애기장대 칼모듈린 결합 단백질 AtCBP63을 발현시킨 형질전환 감자의 무름병 저항성 증가

AtCBP63, a Arabidopsis Calmodulin-binding Protein 63, Enhances Disease Resistance Against Soft Rot Disease in Potato

Calmodulin (CaM), a Ca2+ binding protein in eukaryotes, mediates cellular Ca2+ signals in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic external stimuli. The Ca2+-bound CaM transduces signals by modulating the activities of numerous CaM-binding proteins. As a CaM binding protein, AtCBP63 (Arabidopsis thaliana CaM-binding protein 63 kD) has been known to be positively involved in plant defense signaling pathway. To investigate the pathogen resistance function of AtCBP63 in potato, we constructed transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) plants constitutively overexpressing AtCBP63 under the control of cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. The overexpression of the AtCBP63 in potato plants resulted in the high level induction of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes such as PR-2, PR-3 and PR-5. In addition, the AtCBP63 transgenic potato showed significantly enhanced resistance against a pathogen causing bacterial soft rot, Erwinia carotovora ssp. Carotovora (ECC). These results suggest that a CaM binding protein from Arabidopsis, AtCBP63, plays a positive role in pathogen resistance in potato.