Increased Thermotolerance of Transgenic Rice Plant by Introduction of Thermotolerant Gene

To increase thennotolerance of forage crops, transgenic rice plants as a model for transformation of monocots were generated. A cDNA encoding the chloroplast-localized small heat shock protein (small HSP) of rice, Oshsp21, was introduced into rice plants via Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer system. Calli induced from scutella were co-cultivated with a A. tumefaciens strain EHAlOl canying a plasmid, pIGhsp21. A large number of transgenic plants were regenerated on a medium containing hygromycin. Integration of Oshsp2l gene was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analyses with genomic DNA. Northern blot and immunoblot analyses revealed that the Oshsp21 gene was constitutively expressed and accumulated as mature protein in transgenic plants. Effects of constitutive expression of the OshspZl on thermotolerance were first probed with the chlorophyll fluorescence. Results indicate that inactivation of electron transport reactions in photosystem I1 (PSII), were mitigated by constitutive expression of the Oshsp21. These results suggest that the chloroplast small HSP plays an important role in protecting photosynthetic machinery during heat stress. (Key words : Thermotolerance, Rice, Transgenic, cDNA)