Expression of sweet potato cysteine protease SPCP2 altered developmental characteristics and stress responses in transgenic Arabidopsis plants

Expression of Sweet Potato Senescence-Associated Cysteine Proteases Affect Seed and Silique Development and Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis

“…Genomic PCR and protein gel blot analysis confirmed that these Arabidopsis plants (YP1, YP2 and YP3) were transgenic and sweet potato SPAE gene was expressed and properly processed into mature form with a predicted molecular mass near 36 kDa (Chen et al, 2008). Similar results have also been observed and reported for various plant vacuolar processing enzymes, including Vigna mungo VmPE-1 , Arabidopsis VPE (Gruis et al, 2002), Arabidopsis VPE (Kuroyanagi et al, 2002;Rojo et al, 2003).…”

“…Transgenic Arabidopsis plants ectopically expressing sweet potato asparaginyl endopeptidase SPAE (Chen et al, 2008) or papain-like cysteine protease SPCP2 (Chen et al, 2010) were produced, identified and characterized.…”

“…Transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited earlier floral transition from vegetative growth and leaf senescence (Chen et al, 2008). Early transition of vegetative phase to reproductive phase has been considered as a type of senescence.…”

“…Several full-length cDNAs encoding putative isocitrate lyase, papain-like cysteine proteases and asparaginyl endopeptidase, have been cloned from senescent leaves (Chen et al, 2000(Chen et al, , 2004(Chen et al, , 2006(Chen et al, , 2008(Chen et al, , 2009(Chen et al, , 2010b, which likely play roles in association with lipid degradation and gluconeogenesis, and protein degradation and re-mobilization. These data support the occurrence of macromolecule and organelle degradation into small molecules for recycling and re-mobilization during sweet potato leaf senescence.…”

Water Stress and Agriculture

“…Results also indicated that the gene expression was induced by darkness, ethephon, abiscisc acid (ABA) and jasmonic acid (JA). However, tolerance to salinity and drought stress was increased [85].…”