BACKGROUND The introduction of pharmaceutical traits in tobacco for commercial production could benefit from the utilization of a transgene bioconfinement system. It has been observed that interspecific F1Nicotiana hybrids (Nicotiana tabacum × Nicotiana glauca) are sterile and thus proposed that hybrids could be suitable bioconfined hosts for biomanufacturing. We genetically tagged hybrids with...

False broomrape on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) can be induced by applying cytokinins to the roots, by causing an increase in the cytokinin-auxin ratio in the roots, by removing the apical and auxillary buds, or by applying extracts from tobacco with false broomrape to the roots of healthy plants. It can be prevented by treating debudded plants with auxin.

Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cultivar W38) plants that overproduce petunia chloroplastic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase were exposed to ozone dosages that injure control tobacco plants. Based on foliar injury ratings, there was no consistent protection provided to the transgenic plants. These data indicate that an increase in the chloroplastic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase alone is not suffic...

Soil bacteria Agrobacterium are able to transfer fragments of their plasmids, so-called T-DNA, into plants. T-DNA integrated plants genome is called cellular (cT-DNA) [1]. Plants transformed in nature considered natural genetically modified organisms (nGMOs). For the first time, nGMOs were described within genus Nicotiana. To date, more than 50 nGM species known [2, 3], among which nGMO Nicotia...

Pseudomonas tabaci (Wolf and Foster) Stevens, produces an exotoxin, detectable as a bacteriumfree, chlorotic halo, surrounding the necrotic focus of infection in the leaf of a susceptible host at the site of inoculation (Braun, 1955). Garber and Heggestad (1958) reported that species of Nicotiana and varieties of Nicotiana tabacum differed in their susceptibility, ranging from highly susceptibl...

Tobacco farmers are routinely exposed to complex mixtures of inorganic and organic chemicals present in tobacco leaves. In this study, we examined the genotoxicity of tobacco leaves in the snail Helix aspersa as a measure of the risk to human health. DNA damage was evaluated using the micronucleus test and the Comet assay and the concentration of cytochrome P450 enzymes was estimated. Two group...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are evolutionarily conserved and multifunctional effector molecules playing pivotal roles in development and homeostasis. In this study we explored the involvement of the five Arabidopsis thaliana At-MMPs in plant defence against microbial pathogens. Expression of At2-MMP was most responsive to inoculation with fungi and a bacterial pathogen followed by At3-MMP ...