Overexpression of Abiotic Stress-Responsive SsCor413-1 Gene Enhances Salt and Drought Tolerance in Sugarcane (Saccharum spp. Hybrid).

The cold-regulated (Cor413) gene family encodes plant-specific, multispanning transmembrane proteins that localize to the plasma and thylakoid membranes; these genes are regulated by environmental stimuli. In this study, the Cor413-1 gene, isolated from the drought and saline-tolerant wild species Saccharum spontaneum, was engineered into the elite sugarcane cultivar Co 86032 to produce a commercially superior cultivar with improved abiotic stress tolerance. Expression analysis of the Cor413-1 gene transgenic lines under drought and salinity stress exhibited distinct gene expression patterns. During stress conditions, transgenic events, such as Cor413-9 and Cor413-3, showed notable resilience to salt stress and had a high relative expression of the Cor413-1 gene and other stress-related genes. The evaluation of physiological parameters showed that under stress conditions, transgenic events experienced milder wilting and less cell membrane injury than the non-transgenic control. Transgenic lines also demonstrated elevated relative water content and better photosynthetic efficiency, with events like Cor413-10 and Cor413-12 showing exceptional performance. Biochemical analyses indicated elevated proline content, higher activity of enzymatic antioxidants such as sodium dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and a low level of malondialdehyde MDA production in the transgenic lines. Thus, demonstrating the potential of the Cor413-1 gene for developing multiple stress-tolerant cultivars.