Transgenic potato plants expressing non-phosphorylatable and phosphomimetic variants of AteIF2α from Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrate increased tuber density and dehydration resistance
Karpova O.V. Alexandrova A.M. Nizkorodova A.S. Nargilova R.M. Kryldakov R.V. Iskakov B.K. Zhigailov A.V.
June 2025Springer
Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology
2025#34Issue 2502 - 513 pp.
A well-characterised mechanism by which mammalian and yeast cells respond to environmental stress involves reversible phosphorylation of the α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α). In plants, peIF2α can still be phosphorylated in response to certain stressors; however, this does not lead to the global translational block seen in animals and yeast. The role of this regulatory mechanism in plants remains unclear. In this study, we generated two genetically modified potato lines expressing transgene AteIF2α(S56D) (TL-91) or AteIF2α(S56A) (TL-54), which encode phosphomimetic and non-phosphorylatable forms of AteIF2α from Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively, under the control of the stress-inducible rd29A promoter. Transgenic lines TL-91 and TL-54 exhibited improved survival after 14 days of dehydration stress compared to wild-type plants due to their ability to maintain a higher water status. However, these plants displayed opposite morphological features in shoot and root development. Both transgenic lines showed a significantly increased average total mass of harvested tubers. During the first field trials, the AteIF2α(S56D) transgene was eliminated from the TL-91 genome, while the AteIF2α(S56A) transgene in TL-54 remained unchanged. Nevertheless, a 279-bp deletion was detected at the 5’-end of the rd29A promoter region in TL-54 and significantly reduced promoter activity. We concluded that these modifications occurred after the transgenes established stable expression. Further investigation is needed to assess the potential of these potato lines for resistance to multiple environmental stressors and increased productivity.
Dehydration survival , Phosphorylation , Transgenic potato , α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2α)
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M. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Almaty, Kazakhstan
M. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
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