ASSESSMENT OF THE PRESENCE AND EXPRESSION OF ZMLEA14A GENE IN TRANSGENIC MAIZE

Abstract

Maize is one of the important crops which is widely used in biology and genetic research. The LEA gene family was predicted to have 32 members and was classified into 9 groups including: LEA1, LEA2, LEA3, LEA4, LEA5, LEA6, SMP, Dehydrin, and AtM. The Lea14A gene is among the group 5C, the protein Lea14A could help cell resistance for plants. Therefore, the enhancement of Lea14A gene expression may increase drought tolerance in plants that has potential for agricultural applications.This study was conducted to evaluate the presence of transgene and its expression at RNA and protein levels in ZmLea14A transgenic maize from T0 to T2 generation. K7 variety maize was used for transferring ZmLEA14A gene via A. tumefaciens. The results showed that the ZmLEA14A gene was stably transmitted to the T2 generations. Gene expression and protein level of ZmLEA14A were demonstrated by RT-PCR and Western hybridization. The transgenic lines would be a useful materials for further studies to create drought tolerant maize.