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Transgenic plants with improved dehydration-stress tolerance: Progress and future prospects

  • Review
  • Published:
Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

This review summarizes the recent progress made towards the development of transgenic plants with improved tolerance to water stress and salinity. Of the various strategies employed, emphasis has been given to the genes engineered for the biosynthesis of osmoprotectants and osmolytes. This review also briefly discusses the importance of the use of specific stress inducible promoters and the future prospects of transgenic plants with improved agronomic traits.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

abscisic acid

ABRE:

ABA-responsive element

BADH:

betainealdehyde dehydrogenase

CBF:

C-repeat binding protein

CDH:

choline dehydrogenase

CMO:

choline monoxygenase

COD:

choline oxidase

COR:

cold regulated

CuCOR19:

Citrus unshiu cold-regulated gene encoding a 19-kDa protein

DREB:

dehydration responsive element binding protein

GB:

glycinebetaine

GSA:

glutamic-γ-semialdehyde

LEA:

late-embryogenesis abundant

P5C:

Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate

P5CR:

P5C reductase

P5CS:

P5C synthetase

WUE:

water use efficiency

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  1. Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica e Biologica (II), Apartado-127, Oeiras, 2781-901, Portugal

    S. Cherian & R. B. Ferreira

  2. Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, 364 002, India

    M. P. Reddy

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Cherian, S., Reddy, M.P. & Ferreira, R.B. Transgenic plants with improved dehydration-stress tolerance: Progress and future prospects. Biol Plant 50, 481–495 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-006-0141-y

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