Orchids are one of the most widespread groups of flowering plants with a wide geographical range and species diversity. A number of tropical and subtropica

The members of the Brassicaceae family are important oilseed, vegetable and forage crops. The Brassicaceae species are also used for phytoremediation of he

Currently, there are approximately 6500 species of viruses known in the world, among which more than 1500 are plant viruses. Most of them are capable of ca

Interferon alpha (IFN) is a small glycosylated polypeptide used in the treatment of cancer, immune disorders, and various other related diseases. Demands f

Aim. The aim of our work was to obtain transgenic potato plants of Ukrainian varieties with the expression of a double-stranded RNA suppressor of proline dehydrogenase gene. We propose the decrease of proline degradation level and increase of overall proline concentration in obtained transgenic plants. Methods. The Agrobasterium tumefaciens-mediated method of genetic transformation to obtain transgenic plants of potato was used. Internodes of aseptic potato plants were transformed with a binary vector pBi2E containing an inverted repeats of two copies of proline dehydrogenase gene’s first exon and the gene of neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII). Results. As a result of experiments kanamycin resistant transgenic potato lines of Deseiree, Belarusian 12 and Slavianka varieties were obtained. The transgenic nature of the obtained plants was confirmed by PCR with primers specific to the first exon of proline dehydrogenase and to nptII genes. Conclusions. The optimized conditions of genetic transformation and used agrobacterial strain allow to obtain the transgenic plants of a model potato variety Désirée, as well as varieties Belorussian 12 and Slovyanka which are of practical interest for cultivation in Ukraine. Keywords: transgenic plants, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), stress resistance, proline.

Background. Constant changes in environmental conditions cause the development of stress reactions in plants. Under conditions of moderate intensity and temporary action of the stress factor, the strengthening of protective systems and the mobilization of energy resources take place. However, if the stress factor has a long-term effect, the cells begin the processes of lipid peroxidation (LPO), inhibition of energy production and reduction of protein synthesis with its subsequent destruction. Under conditions of excessive stress, there is a balance between antioxidant activity (AOA) and LPO, which is necessary to maintain normal cell function. Oxidation intermediates can serve as inducers and mediators of stress. Phytovirus infection can lead to pathological changes in the body of a plant. The progression of the infectious process in the body of the affected plant is associated with stress reactions and disruption of its normal viability. Objective. We are aimed to assess the degree of progress of stress reactions caused by biotic stressors in control and transgenic (with ZRNase II gene) petunia plants. Methods. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was used to infect petunia plants. The degree of progress of stress reactions in transgenic petunia plants with the ZRNase II gene before and after infection with TMV was studied by POL and AOA indicators. Two genetically distinct lines of petunia (M1 and P5) were used to obtained transgenic plants. To assess the progress of LPO, the accumulation of initial and final products (diene conjugates and malonic dialdehyde) was determined. Results. After the plants transformation, changes in the content of LPO products in leaf tissues were observed. Transgenic plants had a 10–15% higher content of LPO products, which may indicate that the transformation, in some cases, can lead to the progress of stress reactions in plants. Infection with TMV has contributed to the intensification of processes related to the protection of plants from the effects of negative factors. Studies of total AOA have shown that transgenic plants after infection had significantly higher levels (18–30%) of AOA compared with controls, which may be evidence of their increased viability under stress. Conclusions. The positional effect of T-DNA incorporation in genetic transformation may be a stressor for the plant. Transgenic lines differ in terms of LPO and AOA from non-transgenic lines and from each other. After infection with TMV, a 4-fold decrease in AOA was observed in the plants. Effective expression of the ZRNase II gene helps to reduce viral load in certain lines. Lines M1.2 and P5.3 are of greatest interest for further virological studies, as their AOA activity was 18–30% higher than in control plants, which may indicate resistance to viral infection.