The production of class III plant peroxidases in transgenic callus cultures transformed with the rolB gene of Agrobacterium rhizogenes

•The rolB gene activates class III peroxidase production in plant cell cultures.•The rolB causes a dose-dependent effect on expression and activity of peroxidases.•Compared with salt and methyl jasmonate, rolB is a stronger inducer of peroxidases.•The rolB gene is a new tool for the improvement of peroxidase biosynthesis in vitro.

The production of plant peroxidases by plant cell cultures is of great interest because of the potential for industrial applications. We used plant cell cultures overexpressing the rolB gene to produce increased amounts of plant class III peroxidases. The rolB gene ensured the stable and permanent activation of peroxidase activity in the transformed callus cultures of different plants. In particular, the total peroxidase activity in transformed Rubia cordifolia cells was increased 23–86-fold, and the abundance of the major peroxidase gene transcripts was increased 17–125-fold (depending on the level of rolB expression) compared with non-transformed control calli. The peroxidase-activating effect of rolB was greater than that of other peroxidase inducers, such as external stresses and methyl jasmonate.