OsDOF18, A DOF Transcription Factor from Rice Confers Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Escherichia coli

Abstract

DNA binding with one finger proteins (DOF) play vital role in many cellular including biotic
and abiotic stresses. In present study, OsDOF18, a member of DOF gene family from Oryza sativa was
cloned into GST expression vector (pGEX4T-1) and sequenced. The sequence was subjected to in silico
characterisation including similarity search, multiple sequence alignment followed by phylogenetic study.
The three dimensional structure was predicted by I-TASSER server followed by authentication using
PROCHECK and QMEAN tools. Analysis of OsDOF18 by RT-qPCR confirmed the association of OsDOF18
with abiotic stresses including salinity and drought. DNA binding domain containing region was cloned
and over-expressed in Escherichia coli for stress analysis. OsDOF18 protein improved the E. coli survivability
against salinity and drought stresses. The results suggested OsDOF18 as a stress-related gene in rice that
may be used in generating stress tolerant plants.