agriculture (JIA)},
volume = {24},
number = {4},
pages = {1390-1402},
keywords = {sweetpotato, IbTSJT1, ABA, IbABF2, drought tolerance},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.015},
doi = {10.1016/j.jia.2023.10.015},
abstract = {The TSJT1 protein belongs to the class-II glutamine amidotransferase (GATase) superfamily. Research on the functions and underlying mechanisms of TSJT1 in plants is limited. In this study, the abscisic acid (ABA)-inducible gene IbTSJT1 was isolated from drought-tolerant sweetpotato line Xushu 55-2. Its expression was strongly induced by PEG6000 and ABA. The IbTSJT1 protein was localized in the nucleus and cell membrane. IbTSJT1-overexpressing sweetpotato plants exhibited significantly enhanced drought tolerance. Their ABA and proline contents and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities were increased, and their reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging-related genes were upregulated under drought stress. The stomatal aperture assay confirmed that the IbTSJT1-overexpressing plants had greater sensitivity to ABA. The results of yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assay, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), luciferase reporter assay and ChIP-qPCR assay indicated that IbABF2 can directly bind to the cis-acting ABA-responsive element (ABRE) in the IbTSJT1 promoter to activate the expression of IbTSJT1. These findings suggest that IbTSJT1 mediates ABA-dependent drought stress responses and enhances drought tolerance by inducing stomatal closure and activating the ROS scavenging system in transgenic sweetpotato. Our study provides a novel gene for improving drought tolerance in sweetpotato and other plants.}
}