Production of Betacyanins in Transgenic Nicotiana tabacum Increases Tolerance to Salinity.

ABSTRACT: Although red betalain pigments (betacyanins) have been associated with salinity tolerance in some halophytes like Disphyma australe, efforts to determine whether they have a causal role and the underlying mechanisms have been hampered by a lack of a model system. To address this, we engineered betalain-producing Nicotiana tabacum, by the introduction of three betalain biosynthetic genes. The plants were violet-red due to the accumulation of three betacyanins: betanin, isobetanin, and betanidin. Under salt stress, betacyanic seedlings had increased survivability and leaves of mature plants had higher photochemical quantum yields of photosystem II (F _v /F _m ) and faster photosynthetic recovery after saturating light treatment. U

SUBMITTER: Zhou Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8121086 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature