title: Multiple abiotic stress tolerance in Vigna mungo is altered by overexpression of ALDRXV4 gene via reactive carbonyl detoxification.
abstract: Vigna mungo (blackgram) is an important leguminous pulse crop, which is grown for its protein rich edible seeds. Drought and salinity are the major abiotic stresses which adversely affect the growth and productivity of crop plants including blackgram. The ALDRXV4 belongs to the aldo-keto reductase superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the reduction of carbonyl metabolites in the cells and plays an important role in the osmoprotection and detoxification of the reactive carbonyl species. In the present study, we developed transgenic plants of V. mungo using Agrobacterium mediated transformation. The transgene integration was confirmed by Southern blot analysis whereas the expression was confirmed by RT-PCR, Western blot and enzyme activity. The T1 generation transgenic plants displayed improved tolerance to various environmental stresses, including drought, salt, methyl viologen and H2O2 induced oxidative stress. The increased aldose reductase activity, higher sorbitol content and less accumulation of the toxic metabolite, methylglyoxal in the transgenic lines under non-stress and stress (drought and salinity) conditions resulted in increased protection through maintenance of better photosynthetic efficiency, higher relative water content and less photooxidative damage. The accumulation of reactive oxygen species was remarkably decreased in the transgenic lines as compared with the wild type plants. This study of engineering multiple stress tolerance in blackgram, is the first report to date and this strategy for trait improvement is proposed to provide a novel germplasm for blackgram production on marginal lands.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.|Faculty of Biology, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, 3200003, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India.|Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University, Banasthali, Rajasthan, 304022, India.
authors.forename: Deepak
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India. neerasarin@rediffmail.com.
authors.forename: Neera Bhalla
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Sarin
mesh_terms: D000449:Aldehyde Reductase / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000074408:Aldo-Keto Reductases; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003681:Dehydration; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000502:physiology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055049:Salt Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000070658:Vigna / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010940:Plant Proteins; D000074408:Aldo-Keto Reductases; D000449:Aldehyde Reductase
keywords: Abiotic stress; Methylglyoxal; Reactive carbonyl species; Reactive oxygen species; Vigna mungo