Genetic Engineering of Drought Resistant Potato Plants by Introducing the Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase (Tpsi) Gene from Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

News source: Rural Development Administration (RDA), Suwon, Korea, 2002-06-01

Yeast with Gene Which Gives Protection against Heat and Drought

In yeast, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase is a key enzyme for trehalose biosynthesis, encoded by the structural gene TPSI. Trehalose affects sugar metabolism as well as osmoprotection against several environmental stresses, such as heat and desiccation.

Yeast Gene Introduced into Potato

The TPSI gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was engineered under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter for constitutive expression in transgenic potato plants by Ti-plasmid of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

Characteristics of Transgenic Potato

The resulting TPSI transgenic potato plants exhibited various morphological phenotypes in culture tubes, ranging from normal to severely retarded growth, including dwarfish growth, yellowish lancet-shaped leaves and aberrant root development.

For further information, Molecules and Cells,10, 3: 263-268, 

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