A red algal cyclophilin has an effect on development and growth in Nicotiana tabacum

In this study, an algal Cyp was introduced into plant to research the effect of the gene on growth and development. cDNA GjCyp-1 was isolated from the red alga (Griffithsia japonica), and a recombinant GjCyp-1 containing a CaMV35S promoter at the amino-terminus was constructed in Nicotiana tabacum. The altered GjCyp-1 levels in plants and the expression pattern of Cyp after hormone treatment were confirmed by RNA blotting. Transcript of GjCyp-1 was induced by plant hormones such as gibberellic acid (GA3), indoleacetic acid (IAA), and zeatin (ZA). Constitutive overexpression of GjCyp-1 appeared to be beneficial to seed germination. The ratio of emergence of cotyledon from seeds overexpressing GjCyp-1 was almost three times higher than that of the transgenic seeds carrying only the vector. In addition, it was found that most of the seedlings overexpressing GjCyp-1 were dwarfs with altered root systems. The ratio of leaf length and width and root length from transgenic seedlings overexpressing GjCyp-1 was almost 2 and 3.5 times lower than that of the transgenic seedlings carrying only the vector, respectively. The data in this study suggest that GjCyp-1 may affect development and growth in organisms.