Expression of bovine calmodulin in tobacco plants confers faster germination on saline media

Abstract

Calmodulin is a Ca2+-dependent regulatory protein in eukaryotic cells involved in a variety of intracellular activities. Many responses to abiotic stresses involve signaling by Ca2+ and Ca2+/ calmodulin regulation, including water and salinity stress. To investigate how calmodulin affects germination on media with high concentrations of NaCl, transgenic tobacco plants expressing heterologous calmodulin were generated and characterized. Transgenic tobacco seeds showed significantly shortened germination times on media containing varying salt (120-160mM) and calcium (3 and 13mM) concentrations, compared to control seeds. Using media containing 140mM NaCl and 13mM CaCl2, the average germination..