title: Overexpression of the pepper transcription factor CaPF1 in transgenic Virginia pine (Pinus Virginiana Mill.) confers multiple stress tolerance and enhances organ growth.
abstract: Transcription factors play an important role in regulating gene expression in response to stress and pathogen tolerance. We describe here that overexpression of an ERF/AP2 pepper transcription factor (CaPF1) in transgenic Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) confers tolerance to heavy metals Cadmium, Copper, and Zinc, to heat, and to pathogens Bacillus thuringiensis and Staphylococcus epidermidis, as by the survival rate of transgenic plants and the number of decreasing pathogen cells in transgenic tissues. Measurement of antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase (APOX), glutathione reductase (GR), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities demonstrated that the level of the enzyme activities was higher in transgenic Virginia pine plants overexpressing the CaPF1 gene, which may protect cells from the oxidative damage caused by stresses, compared to the controls. Constitutive overexpression of CaPF1 gene enhanced organ growth by increasing organ size and cell numbers in transgenic Virginia pine plants over those in control plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howell Science Complex, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353, USA. tangw@mail.ecu.edu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Newton
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000502:physiology; D019256:Cadmium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D002212:Capsicum / Q000235:genetics*; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003300:Copper / Q000494:pharmacology; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D006358:Hot Temperature; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D028223:Pinus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002712:Chlorides; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D017967:Zinc Compounds; D003300:Copper; C016837:zinc chloride; D019256:Cadmium Chloride