Biotech Updates

Biotech Tomato Expressing AtDREB1A/CBF3 Confers Torelance to Water Deficit

October 2, 2013

A study shows that biotech tomatoes over-expressing the transcription factor encoding gene AtDREB1A/CBF3 from Arabidopsis thaliana showed significantly higher activities of important antioxidant enzymes when exposed to drought conditions.

The biotech tomato plants exposed to water deficit had lower concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion formation, compared to non-biotech plants, which implies lessening of reactive oxygen species. The researchers recorded a significant increase in the activities of the following antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), and monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR). There was also higher concentrations of ascorbic acid and glutathione in the biotech tomato plants. The results of the study imply that the biotech tomato lines can thrive in drought conditions indicated by lower oxidative stress due to activation of the antioxidant response.

Read the research article at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0981942813001617.