A Soybean bZIP transcription factor GmbZIP71-4 Is Involved in Submergence Resistance in Transgenic Tobacco

Abstract Background Although the role of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family of transcription factors in response to various abiotic stresses has been investigated, few studies have been conducted on their function in submergence stress. Results In this study, we localized a bZIP gene GmbZIP71-4 in the nucleus of soybean and constructed a GmbZIP71-4 overexpressing tabocco line, which showed reduced submergence resistance due to the decreased abscisic acid (ABA) content. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis based on chromatin immunoprecipitation assay sequencing (ChIP-seq) indicated that the most significant differences were the expression levels of the factors in plant hormone signal transduction, especially those in response to ABA. Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays (EMSA) demonstrated that GmbZIP71-4 bound to the promoter of GmABF2 , which is consistent with the ChIP-qPCR result. Conclusions Our study showed that GmbZIP71-4 was a negative regulator of submergence stress tolerance. The findings in this work will set a solid foundation for the understanding of submergence resistance in plants.