Abstract
Salt-tolerance was studied in transgenic potato. It was conferred by overexpression of ascorbate pathway enzyme (d-galacturonic acid reductase, GalUR). As genetic engineering of the GalUR gene in potato enhances its ascorbic acid content (l-AsA), and subsequently plants suffered minimal oxidative stress-induced damage, we now report on the comprehensive aptness of this engineering approach for enhanced salt tolerance in transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Taedong Valley). Potatoes overexpressing GalUR grew and tuberized in continuous presence of 200 mM of NaCl. The transgenic plants maintained a higher reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH:GSSG) ratio together with enhanced activity of glutathione dependent antioxidative and glyoxalase enzymes under salinity stress. The transgenics resisted an increase in methylglyoxal that increased radically in untransformed control plants under salinity stress. This is the first report of genetic engineering of ascorbate pathway gene in maintaining higher level of GSH homeostasis along with higher glyoxalase activity inhibiting the accumulation in methylglyoxal (a potent cytotoxic compound) under salt stress. These results suggested the engineering of ascorbate pathway enzymes as a major step towards developing salinity tolerant crop plants.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- ASH:
-
Ascorbate
- APx:
-
Ascorbate peroxidase
- GalUR:
-
d-Galacturonic acid reductase
- GPx:
-
Glutathione peroxidase
- GR:
-
Glutathione reductase
- Gly I:
-
Glyoxalase I
- Gly II:
-
Glyoxalase II
- MG:
-
Methylglyoxal
- NADP:
-
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
- GSSG:
-
Oxidized glutathione
- GSH:
-
Reduced glutathione
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- UT:
-
Untransformed control
References
Agius F, Gonzalez-Lamothe R, Caballero JL, Mun˜oz-Blanco J, Botella MA, Valpuesta V (2003) Genetic engineering increased vitamin C levels in plants by overexpression of a d-galacturonic acid reductase. Nat Biotechnol 21:177–181
Alscher RG (1989) Biosynthesis and antioxidant function of glutathione in plants. Physiol Plant 77:457–464
Alscher RG, Donahue JL, Cramer CL (1997) Reactive oxygen species and antioxidants: relationships in green cells. Physiol Plant 100:224–233
Aono M, Saji H, Sakamoto A, Tanaka K, Kondo N, Tanaka K (1995) Paraquat tolerance of transgenic Nicotiana tabacum with enhanced activities of glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase. Plant Cell Physiol 36:1687–1691
Booth IR, Ferguson GP, Miller S, Li C, Gunasekera B, Kinghorn S (2003) Bacterial production of methylglyoxal: a survival strategy or death by misadventure? Biochem Soc Trans 31(Pt 6):1406–1408
Broadbent P, Creissen GP, Kular B, Wellburn AR, Mullineaux P (1995) Oxidative stress responses in transgenic tobacco containing altered levels of glutathione reductase activity. Plant J 8:247–255
Conklin PL, Barth C (2004) Ascorbic acid, a familiar small molecule intertwined in the response of plants to ozone, pathogens, and the onset of senescence. Plant Cell Environ 27:959–970
Foyer CH, Halliwell B (1976) The presence of glutathione and glutathione reductase in chloroplasts: a proposed role in ascorbic acid metabolism. Planta 133:21–25
Foyer CH, Shigeoka S (2001) Understanding oxidative stress and antioxidant functions to enhance photosynthesis. Plant Physiol 155:93–100
Foyer CH, Souriau N, Perret S, Lelandaiis M, Kunert KJ, Prurost C, Jouanin L (1995) Overexpression of glutathione reductase but not glutathione synthetase leads to increases in antioxidant capacity and resistance to photoinhibition in poplar trees. Plant Physiol 109:1047–1057
Foyer CH, Theodoulou FL, Delrot S (2001) The functions of inter- and intracellular glutathione transport systems in plants. Trends Plant Sci 6:486–492
Geiger PG, Lin F, Girotti AW (1993) Selenoperoxidase- mediated cytoprotection against the damaging effects of tert-butyl hydroperoxide on leukemia cells. Free Radic Biol Med 14:251–266
Griffith OW (1980) Determination of glutathione and glutathione disulfide using glutathione reductase and 2-vinylpyridine. Anal Biochem 106:207–212
Grover A, Aggarwal PK, Kapoor A, Katiyar-Agarwal S, Agarwal M, Chandramouli A (2003) Addressing abiotic stresses in agriculture through transgenic technology. Curr Sci 84:355–367
