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Leaf morphology and anatomy of transgenic cucumber lines tolerant to downy mildew

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

The objective of the present paper was to investigate the reason of increased tolerance to the pathogenic fungus Pseudoperonospora cubensis found in transgenic cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) lines 210 and 212 bearing 35S:cDNA preprothaumatin II gene construct. The tolerance investigation was accomplished by comparing the morphological and anatomical structure of plant leaves. The results obtained demonstrate that leaves of both lines exhibited some anatomical and morphological characteristics (e.g. wax load and composition, cuticle ultrastructure, ultrastructure of secondary wall, arrangement of mesophylll cells) which may be responsible for enhanced tolerance.

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Abbreviations

PR:

pathogenesis-related

WT:

wild type

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, PL-02776, Warsaw, Poland

    M. Szwacka & S. Malepszy

  2. Department of Plant Physiology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, PL-02776, Warsaw, Poland

    A. Wisniewska

  3. Department of Plant Morphogenesis, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, PL-02096, Warsaw, Poland

    T. Tykarska & M. Kuras

  4. The Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS, Pasteura 3, PL-02093, Warsaw, Poland

    H. Bilski

Authors
  1. M. Szwacka
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  2. T. Tykarska
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  3. A. Wisniewska
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  4. M. Kuras
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  5. H. Bilski
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  6. S. Malepszy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Szwacka.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Professor Jagna Karcz (University of Silesia, Poland) for her valuable advice and Mr. K. Krawczyk for taking the photographs. This study was supported by the State Committee for Scientific Research, Project No. 5PO6A 025 18 (M. Szwacka).

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Szwacka, M., Tykarska, T., Wisniewska, A. et al. Leaf morphology and anatomy of transgenic cucumber lines tolerant to downy mildew. Biol Plant 53, 697–701 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-009-0125-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-009-0125-9

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