Transformed tobacco plants with increased tolerance to drought

P5CSF129A cDNA and the nptII marker gene were used for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Bel B and cv. M51) transformation via Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404. Twenty transformed tobacco plants were obtained after transformation of leaf discs. Presence of the transgene was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Physiological responses to water stress were compared in transgenic and wild-type tobacco plants. Transgenic plants of both cultivars accumulated high levels of free proline. They did not exhibit dry mass relocation or chlorophyll content reduction. Neither precocious senescence, nor leaf necrosis or morphological changes were observed in control and stress conditions (RWC decrease by 7–8%). Transgenic plants with elevated accumulation of osmoprotectants seem to be better adapted to water stress, providing a perspective for future research of stress effects that have a principle role in the functional activity of plants. This study confirmed P5CSF129A to be a candidate gene in crop engineering for enhanced water stress tolerance.