Habig WH, Jakoby WA (1981) Assays for determination of GST. Method Enzymol 77:735–740
Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA, Zhu JK, Bohnert HJ (2000) Plant cellular and molecular responses to high salinity. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 51:463–499
Hemavathi, Upadhyaya CP, Young KE, Nookaraju A, Kim HS, Heung JJ, Oh OM, Aswath CR, Chun SC, Kim DH, Park SW (2009) Over-expression of strawberry d-galacturonic acid reductase in potato leads to accumulation of vitamin C with enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. Plant Sci 177:659–667
Hemavathi, Upadhyaya CP, Nookaraju A, Young KE, Chun SC, Kim DH, Park SW (2010a) Enhanced ascorbic acid accumulation in transgenic potato confers tolerance to various abiotic stresses. Biotechnol Lett 32:321–330
Hemavathi, Upadhyaya CP, Young KE, Nookaraju A, Kim HS, Heung JJ, Oh OM, Chun SC, Kim DH, Park SW (2010b) Biochemical analysis of enhanced tolerance in transgenic potato plants overexpressing d-galacturonic acid reductase gene in response to various abiotic stresses. Mol Breed. doi:10.1007/s11032-010-9465-6
Kalapos MP (1999) Methylglyoxal in living organisms: chemistry, biochemistry, toxicology and biological implications. Toxicol Lett 110:145–175
Kampfenkel K, Van Montague M, Inze D (1995) Extraction and determination of ascorbate and dehydroascorbate from plant tissue. Anal Biochem 225:165–167
Kocsy G, Galiba G, Brunold C (2001) Role of glutathione in adaptation and signaling during chilling and cold acclimation in plants. Physiol Plant 113:158–164
Kwon SY, Choi SM, Ahn YO, Lee HS, Lee HB, Park YM, Kwak SS (2003) Enhanced stress-tolerance of transgenic tobacco plants expressing a human DHAR gene. J Plant Physiol 160:347–353
Lee YP, Kim SH, Bang JW, Lee HS, Kwak SS, Kwon SY (2007) Enhanced tolerance to oxidative stress in transgenic tobacco plants expressing three antioxidant enzymes in chloroplasts. Plant Cell Rep 26:591–598
Martins AMTBS, Cordeiro CAA, Freire AMJP (2001) In situ analysis of methylglyoxal metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEBS Lett 499:41–44
May MJ, Vernoux T, Leaver C, Van Montagu M, Inze D (1998) Glutathione homeostasis in plants: implications for environmental sensing and plant development. J Exp Bot 49:649–667
Meister A (1988) Glutathione metabolism and its selective modification. J Biol Chem 263:17205–17208
Murashige T, Skoog F (1962) A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue cultures. Physiol Plant 15:473–497
Nagalakshmi S, Prasad MNV (2001) Reponses of glutathione cycle enzymes and glutathione metabolism to copper stress in Scenedesmus bijugatus. Plant Sci 160:291–299
Nakano Y, Asada K (1981) Hydrogen peroxide is scavenged by ascorbate specific peroxidase in spinach chloroplasts. Plant Cell Physiol 22:867–880
Neill S, Desikan R, Hancock J (2003) Hydrogen peroxide signaling. Curr Opin Plant Biol 5:388–395
Noctor G, Foyer CH (1998) Ascorbate and glutathione: keeping active oxygen under control. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 49:249–279
Noctor G, Arisi ACM, Jouanin L, Kunert KJ, Rennerberg H, Foyer CH (1998) Glutathione: biosynthesis, metabolism and relationship to stress tolerance explored in transformed plants. J Exp Bot 49:623–647
Noctor G, Gomez L, Vanacker H, Foyer CH (2002) Interactions between biosynthesis, compartmentation and transport in the control of glutathione homeostasis and signalling. J Exp Bot 53:1283–1304
Oberschall A, Deak M, Torok K, Sass L, Vass I, Kovacs I, Feher A, Dudits D, Horvath GV (2000) A novel aldose/aldehyde reductase protects transgenic plants against lipid peroxidation under chemical and drought stresses. Plant J 24:437–446
Pastori GM, Kiddle G, Antoniw J, Bernard S, Veljovic-Janovic S, Verrier N, Graham PJ, Foyer CH (2003) Leaf vitamin C content modulates plant defense transcripts and regulate genes that control development through hormone signaling. Plant Cell 15:939–951
Pavet V, Olmos E, Kiddle G, Mowla S, Kumar S, Antoniw J, Alvarez ME, Foyer CH (2005) Ascorbic acid deficiency activates cell death and disease resistance responses in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 139:1291–1303
Ramaswamy O, Guha-Mukherjee S, Sopory SK (1983) Presence of glyoxalase I in pea. Biochem Int 7:307–318
