Biologia plantarum 61:520-528, 2017 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-016-0687-2

Improving tobacco freezing tolerance by co-transfer of stress-inducible CbCBF and CbICE53 genes

P. Lin1, C. Shen2, H. Chen2, X. H. Yao1,*, J. Lin2,*
1 Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Fuyang, Zhejiang, P.R. China
2 Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China

Cold stress is one of the major limitations to crop productivity worldwide. We investigated the effects of multiple gene expression from cold tolerant Capsella bursa-pastoris in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum) plants. We combined CblCE53 and CbCBF into a reconstruct vector by isocaudomers. Plant overexpression of CbICE53 under the stress inducible CbCOR15b promoter and CbCBF under a constitutive promoter showed increased tolerance to both chilling and freezing temperatures in comparison to wild-type plants, according to the electrolyte leakage and relative water content. The expressions of endogenous cold-responsive genes in transgenic tobacco (NtDREB1, NtDREB3, NtERD10a and NtERD10b) were obviously upregulated under normal and low temperature conditions. These results suggest that the CbICE53 + CbCBF transgenic plants showed a much greater cold tolerance as well as no dwarfism and delayed flowering. Thus they can be considered as a potential candidate for transgenic engineering for cold tolerant tobacco.

Keywords: Capsella bursa-pastoris; cold inducible genes; Nicotiana tabaccum; stress inducible promoter; transgenic plants
Subjects: freezing tolerance; cold inducible genes; stress inducible promoter; transgenic plants; relative water content; electrolyte leakage; glucose; tobacco
Species: Nicotiana tabacum; Capsella bursa-pastoris

Received: June 6, 2016; Revised: July 22, 2016; Accepted: August 29, 2016; Published: September 1, 2017Show citation

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Lin, P., Shen, C., Chen, H., Yao, X.H., & Lin, J. (2017). Improving tobacco freezing tolerance by co-transfer of stress-inducible CbCBF and CbICE53 genes. Biologia plantarum, 61(3), 520-528. doi: 10.1007/s10535-016-0687-2.
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