Overexpression of Arabidopsis tryptophan synthase beta 1 (AtTSB1) in Arabidopsis and tomato confers tolerance to cadmium stress.
The noxious effects of cadmium (Cd) in plants are well documented. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid in humans, and in plants, it plays a major role in the regulation of plant development and defense responses. However, little is known about tryptophan (Trp)-mediated Cd tolerance. This paper represents the molecular mechanism of Trp and Cd defense in transgenic Arabidopsis and tomato plants. Results suggest that increased expression of the endogenous AtTSB1 gene in transgenic plants enhances Cd defense but does not increase Cd level, and intriguingly, enhanced level of Trp in AtTSB1 transgenic Arabidopsis plants affected the expression of AtZIP4 and AtZIP9 metal transporters, which interfered with Cd ion trafficking.
Sanjaya, Hsiao, P., Su, R. C., Ko, S. S., Tong, C. G., Yang, R. Y. and Chan, M. T. *
(2008) Overexpression of Arabidopsis tryptophan synthase beta 1 (AtTSB1) in Arabidopsis and tomato confers tolerance to cadmium stress.
Plant, Cell and Environment, 31: 1074-1085
