Open AccessEctopic expression of cytosolic superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase leads to salt stress tolerance in transgenic plums
Author(s) -
DiazVivancos Pedro,
Faize Mohamed,
BarbaEspin Gregorio,
Faize Lydia,
Petri Cesar,
Hernández José Antonio,
Burgos Lorenzo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plant biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.525
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1467-7652
pISSN - 1467-7644
DOI - 10.1111/pbi.12090
Subject(s) - apx , superoxide dismutase , biology , peroxidase , transformation (genetics) , transgene , genetically modified crops , antioxidant , biochemistry , gene , glutathione peroxidase , enzyme , botany
Summary To fortify the antioxidant capacity of plum plants, genes encoding cytosolic antioxidants ascorbate peroxidase (cyt apx ) and C u/ Z n‐superoxide dismutase (cyt sod ) were genetically engineered in these plants. Transgenic plum plants expressing the cyt sod and/or cyt apx genes in cytosol have been generated under the control of the C aMV35S promoter. High levels of cyt sod and cyt apx gene transcripts suggested that the transgenes were constitutively and functionally expressed. We examined the potential functions of cytSOD and cytAPX in in vitro plum plants against salt stress (100 m m NaCl). Several transgenic plantlets expressing cyt sod and/or cyt apx showed an enhanced tolerance to salt stress, mainly lines C5‐5 and J8‐1 (expressing several copies of sod and apx , respectively). Transformation as well as N aCl treatments influenced the antioxidative metabolism of plum plantlets, including enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants. Transgenic plantlets exhibited higher contents of nonenzymatic antioxidants glutathione and ascorbate than nontransformed control, which correlated with lower accumulation of hydrogen peroxide. Overall, our results suggest that transformation of plum plants with genes encoding antioxidant enzymes enhances the tolerance to salinity.