title: Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the rice dehydroascorbate reductase gene are resistant to salt stress.
abstract: Vitamin C (l-ascorbate) is important for antioxidative and metabolic functions in both plants and humans. Ascorbate itself is oxidized to dehydroascorbate during the process of antioxidation, and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR, EC 1.8.5.1) re-reduces the oxidized ascorbate. Therefore, this enzyme is assumed to be critical for ascorbate recycling. Here we show that the expression of rice DHAR in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana enhanced resistance to salt stress. Salt tolerance was remarkably improved despite slight increases in DHAR activity and total ascorbate. This study provides direct evidence for the importance of DHAR in salt tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Geoscience, Faculty of Science, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan. sbtushi@ipc.shizuoka.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ushimaru
authors.forename: Tomofumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujioka
authors.forename: Katsue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Daicho
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Yuzo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Hideko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amako
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamawaki
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Murata
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C020666:glutathione dehydrogenase (ascorbate); D001205:Ascorbic Acid