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Effect of seed-specific expression of the ipt Gene on Nicotiana tabacum L. seed composition

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Abstract

A transgenic approach to manipulation of endosperm development has been investigated. Nicotiana tabacum cv. Xanthi, an endosperm-containing dicotyledon, has been used as a model plant and the 2.6 kb wheat high molecular weight (HMW) glutenin subunit 12 promoter has been used fused either to the gus reporter gene (HMWgus construct)—to study promoter characteristics—or to the Agrobacterium ipt gene—to study the effect of cytokinin (CK) over-expression on assimilate accumulation in the seed. In transgenic tobacco the promoter:gus fusion showed that HMW is an endosperm-specific promoter with maximum expression 20 days after anthesis (DAA), corresponding to the mid to late stages of seed development. Transgenic plants containing the HMWipt construct showed no morphological abnormalities but they had an average increase in seed weight and total ethanol-insoluble carbohydrates and protein content of 8.1%, 7.0% and 8.3%, respectively. SDS PAGE analysis demonstrated that the effect on protein accumulation was non-specific. The highest values of the parameters analysed correlated with moderate increases in the levels of biologically active CKs. These results suggest that ectopic expression of small amounts of CKs can be used to increase storage assimilate accumulation without a detrimental effect on development.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by a grant to S.D. from Royal Society/NATO foundation.

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Author notes

  1. Sasha Daskalova

    Present address: Center for Protein and Peptide Therapeutics, The Biodesign Institute at ASU, Tempe, AZ , 85287, USA

  2. Nigel Scott

    Present address: Leicester School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Hawthorn Building, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Norman Borlaug Institute for Training and Research in Plant Sciences, The University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK

    Sasha Daskalova, Alex McCormac, Nigel Scott & Malcolm Elliott

  2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 7PX, UK

    Alex McCormac

  3. Laboratory of Plant Biochemistry and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp (UA), Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium

    Harry Van Onckelen

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  1. Sasha Daskalova
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Correspondence to Malcolm Elliott.

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Daskalova, S., McCormac, A., Scott, N. et al. Effect of seed-specific expression of the ipt Gene on Nicotiana tabacum L. seed composition. Plant Growth Regul 51, 217–229 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-006-9162-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-006-9162-y

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