Expression of the citrus CsTIP2;1 gene improves tobacco plant growth, antioxidant capacity and physiological adaptation under stress conditions.

Overexpression of the citrus CsTIP2;1 improves plant growth and tolerance to salt and drought stresses by enhancing cell expansion, H O detoxification and stomatal conductance. Tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) are a subfamily of aquaporins, belonging to the major intrinsic protein family. In a previous study, we have shown that a citrus TIP isoform, CsTIP2;1, is highly expressed in leaves and also transcriptionally regulated in leaves and roots by salt and drought stresses and infection by 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus', the causal agent of the Huanglongbing disease, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of the flow of water and nutrients required during both normal growth and stress conditions.

Ectopic expression of a fruit phytoene synthase from Citrus paradisi Macf. promotes abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco.

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important regulator of plant responses to environmental stresses and an absolute requirement for stress tolerance. Recently, a third phytoene synthase (PSY3) gene paralog was identified in monocots and demonstrated to play a specialized role in stress-induced ABA formation, thus suggesting that the first committed step in carotenogenesis is a key limiting step in ABA biosynthesis. To examine whether the ectopic expression of PSY, other than PSY3, would similarly affect ABA level and stress tolerance, we have produced transgenic tobacco containing a fruit-specific PSY (CpPSY) of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.

Expression and phylogenetic analysis of two new lycopene β-cyclases from Citrus paradisi.

Two new lycopene β-cyclases (LCYBs) were cloned and characterized from grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.). During fruit ripening, CpLCYB1 expression did not show significant differences between 'Flame' (red flesh) and 'Marsh' (white flesh), and was much lower than CpLCYB2 and nearly constant; however, CpLCYB2 expression dramatically changed in a similar tendency in the pulp of both grapefruit cultivars, but the relative abundance of mRNA in 'Flame' was significantly lower than in 'Marsh'.