Salt tolerance of transgenic rice (Oryza sativa L.) with mtlD gene and gutD gene

Southern blot analysis indicated that mtlD gene (encoding mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase) and gutD gene (encoding glucitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) had been integrated into the rice genome mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404(pBIGM). The expression of the above two genes in transgenic rice plants was demonstrated by Northern blot analysis and enzymatic activity assay. Analysis of sugar alcohol showed that transgenic rice plants could produce and accumulate mannitol and sorbitol. The salt tolerance of transgenic plants was much higher than that of their controls.