EXPRESSION OF A SYNTHETIC ANTIFREEZE PROTEIN IN POTATO REDUCES ELECTROLYTE RELEASE AT FREEZING TEMPERATURES

Citation
Jg. Wallis et al., EXPRESSION OF A SYNTHETIC ANTIFREEZE PROTEIN IN POTATO REDUCES ELECTROLYTE RELEASE AT FREEZING TEMPERATURES, Plant molecular biology, 35(3), 1997, pp. 323-330
Citations number
40
Categorie Soggetti
Plant Sciences",Biology
Journal title
ISSN journal
01674412
Volume
35
Issue
3
Year of publication
1997
Pages
323 - 330
Database
ISI
SICI code
0167-4412(1997)35:3<323:EOASAP>2.0.ZU;2-W
Abstract
A synthetic antifreeze protein gene was expressed in plants and reduce d electrolyte leakage from the leaves at freezing temperatures. The sy nthetic AFP was expressed as a fusion to a signal peptide, directing i t to the extracytoplasmic space where ice crystallization first occurs . The gene was introduced to Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Russet Burbank b y Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transformants were identified by PCR screening and expression of the introduced protein was verifie d by immunoblot. Electrolyte-release analysis of transgenic plant leav es established a correlation between the level of transgenic protein e xpression and degree of tolerance to freezing. This is the first ident ification of a phenotype associated with antifreeze protein expression in plant tissue.