Resistance pattern and antioxidant enzyme profiles of protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX) inhibitor-resistant transgenic rice

We quantified the resistance levels of transgenic rice plants, expressing Myxococcus xanthus protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX) in chloroplasts and mitochondria, to PROTOX inhibitors, acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon. We also determined whether active oxygen species-scavenging enzymes are involved in the resistance mechanism of transgenic rice. The transgenic rice line M4 was about >200-fold more resistant to oxyfluorfen than the wild-type (WT). M4 was also resistant to acifluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon, but did not show multiple resistance to imazapyr and paraquat, which have different target sites. Acifluorfen, oxyfluorfen, carfentrazone-ethyl, and oxadiazon reduced the chlorophyll content in leaves of WT, but had minimal or no effect on M4. The PROTOX inhibitors also caused significant lipid peroxidation in the treated leaves of WT rice. However, the malondialdehyde production in M4 was not affected by these herbicides. The WT rice had higher activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase than M4 after treatment with PROTOX inhibitors. A similar response was observed in all cases of antioxidant isozyme profiles analyzed. However, the induction in antioxidant activity in WT was not enough to overcome the toxic effects of a PROTOX inhibitor so the plant eventually died.