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The Xerophyta viscosa Aldose Reductase (ALDRXV4) Confers Enhanced Drought and Salinity Tolerance to Transgenic Tobacco Plants by Scavenging Methylglyoxal and Reducing the Membrane Damage

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Abstract

We report the efficacy of an aldose reductase (ALDRXV4) enzyme from Xerophyta viscosa Baker in enhancing the prospects of plant’s survival under abiotic stress. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing ALDRXV4 cDNA showed alleviation of NaCl and mannitol-induced abiotic stress. The transgenic plants survived longer periods of water deficiency and salinity stress and exhibited improved recovery after rehydration as compared to the wild type plants. The increased synthesis of aldose reductase in transgenic plants correlated with reduced methylglyoxal and malondialdehyde accumulation and an elevated level of sorbitol under stress conditions. In addition, the transgenic lines showed better photosynthetic efficiency, less electrolyte damage, greater water retention, higher proline accumulation, and favorable ionic balance under stress conditions. Together, these findings suggest the potential of engineering aldose reductase levels for better performance of crop plants growing under drought and salt stress conditions.

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Abbreviations

FW:

Fresh weight

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MG:

Methylglyoxal

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

RWC:

Relative water content

TW:

Turgid weight

WT:

Wild type

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. Jennifer A. Thomson, University of Cape Town, South Africa for ALDRXV4 cDNA and Dr. Sylvia de Sousa, Universidade Federal de Sao Joao del-Rei, Brasil for aldose reductase antibodies. Dr. Mikail Pooggin’s help in training some members of NBS’ group during their visits to FMI and University of Basel, Switzerland, supported by Indo-Swiss Collaboration in Biotechnology, is duly acknowledged. Dr. S.G. Mundree is acknowledged for discussions related to this manuscript. DK and PS are thankful to CSIR and UGC, India, respectively, for fellowships. MAY is a UGC-Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellow. This work was funded by DST, India (Grant No. SR/SO/BB-37/2008). The research in the lab of NBS is funded by grants from UGC-CAS, DST-FIST, and DST-PURSE.

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  1. Chandrama Prakash Upadhyaya

    Present address: Department of Botany, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Bilaspur, 495009, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Deepak Kumar, Preeti Singh, Mohd Aslam Yusuf, Chandrama Prakash Upadhyaya, Suchandra Deb Roy & Neera Bhalla Sarin

  2. Institute of Botany, University of Basel, Schonbeinstrasse 6, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Thomas Hohn

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  1. Deepak Kumar
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Correspondence to Neera Bhalla Sarin.

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Deepak Kumar and Preeti Singh contributed equally to this study.

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Kumar, D., Singh, P., Yusuf, M.A. et al. The Xerophyta viscosa Aldose Reductase (ALDRXV4) Confers Enhanced Drought and Salinity Tolerance to Transgenic Tobacco Plants by Scavenging Methylglyoxal and Reducing the Membrane Damage. Mol Biotechnol 54, 292–303 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-012-9567-y

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