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Overexpression of monodehydroascorbate reductase in transgenic tobacco confers enhanced tolerance to ozone, salt and polyethylene glycol stresses

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Abstract

Ascorbate (AsA) is a major antioxidant and free-radical scavenger in plants. Monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDAR; EC 1.6.5.4) is crucial for AsA regeneration and essential for maintaining a reduced pool of AsA. To examine whether an overexpressed level of MDAR could minimize the deleterious effects of environmental stresses, we developed transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing Arabidopsis thaliana MDAR gene (AtMDAR1) in the cytosol. Incorporation of the transgene in the genome of tobacco plants was confirmed by PCR and Southern-blot analysis and its expression was confirmed by Northern- and Western-blot analyses. These transgenic plants exhibited up to 2.1-fold higher MDAR activity and 2.2-fold higher level of reduced AsA compared to non-transformed control plants. The transgenic plants showed enhanced stress tolerance in term of significantly higher net photosynthesis rates under ozone, salt and polyethylene glycol (PEG) stresses and greater PSII effective quantum yield under ozone and salt stresses. Furthermore, these transgenic plants exhibited significantly lower hydrogen peroxide level when tested under salt stress. These results demonstrate that an overexpressed level of MDAR properly confers enhanced tolerance against ozone, salt and PEG stress.

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Abbreviations

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

AsA:

Ascorbate

DHA:

Dehydroascorbate

DHAR:

Dehydroascorbate reductase

GSH:

Glutathione

MDAR:

Monodehydroascorbate reductase

MDHA:

Monodehydroascorbate

PEG:

Polyethylene glycol

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Strategic International Cooperative Program from Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), 21st Century COE Program for Arid Land Science from Japan ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MONBUSHO) and the Core University Program from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama, Tottori, 680-8553, Japan

    Amin Elsadig Eltayeb, Hironori Kaminaka & Kiyoshi Tanaka

  2. Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8686, Japan

    Naoyoshi Kawano & Shinobu Inanaga

  3. Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, Shambat, 3114, Sudan

    Ghazi Hamid Badawi

  4. Laboratory of Veterinary Infectious Disease, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Koyama, Tottori, 680-8553, Japan

    Takeshi Sanekata

  5. Division of Laboratory Animal Science, Research Center for Bioscience and Technology, Tottori University, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan

    Toshiyuki Shibahara

  6. Agricultural Research and Technology Corporation, Wad Medani, 126, Sudan

    Amin Elsadig Eltayeb

Authors
  1. Amin Elsadig Eltayeb
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  2. Naoyoshi Kawano
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  3. Ghazi Hamid Badawi
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  4. Hironori Kaminaka
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  6. Toshiyuki Shibahara
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  7. Shinobu Inanaga
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  8. Kiyoshi Tanaka
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Correspondence to Kiyoshi Tanaka.

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Eltayeb, A.E., Kawano, N., Badawi, G.H. et al. Overexpression of monodehydroascorbate reductase in transgenic tobacco confers enhanced tolerance to ozone, salt and polyethylene glycol stresses. Planta 225, 1255–1264 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-006-0417-7

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