Overexpression of milk thistle SOD gene enhances drought tolerance in tobacco by improving photosynthesis and photoprotection

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61389030%3A_____%2F25%3A00646331" target="_blank" >RIV/61389030:_____/25:00646331 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-31510-3" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-31510-3</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-31510-3" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41598-025-31510-3</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Overexpression of milk thistle SOD gene enhances drought tolerance in tobacco by improving photosynthesis and photoprotection

Original language description

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is involved in the plant's primary defense mechanism against the adverse effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS), maintaining ROS homeostasis within cells. Therefore, it is essential to investigate and compare the stress tolerance mechanism in both tolerant and sensitive plants. This study investigates the drought stress tolerance of Tobacco following transferring of a SOD gene obtained from a drought-tolerant plant. The SOD gene was isolated from the Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) plant (SmSOD), cloned into the pBI121 (Binary Agrobacterium plasmid) expression vector, and subsequently transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Pre-cultivated Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants were inoculated with the recombinant bacteria. Following validation of transgene integration via PCR, plants subjected to drought stress corresponding to similar to 50% field capacity for 5 days. Results demonstrated that the expression of SOD and its enzyme activity in drought-imposed transgenic plants were respectively 5 and 1.8 times higher than its expression and activity in wild-type plants. Imaging of chlorophyll fluorescence showed that drought-imposed transgenic plants had a higher maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (F-v/F-m) and Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) compared with wild-type plants. Stomatal density in drought-imposed plants was lower than in control plants, consistent across both transgenic and wild-type groups. Stomatal width decreased under stress in both plant types, with transgenic plants showing smaller width than wild-type plants. Stomatal length showed no significant differences between transgenic and wild-type plants or between drought-stressed and control conditions. In conclusion, SmSOD gene transfer from the Milk thistle to Tobacco plants increased the drought tolerance of the transgenic plants, this shed light on the path toward reaching drought-tolerant crops. These findings highlight the potential of SmSOD as a key gene for improving drought resistance in crops, offering promising applications in developing drought-tolerant crops for agriculture in water-scarce regions.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10603 - Genetics and heredity (medical genetics to be 3)

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Scientific Reports

ISSN

2045-2322

e-ISSN

2045-2322

Volume of the periodical

16

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

19

Pages from-to

1833

UT code for WoS article

001663118300001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105027548595