Overexpression of soybean miR172c confers tolerance to water deficit and salt stress, but increases ABA sensitivity in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

MiRNAs play crucial roles in many aspects of plant development and the response to the environment. The miR172 family has been shown to participate in the control of flowering time and the response to abiotic stress. This family regulates the expression of APETALA2 (AP2)-like transcription factors in Arabidopsis. In the present study, soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) miR172c, a member of the miR172 family, and its target gene were investigated for abiotic stress responses in transgenic Arabidopsis. gma-miR172c was induced by abscisic acid (ABA) treatments and abiotic stresses, including salt and water deficit. 5'-RACE (5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends) assays indicated that miR172c directed Glyma01g39520 mRNA cleavage in soybeans. Overexpression of gma-miR172c in Arabidopsis resulted in reduced leaf water loss and increased survival rate under stress conditions. Meanwhile, the root length, germination rate, and cotyledon greening of transgenic plants were improved during both high salt and water deficit conditions. In addition, transgenic plants exhibited hypersensitivity to ABA during both the seed germination and post-germination seedling growth stages. Stress-related physiological indicators and the expression of stress/ABA-responsive genes were affected by abiotic treatments. The overexpression of gma-miR172c in Arabidopsis promoted earlier flowering compared with the wild type through modulation of the expression of flowering genes, such as FT and LFY during long days, especially under drought conditions. Glyma01g39520 weakened ABA sensitivity and reduced the tolerance to drought stress in the snz mutant of Arabidopsis by reducing the expression of ABI3 and ABI5. Overall, the present results demonstrate that gma-miR172c confers water deficit and salt tolerance but increased ABA sensitivity by regulating Glyma01g39520, which also accelerates flowering under abiotic stresses.