Proline accumulation in transgenic tobacco as a result of expression of Arabidopsis Delta(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) during osmotic stress

The entire coding sequence of the bi-functional enzyme, Delta(1)-Pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) from Arabidopsis thaliana was reverse-transcribed, amplified and expressed under the control of CaMV 35S promoter in transgenic tobacco plants. Several lines were established and tested for the expression of P5CS. Drought and salinity were applied as osmotic stresses and proline content of the transformed plants was compared with that of non-transformed controls. Results indicate that transgenic lines express higher levels of proline and show enhanced resistance to the applied osmotic stress as compared to the non-transgenic plants.