Induction of enhanced disease resistance and oxidative stress tolerance by overexpression of pepper basic PR-1 gene in Arabidopsis

• Published in: Physiologia plantarum 2005-06, Vol.124 (2), p.267-277
• Main Authors: Hong, Jeum Kyu, Hwang, Byung Kook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Arabidopsis; Biological and medical sciences; Cauliflower mosaic virus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Lycopersicon esculentum; Pest resistance; Plant pathogens; Pseudomonas syringae; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims
• ISSN: 0031-9317; 1399-3054
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2005.00515.x

The pathogen‐ and ethylene‐inducible pepper‐basic pathogenesis‐related (PR)‐1 gene, CABPR1, was strongly expressed in pepper leaves by osmotic and oxidative stresses. The pepper CABPR1 was introduced into the Arabidopsis plants under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Polymerase chain reaction‐amplification with the Arabidopsis genomic DNA and Northern blot analyses confirmed that the pepper CABPR1 gene was integrated into the Arabidopsis genome, where it was overexpressed in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants under normal growth conditions. The constitutive overexpression of CABPR1 induced the expression of the Arabidopsis PR‐genes including PR‐4, PR‐5 and PDF1.2. Enhanced resistance to phytopathogenic bacteria, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000, was also observed in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants. CABPR1 overexpression in the transgenic Arabidopsis caused enhanced seed germination under NaCl (ionic) and mannitol (non‐ionic) osmotic stresses. Enhanced tolerances to high salinity and dehydration stresses during seed germination of the transgenic plants were not found at the early seedling stage. The transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited a higher tolerance to oxidative stress by methyl viologen at the seed germination, seedling and adult plant stages. These results suggest that the CABPR1 gene may function in the enhanced disease resistance and oxidative stress tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants.