Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2026

High Throughput Image-Based Phenotyping for Determining Morphological and Physiological Responses to Single and Combined Stresses in Potato
Published on: June 7, 2024
AhCMO, regulated by stresses in Atriplex hortensis, can improve drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco
Yi-Guo Shen1, Bao-Xing Du, Wan-Ke Zhang
1Plant Biotechnology Lab, Institute of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, PR China.
Abstract:
Choline monooxygenase (CMO) catalyzes the committed step of glycine betaine (GlyBet) biosynthesis in many flowering plants. To investigate its effect on various stress tolerances in plant metabolic engineering, we isolated and characterized the CMO gene from Atriplex hortensis, a GlyBet natural accumulator, and introduced it into tobacco to examine the effect of GlyBet on plant drought and salt tolerance, respectively. In A. hortensis, the expression of AhCMO was induced 3-fold in the root and stem, as well as in the leaf, when plants were treated with 400 mM of NaCl, indicating that the acceleration of GlyBet biosynthesis under salt stress was achieved through the whole plant, including organs without chloroplasts. AhCMO transcription was also regulated by drought, ABA and circadian rhythm. Over-expression of AhCMO improved drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco when cultured in medium containing PEG-6000. The transgenic plants also have a better performance under salt stress.
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress