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Genetic Engineering of Glycine Betaine Biosynthesis Reduces Heat-Enhanced Photoinhibition by Enhancing Antioxidative Defense and Alleviating Lipid Peroxidation in Tomato

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Abstract

Glycine betaine (GB) is a compatible solute that accumulates rapidly to enhance heat tolerance in many plants grown under heat stress. In this study, a BADH gene (betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase) from spinach was introduced into tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. ‘Moneymaker’) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic tomato lines expressing BADH exhibited higher capabilities for GB accumulation. Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis of wild type (WT) and transgenic plants exposed to heat treatment (42 °C) showed that transgenic plants exhibited higher photosynthetic capacities than WT plants. This finding suggests that GB accumulation increases tolerance to heat-enhanced photoinhibition. This increased tolerance was associated with an improvement in D1 protein content, which accelerated the repair of photosystem II (PSII) following heat-enhanced photoinhibition. Significant accumulations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide radical (O2 −) were observed in WT plants under heat stress. However, these accumulations were much less for the transgenic plants. An important finding reported herein is that exogenous GB cannot directly reduce the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In accordance with a lower relative electrolyte conductivity and malondialdehyde content, the activities of antioxidant enzymes were higher in transgenic lines than in WT plants, indicating that the degree of membrane injury in the transgenic plants was lower compared to the WT plants. These results suggest that GB accumulation in vivo cannot directly eliminate ROS. Rather, higher antioxidant enzyme activities must be maintained to lessen the accumulation of ROS in transgenic plants and to decrease the degree of membrane injury.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan of China (2009CB118500), the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (30970229), and the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (20103702110007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China

    Meifang Li, Zhimei Li, Shufen Li, Qingwmeng Meng, Gang Li & Xinghong Yang

  2. College of Life Science, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, 252000, China

    Meifang Li & Shangjing Guo

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  1. Meifang Li
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  2. Zhimei Li
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  3. Shufen Li
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Correspondence to Xinghong Yang.

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Meifang Li, Zhimei Li, and Shufen Li contributed equally to this work

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Li, M., Li, Z., Li, S. et al. Genetic Engineering of Glycine Betaine Biosynthesis Reduces Heat-Enhanced Photoinhibition by Enhancing Antioxidative Defense and Alleviating Lipid Peroxidation in Tomato. Plant Mol Biol Rep 32, 42–51 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-013-0594-z

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