Journal
PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS
Volume 1, Issue 2, Pages 93-100Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11816-007-0017-4
Keywords
cysteine synthase; Nicotiana tabacum; ozone; sulfur
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Cysteine serves as a precursor for the synthesis of various sulfur-containing metabolites, and the cysteine synthase (CS) gene plays a central role in the sulfur cycle in nature. In the present study, rcs1, a cytosolic CS gene of rice, was introduced into the genome of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The tolerance of wild-type tobacco plants as well as of the resulting transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing the rcs1 gene to toxic levels of ozone (O-3, 0.15 mu mol(-1)) was measured after various lengths of exposure. Leaf lesions in plants exposed for 2 weeks to O-3 were more prevalent in the leaves of the wild-type plants than in those of the transgenic tobacco plants. Transgenic tobacco plants showed a higher growth rate and a higher chlorophyll content than the wildtype plants. Cysteine synthase activity and cysteine and glutathione contents were higher in transgenic plants than in wild-type plants irrespective of the length of the O-3 treatment. Our results indicate that the CS gene plays a role in the protection of the plant against toxic O-3 gas, probably through the mechanism of an over-accumulation of such sulfur-rich antioxidants as cysteine and glutathione.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available