Roxas VP, Smith RK, Ellen ER, Allen RD (1997) Overexpression of glutathione-S-transferase/glutathione peroxidase enhances the growth of transgenic tobacco seedlings during stress. Nat Biotechnol 15:988–991
Saxena M, Bisht R, Roy SD, Sopory SK, Bhalla-Sarin N (2005) Cloning and characterization of a mitochondrial glyoxalase II from Brassica juncea that is upregulated by NaCl, Zn and ABA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 336:813–819
Scaife JF (1969) Mitotic inhibition induced in human kidney cells by methylglyoxal and kethoxal. Experientia 25:178–179
Sgherri CLM, Navari-Izzo F (2000) Antioxidative enzymes in wheat subjected to increasing water deficit and rewatering. J Plant Physiol 157:273–279
Shigeoka S, Ishikawa T, Tamoi M, Miyagawa Y, Takeda T, Yabuta Y, Yoshimura K (2002) Regulation and functions of ascorbate peroxidase isoenzymes. J Exp Bot 53:1305–1311
Singla-Pareek SL, Reddy MK, Sopory SK (2001) Transgenic approach towards developing abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Proc Indian Natl Sci Acad B 67:265–284
Singla-Pareek SL, Yadav SK, Pareek A, Reddy MK, Sopory SK (2006) Transgenic tobacco overexpressing glyoxalase pathway enzymes grow and set viable seeds in zinc-spiked soils. Plant Physiol 140:613–623
Smirnoff N (1996) The function and metabolism of ascorbic acid in plants. Ann Bot 78:661–669
Smirnoff N, Wheeler GL (2000) Ascorbic acid in plants: biosynthesis and function. Crit Rev Plant Sci 19:267–290
Smirnoff N, Conklin PL, Loewus FA (2001) Biosynthesis of ascorbic acid in plants: a renaissance. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 52:437–467
Thomas CE, McLean LR, Parker RA, Ohlweiler DF (1992) Ascorbate and phenolic antioxidant interactions in prevention of liposomal oxidation. Lipids 27:543–550
Tullio MCD, Arrigoni O (2004) Hopes, disillusions and more hopes from vitamin C. Cell Mol Life Sci 61:209–219
Umeda M, Hara C, Matsubayashi Y, Li HH, Liu Q, Tadokoro F, Aotsuka S, Uchimiya H (1994) Expressed sequence tags from cultured cells of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under stressed conditions: analysis of transcripts of genes engaged in ATP-generating pathways. Plant Mol Biol 25:469–478
Wang W, Vinocur B, Altman A (2003) Plant responses to drought, salinity and extreme temperatures: towards genetic engineering for stress tolerance. Planta 218:1–14
Wingsle G, Karpinski S (1996) Differential redox regulation by glutathione of glutathione reductase and CuZn-superoxide dismutase gene expression in Pinus sylvestris L. needles. Planta 198:151–157
Xiong L, Zhu JK (2002) Molecular and genetic aspects of plant responses to osmotic stress. Plant Cell Environ 25:131–139
Yadav SK, Singla-Pareek SL, Ray M, Reddy MK, Sopory SK (2005a) Methylglyoxal levels in plants under salinity stress are dependent on glyoxalase I and glutathione. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 337:61–67
Yadav SK, Singla-Pareek SL, Reddy MK, Sopory SK (2005b) Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing glyoxalase enzymes resist an increase in methylglyoxal and maintain higher reduced glutathione levels under salinity stress. FEBS Lett 579:6265–6271
Yadav SK, Singla-Pareek SL, Reddy MK, Sopory SK (2005c) Methylglyoxal detoxification by glyoxalase system: a survival strategy during environmental stresses. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 11:1–11
Zhang J, Kirkham MB (1996) Enzymatic responses of the ascorbate glutathione cycle to drought in sorghum and sunflower plants. Plant Sci 113:139–147
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by Konkuk University research fund (2010). The research fellowship from Konkuk University to JV, MAG and KV as research fellow is gratefully acknowledged. This work was supported by a grant from the Next-Generation BioGreen 21 Program (No. PJ008182), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Upadhyaya, C.P., Venkatesh, J., Gururani, M.A. et al. Transgenic potato overproducing l-ascorbic acid resisted an increase in methylglyoxal under salinity stress via maintaining higher reduced glutathione level and glyoxalase enzyme activity. Biotechnol Lett 33, 2297–2307 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-011-0684-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-011-0684-7