Isolation and identification of a wheat gene encoding a zinc finger protein (TaZnFP) responsive to abiotic stresses

Zinc finger protein is one of the proteins with finger-like domains. CCCH-type zinc finger proteins involved in plant stress tolerance are poorly understood. In this paper, a novel CCCH-type zinc finger protein gene TaZnFP was isolated during analysis of an abiotic stress suppression subtractive hybridization expression library from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The TaZnFP gene contains a 1,533 bp open reading frame with no intron and encodes a 55.2 kDa protein with 510 amino acids. Its isoelectric point (pI) is 8.94. The TaZnFP protein contains two typical CCCH-type zinc finger domains (CX9CX5CX3H and CX5CX4CX3H). Transient expression of a 35S::TaZnFP-GFP fusion protein in Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts showed that TaZnFP was localized in the cytoplasm. Q-RT-PCR results showed that the TaZnFP transcript was induced by cold, salt (NaCl), drought, and ABA. Overexpression of TaZnFP enhanced drought and salt stress tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis compared to the control. TaZnFP might be an important regulator responsive to abiotic stresses in plants.