| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930196 | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications | 2011 | 6 Pages |
The methylation of myo-inositol forms O-methyl inositol (d-ononitol) when plants are under abiotic stress in a reaction catalyzed by myo-inositol methyltransferase (IMT). d-Ononitol can serve as an osmoprotectant that prevents water loss in plants. We isolated the IMT cDNA from Glycine max and found by RT-PCR analysis that GmIMT transcripts are induced by drought and salinity stress treatments in the leaves of soybean seedlings. We confirmed the protein product of GmIMT and its substrate using a recombinant system in E. coli. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants over-expressing GmIMT displayed improved tolerance to dehydration stress treatment and to a lesser extent high salinity stress treatment. These results indicate that GmIMT is functional in heterologous Arabidopsis plants.
► GmIMT is expressed upon dehydration stress in the leaves of soybean seedlings. ► The recombinant GmIMT is functional in Escherichia coli system. ► GmIMT confers tolerance to dehydration stress when expressed in Arabidopsis.
