Expression of yeast Hem1 gene controlled by Arabidopsis HemA1 promoter improves salt tolerance in Arabidopsis plants

5-Aminolevulinate (ALA) is well-known as an essential biosynthetic precursor of all tetrapyrrole compounds, which has been suggested to improve plant salt tolerance by exogenous application. In this work, the gene encoding aminolevulinate synthase (ALA-S) in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hem1) was introduced into the genome of Arabidopsis controlled by the Arabidopsis thaliana HernA1 gene promoter. All transgenic lines were able to transcribe the YHem1 gene, especially under light condition. The chimeric protein (YHem1-EGFP) was found co-localizing with the mitochondria in onion epidermal cells. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants could synthesize more endogenous ALA with higher levels of metabolites including chlorophyll and heme. When the T(2) homozygous seeds were cultured under NaCI stress, their germination and seedling growth were much better than the wild type. Therefore, introduction of ALA-S gene led to higher level of ALA metabolism with more salt tolerance in higher plants. [BMB reports 2010; 43(5): 330-336]