Screening of proteins interacting with ERF transcriptional factor from Populus simonii × P.nigra by yeast two-hybrid method

Abstract

To investigate the biology functions of ERF transcriptional factor in Populus simonii × P.nigra, the proteins interacting with ERF were screened by the yeast two-hybrid method. The bait vector harbouring ERF and cDNA library of Populus simonii × P.nigra were constructed. The bait had no self-activation and toxicity to yeast cells in the yeast two-hybrid system. The library titering experiment indicated that it could meet the requirement for the yeast two-hybrid library screen. Five proteins that interacted with ERF were obtained, including galactinol-sucrose galactosyl transferase 2, phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C family protein, MLP-like protein, senescence-associated protein and an unknown protein. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that the expression levels of ERF and five interacting protein genes increased after salt treatment. Gene ontology analysis associated most of the interacting proteins with stress response. These results showed that ERF might share similar function with these proteins and they act together to regulate the salt response of Populus simonii × P.nigra. This study provided experimental evidence for further revealing the biological function of the ERF transcription factor in poplar.