Cloning and characterization of SiDHN, a novel dehydrin gene from Saussurea involucrata Kar. et Kir. that enhances cold and drought tolerance in tobacco

•The full-length of SiDHN cDNA consisted of 703 base pairs (bp).•SiDHN cDNA transgenic tobacco plants resisted to freezing and drought stresses.•SiDHN enhanced plant cold and drought resistance.•SiDHN could be used to genetically improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses.

Saussurea involucrata Kar. et Kir. is a hardy, dicotyledonous plant featured by strong tolerance to severe stress conditions. In a previous study, we created a cDNA library to characterize genetic factors associated with the cold acclimation response of S. involucrata. The full-length cDNA of one dehydrin-like gene, SiDHN, was obtained by RT-PCR and the SiDHN gene was further characterized in this study. The full-length SiDHN cDNA consists of 703 base pairs (bp) with a 333 bp open reading frame encoding a protein comprising 111 amino acid residues. The alignment of the deduced amino acid sequence showed that SiDHN protein shared 36% identity with one homolog in Helianthus annuus. To evaluate its biological functions, 35S:SiDHN recombinant plasmid was introduced into tobacco using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the resistance of transgenic plants to freezing and drought stresses were analyzed. Compared with the wild-type, transgenic tobacco plants showed greater resistance to freezing and drought stresses. In this study, we provided evidence that SiDHN can enhance plant cold and drought resistance, suggesting that SiDHN could be potentially used to genetically improve plant tolerance to abiotic stresses.