Enhanced drought and salt tolerance of Arabidopsis thaliana by ectopic expression of the molecular chaperone artemin from Artemia urmiana

Due to the resistance of Artemia urmiana to salt stress, researchers have isolated and investigated Artemin, the most prevalent protein within the cyst of this aquatic species. In vitro studies have revealed Artemin's role as a molecular chaperone, effectively engaging with the hydrophobic surfaces of unfolded and/or partially folded proteins. In light of Artemin's established functional significance, its encoding gene has been successfully introduced into mammalian cells; however, no published research has elucidated its potential role within plant cells. In the current investigation, the artemin gene was successfully cloned into the pPZPY122 plant vector and subsequently introduced into Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The T₃ homozygote transgenic plants (art) were then subjected to a series of environmental stresses, including heat, salt (NaCl) and drought (Mannitol). To assess the mutant's resilience to these stresses, their seed germination indices were evaluated. The art line demonstrated a higher degree of tolerance towards the abiotic stresses. A comparative analysis revealed that ascorbate peroxidase activity, catalase activity, and proline content exhibited significantly enhanced levels in some NaCl-treated art plants compared to their counterparts in Col-0. Regarding the expression of the genes in the SOS pathway, it was found that SOS1 is significantly upregulated under NaCl treatment in the art mutant. Conversely, under normal growth conditions, the morphology and growth of transgenics remained indistinguishable from those of wild-type plants.