Over-expression of Arabidopsis thaliana β-carotene hydroxylase (chyB) gene enhances drought tolerance in transgenic tobacco

Carotenoids are essential for photosynthesis and photoprotection in plant life. In order to study the protective role of zeaxanthin under drought stress, we increased the capacity for its accumulation in tobacco by over-expression of Arabidopsis β-carotene hydroxylase chyB gene. This manipulation leads to a 2–4 fold increase of xanthophylls cycle pigments. Under high-light condition, the transformants converted more β-carotene into zeaxanthin...