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Carrot antifreeze protein enhances chilling tolerance in transgenic tomato

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Abstract

Key message

The expression of carrot antifreeze protein enhanced chilling tolerance in heterologous host system tomato and AFP can be a potential gene candidate for producing chilling tolerant crop plants.

Abstract

In an attempt to improve chilling tolerance, the carrot gene encoding the antifreeze protein (AFP) was cloned under the control of constitutive CaMV35S promoter and genetically transformed the tomato var. PKM1 using Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Putative transgenic plants were confirmed by PCR using AFP-specific primers and grown to maturity. The integration of AFP transgene in the tomato genome was confirmed by Southern blot analysis. The AFP gene expression in transgenic plants was determined using semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Upon exposure to chilling stress (4 °C), a significant decrease in membrane injury index was observed in AFP transgenic tomato lines without any phenotypic aberrations when compared with WT plants. Hence, this study clearly proves that the development of chilling tolerant tomato plants will soon become a reality.

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Abbreviations

AFP:

Antifreeze protein

CTAB:

Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide

MS:

Murashige and skoog

sq RT-PCR:

Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR

MII:

Membrane injury index

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research, India for the financial support through a research grant to RS and for a fellowship support to RKS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Genetic Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, 641046, India

    Sarma Rajeev Kumar, Rajamani Kiruba, Srinivasan Balamurugan & Ramalingam Sathishkumar

  2. EU Marie Curie Chair, ICAAM, University of Evora, Evora, Portugal

    Hélia G. Cardoso & Arnholdt-Schmitt Birgit

  3. Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research, Haldwani, 263139, India

    Ahmed Zakwan

Authors
  1. Sarma Rajeev Kumar
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  2. Rajamani Kiruba
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  3. Srinivasan Balamurugan
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  4. Hélia G. Cardoso
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  5. Arnholdt-Schmitt Birgit
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  6. Ahmed Zakwan
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  7. Ramalingam Sathishkumar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ramalingam Sathishkumar.

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Communicated by P. Sowinski.

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Rajeev Kumar, S., Kiruba, R., Balamurugan, S. et al. Carrot antifreeze protein enhances chilling tolerance in transgenic tomato. Acta Physiol Plant 36, 21–27 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-013-1383-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-013-1383-x

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