Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis ERS1 causes delayed senescence in coriander

The phytohormone ethylene is involved in many developmental processes, including leaf and flower senescence. Ethylene is perceived by plants through receptors that trigger the downstream signal transduction pathway. The mutated ethylene receptor ERS1 (ethylene response sensor) from Arabidopsis is of a dominant negative nature and confers ethylene insensitivity in Arabidopsis. To investigate if the altered ERS1 gene can affect the tissue senescence in heterologous plants, we introduced it into coriander by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Transgenic plants were regenerated by cocultivating hypocotyl segments with A. tumefaciens harboring binary vector pCGN1547 that carried the ERS1 gene. The presence and expression of the transgene were confirmed by genomic Southern blot and reverse transcriptase-PCR analyses. Leaf and flower senescence were delayed significantly in the transgenic plants. The ability of the mutated ERS1 gene to confer the ethylene-insensitive phenotype can be exploited for extending the shelf-life of leafy vegetables.