OsGLYI3, a glyoxalase gene expressed in rice seed, contributes to seed longevity and salt stress tolerance

The glyoxalase pathway plays a vital role in the chemical detoxification of methylglyoxal (MG) in biological systems. Our previous study suggested that OsGLYI3 may be effective in seed natural aging. In this study, the rice OsGLYI3 gene was cloned and characterized as specifically expressed in the seed. The accelerated aging (AA) treatment results indicated significant roles of OsGLYI3 in seed longevity and vigor, as the seeds of the transgenic lines with overexpressed and knocked-out OsGLYI3 exhibited higher and lower germination, respectively. The AA treatment also increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the overexpressed transgenic seeds compared to the wild-type seeds yet lowered the SOD activity in the CRISPR/Cas9-derived transgenic rice lines. Rice OsGLYI3 was markedly upregulated in response to NaCl induced stress conditions. Compared to wild-type plants, overexpressed transgenic rice lines exhibited increased GLYI activity, decreased MG levels and improved salt stress tolerance, while CRISPR/Cas9 knockout transgenic rice lines showed decreased glyoxalase I activity, increased MG levels, and greater sensitivity to stress treatments with NaCl. Collectively, our results confirmed for the first time that OsGLYI3 is specifically expressed in rice seeds and contributes to seed longevity and salt stress tolerance.