Abstract
We report two Oryza sative stress-related CCCH-type Zinc Finger proteins genes (OsSCZF1 and OsSCZF2), involved in drought, salt and cold stress responses in rice. The expression of OsSCZF1 was induced by drought and NaCl treatment, whereas OsSCZF2 was induced by drought and cold. Further, the expressions of both genes were induced by methyl jasmonate and salicyclic acid. GFP localization showed that OsSCZF1 was localized to tonoplast and shifted to nucleus upon treatment with abscisic acid, while OsSCZF2 was mainly localized to nucleus. Transgenic plants over-expressing OsSCZF1 gene showed a mimic lesion mutant phenotype. These transgenic plants had an increased expression of pathogenesis related genes, PR1 and PBZ1, compared to control. Transgenic plants over-expressing OsSCZF2 were short in stature and exhibited reduced seed setting. Taken together, these results demonstrate that OsSCZF1 and OsSCZF2 encode functional proteins and may be involved in modulating stress tolerance in rice.
