A thermostable 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase from Thermotoga maritima enhances glyphosate tolerance in Escherichia coli and transgenic Arabidopsis

5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) overexpression, attempting to provide excess EPSPS to combine with glyphosate, is one way to improve glyphosate resistance of plants. The EPSPS in extremophiles which is selected by nature to withstand the evolutionary pressure may possess some potential-specific biological functions. In this study, we reported the cloning, expression and enzymatic characterization of a novel Class II EPSPS AroAT. maritima from Thermotoga maritima MSB8. The enzyme showed low sequence identities with other EPSPSs, and was one of the most thermostable EPSPSs so far, which showed the optimum enzyme activity at 80 °C. The enzyme maintains the activity below 50 °C and in a wide range of pH 4.0-10, which indicated its stability under rough environment, especially in tropical regions and alkaline soil. Excellent Ki/Km value of AroAT. maritima suggested that the enzyme showed powerful competitive binding capacity of PEP over glyphosate and high glyphosate tolerance. Furthermore, aroAT. maritima gene was transformed into Arabidopsis thaliana. The transgenic lines were resistant to 15 mM glyphosate, which proved the application value in the cultivation of glyphosate-tolerant plants.

Molecular basis of natural tolerance to glyphosate in Convolvulus arvensis

Convolvulus arvensis is a troublesome weed that is naturally tolerant to glyphosate. This weed tolerates glyphosate at a rate 5.1 times higher than that of glyphosate-susceptible Calystegia hederacea. Glyphosate-treated C. arvensis plants accumulated less shikimic acid than C. hederacea plants. The overexpression of EPSPS genes from the two species in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in similar glyphosate tolerance levels. qPCR of genomic DNA revealed that the EPSPS copy number in C. arvensis was approximately 2 times higher than that in C. hederacea. Moreover, glyphosate treatment caused a marked increase in EPSPS mRNA in C. arvensis compared to C. hederacea. GUS activity analysis showed that the promoter of CaEPSPS (CaEPSPS-P) highly improved GUS expression after glyphosate treatment, while no obvious differential GUS expression was observed in ChEPSPS-P transgenic A. thaliana in the presence or absence of glyphosate. Based on the obtained results, two coexisting mechanisms may explain the natural glyphosate tolerance in C. arvensis: (i) high EPSPS copy number and (ii) specific promoter-mediated overexpression of EPSPS after glyphosate treatment.

Growth and Reproduction of Glyphosate-Resistant and Susceptible Populations of Kochia scoparia

Evolution of glyphosate-resistant kochia is a threat to no-till wheat-fallow and glyphosate-resistant (GR) cropping systems of the US Great Plains. The EPSPS (5-enol-pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) gene amplification confers glyphosate resistance in the tested Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad populations from Montana. Experiments were conducted in spring to fall 2014 (run 1) and summer 2014 to spring 2015 (run 2) to investigate the growth and reproductive traits of the GR vs. glyphosate-susceptible (SUS) populations of K. scoparia and to determine the relationship of EPSPS gene amplification with the level of glyphosate resistance. GR K. scoparia inbred lines (CHES01 and JOP01) exhibited 2 to 14 relative copies of the EPSPS gene compared with the SUS inbred line with only one copy. In the absence of glyphosate, no differences in growth and reproductive parameters were evident between the tested GR and SUS inbred lines, across an intraspecific competition gradient (1 to 170 plants m-2). GR K. scoparia plants with 2 to 4 copies of the EPSPS gene survived the field-use rate (870 g ha-1) of glyphosate, but failed to survive the 4,350 g ha-1 rate of glyphosate (five-times the field-use rate). In contrast, GR plants with 5 to 14 EPSPS gene copies survived the 4,350 g ha-1 of glyphosate. The results from this research indicate that GR K. scoparia with 5 or more EPSPS gene copies will most likely persist in field populations, irrespective of glyphosate selection pressure.

A novel 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase shows high glyphosate tolerance in Escherichia coli and tobacco plants

A key enzyme in the shikimate pathway, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is the primary target of the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate. Identification of new aroA genes coding for EPSPS with a high level of glyphosate tolerance is essential for the development of glyphosate-tolerant crops. In the present study, the glyphosate tolerance of five bacterial aroA genes was evaluated in the E. coli aroA-defective strain ER2799 and in transgenic tobacco plants. All five aroA genes could complement the aroA-defective strain ER2799, and AM79 aroA showed the highest glyphosate tolerance. Although glyphosate treatment inhibited the growth of both WT and transgenic tobacco plants, transgenic plants expressing AM79 aroA tolerated higher concentration of glyphosate and had a higher fresh weight and survival rate than plants expressing other aroA genes. When treated with high concentration of glyphosate, lower shikimate content was detected in the leaves of transgenic plants expressing AM79 aroA than transgenic plants expressing other aroA genes. These results suggest that AM79 aroA could be a good candidate for the development of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant crops.