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Response of xanthophyll cycle and chloroplastic antioxidant enzymes to chilling stress in tomato over-expressing glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Over-expression of chloroplastic glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene (LeGPAT) increased unsaturated fatty acid contents in phosphatidylglycerol (PG) of thylakoid membrane in tomato. The effect of this increase on the xanthophyll cycle and chloroplast antioxidant enzymes was examined by comparing wild type (WT) tomato with the transgenic (TG) lines at chilling temperature (4 °C) under low irradiance (100 µmol m−2 s−1). Net photosynthetic rate and the maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem (PS) 2 (Fv/Fm) in TG plants decreased more slowly during chilling stress and Fv/Fm recovered faster than that in WT plants under optimal conditions. The oxidizable P700 in both WT and TG plants decreased during chilling stress under low irradiance, but recovered faster in TG plants than in the WT ones. During chilling stress, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and the de-epoxidized ratio of xanthophyll cycle in WT plants were lower than those of TG tomatoes. The higher activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in TG plants resulted in the reduction of O2 −· and H2O2 contents during chilling stress. Hence the increase in content of unsaturated fatty acids in PG by the over-expression of LeGPAT could alleviate photoinhibition of PS2 and PS1 by improving the de-epoxidized ratio of xanthophyll cycle and activities of SOD and APX in chloroplast.

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Abbreviations

A:

antheraxanthin

APX:

ascorbate peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.11)

AsA:

ascorbate acid

Fv/Fm :

maximal photochemical efficiency of PS2

F0 :

initial fluorescence

Fv :

variable fluorescence

Fm :

maximum yield of fluorescence

GPAT:

glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase

LeGPAT:

Lycopersicon esculentum glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene

H2O2 :

hydrogen peroxide

NPQ:

non-photochemical quenching

O2 −· :

superoxide radical

PBS:

phosphate buffer solution

PFD:

photon flux density

PG:

phosphatidylglycerol

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

PS:

photosystem

P700:

PS1 reaction centre

RC:

reaction centre

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

SOD:

superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1)

TG:

transgenic

V:

violaxanthin

WT:

wild type

Z:

zeaxanthin

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Key Lab of Crop Biology of Shandong Province, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, 271018, P.R. China

    N. Sui, X.-Y. Liu, N. Wang, W. Fang & Q.-W. Meng

  2. Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ji’nan, 250100, P.R. China

    M. Li

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  1. N. Sui
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  2. M. Li
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  3. X.-Y. Liu
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Correspondence to Q.-W. Meng.

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Sui, N., Li, M., Liu, XY. et al. Response of xanthophyll cycle and chloroplastic antioxidant enzymes to chilling stress in tomato over-expressing glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene. Photosynthetica 45, 447–454 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-007-0074-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-007-0074-5

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