Transgenic Tomato Plants Ectopically Expressing BrRZFP1 Gene Encoding C3HC4-type RING Zinc Finger Protein

C3HC4-type RING zinc finger proteins are known to be essential in the regulation of plant processes, including responses to abiotic stress. In order to explore the potential of the BrRZFP1 gene to enhance tolerance toward multiple stresses in different host plant genomes, we generated transgenic tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Goldenbell) plants. The tomato plants overexpressing BrRZFP1 acquired a higher tolerance to drought stress. However, the transgenic plants did not appear to be more cold tolerant than the WT, in any tested condition. The data obtained indicate that the specificity and the degree of BrRZFP1 activity depend on the host genomic background. In physiological assessment of salt stress tolerance, transgenic plants showed more dry matter accumulation and maintained significantly higher levels of leaf chlorophyll content along with increasing levels of salt stress than the wild type plants. This study shows that BrRZFP1 is a candidate gene in the engineering of crops for enhanced drought and salt stress tolerance.