• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.281-290
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• 1999

The bacterial isopentenyl transferase (ipt) gene involved in cytokinin biosynthesis was fused with 35S promoter of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) and introduced into tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun) via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. As expected, ipt gene was constitutively expressed in all tissues of transgenic plants. Several primary transgenic plants were obtained that expressed different level of transcripts for ipt gene. Three of transgenic plants with different expression level of ipt gene were selected and selfed to obtain homozygous line for further analysis. A number of interesting phenotypic changes such as viviparous leaves, delayed senescence, larger axillary shoots, an abundance of tiny shoots at the apex and a release of lateral buds, were observed in transgenic plants. Chlorophyll content was 1.5- t.o 4-fold higher in transgenic plants as compared with non-transformed plants. These results indicate that the cytokinin synthesized in transgenic plants could improve forage crop yield by delay of leaf senescence and increase of leaf number.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1996.06a
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• pp.50-63
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• 1996

Nitrogen (N) is an important regulator of the expression of genes involved in carbon and N assimilation pathways in plants by selectively altering the levels of proteins and/or mRNAs. These in C4 plants include genes for such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, carbonic anhydrase, and pyruvate-Pi dikinase. The C4 genes are regulated in mesophyll cells by N availability both transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally through cytokinins and glutamine as signals. The level of both the signals is up-regulated by N availability: cytokinins in roots and glutamine in leaves. The level of glutamine is controlled by the differential expression by N of glutamine synthetase and ferrdoxin-dependent glutamate synthase genes which locate in the mesophyll cells of C4 plants. The results is discussed as molecular mechanism for the greater N use efficiency of the plants as well as N partitioning is the photosynthetic cells.