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Photoautotrophic tobacco cells adapted to grow at high salinity

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Abstract

Photoautotrophic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var. Wisconsin 38) cell cultures were gradually adapted to grow in media containing the normally inhibitory concentration of 20 g l−1 NaCl. Both salt-adapted cultures maintained in 20 g l−1 NaCl (P20) and salt-unadapted (P0) cultures demonstrated similar chloroplast morphology and similar growth characteristics on a dry weight basis, but P20 cells showed reduced growth on a fresh weight basis compared to P0 cells. Compared to P0 cells, intracellular sucrose levels were significantly higher in P20 cells while starch levels in P0 cells were significantly higher than in P20 cells. Levels of intracellular and extracellular reducing sugars, and chlorophyll accumulated to the same degree in P20 and P0 cells, but accumulation was delayed by approximately 13 days in P20 cells. O2 evolution and14[CO2] fixation was more resistant to inhibition by NaCl in P20 cells than in P0 cells. However, significant changes in the abundance of thylakoid membrane proteins could not be demonstrated between P20 and P0 cells although higher levels of Rubisco on a per milligram chlorophyll basis were observed in P0 compared to P20 chloroplasts.

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Abbreviations

DW :

Dry weight

FW :

Fresh weight

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Author notes

  1. C. -C. Chang

    Present address: Department of Plant Biology, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA

  2. R. Smeda

    Present address: USDA Weed Science Laboratory, 38776, Stoneville, MS, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Microbiology, Auburn University, Room 101, Rouse Life Sciences Building, 36849, Auburn, AL, USA

    C. -C. Chang, R. D. Locy, R. Smeda & S. V. Sahi

  2. Department of Biology, Alabama State University, 36101, Montgomery, AL, USA

    N. K. Singh

Authors
  1. C. -C. Chang
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  2. R. D. Locy
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  3. R. Smeda
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  4. S. V. Sahi
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  5. N. K. Singh
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Communicated by I. K. Vasil

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Chang, C.C., Locy, R.D., Smeda, R. et al. Photoautotrophic tobacco cells adapted to grow at high salinity. Plant Cell Reports 16, 495–502 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01092773

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01092773

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