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Extent of ipt gene expression and resulting amount of cytokinins affect activities of carboxylation enzymes in transgenic plants

  • Published:
Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

Three types of transgenic plants of Solanum tuberosum cvs. Kamyk and Oreb, and Nicotiana tabacum cvs. Maryland Mammoth and Trapezond were selected according to intensity of introduced ipt gene expression and resulting amount of synthesised cytokinins (CKs). In comparison with controls, original transgenic regenerants grown in vitro showed a massive increase of CK contents, in tobacco by 379 % and in potato by 159 % (MAS). Potato grown in soil from tubers of transgenic plants demonstrated a moderate increase (44 %) of CK contents (MOD). Transgenic tobacco grown from seeds in vitro did not show any significant change in CK contents (NOT). Initial (RuBPCi and RuBPOi) and total (RuBPCt) activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO), and the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) were not significantly affected by the transformation in the NOT plants. In the MOD plants, the RuBPCO activities were stimulated by up to 34 % whereas the PEPC activity was decreased by 17 %. On the other hand, all the measured enzyme activities were 32 – 91 % lower in the MAS. Leaf area, fresh and dry masses, and chlorophyll and soluble protein contents also went down with increasing CK amounts in the transformants. Dependence of RuBPCi/RuBPOi and RuBPCt/PEPC ratios on the relative CK amounts in transgenic plants revealed that the individual enzyme activities were not affected uniformly. Endogenous CK contents in the MAS thus apparently exceeded an optimum needed for positive effects on many physiological traits and became a stress factor for such plants.

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Abbreviations

C3, C4 :

reaction intermediates are three- or four-carbon acids, respectively

CAM:

Crassulacean acid metabolism

Chl:

chlorophyll

CK:

cytokinin

DTT:

dithiothreitol

f.m.:

fresh mass

iP:

isopentenyl adenine

iPR:

isopentenyl adenine riboside

MAS:

transgenic plants with massive rise in CK contents

MOD:

transgenic plants with moderate rise in CK contents

NOT:

transgenic plants without rise in CK contents

PEPC:

phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase

RuBPCi,t, RuBPOi :

carboxylating, resp. oxygenating operation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, subscripts: i - initial, t - total

RuBPCO:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

SD:

standard deviation

SE:

standard error of the mean

Z:

zeatin

ZR:

zeatin riboside

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  1. Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, and Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, CZ-37005, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

    J. Kveton

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Kveton, J. Extent of ipt gene expression and resulting amount of cytokinins affect activities of carboxylation enzymes in transgenic plants. Biol Plant 50, 21–30 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-005-0070-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-005-0070-1

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