title: Changes in SBPase activity influence photosynthetic capacity, growth, and tolerance to chilling stress in transgenic tomato plants.
abstract: Sedoheptulose-1, 7-bisphosphatase (SBPase) is an important enzyme involved in photosynthetic carbon fixation in the Calvin cycle. Here, we report the impact of changes in SBPase activity on photosynthesis, growth and development, and chilling tolerance in SBPase antisense and sense transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants. In transgenic plants with increased SBPase activity, photosynthetic rates were increased and in parallel an increase in sucrose and starch accumulation was evident. Total biomass and leaf area were increased in SBPase sense plants, while they were reduced in SBPase antisense plants compared with equivalent wild-type tomato plants. Under chilling stress, when compared with plants with decreased SBPase activity, tomato plants with increased SBPase activity were found to be more chilling tolerant as indicated by reduced electrolyte leakage, increased photosynthetic capacity, and elevated RuBP regeneration rate and quantum efficiency of photosystem II. Collectively, our data suggest that higher level of SBPase activity gives an advantage to photosynthesis, growth and chilling tolerance in tomato plants. This work also provides a case study that an individual enzyme in the Calvin cycle may serve as a useful target for genetic engineering to improve production and stress tolerance in crops.
authors: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, 3 Taicheng Rd., Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Ding
authors: State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong St., Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China.
authors: Meiling
authors: M
authors: Wang
authors: College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, 3 Taicheng Rd., Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
authors: Shuoxin
authors: S
authors: Zhang
authors: State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong St., Tai'an, Shandong 271018, China.
authors: Xizhen
authors: X
authors: Ai
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D057486:Carbon Cycle; D003080:Cold Temperature; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development; D013213:Starch / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013395:Sucrose; D013213:Starch; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; C022627:sedoheptulose-bisphosphatase