Overexpression of TsGOLS2, a galactinol synthase, in Arabidopsis thaliana enhances tolerance to high salinity and osmotic stresses

• TsGOLS2 improved the tolerance of Arabidopsis to salt and osmotic stress.
• TsGOLS2 was up-regulated by several abiotic stresses in Thellungiella salsuginea leaves.
• TsGOLS2 increased galactinol and raffinose contents and reduced sucrose content.
• The level of α-ketoglutaric acid increased in transgenic Arabidopsis plants.

Galactinol synthase (GOLS, EC 2.4.1.123), a key enzyme in the synthesis of raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs), catalyzes the condensation of UDP-galactose with myo-inositol to produce galactinol as the sole donor for the synthesis of RFOs. RFOs have been implicated in mitigating effects of environmental stresses on plants. TsGOLS2, was cloned from Thellungiella salsuginea with high homology to AtGOLS2. TsGOLS2 was up-regulated by several abiotic stresses. We overexpressed TsGOLS2 in Arabidopsis thaliana. The contents of galactinol, raffinose, and α-ketoglutaric acid were significantly increased in transgenic plants. Compared to wild type plants, salt-stressed transgenic A. thaliana exhibited higher germination rate, photosynthesis ability, and seedling growth. After being treated with osmotic stress by high concentration of sorbitol, transgenic plants retained high germination rates and grew well during early development. These results indicated that overexpression of TsGOLS2 in A. thaliana improved the tolerance of transgenic plants to high salinity and osmotic stress.