查看文章

The identification of leaf wax genes involved in stress tolerance is expected to have great potential for crop improvement. Here we report the characterization of a novel AP2 domain‐containing putative transcription factor gene from the model legume Medicago truncatula. The gene, designated WXP1, is able to activate waxproduction and confer drought tolerance in alfalfa (Medicago sativa), the most important forage legume species in the world and a close relative of M. truncatula. The predicted protein of WXP1 has 371 aa; it is one of the longest peptides of all the single AP2 domain proteins in M. truncatula. WXP1 is distinctly different from the most studied genes in the AP2/ERF transcription factor family such as AP2s, CBF/DREB1s, DREB2s, WIN1/SHN1 and GL15. Transcript level of WXP1 is inducible by cold, abscisic acid and drought treatment mainly in shoot tissues in M. truncatula. Overexpression of WXP1 …