Improvement of cold tolerance of the half-high bush Northland blueberry by transformation with the LEA gene from Tamarix androssowii

Previous studies have shown that the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) gene of Tamarix androssowii can enhance the drought tolerance of transgenic tobacco. In this study, the cloned LEA gene was transformed into half-high bush Northland blueberry in order to enhance its ability to tolerate cold stre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant growth regulation 2011, Vol.63 (1), p.13-22
Main Authors: Zhao, Xin, Zhan, Li-Ping, Zou, Xue-Zhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bushes
Cefotaxime
Cephalosporins
Cold tolerance
Drought resistance
Embryogenesis
Kanamycin
LEA gene
Leakage
Leaves
Life Sciences
Metabolic pathways
Northland blueberry
Original Research
Peroxidase
Physiological responses
Plant Anatomy/Development
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Polymerase chain reaction
Shoots
Stress
Superoxide dismutase
Tamarix
Temperature effects
Tobacco
Transformation
Transgenic plants
Vaccinium
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Previous studies have shown that the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) gene of Tamarix androssowii can enhance the drought tolerance of transgenic tobacco. In this study, the cloned LEA gene was transformed into half-high bush Northland blueberry in order to enhance its ability to tolerate cold stress. The cephalosporin antibiotics ceftriaxone, cefotaxime and cefazolin were used to optimize transformation of leaf explants, and kanamycin sulfate was used to select for transgenic shoots. PCR and Southern blot analysis confirmed 8 transformants with LEA gene copy numbers ranging from 1 to 7. The LEA chimeric gene was found to be normally transcribed in 6 transgenic lines by RT-PCR. The 8 transgenic lines were tested for cold tolerance by measuring the activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electrolyte leakage (REL). Overexpression of the LEA gene enhanced the activity of both POD and SOD under low temperature stress conditions. Lipid peroxidation in the transgenic lines was significantly lower than in non-transgenic plants after cold stress, as determined by MDA content and REL. Thus, our findings indicate that the LEA gene confers increased cold tolerance in the Northland blueberry and implicate the metabolic pathways through which it exerts this effect.
ISSN:0167-6903
1573-5087
DOI:10.1007/s10725-010-9507-4