Expressing creatine kinase in transgenic tobacco: a first step towards introducing an energy buffering system in plants

• Published in: Transgenic research Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 49 - 59
• Main Authors: FARRES, Judith, HOLMBERG, Niklas, SCHLATTNER, Uwe, BAILEY, James E, WALLIMANN, Theo, KALLIO, Pauli T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.02.2002; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Animals; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Cells, Cultured; Chickens; Creatine; Creatine - metabolism; Creatine Kinase; Creatine Kinase - genetics; Creatine Kinase, BB Form; Flowers & plants; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic engineering; Genetic technics; Isoenzymes; Isoenzymes - genetics; Life Sciences; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; Nicotiana - genetics; Nicotiana - growth & development; Plant Roots; Plant Roots - physiology; Plants, Genetically Modified; Plants, Genetically Modified - genetics; Tobacco; Transformation, Genetic; Transgenic animals and transgenic plants; Transgenic plants; Enzyme; Creatine kinase; Transferases; Homeostasis; Stimulant plant; Gene expression; Nicotiana tabacum; Vertebrata; Energy; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Transgenic plant; Chicken; Solanaceae; Aves
• ISSN: 0962-8819; 1573-9368
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1013957819596

Creatine kinase a key enzyme in cellular energy homeostasis of vertebrates offers the promise of engineering plants with enhanced stress tolerance. In order to provide plants with such an energy buffering system, tobacco was transformed with a cDNA, encoding the cytosolic brain-type isoform of chicken creatine kinase (BB-CK), the expression of which was under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV 35S) promoter. Transgenic tobacco plants were selected and suspension cultures generated. Both transgenic plants and suspension cultures were shown to stably express enzymatically active BB-CK in vitro and in vivo, and in most cases for three successive generations (T0-T2). Exogenously supplied creatine was shown to enter the plant cells and resulted in only a slight reduction in root growth at concentrations up to 10 mM. Furthermore, the BB-CK expressing tobacco plants and cell suspension cultures were able to convert creatine into phosphocreatine.