Wheat (Triticum aestivum. L) Plant U-box E3 ligases TaPUB2 and TaPUB3 enhance ABA response and salt stress resistance in Arabidopsis

Plant U-box E3 ligases (PUBs) are important regulators of responses to various abiotic stress conditions. In this study, we found that wheat (Triticum aestivum. L) PUBs TaPUB2 and TaPUB3 enhanced abscisic acid (ABA) responses and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. We generated transgenic Arabidopsis lines overexpressing TaPUB2 and TaPUB3 and performed various plant physiological experiments. Overexpression of TaPUB2 and TaPUB3 increased tolerance to salinity stress in an ABA-dependent manner in transgenic plants, as evidenced by germination and survival rates, root length, stomatal aperture regulation, membrane peroxidation, photosynthetic activities, reactive oxygen species scavenging activities and expression of various ABA and salinity stress-related genes. These results demonstrate the functions of PUBs under ABA and salinity stress conditions and provide valuable information for the development of salinity stress-tolerant crop species.