Abstract
A CAB cDNA vector(pKGCAB), encoding the light harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein in Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer), was constructed with the CaMV35S promoter of plant expression vector. The chimeric vector was transformed into tobacco(Nicotiana tabacum cv. NC 82) using Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA 4404 strain, and the transgenic tobacco plant CAB-TP2 was selected. Photosynthetic rates of the CAB-TP2 plant at before-flowering stage were increased about 20% under low irradiance conditions of quantum 100 and 500 $\mu$mol.m$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ , however, the rates were similar to those of NC 82 under quantum 1000 and 2000 $\mu$mol.m$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ conditions. The plants were germinating under low- or normal irradiance condition and the quantum yield of photosystem III were measured. The differences of the Fv/Em values between conditions were 0.07 and 0.01 in NC 82 and CAB-TP2, respectively. The mature leaves in the position 8-10 of the CAB-TP2 at before-flowering stage revealed l0% higher Fv/Fm values in range of 0.759 to 0.781 and 40% more chlorophyll contents of 70-93mg/$m\ell$ than those of normal NC 82. These data suggest the possibility that the increase in photosynthetic activity of leaves under low light intensity in the canopy of CAB-TP2 transgenic tobacco might lead to increase the quality of lower tobacco leaves.
