Cloning of a functional mannose-6-phosphate reductase (M6PR) gene homolog from Egyptian celery plants (): overexpression in non-mannitol producing plants resulted in mannitol accumulation in transgenic individuals.

Salinity is a major limiting factor affecting crops production, survival and distribution worldwide. Engineering dehydration stress tolerance in commercial crops is a trait of economic importance, especially in saline-affected areas. In this work, we are reporting the cloning of the gene homolog (encoding a key enzyme, mannose-6-phosphate reductase, for mannitol biosynthesis in celery) from Egyptian celery plants.