A novel MYB transcription factor, GmMYBJ1, from soybean confers drought and cold tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

•A novel MYB transcription factor, GmMYBJ1, was isolated from soybean.•GmMYBJ1 protein is targeted to the nucleus.•The expression of GmMYBJ1was induced by abiotic stresses.•Enhanced tolerance to abiotic stresses was observed in transgenic Arabidopsis.•GmMYBJ1 could be a useful candidate gene for crop improvement.

MYB transcription factors play important roles in the regulation of plant growth, developmental metabolism and stress responses. In this study, a new MYB transcription factor gene, GmMYBJ1, was isolated from soybean [Glycine max (L.)]. The GmMYBJ1 cDNA is 1296 bp in length with an open reading frame (ORF) of 816 bp encoding for 271 amino acids. The amino acid sequence displays similarities to the typical R2R3 MYB proteins reported in other plants. Transient expression analysis using the GmMYBJ1-GFP fusion gene in onion epidermal cells revealed that the GmMYBJ1 protein is targeted to the nucleus. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that GmMYBJ1 expression was induced by abiotic stresses, such as drought, cold, salt and exogenous abscisic acid (ABA). Compared to wild-type (WT) plants, transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing GmMYBJ1 exhibited an enhanced tolerance to drought and cold stresses. These results indicate that GmMYBJ1 has the potential to be utilized in transgenic breeding lines to improve abiotic stress tolerance.