PJB-2018-958
AtNHX1-TRANSFORMED ELITE MAIZE INBRED LINE EXHIBITS TOLERANCE AGAINST SALT AND DROUGHT STRESS
Zaheer Abbas
Abstract
A number of antiporter genes involved in salinity and drought tolerance in different crops have been functionally characterized but unveiling of their functions in in maize remained obscured. In the current research, a vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter AtNHX1 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana was transformed and functionally characterized in maize. It was possible to generate transgenic plants with stably integrated AtNHX1 gene in the genome of heterologous host. Drought screening assay confirmed that transgenic plants accumulated more proline and synthesized more chlorophyll than their isogenic counterpart. Transgenic events showed enhanced tolerance to water stress and recovery from water deficient conditions. The wild type plants on the other hand, could not withstand stress, died indicating that AtNHX1 can protect maize plant from damage inflicted by both drought and salt stress. Remarkably, the transformed plants showed higher level of Na+, K+, proline and lesser reduction of chlorophyll compared to wild type isogenic line. Moreover all the transgenic lines expressing AtNHX1 featured longer roots, shoots, greater biomass and enhanced root/shoot ratios than wild type isogenic line after 15 days under 100 mM salt stress.
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