Abstract
We describe an Oryza sativa stress-related CCCH-type Zinc Finger protein gene (OsSCZF1) involved in stress responses in rice. The expression of OsSCZF1 was induced by drought and high salinity. OsSCZF1 gene expression was also induced by abscisic acid, methyl jasmonate and salicylic acid. GFP localization analyses showed that OsSCZF1 is cytoplasmic and also localized in cytoplasmic foci. Histochemical GUS activity in PSCZF1-GUS transgenic rice plants was observed in young leaf, panicle and anthers. Transgenic rice plants over-expressing OsSCZF1 constitutively exhibited poor seed germination, a lesion mimic phenotype upon maturity and low reproductive yields. These transgenic rice plants showed improved tolerance to high-salt stress and delay in leaf senescence and also exhibited increased tolerance to rice blast and RSV virus diseases. A number of biotic and abiotic stress related genes were regulated in OsSCZF1 over-expressing rice plants. These results demonstrate that OsSCZF1 encodes a functional protein involved in modulating stress tolerance in rice.
