Effect of the Δ12-acyl-lipid desaturase gene insert and expression under the control of the CBF1 promoter on resistance tobacco to the cold stress

Abstract The mechanisms of plant resistance and adaptation to low temperature and frost stress remain a very important topic for research, as they can directly and indirectly affect the productivity of the agricultural sector. Evolved plant defence systems are currently one of the main methods recommended for use in biotechnology. One of them is to increase the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in membrane phospholipids. Desaturases are enzymes that promote the formation of double bonds in fatty acids and thereby convert them from saturated to unsaturated. However, the insertion and expression of transferred genes can have both positive and negative effects, so we used the cold-inducible promoter of CBF1 to regulate the expression of the Δ12-acyl-lipid desaturase gene from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp . PCC 6803 in the model plant Nicotiana tabacum . We found an altered spectrum of unsaturated fatty acids in transgenic plants and better adaptive parameters under conditions of in vitro plant cultivation based on the results of the study of superoxide dismutase activity, the level of malondialdehyde accumulation and electrolyte loss compared to control plants.